What Causes Weight Gain In Lyrica (Page 6)
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I HAVE GAINED 27 POUNDS IN 3 MONTHS. WHAT CAN I DO OTHER THAN STOP TAKING LYRICA? SHOULD I QUIT OR LOWER THE DOSAGE? I TAKE 2 DOSES PER DAY.

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53

I've been taking 150mg twice daily for years. Missing 3 or 4 days and I started to crash. Depression, exhaustion, headaches, legs felt like giving out on me. I'm going to taper and ask my doc for something else for the leg pain..

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52

So how are the side effects of not taking Lyrcia??

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51

Wow, what a God send this thread is. I've been on Lyrica for 5 yrs.A motorcycle accident damaged the nerves in my left leg. At first I got really dopey but that passed. I didn't really notice any significant weight gain. Then 2 yrs ago I caught a really bad lung infection and was hospitalized for 11 days, I lost 23 pounds almost overnight. When I got better and the weight started to come back, it went to my normal of 175 and just kept on going. I've 200 now and starving myself to stay there. I ran out of Lyrica for only 3 days (ouch) and lost almost 5 lbs. Now I know why. I'm going to try to get off of it completely.

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50

33 yr old, 8 weeks postpartum and 6 weeks post microdisectomy and lamanectomy. Prescribed Lyrica post surgery.

In the 2 weeks post birth I managed to lose 10kgs and be 4kgs off my pre baby weight, thanks to Lyrica I've now put back on 5kg - mostly around the stomach and legs. I'm battling with enough depression having been hospitalised for 5 weeks with my back and not being able to bond with my newborn, this drug is certainly not helping with that and the extra weight not helping my rehab!

After reading everyone else's posts I'm getting straight to doc and asking to come off it. I'd rather find another way to get through; swimming and yoga perhaps when I'm moving again properly.

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49

I forgot to add I am on 375 mg at bedtime

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48

this is my story too...it think lyrica is making me more depressed as well...I just feel horrible, but it takes the pain away. I have had headaches, that last for months on end. And now they are gone !!! BUT the weight, it's horrible. I was always fit, going to the gym everything. Now I don't want to go out of the house. I am depressed, tired all the time. Yes my headaches are gone 80% of the time Thank God !!! and my aching joints !!! and I suppose it all comes with a price...either suffer with gaining weight and having no pain, or go back to having headaches everyday for the rest of my life and my joints paining and losing the weight....which would you pick?? :(

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47

my opinion is the dose doesn't seem to make a difference with the weigh but it does make a difference to your well-being if you change the dose. I went down on the dose to drive across country due to the fatigue I get and noticed when I went back up that I started feeling off. So be sure to check with your doctor. I think the best thing to do is be on that ideal diet of low carbs, no sugar, and really exercise. Same thing everybody recommends for loosing weigh and getting in shape. It is a shock on how fast the weight comes on and where it hits in the belly. I don't know if there is a connection between nerve pain and gastro problems but I found that the bloating really went down on a low fat and low fiber diet. crazy after all the years of salads and raw veggies, but it seems that I also have IBS and gastroparesis. So really work to see which diet works for you. Important to know if you are gluten and lactose sensitive. Sugar and refined food must go out of anybodies diet that has any type of chronic pain or disease issue. That is a given. If the Lyrica helps so you can exercise then it is important that you stay on it!

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46

I also have gained a significant amount of weight mostly in the belly. After talking with my family dr and doing a little research on lyrica I have found that it makes your metabolism crash. It basically tells your body to take the fat and unnecessary nutrients from what you eat rather than just what your body needs. If it wasn't the only thing that worked for my nerve pain I would drop it in a second but unfortunately nothing else helps with ny nerve pain. As much as I hate the extra weight I had to weigh the pros and cons for myself and decided less pain was the best choice for me.

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45

It just makes you hungry, and crave carbs, you guys. Some people also gain water weight. Make sure you're on the right dose, eating right and exercising if you're up to it. Anyway, weight is weight.

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44

It is great to hear that someone has had a good experience with Lyrica. Weight gain aside, which I managed to loose eith diet and exercise, it has been given me a chance to have a normal life again. I still know I have pain and know where, but it is not so overwhelming that I can't go out and do things. I tell me doctor it is one heck of an antidepressant! Thanks for sharing

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43

I was put on a low dose of Lyrica (25mg once/day for the first week and then twice/day thereafter) to see if it would help my sever lower back pain, neck pain, and entire body joint pain and severe foot pain. It immediately improved the burning pain in my lower back and improved my foot pain to the point that I can readily walk again. I read a lot of online info about people gaining weight. Lyrica has had the opposite effect on me. Within a week my appetite dropped considerably. I still get hungry but my cravings have all gone away and I only seem to feel the need for food twice a day. My weight has started to decrease as well slowly but steadily. I was very concerned before I started taking it because I feel that additional weight will only make all of my pain symptoms worse. But after dealing with the pain for years, and then getting results from Lyrica after the first dose I remained on the med and prepared to manage the weight gain. According to the internet forums regarding Lyrica, it doesn't sound like my experience is common. But it may be because people only tend to go onto the internet when they are experiencing a problem. Maybe my experience with Lyrica seems uncommon because people with positive experiences don't get online to write about their experience.

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42

I was put on Lyrica for a neuropathy just over a year ago. I gained 35 pounds in the first 2 months!! I've only put on another 5 over the rest of the year but...YES...I feel like an alien has taken over my body! My skin also broke out horribly. I tried to wean off of it a couple of weeks ago and had horrible side effects from that! Then I was in dire pain again so had to go back up. Oh, when I got down to 1/2 my usual dose I lost 6 lbs. overnight! But, when went back up I gained it all back in 2 days. I've tried every other med known to possibly help - really. Now I'm going for the invasive procedures. I have to get off of this drug! I turned 50, got fat and bad skin! So unfair. I eat almost Nothing and still can't lose weight on this med.

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41

When you said "it's like living in someone else's body" it hit me hard because that's exactly how I feel. Been on Lyrica x 2 yrs and have gained 50 lbs! Take it off-label for anxiety and it works great, as well as benzos. Can someone please help me with the wt issue? Please! Please! Please!

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40

I can't offer a solution, but I can say that I could be your twin in what has happened to me. Reading your post gives me some comfort. I have severe pain that Lyrica does help so I don't want to not take it. I don't take any narcotics. What I can do is work hard on my depression because of my appearance. I am still the same beautiful person inside and I have found some pretty clothes. I will work hard on holding my head up and getting out more now.

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39

I agree - Lyrica made me pick up 30kg in 6 months and I never ate more or was more hungry on it!

I too have picked up from the ribs to the hips and I have been off Lyrica for 3 years now and I still cant loose it, infact I feel like I am still gaining as my clothes are tight again.

I have tired EVERYTHING from vegterian diest, protein, doctors, nutritionist etc - and still to no avail. I have never carried weight like this and being 5ft 4' doesnt look got when you weigh 95kg.

I am depressed and embarrassed and really need a solution, as the doctors just srug their shoulders and say - pain or gain??

I was on ot for Fibromyalgia to the point I could hardly move and suffered all the systems mentioned above - I stopped cold turkey and it was hell, but I was not prepared to live the fat ..... the pain is bad, but pain and depression because of the fat, leads to more pain.

Can some one tell me how to loose the weight when no longer on Lyrica?

Thanks Tammy

What can be taken

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38

I agree - Lyrica made me pick up 30kg in 6 months and I never ate more or was more hungry on it!

I too have picked up from the ribs to the hips and I have been off Lyrica for 3 years now and I still cant loose it, infact I feel like I am still gaining as my close are tigh again.

I have tired EVERYTHING from vegterian diest, protein, doctors, nutritionist etc - and still to no avail. I have never carried weight like this and being 5ft 4' doesnt look got when you weigh 95kg.

I am depressed and embarrassed and really need a solution, as the doctors just srug their shoulders and say - pain or gain??

I was on ot for Fibromyalgia to the point I could hardly move and suffered all the systems mentioned above - I stopped cold turkey and it was hell, but I was not prepared to live the fat ..... the pain is bad, but pain and depression because of the fat, leads to more pain.

Can some one tell me how to loose the weight when no longer on Lyrica?

Thanks Tammy

What can be taken

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37

You need to immediately cut down your food intake to 1200 calories per day (5,000 kilojoules). You should be able to lose one pound per week. It will be a long haul but worth it. I find lyrica excellent for my post hepatic neuralgia so had to find a solution. I put on 9 pounds in the first week of taking 450mg lyrica, but have now taken the weight gain off by careful dieting.

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36

I feel for all of you. I had a horrible time getting off Lyrica...had massive withdrawal so I had to taper over nearly a year to get off it...150 mg a day to start, got down to splitting one 50mg over five days at the end. Good news is that the weight comes off after you stop taking the drug.

I believe that there will be litigation involving this drug very soon. The side effects are terrible. I wrote my method for tapering on another site... you can Google "Lyrica Withdrawal Syndrome". Good luck to you guys. I wouldn't take another Lyrica for any amount of money.

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35

I would get off Lyrica as soon as possible. I was on it for three years for treatment for my fibro myalgia that I got when a drunk driver hit me back in 2007. I went from 120 lbs to over 165 lbs, lost most of my teeth, had and still have memory loss, changed my moods, thoughts, behavior, tried to commit suicide and has ruined my relationship with my daughters. In Business week magazine issue of August 2012, I can't remember if it was 2012 or 2013 ran an article about the FDA suing and winning the suit against Pfizer with regards to Lyrica. Now a legal suit has been started in Canada, where I reside, against Lyrica. You can access at rotlaw.com, for more details. I hope this is helpful. But please get off this terrible drug right away. There is alternate drugs available but I found out the hard way that some Doctors prescribe drugs that they get the biggest kickback from their drug reps. In my case I should not have been perscribed this drug especially because I was on a cocktail of other medications for other problems caused by the accident. If it wasn't for my pharmacist I wouldn't be alive today!!!

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34

Omg I'm so nervous after reading all your posts ... I been on lyrica for two months gained 15lbs already... My dr wants me off percocets but the side effects from lyrica are scary .. I'm scatterbrained and have thoughts and emotions that aren't normal for me... Not sure what to do... Any thoughts?

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