What Causes Weight Gain In Lyrica (Page 8)
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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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I have been taking Lyrica for 9 days and have gained 10 lbs. I feel terrible and am embarrassed and frustrated by yet another battle I'll have to fight. It has helped the pain a bit, but is definitely not worth the weight gain. Ugh... back to the drawing board.

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Yuck...this is my story completely. I could have written it!!

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I too have always been fit and never had a problem with weight until taking Lyrica. Unfortunately, it is the only thing that helps my nerve pain. My dosage was increased 5 months ago and I have gained 45 lbs- in 4-5 months!!! I can't even fit into my old maternity clothes. I tried stopping it, but no luck with the weight. It's strange because it is almost all in the belly, I seriously look pregnant. For me, I haven't noticed it increasing my appetite, I don't eat that much. I think it has a lot to do with altering metabolism. I am 35 yrs old, female, 5'10 and went from 145 to 185-190..I have 3 kids, my youngest is 3. I was always told that I had a high metabolism. Not anymore, just this past several months. It wouldn't be so bad if the weight didn't interfere with how I move and function, but the added weight is causing quite a bit of strain on my joints and because of that, I'm not nearly as active as usual. It's a lose-lose situation on this drug. I feel like I'm just going to explode, this weight gain has been so rapid.

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I was prescribed this drug in 2011. Took it for 1 week and gained 5 lbs, plus making me depressed. Stopped taking for 2 years. Was in so much pain, I decided to try once more..I have gained 3 lbs in 2 days and have not changed eating habits, actually have eaten less because of knowing what the drug can do... I am so frustrated because it helps with the fibromyalgia pain but creates another problem with weight gain.. I am tall and for some reason at this stage of my life am struggling with weight gain because of hormones anyway. It is a vicious cycle and I don't know what to do except get off the drug again.. Stopped today!

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I've been on the "Lyrica is poison" bandwagon for a year at least. I wish I could give you the secret. Losing this weight has been crazy hard. I've been dieting (1500 cal a day at most, no fat) and running when I feel up to it (sometimes 4-5 days a week, sometimes 1-2) for seven weeks now and I've lost maybe 10 pounds. You may get lucky going off the drug and have no withdrawal symptoms, but they can be rough. If you go on the website Neurotalk I wrote a thread called "lyrica withdrawal syndrome" that tells all the stuff I used to help get off of it. Good luck...there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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I can totally agree I was injured in a M V A 7 yrs ago and was fine with the pain mangent for a while once prescribed the lyrics due to extensive nerve damage and burning pain through my leg I became drowsy. Now 9 months later I am up 50 lbs. I work out I diet it's stagnant and embarrassing I've never been overweight always fit. It's bad enough I have to deal with pain and the depression of what's happened to me and my life and now Im depressed over my appearance and as the sizes of clothes just keeps going up. I appreciate any and all advice of what to do. I can't live like this. I fell like Im living in someone else's body it doesn't feel like mine or look like mine. Please help!!!

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I gained 40 pounds over two years of taking Lyrica. When I finally was able to get off the lyrica (a withdrawal horror story by the way) I thought the weight would come right off. I've always been able to lose weight when I needed to, so I wasn't concerned. I was totally wrong, that weight was glued on. After several months I went on Wellbutrin, and after a month of around 800 calories a day, have finally seen the weight start to come off. What a nightmare this drug is! My advice is to stay far, far away.

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Your post gives me hope :) I take 300mg Effexor and 75mg 2x's daily Lyrica as a starting trial dose for spinal pain and Cauda Equina including nerve damage in my sacrum and legs. So I need this desperately and I just lost 30lbs, thank you to Topiramate and was very upset when I saw that a side effect to Lyrica was weight gain.

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I'm on Lyrica for spinal damage.If I take my Zoloft as directed, will it stop the weight gain?

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I started Lyrica and instantly gained 5lbs and I went off after reading posts about weight gain. I felt better than I have since I got sick on Lyrica and now I'm back not functioning. Thank you so much for this advice as to how to counteract the weight gain. I hope my Rheumy will prescribe it for me now!

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would cymbalta work like the wellbrutin? it has a appettite depressant.Cannot take the wellbruitn had bad reaction..

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I can relate to the weight gain with Lyrica. When I first tried it a few years ago, I gained 8lbs almost instantly. I know it is because it slows down your metabolism. I went off of it but went back on it in 2009. Here is the solution--take it along with a low dose of generic Wellbutrin--100mg two times a day. Wellbutrin is a NDRI (or antidepressant). 100mg two times a day is below the therapeutic range really to treat depression, but it counteracts the Lyrica side effects!! The drug is stimulating so it keeps your metabolism normal. You will not gain weight. I have not gained one pound in 2 yrs! I eat like a pig at times too. I think it is a miracle drug because it enables me to stay on the drug that I need for pain control.

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It's difficult to say exactly what about a medication causes any specific side effect, in many cases there is really no way to explain it, but Lyrica contains the active ingredient Pregabalin, which is actually an anticonvulsant, so it works on brain chemicals.

This means that it may be having an affect on something that stimulates the appetite, or slows the metabolism, so some people gain weight easier than normal, while taking it.

Have you discussed the issue with your doctor?

You may need to start more closely watching what you eat, or up the amount of exercise you get each day.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Lyrica/­

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