Problems With Lyrica (Top voted first)

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I have been taking Lyrica for prophylactic migraine managment as well as neuropathic pain following discectomy of T8-9 and T10-11. I was previously on gabapentin and noticed cognitive sxs, and minimal effects for pain. After starting Lyrica, I almost immediately noticed decreased pain...I thought it was a miracle! I also had decreased migraines. Now that I have been on Lyrica 100mg BID, my weight gain has become unmanagable. I have gained 40 lbs, and I am only 5'3. I weigh more now than I did when pregnant with any of my children. I have also experienced many of the side effects mentioned in the discussion boards. I told my Dr. that I wanted to get off of it due to so many problems. He gave me a tapering schedule, but the first time I started decreasing my dose, I have started having hives, swelling in my various parts of my body and last night my throat started swelling and made me hoarse. I have taken 50 mg of Benedryl, trying to avoid going to the hospital until I could call my Dr. on Monday. Has anyone else had this reaction to the withddrawl of the medication?
Thanks for the response!

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10

hi my name is karen well my brother was taking this god awful drug for three months the first month he was in such a deep sleep he vomited in his sleep and never woke up his lungs were filled with it and they didnt know if he was going to make it. well he did and got out of the hospital and they told him it was a diffrent drug that did that to him. he believed them and continued to take the lyrica and now on aug 16th he passed away from the same problem we was not abel to catch him in time. so if your reading this please BEWARE!!!!! he was 36 years old

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11

Lyrica, like it's evil predecessor Neurontin, basically subdues the patient by making them sleepy and groggy all the time and it does not address the actual medical problem... This is great news for medical industry Shareholders of stock and those that make money off of managed care... These type of medications get the patients to not complain as much and it reduces the necessity of "expensive" diagnostic tests... Forget about really figuring out what the medical problem is, let's just give everyone that complains a magic pill...

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20

my husband took lyrica for 1 or 2 months and he passed away in 5 days he took it for neuopathy that was not even verified with nerve examinations. someone has to help us. i mailed pfzier numerous letters which they told me to to get answers and they never answered me.. they are killers they want to blame all the lyrica deaths on something else. we need JUSTICE...

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4

I have gained lots of weight too, more than when I was pregnant. It's terrible. I got off Lyrica twice before and all I noticed was that the pain seemed to be worse. I too am concerned about how I will get off it now I've been on 600 mg a day for 2 years. Sometimes I think my Dr is using my as a test lab rat to try out high doses of this tablet. He suggests doubling that to 1200mg. But i'm worried that would be too high and would damage me. I would be interested to know how other people go on high dossages.

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5

Thanks for the information, I was given Lyrica today and I will not even start... the stree of all the side affects is not worth the little bit of pain reduction. I am on tegretol and that seems to help 25 out of 30 days a month. I will stick with that. Thanks for posting.

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9

I TOOK LYRICA FOR MS I WAS ON IT FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND GAINED 5OLBS AND FELT LIKE I WAS DRUNK ALL THE TIME. I WAS ON 75MG 3 TIMES A DAY. I FINALLY TOOK MYSELF OFF BUT I DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS GOING OFF OF IT. THE ONLY PROBLEMS WAS IT DID HELP WITH MY PAIN AND ELECTRIC SHOCKS. I HAVE BEEN OFF NOW FOR ABOUT 8 MONTHS AND AM SLOWING LOSING THE WEIGHT BUT I HAVE SINCE HAD TO GIVE UP ALLWHEAT PRODUTS DUE TO CELIACS DIEASE WHICH HAS HELPED IN MY WEIGHT LOSE. I CAN TELL YOU I WILL NEVER GO BACK ON LYRICA AGAIN

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15

My dad was hiven this medication for the pains he had in his legs. He started this medication on a tuesday, and by friday afternoon, he was so groggy and fell into a deep sleep and was taken to the er on a saturday night and he died sunday morning. I know that his throat, neck and face was swollen and it sounded like he was having trouble breathing. He was a dnr so he was not put on a ventilator. I know this medication caused this... beware of taking this medication.

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19

so sorry to hear about ur loss. my mom died after taking lyrica for three days. family members told me she was talking out of her head, they must assumed she was high but she didnt wake up next morning. this drug is a killer, please beware

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3

I took Lyrica for Fibromyalgia. I endured the Side Effects for 3 Months of Misery. Yes the pain went away mostly but I was gaining 10lbs a wk on it and NOT EATTING any different than before. My insides went nuts on it and I was up to 1500mg a day in Less than a Month! I too got the HECK Off of it!!! The Stuff is EVIL with SIDE EFFECTS!! I got off of it and Now I take Oseo Bio-Flex Triple Strength and deal with it!

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6

Thanks for the information, I was given Lyrica today and I will not even start... the risk of all the side affects is not worth the little bit of pain reduction. I am on tegretol and that seems to help 25 out of 30 days a month. I will stick with that. Thanks for posting.

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8

my name is catherine cirillo and i took lyrica for 7 months for fibromylgia and i had all these symptons and still now im off lyrica and still have loss of concentration and much more. durning taking lyrica i built up with fluid and almost died the doctor said so do not take lyrica anyone reading this i searched deaths and there have been 31 due to lyrica.



letter from my grand child:
lyrica made my grandms really sick and made her go in the hospital. my grandma cant remember any thing i tell her. And my grandma had poping sounds in her head.

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13

Also for all those that read my responces.. I am taking these things for fibromyalgia. All in hopes that it will help with pain. So far nothing works, and I have tried them all. This drug was the worst, and I know it made me lose my job.
Research.. research ... research everything especally these new drugs. They haven't been around long and I'm afraid of what is more to come with reading from people here, it is worse then I thought.. and I knew it was bad!
Best wishes

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17

Began 25mgs.ofLyrica about seven years ago.. it was prescribed by a rheumatologist for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Arthrittis. It seemed to be a miracle drug but my system kept demanding more and more to relieve the pain., i am now up to the max. 600 and taking more at times to be able to go to sleep.tsking extra finally caught up with me when a Walgreenspharmacisst refused to refill until exactly thirty days. I suffered four days of what must be some level of Hell. Chills and sweats at the same time, my skin alternating between terrible itching all over and feeling pin points of stinging at every nerve ending in my body. Runny nose,sneezing,nausea, diarhea, cant eat. 'Cant sleep ,brain would not shut down,kept tormenting me with horrible thoughts and images.
During the first six months after first prescribed i gained 25 lbs have now gained a total of 40 lbs. I am unable to balance a bank statement,get confused,start to cry and give it up. The simplest tasks overwhelm me. Usedvto lov readingding,working in te yard, :bikeee riding. No More. Depressed, sad, no interest in anything.lose my train of thought. Have tried three times to reduce dosage and wean off but the hurt-all-overs come back with a vengeance. I have no hope of ever getting off it. I have no prescription insurance and a one month supply is $265.
Ill be brutally honest. I dont blame the doctors. The medicine was brand new and they didn't know. I do blame the drug company that spends millions promoting this drug and pass the costs to people like me. And i want them to pay for ruining what remains of my life at 68 .

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18

I gained 60 lbs in just 6 months on LYRICA before going into HEART FAILURE. Be careful. Check your pulse. Make sure it's okay. If you hear any funny sounds when you breathe call the doctor or 9-1-1. LYRICA does some very strange things. And like you, after just 6 months on LYRICA I was heavier than I ever was at 9 months pregnant. And guess what.......the weight doesn't want to come off after you stop taking LYRICA. I was NEVER overweight in my life until taking LYRICA. I went from a size 8 to a size 18 in just 6 little months. And it almost killed me as well. If I hadn't known the signs of heart failure I wouldn't have called the doctor and he wouldn't have sent me directly to the hospital.

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21

I am glad I found this forum. My 87 year old mom was referred to a so-called pain management specialist. He wanted to wean her off of the opiate she had been on for several years (that was never prescribed in a high enough dose to relieve her suffering) so he put her on Gabapentin with instructions to increase the dose from one a day to three a day over 3 weeks. She saw no reduction in pain but became obsessed with thoughts of how to kill herself. So he switched her to Lyrica with instructions, again, to increase the dose from one a day to three a day over three weeks. She had two ER visits during the time on Lyrica, was hospitalized after the second ER visit. She died three days after being discharged home. Heart beat was racing, blood pressure out of control, she developed a strange palsy in her hand....you CANNOT tell me it was NOT Lyrica. The prescribing doctor KNEW she had pulmonary fibrosis, a definitive breathing disorder. He prescribed it any way. This drug should be taken off the market. My Mom is dead.

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22

my husband died from this pill....pfzier told me to write to them if i had questions i did an they never answered. numerous letters to them no answers. this will all come out one day and they will pay for it

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1

thanks!

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2

Weaning off of Lyrica

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16

I just started lyrica 3 days ago. 50 mg bid. It makes my vision so blurred,there's no way I can drive. My attention span is horrible. It does help with my fibromyalgia pain but at times I'm speedy feeling then I'm down and groggy. Its very strange feelings.

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26

How do we know you're not a doctor just trying to get us all to take this harmful drug or that you don't work for the company that created drug you're entitled to your opinion and we're entitled to ours there's obvious recorded deaths in serious harmful effects that have destroyed people lives. I have had heart surgery brain surgery and seven other major surgeries I have high blood pressure high cholesterol heart disease diabetes and I'm wondering why my doctor would even prescribe this to me I picked up my prescription I read the warnings and side effects and I threw it away immediately thank God for this forum that I could read and get more information on this DEATH drug. We're all happy that your life is so wonderful and you are pain free so please be courteous and don't knock those people who aren't as lucky as you

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