Pregalabin/Lyrica

[copey399]

Sorry it is Pregabalin but I don't know how to change the title.

Has anyone had or know anyone who has had any experience of this pain med? My GP has prescribed it for my chronic back pain until I get my referral to the Pain Management Clinic. It came without any information leaflet about side effects and drug interactions so I researched it online and scared myself to death. There are so many forums of people saying it's the drug from hell, ruined their life and there is even a Facebook Group called Lyrica Survivors with 900 members telling their experience of it and the withdrawal symptoms when you try and get off it are just as horrendous.

Major effects seem to be memory loss, hallucinations, withdrawing from life, suicidal thoughts, lack of any emotion, blurry or distorted vision and there is a whole website relating to people blaming it for sudden loss of hearing in one or both ears.

I know all pills have side effects and that they don't always affect everyone but this has really put me off, especially as some are still struggling with the side effects months after the painful withdrawal process. I haven't taken it.

Anyone have any experience or information about them?

 

[Enclave]

If your not 100% happy with a medication that your Drs prescribed..then don't take it .. If you can live with the pain .. The wife gets back pain and is able to focus away from the pain .. This seems to work for her .. Until I forget and trip over her or knock her flying .. Then she is squeaking in pain again

 

[copey399]

If your not 100% happy with a medication that your Drs prescribed..then don't take it .. If you can live with the pain .. The wife gets back pain and is able to focus away from the pain .. This seems to work for her .. Until I forget and trip over her or knock her flying .. Then she is squeaking in pain again

That's my opinion entirely but I have already come off Tramadol due to nausea and foggy brain, plus refused Gabapentin as it's another in the same genre as Lyrica. They were primarily for the treatment of epilepsy and act on the neurotransmitters in the brain until someone decided they had some success with pain relief (although if you Google Scott Reuben he was apparently fined/jailed for falsifying the results of the tests he was supposed to have carried out) . Doesn't give you much confidence does it ... lol.

I'm afraid my GP is going to write me off as just being paranoid. They tend to dish these things out but I bet they haven't or wouldn't take them

 

[donnellysdogs]

I have adverse reactions to pregabalin, lyrica and amitryptalene and tramadol!

Due to having a well formed lump in my neck that is being investigated my GP and I went settled on a butrans patch and diazepam. I have 10mg currently of the morphine patch and can alter the dosage for my diazepam to suit my pain and spasm levels.. And also the functionality within my head... Too much diazepam and I am completely off my head and too little and the pain is excruciating. I was given oramorph - but this has sucrose in it and despite giving a bolus when taking I would have had to double my basal injection.

I too thought that my GPs wouldn't listen but they have. They have been exceptional at listening.

The only thing I have also to take very carefully because of the patches and diazepam is dulcolax. My stomach can behave quite oddly at times...so again this is something I have to contend with.

Pain clinics have horrendous times for appointments... It is such a shame that so many people are having to wait so long for appointments and then treatment.

I find it best to always take my hubby with me to all appointments as he is a key witness to how badly some drugs react with me.

I know I could not luve with side effects of the drugs I listed... I have reasonable living now providing I do very little. The butrans patches by themselves are not effective at pain control. The diazepam helps to relax muscles.

 

[Enclave]

The wife finds that taking pain reducing medication never really takes away the pain ! But a breathing thing and focusing away from the pain really helps .. Also fear of the pain will make it far more painful than it should be. She went on a pain management thing eons ago .. It helped her understand why she had the pain and how you can tell your brain that you know the painful bit needs attention .. But it is not wanting the level of pain the brain think it should have .... All together it seems to work ... With some relaxing techniques she can do if the pain breaks through her defences ...

Hope you get sorted out soon .. Pain is a bit of a ...... Pain

 

[ladybird64]

Hi Copey, I take Pregabalin 300 mg daily and have been on it now for about a year. I have had various issues with pain, a legacy from my cancer treatment last year and something that is unlikely to go away. I know a bit about medications and asked my GP to prescribe this, I had been on increasing doses of Gabapentin but for me it was useless. Pregab has made the difference between me being miserable with neuropathic pain, where my body seemed to "close down" every afternoon and me being able to live a fairly normal life, with less stiffness and pain. It also helps with anxiety for some people. Many meds are effective in differing conditions so don't let that put you off.

Although I have anxiety issues and depression, I don't have them about my health (not really), and never about medication, although I know many people are fearful. The way I look at it (and I never read the patient info leaflets!) is that if I go looking for side effects, I'll find them. It plants a seed of doubt in the mind that can grow pretty big.

I would go ahead and try them. If they don't work you have lost nothing and if you don't try them, how will you know if they could have worked...I think. If you feel significant changes that are causing you problems, stop taking them. Hope this helps

PS - Just re-read your post - all meds should have a patient info leaflet included automatically, maybe the chemist has been fiddling around with the amounts in the box. Also, even more importantly, if you pick out any analgesic (pain med) and google it, I guarantee you will find forums of one sort or another with masses of people all saying how it is the drug from hell. Look up Tramadol and see what you find lol. Seriously - just about every med that is going, from anti-depressants, to pain meds, to anti histamines, there will always be loads of complaints. We are all individuals and really can't tell how we will be affected (or not) by meds until we try for ourselves. That's how I view it anyway.

 

[ladybird64]

I have adverse reactions to pregabalin, lyrica and amitryptalene and tramadol!

Due to having a well formed lump in my neck that is being investigated my GP and I went settled on a butrans patch and diazepam. I have 10mg currently of the morphine patch and can alter the dosage for my diazepam to suit my pain and spasm levels.. And also the functionality within my head... Too much diazepam and I am completely off my head and too little and the pain is excruciating. I was given oramorph - but this has sucrose in it and despite giving a bolus when taking I would have had to double my basal injection.

I too thought that my GPs wouldn't listen but they have. They have been exceptional at listening.

The only thing I have also to take very carefully because of the patches and diazepam is dulcolax. My stomach can behave quite oddly at times...so again this is something I have to contend with.

Pain clinics have horrendous times for appointments... It is such a shame that so many people are having to wait so long for appointments and then treatment.

I find it best to always take my hubby with me to all appointments as he is a key witness to how badly some drugs react with me.

I know I could not luve with side effects of the drugs I listed... I have reasonable living now providing I do very little. The butrans patches by themselves are not effective at pain control. The diazepam helps to relax muscles.

DD, I was on BuTrans patches too, 40's (had to have one on each arm lol) as well as Oromorph but I'm a well controlled T2. It may be of no help to you at all but I thought I'd mention what the pain doc recommended when I was having chemo, just in case it could be useful. I was on a very low dose antidepressant, Mirtazapine just before diagnosis but she raised the dose as apparently it affects the pain receptors and would help with overall pain management. It may be inappropriate for you but thought I'd mention it, just in case.

 

[Liam1955]

Sorry it is Pregabalin but I don't know how to change the title.

Has anyone had or know anyone who has had any experience of this pain med? My GP has prescribed it for my chronic back pain until I get my referral to the Pain Management Clinic. It came without any information leaflet about side effects and drug interactions so I researched it online and scared myself to death. There are so many forums of people saying it's the drug from hell, ruined their life and there is even a Facebook Group called Lyrica Survivors with 900 members telling their experience of it and the withdrawal symptoms when you try and get off it are just as horrendous.

Major effects seem to be memory loss, hallucinations, withdrawing from life, suicidal thoughts, lack of any emotion, blurry or distorted vision and there is a whole website relating to people blaming it for sudden loss of hearing in one or both ears.

I know all pills have side effects and that they don't always affect everyone but this has really put me off, especially as some are still struggling with the side effects months after the painful withdrawal process. I haven't taken it.

Anyone have any experience or information about them?

That's my opinion entirely but I have already come off Tramadol due to nausea and foggy brain, plus refused Gabapentin as it's another in the same genre as Lyrica. They were primarily for the treatment of epilepsy and act on the neurotransmitters in the brain until someone decided they had some success with pain relief (although if you Google Scott Reuben he was apparently fined/jailed for falsifying the results of the tests he was supposed to have carried out) . Doesn't give you much confidence does it ... lol.

I'm afraid my GP is going to write me off as just being paranoid. They tend to dish these things out but I bet they haven't or wouldn't take them

Hello Copey399. I have been taking Tramadol 50mg (up to 6 a day) and Pregabalin 200mg (up to 6 a day) on and off for 3 years. I have 2 Herniated Disc's L4/5 + L5/S1 and Arthritis in 3 Lumbar Disc's and I have never experienced any side effects whatsoever. Both these drugs are addictive and my GP always says to wean myself off them when the pain starts to ease. I have just gone back on them after a break of 6 months because I am experiencing Sciatica. I should not worry too much about what you read - they 'kill' the pain of backache. William.

 

[copey399]

Hello Copey399. I have been taking Tramadol 50mg (up to 6 a day) and Pregabalin 200mg (up to 6 a day) on and off for 3 years. I have 2 Herniated Disc's L4/5 + L5/S1 and Arthritis in 3 Lumbar Disc's and I have never experienced any side effects whatsoever. Both these drugs are addictive and my GP always says to wean myself off them when the pain starts to ease. I have just gone back on them after a break of 6 months because I am experiencing Sciatica. I should not worry too much about what you read - they 'kill' the pain of backache. William.

Thanks William. It's good to hear the other side of the story and I'm glad it's working for you. I've still read enough to scare me off them though I know it's a fact that if people have a bad experience with something they will be quick to report it whereas not many people bother to report the positives. xx

 

[Mep]

I reacted to pregabalin (aka: lyrica) after just taking 1 tablet. It kept me awake for 3 days straight. Instead of making me drowsy like it does for most it wired me up. I had the shakes. I almost had a car accident on the 3rd day just because I was in a bad way. My GP took me straight off the drug and told me he was glad I was wise enough not to take any more tablets. He said my body was treating it like poison. So for that reason I can't take gabapentin either as it is the same drug and lyrica is supposed to be the more tolerated version of it. ugh. At the moment I'm on baclofen, amitriptyline, and nifedipine to help control spasms and muscle pain. I see a new neurologist this week though so my other docs are hoping he can help me out. But I don't seem to tolerate a lot of drugs too well. I'm rather sensitive as my doc keeps telling me. They already trialled me on nortriptyline (allegron), sertraline (zoloft), and desvenlafaxine (pristiq) to help with pain and I had bad reactions to those too.... the last one I almost did a suicide attempt and couldn't feel my head as it went numb...knew it was the drug and hung on to a chair for dear life and rang my specialist the next morning. My docs took me straight off. It took me a while to recover after coming off them too. It is a nuisance trying to find the right medication. I've been pulled off the baclofen and amitriptyline as well before and I had bad withdrawals to both of those too.... was put back on them though. I think we all react differently to meds. I also couldn't tolerate tramadol, so they have that listed as a drug I'm allergic to as well.

 

[copey399]

I reacted to pregabalin (aka: lyrica) after just taking 1 tablet. It kept me awake for 3 days straight. Instead of making me drowsy like it does for most it wired me up. I had the shakes. I almost had a car accident on the 3rd day just because I was in a bad way. My GP took me straight off the drug and told me he was glad I was wise enough not to take any more tablets. He said my body was treating it like poison. So for that reason I can't take gabapentin either as it is the same drug and lyrica is supposed to be the more tolerated version of it. ugh. At the moment I'm on baclofen, amitriptyline, and nifedipine to help control spasms and muscle pain. I see a new neurologist this week though so my other docs are hoping he can help me out. But I don't seem to tolerate a lot of drugs too well. I'm rather sensitive as my doc keeps telling me. They already trialled me on nortriptyline (allegron), sertraline (zoloft), and desvenlafaxine (pristiq) to help with pain and I had bad reactions to those too.... the last one I almost did a suicide attempt and couldn't feel my head as it went numb...knew it was the drug and hung on to a chair for dear life and rang my specialist the next morning. My docs took me straight off. It took me a while to recover after coming off them too. It is a nuisance trying to find the right medication. I've been pulled off the baclofen and amitriptyline as well before and I had bad withdrawals to both of those too.... was put back on them though. I think we all react differently to meds. I also couldn't tolerate tramadol, so they have that listed as a drug I'm allergic to as well.

Thanks for your input @Mep I'm sure I'm hypersensitive to drugs too. After having a really severe reaction to Metoclopramide (Maxolon) which is an anti-nausea drug and also a bad experience with a few others it has made me paranoid about all meds so I'm a GPs worst nightmare. It only took 2 Maxolon (which I was given to take before a Barium Meal X-ray and didn't know what they were, just swallowed them like a lamb) to send me completely off my head. I was having spasms and couldn't keep still, my GP gave me a Pethidine injection. Then for 2 weeks after I was like a zombie. I knew what I wanted to say but couldn't get the words out. It was so frightening being "locked in" myself. My GP just said it was my nerves and neither of us associated it with the pills. Then when I went for the results of the Barium X-ray the consultant said I had a spastic colon and prescribed ... yep Maxolon!! One pill and I was back where I started. I then phoned the hospital and asked what the pills were they give before Barium X-ray and the nurse I spoke to said "Oh they're a new drug called Maxolon but they're not known to have any side effects".

Well to cut a long story short the Consultant reported my side effects to the GMC and told me that they were actually known side-effects but only one person in so many would suffer them and they thought the benefits outweighed the risks. Yeah, right. I was lucky in a way that I reacted so badly from the start because I've recently discovered that Metoclopramide has been shown to cause something called Tardive Dyskinesia in people that have been on them for some time. Basically it's facial tics and involuntary movements

So that's why I'm so reluctant to take anything.

 

[Mep]

g

Thanks for your input @Mep I'm sure I'm hypersensitive to drugs too. After having a really severe reaction to Metoclopramide (Maxolon) which is an anti-nausea drug and also a bad experience with a few others it has made me paranoid about all meds so I'm a GPs worst nightmare. It only took 2 Maxolon (which I was given to take before a Barium Meal X-ray and didn't know what they were, just swallowed them like a lamb) to send me completely off my head. I was having spasms and couldn't keep still, my GP gave me a Pethidine injection. Then for 2 weeks after I was like a zombie. I knew what I wanted to say but couldn't get the words out. It was so frightening being "locked in" myself. My GP just said it was my nerves and neither of us associated it with the pills. Then when I went for the results of the Barium X-ray the consultant said I had a spastic colon and prescribed ... yep Maxolon!! One pill and I was back where I started. I then phoned the hospital and asked what the pills were they give before Barium X-ray and the nurse I spoke to said "Oh they're a new drug called Maxolon but they're not known to have any side effects".

Well to cut a long story short the Consultant reported my side effects to the GMC and told me that they were actually known side-effects but only one person in so many would suffer them and they thought the benefits outweighed the risks. Yeah, right. I was lucky in a way that I reacted so badly from the start because I've recently discovered that Metoclopramide has been shown to cause something called Tardive Dyskinesia in people that have been on them for some time. Basically it's facial tics and involuntary movements

So that's why I'm so reluctant to take anything.

goodness, yes I'm glad you found out it was the same drug used. It's unfortunate when we have adverse reactions as it does make the docs job harder. My docs try and keep me on as less drugs as they can, but I have a few ailments that need controlling which makes it difficult. I'm not doing too bad considering because just one of my conditions, some other ladies I've met online with it are taking a lot more meds than I am for it. Although currently my GP doesn't consider all my conditions are 'stabilised'. So tomorrow I see a neurologist and hoping he can be of some help when it comes to what meds I should be on. Idk what to expect really as I have no idea what he will say. The other docs think I may have something neurological going on and I've already had one neurologist tell me this year I'm neurologically sound... yet some of my symptoms have been worsening and docs can't figure it out. I just get concerned about more drugs being thrown into the mix as the more you take the higher the risk of interactions, etc. They all come with side effects really. It's a case of whether you can handle them or not. Also if they pull you off them and put you back on them... I've found my body reacts differently as if it is a new drug.