Lyrica, the good, bad and ugly

[stlyin moe]

It works well. I only have to take it three times a day vs. 4 times w/Neuronten.

I've noticed my bowel program has drastically changed. When on Neuronten my routine was every 3 or 4 days to void. With Lyrica an hour after I eat I have to go. It's a pain in the butt. I guess on the one hand it's better to be processing faster but it just adds (or should I say takes away) another hour from my day during the middle of the day no less.

So there you have it. Anyone else on Lyrica experience the same thing?...

[LaMemChose]

Lyrica is the first med to alleviate some of that insane, burning, neuropathic pain for me. This is the first true break I've had of any sort in almost thirteen years.

I, too, have to poo more often. While I'm not enjoying that, I do appreciate the reduction in neuro pain. I was previously on Neurontin. My doctor had me wean off Neurontin and ramp up to Lyrica over a week. I'll take the additional bathroom time over the level of pain I had anyday.

[stlyin moe]

I am told Lyrica has much more of the active ingredient that kills the pain which is why it's better than Neuronten. The other upside is I'm not nearly as bloated as I was. I'm assuming it's because I'm passing as much as I take in shortly thereafter.

[davesgirl aka anty]

My boyfriend just started to take Lyrica this week. I will keep you updated on how he does. How much do you take a day? :) anty

[LaMemChose]

My boyfriend just started to take Lyrica this week. I will keep you updated on how he does. How much do you take a day? :) anty

Hey, Anty, I take 100 mg. three times a day, much less as far as mg than the Neurontin I took.

[stlyin moe]

Hey, Anty, I take 100 mg. three times a day, much less as far as mg than the Neurontin I took.

I take the same dosage as well...

Something else I forgot to mention is it takes much less time to empty than when I was on the Neuronten. I'm done in 20 mins now whereas before it would take an hour minimum and usually longer.

[metronycguy]

interesting about the lyrica and the change in bowels. i noticed a big change to in mine, but forgot about the lyrica cause. i have been thinking about using a motility slow down medicine . i had tried the otc stuff but it actually made it worse with explosive gas.
i may try and get off the lyrica and see if my bowels get better.\its been driving me nuts lately, ever time i eat i have to go, and that with a coffee,food enemmez in am.

[mike]

One of the side effects that I get from Neurontin is edema in my ankles. Do any of you who have been on Neurontin and had edema, get relief from this condition after switching to Lyrica?

[dhv]

I took lyrcia for 2 months and had serious problem with edema and a short hospitial stay for chf.I stopped the lyrcia and all is well.except for the sharp pains that I was trying to cure..oh well.

[firesmurf]

this is intersting stuff.thanks for the heads up.I am kind of looking forward to trying it now just because of the bowel thing.I lost perastalsis(sp?)on my right side almost completely since my SCI.I have to manually massage that side just for anything to actually 'happen" now.this should be fun to try and see what happens.i think part of my problem as well is that my L kidney is too big from the PKD(at last ultrasound it was three times the normal size and that was about a year ago)so I have issues now on both sides.

i have been on gabitril and have really never been able to actually tolerate it during the day as it (still after two and a half years on it)causes me to just want to slep.this is great at night,it works wayyy better than the ambien I used to have to take just for some sleep.but that is getting old as since my knee surgery the RSD is really pissed now and nothing else helps with that burning so I have been having to take more of it during the day now too.I hate being all hazy and tired during the day.

how is the sleep factor with this stuff,as far as all of your experiences with it.does it make you really tired or the opposite?I know its kind of an individual thing but i am just hoping that i will be able to take it during the day when I need it badly just to try and tone down the inferno in my knee thru my foot.

you know,I had that edema response really bad in my RSD knee joint,really bad,when I tried cymbalta last year right about this time.it made my already normally swolllen knee go up about twice the "normal" size,and the nausea and headache from that stuff was pretty horrible too.i am hoping for a better reaction from the lyrica.

i hope this stuff continues to actually give you guys some good relief.we all take what we can get when we can get it.Marcia

[metronycguy]

i am on my 3 or 4 day of reduced doage of lyrica, taking 50 to 100 mg a day compared to 150 aday, already isee better bowel ,
that having to go 2 times aday after the morning enemmez,
i mean i dont use a chair bu tstill it drives you nuts, the areas that i am in dont have many half way clean bathrooms .
i think the lyrica saves me in the wonter and i cac get a shoe on.pain meds are down from 4 ultram a day and 25 to 35 oxycodone a day to two ultram and maybe 10 to 20 oxy to stop the burning pain shocks when i sleep or sit

[firesmurf]

keep your fingers crossed for me,I will be seeing my PM today and going off the gabitril and starting the lyrica.I am just hoping it actually helps with my pain but doesn't effect me like the gabitril did with the sleeping all the time problems.

i just always get a bit apprehensive when starting any new med since the nightmare from hell I had when I attempted that cymbalta,god what a horrid reaction I got from that crap.just plain nasty.i will keep ya posted.Marcia

[LaMemChose]

One consideration for anyone who doesn't have medical insurance, a prescription of Lyrica (100 mg three times/day) for the month runs better than $300. I didn't realize it until I was filing away the papers for my insurance in a folder.

Pretty pricey!

[razzle51]

Lyrica is a weight gainer like Neurontin . Some it helps some it doesnt.

[firesmurf]

hey LaMem,i picked up my lyrica rx and didn't notice it at the time,as i paid with a credit card,but when I came home and went to open the package,I noticed that this stuff was wayyy higher than my normal 12.00 rx co pay.well now I am spending 35.00 for this stuff til my insurance co decides whether or not I actually 'need' it,then if they decide I do,they will pay for it.it seems I needed a "pre authorization' for this stuff as it is not on their formulary of drugs yet,and they will only pay for this in specific conditions,but amazingly they all hinge on whther or not I have ever tried neurontin for my pain first.

I guess those two years on neurontin with no real results is now actually "worth" something??the bizarre thing tho is that the neurontin and the gabitril are both more expensive for my ins co than the lyrica.go figure.

i started my taper off the gab two days ago and will go down one pill every three days til the very last day i take my last gabitril and will take that along with my first lyrica.

just kinda curious about this label I saw on the bottle where it states"may cause blurred vision'.anyone ever get that?i am just wondering as I already am having that particular problem which started about two months ago but still do not have a clue as to just why yet.I am just wondering if anyone who is on it or has taken it has actually experienced that particular side effect??we will see i guess.marcia

[Tarkus]

I find the bowel issue interesting as I have been chronically constipated since an incomplete sci 2 years ago and after change to Lyrica it has improved dramatically.

Alan

[metronycguy]

tarkus, since i have stopped lyrica i am back to constipated golf balls, even with 300 to 600 mg colace a day, i have upped my fiber even more now, and
problem i had with lyrica i always felt the urge to go even after cleaned out with enemmez in am. lyrica kept it moving too much for me. lyrica i believe helped with the ability for me to wear a shoe, warmer now so i can go to sandals

[angel7]

I took one Lyrica unfortunately it was a 75 mg. I later found out you had to AMP up which obviously my quack neurologist did not know. Well I took one and although I have never tried acid this must be what a trip fills like. I couldn't talk I felt like my head was disconnected from my body and the pain was inreased 10 fold. Needless to say I threw the rest of the pills down the toilet. Be very careful how you take the L yrica.

Deb

[Tarkus]

tarkus, since i have stopped lyrica i am back to constipated golf balls, even with 300 to 600 mg colace a day, i have upped my fiber even more now, and
problem i had with lyrica i always felt the urge to go even after cleaned out with enemmez in am. lyrica kept it moving too much for me. lyrica i believe helped with the ability for me to wear a shoe, warmer now so i can go to sandals

Even more interesting. I also have ces and the same symptoms. But it has always felt like I had to go since day one.

Thanks,
Alan

[metronycguy]

not sure how much longer i can stay on lyrica, it does really work for my pain, i use to wake up every morning due to toe's burning, now since starting lyrica , that syndrome is gone.
my worst problem with lyrica is the bowels, i have to constantly go.
it wastn as bad when i was on amitriptyline, i think that either slowed down the motility or caused contipation, maybe the higher doses of oxycodone also helped with the bowel motility.
seems since i stopped the amy , the movement is never ending. i have been trying lomotil two in am and two 4 hours later, that slows it down, but i still feel the need to go.
when i was on the amy and higher doses of oxycodone, i needed about 10 colace a day to keep things moving, i haven't taken a colace now in a couple weeks, i still take 10 to 20 mg of oxycodone a day plus 10mg Oxycontin now 3 times a day, you would think that would constipate me enough to slow things down// i use a enemez in am to empty and still need to go al day long unless i take the lomotil.

[razzle51]

How much weight have yall gained taking it?

[metronycguy]

probably 8lbs so far

[alan]

Lyrica plus a little Elavil hasn't done diddly for my pains, but my belly is expanding. :(

[metronycguy]

i am not sure which is worse the amitriptyline or the lyrica for belly expanding,
i started on Oxycontin and that is now causes extreme insomnia take lunesta but it doesnt work

[metronycguy]

i realized my bowels went crazy when i stopped the amitriptyline and stayed with the lyrica. i went from 10 colace a day and fiber supplements so i wouldn't have golf balls, to explosions about every hour that lotrimil would only stop a little. this went for over a week. i realized that i had stopped the amy and that was the different thing in the puzzle.
i started back with 5mg amy, and the bowels are much less frequent, still need lotrimil to slow them down. and possible bearable.
i don't like the amy because even though it really help with sleep, it really makes me tired in the morning, even at 10 mg at night. the amy also causes dry mouth which rots my teeth. weird since i am on oxycontin now and was also taking probably 20 to 30 mg of oxycodone a day when i stopped the amy, i would have thought the oxy's would have constipated me enough to override lyrica's crazy bowel stuff

[Kaprikorn1]

i just always get a bit apprehensive when starting any new med since the nightmare from hell I had when I attempted that cymbalta,god what a horrid reaction I got from that crap.just plain nasty.i will keep ya posted.Marcia

Ahhh...I see you've been to the Cymbalta House of Horrors too, eh? I'd like to get off the oxycontin/neurontin train myself...but new drugs scare me too after Cymbaltanica!

Does Lyrica cause drowsiness? The increased motility prospect is exciting as hell because I'm sooooo tired of stim, stim, dig, dig!

Kap

[stlyin moe]

About a month ago I switched back to neurontin. The Lyrica worked better for the pain, but I couldn't take the increased bowel activity anymore. I'm still waiting for that to get back to normal...

[metronycguy]

hi kap, i am on lyrica 150 a day . 3 x 50 a day doesnt seem to cause much drowsiness for me. weird this am i was yearning for the golfballs day of old. i can not tolerate the lyrica much longer,but dont want a increse in pain or increse in oxycontin either.
the weight gain with the lyrica is not that bad either.
i had the same problem with neurontin as i do with lyrica as far as bowel motility