Did you notice that it made you feel better and then you did more?
That is what it did to me. It made me feel kind of speedy. I did more ad then I hurt really bad for a while until I got back to my regular level of pain.

Paulina, come to think of it, i did start at the 75 mgs just once a day, but probably only for the first of the sic weeks I've been taking it. How long did it take you to feel back to your normal level of pain? Didyou stop taking it? That's funny, it does not make me feel speedy, i felt 100% drunk the whole first week, lol.

I would say however long it takes for a normal flare of yours to break.

Mine could last anywhere from 2 weeks to months.

What kind of pain do you have? That might make a difference... mine is myofascial and my muscles sometimes just go nuts.

I did stop taking it. It really made me feel too speedy and I was racing all the time.

I could handle neurotin (it's drug sister) completely and it made me more calm instead of speedy.

I hope you can get some relief and find something that helps without making you hurt worse.

Hi Sarah,
You're on a pretty low dose of Lyrica. The max dose is 600mg/day, which is what dose I'm on.

I didn't realize how well it works until I ran out of it and had 2 days of hellacious pain.

But I started it so long ago (I started it when it first came on the market), I honestly can't remember how long it took to work. I do know that when I went from 475mg/day to my current dose, it took about 2 weeks or so to feel the effects.

I don't think your pain is caused by the Lyrica. Maybe your pain is coincidentally going up. Do you have neuro pain? If Lyrica doesn't help, you may want to switch to Neurontin and see if it helps more. I was on Neurontin before Lyrica, but I couldn't stand the wooziness I experienced with it. But everyone is different.

I hope you can get to the bottom of this soon and you find a solution to your pain problem.

Sandy

Thank you both for your thoughts!

My pain cause is still mostly unknown. I believe most, if not all, is due to my myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but even if that is that cause, that still doesn't explain *why* I'm in pain. The docs can't find any logical cause for the pain, but it continues, and it has for years. Some of it presents as muscle/tendon pain (I have to be really careful with all my physical activities, or I can hurt myself and end up with a muscle that will hurt for MONTHS from doing something like cleaning the toilet) but I also have this really strange flank pain. The pain doc now thinks the flank pain is due to some nerves that wrap around from my spine to the front of my stomach, but again, *why* those nerves are constantly sending the pain signals is a mystery. I've been thoroughly tested and no causes can be found.

So, I'm not really sure how to answer the question of what kind of pain I have. I supposed I could call it muscle pain and nerve pain, since that's how shows up most (although I also get frequent headaches and occasional migraines) but calling it may not be truly accurate. But I don't know what would be accurate to say!

It has been a little better the past few days, so it's possible it was just a crazy pain flare and the timing was coincidental... I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it to be that! :)

Thank you again!

Sarah,

If I didn't know better, I'd say you may have RSD. You're description sounds a lot like the way my RSD presents- burning, spasmy unpredictable pain that is out of what you'd expect from the problem. And the fact that it's continuous pain signals that are sent via the sympathetic nervous system. They just don't shut off.

Google RSD or it's newer name, CRPS. See if the symptoms fit with yours. That's exactly what led to my diagnosis of RSD. If it is RSD, there are ways to help control the pain.

I wish you luck!

I wouldn't wish RSD on my worst enemy, but if you can get a name for what you have, I'm sure you'll feel better. The unknown is a lot scarier than the known.

Sandy

I have been suspecting, for several months now, that Lyrica makes my pain worse. In my case the pain is due to nerve damage from an autoimmune illness that affected my peripheral nerves. I am going to ask my pain mgmt. doc to change my meds when I see her next week.

Lyrica has been a godsend for me. I started it in 2006 for peripheral neuralgia. 75mg twice a day. When I was diagnosed with fibro in 2009, the Rheumy increased it to 300 mg. I started feeling B/T pain a month ago and my PCP increased it to 450mg a day. It has worked when other pain meds didn't. Of course, I have alot of nerve damage from herniated, collapsed, disintegrated discs.

Like Sandy, I didn't know how much it helped until I made the bird brain decision to take myself off of it. The pain hit me like a freight train and I went back on it quickly!

I also don't think it increased your pain but hope you find a solution quick!

Sandy, I googled RSD and while the broad strokes of it do fit (chronic, unreasonable pain) it doesn't sound like some of the distinguishing points do. While I do get pain in my limbs, the majority of my pain is located in various points in my torso. I'm always willing to look up another disease and compare notes with what I feel, since you never know! And you're very right; having any kind of label is better than no label at all! I'm sorry you have to deal with RSD :(

I got my insurance referral to see my pain doctor again yesterday. I couldn't get an appointment until December 11th, but at least it's in the works, and he may be able to suggest something to help!

Thanks all :)