Lyrica - the worst med I ever put in my body !!! Felt like I was being tasered by the police every 5 to 10 minutes. It about killed me ! That's my 2 cents worth !

Was on it a month, i had a lot of fibro pain relief and was able to be more active, ate normal and gained 40 lbst hat month. went right off it.

AngelaJo,

It sounds like it was working out for you other than the weight gain, right? You went off it due to the weight gain? Then, did the pain come back afterward?

right and yes the pain came back after i went off i am now on neurontin (gabapentin) but it only works on the neuropathy in my feet.

AngelaJo,

How is the gabapentin working out for you?

I was on gabapentin before. It worked immediately (the next day) to reduce pain by 80%, and improve energy by 300%. However, after about a week, I started getting bad side effects, such as insomnia, feeling hyper and angry. I was on only a tiny tiny dose. I stayed on it for a month, and the side effects kept getting worse. And when I stopped, I got withdrawal symptoms, like crying spells. I read that I was supposed to taper off it, but at such a small dosage, even the doctor didn't see how I could taper off.

I started Lyrica 50 mg three days ago. I got dizzy and very sleepy. I cut back to 25 mg, and feel dizzy and sleepy. With either dosage, I only feel a slight improvement in pain and stiffness, not anywhere near the improvement with gabapentin.

My neurologist said Lyrica is supposed to be "cleaner", meaning fewer side effects than gabapentin.

I guess I'll take it for a few weeks and see if the Lyrica will give me more improvement...

i was told lyrica has MORE side effects and my foot dr for my neuropathy will not even prescribe it and my neurologist hates it. The gabapentin i am not tired on i take 600mg 3 times a day and 1200mg at night. It does not help the fibro but i went from having where i could barely stand due to my feet feeling on fire to almost no pain unless i am on them a lot. Its different for everyone, i started it for a mood stabilizer but it was in the begining helping my fibro so they upped it more but that didnt last. I have no side effects from it.

I have been taking Lyrica for about 2 years now. It definitely helps take the edge off of my pain, as well as my anxiety, and restless leg. I was previously on Gabapentin, but after taking it for a few years, it became ineffective. The Lyrica initially made me feel a little “off”, a bit shaky and anxious the first week or so, but we lowered the dose and very slowly increased it over time, which seemed to help. I take 200mg daily, (50 mg 4x a day). It makes me too tired if I take them all at once. I know weight gain is listed as one of the side effects, but I never had that problem.

I have been on lyrica(150 mg) per day since 2011. I was on gabapentin prior to that. I felt the lyrica helped for the first 2-3 years, then lost efficacy. It caused 15 pounds of water weight around my belly. It also causes constipation, so I use stool softeners daily. I tried to get off of it in 2015 when my insurance company stopped covering it-It was impossible to stop! I feel stuck on this expensive medication, that also causes increased muscle pain after I take it. Fibrohyg

fibrohyg,

What happened when you tried to stop?

Did you try to taper off?