hi,
the worst part was not knowing the lyrica was causing these issues. I had been to a chronic fatigue clinic and this doc diagnosed me with black mold toxicity. when I started having these strange symptoms/side effects, I thought it was deoxing from the mold and/or one of many supplements he had put me on along with lyrica.
I was on 100-150 mgs. daily for about 3+ months. then stopped all supplements and the lyrica cold.
within a day or two I felt the strangest feeling I have come to aknowledge were symptoms of dissociative disorder. Mind you, I have never had any psychiatric or mood disorders prior.
some people have called it brain zaps....but for me it was the most terrifying of the sx. It felt like I had done LSD. for anyone who hasn't, it makes you feel you are detached from yourself. sort of a very uncomfortable tingling feeling in my brain. I though it was a stroke.
I also had a burning feeling in my chest, heart palpitations.
EVERYTHING felt strange to me, like all my brain circuitry was going crazy.
I would not know how to drees properly, all my clothes except for seats felt uncomfortable, foods tasted different, my breathing felt forced. hot and cold at the same time. night sweats, big time. insomnia and a type of narcolepsy, where I would shut my eyes and be asleep immediately.I also had severe short term memory loss, more like amnesia. things from several years ago I could not remember.
The bottom line was, I was not feeling, tasting as I had before this drug.
How doctors can not know how horribly this drug can effect you or that the withdrawal can make one feel like there is no option but to check yourself into a mental ward. anxiety is too mild a word for what I experienced. it was pure terror.
I'm sure it would not have been as severe an experience for me if I had known it was the lyrica.I was told it was a panic attack, detox from the mold toxins, so being confused and not even considering this drug could be the cause, made it all the more terrifying. Since I didn't know, when my bone pain came back I would take more lyrica for a few days, then, boom I would have a setback. It has been 5 months since taking it regularly, and 3 weeks since I stopped completely.
Things are much better, the worst was about 3 months long. I am still not back to my "normal". I am wondering if anyone out there who had similar problems with this drug have gotten their "normal" back?
or can this drug have permanent side effects that never stop?
I am so grateful for the people in this forum. I have been struggling to find a diagnosis to what my disease is. When you have one doctor telling you you have MS and another that it's chronic fatigue, which both illnesses are really just a list of symptoms, it makes me feel really discouraged and hard to trust or know who to believe.
I need a root cause so I can tackle this from the inside, not just treat symptoms of different problems that must all be related to one root illness.
Thanks all, I hope to get to know you all and be anyone's shoulder to cry on, as misery does love company.
peace,
sara