Let me first say that this has been the most invaluable information that I have been able to obtain. As soon as I am free from this beast, I intend to do a little more research into why the FDA would allow this on the market... That's here nor there, it is my hope that my story can help someone the way the others here have helped me.
I arrived here after my 3rd attempt to get the Lyrica out of my system. I had been prescribed it for my fibromyalgia pain and although there were times that it was very effective for that purpose, hindsight says that it was not worth this ordeal. I'm a bit peeved over not even being warned that any of this could occur. I took Lyrica because I did not want to take narcotics and run the risk of becomming addicted. I am fully aware that any type of withdrawal can be a very nasty thing, and this is worse than any street drug I've ever read about (as an educator or a psych major, so clearly not as a doc, but still!)
Here is what I am enduring if it helps anyone else (or their physician):
It all started back in January when my MD did not refill my prescription after multiple requests from the pharmacy and several calls into the office myself. I ended up without any meds. I ASSuMEd that he knew what he was doing as he was in the office and is generally a pretty good guy! The long and the short of it was that I ran out of meds and went with through withdrawals. My BP dropped dramatically. I was having the shakes (though I do not suffer from any type of seizure disorder). I was sweaty and freezing cold. I could not remember how to breathe. My thoughts were jumbled. I was severly depressed and quite tearful even though I do not tend to cry a lot. It was a bad scene.
At that point, I went back on them (at the behest of my MD) and we decided that I would go off the meds more slowly over the summer when I had time to deal with it, (I am an educator so it seemed like a logical time to attempt it).
When school got out, I began the 3 week journey that brought me here today. If you read the Lyrica page or if you read WebMd or any of those pages, they tell people to go off slowly, like over the course of a week. You'll note that a week was not enough time... So I came down off the meds as slowly as possible. I would not reduce the dosage until the symptoms at the current level had become tollerable.
I had gotten down to 75 mgs every other day and was really struggling with nausea but at the time did not realize that some of the other things that had started happening were withdrawal related as well and I did not recognize them initially at all. It was only by arriving here that I got the straight scoop and that I figured out what was happening.
On my 3rd day drug free - it all went south way too fast!
Keep in mind New Member's point about drugs are drugs even if they are prescribed by a doctor, Whilest in the E.R. two days ago, the ER doc restarted the Lyrica to calm the withdrawal and then told me to take it until I could be seen by my family doc... who refused to fit me in for 5 days even though I had been to the E.R. and really needed to be seen to figure out what to do. At this point, I am on my own and trusting that the information on this site is what will help me get through until Monday. (Note that at this point, the ER doc tells me to restart the lowest dose.)
Then two days after restarting the smallest dose I had been on prior to the hospitalization, I had a second fit in which the insurance compay nurse on call indicated that I needed to call 911 immediately and that I should not drive myself to the hospital. So, I ended up in the ER again. (This ER doc tells me not to take any of it all if I want to get off of it because it will just restart the cycle all over again.) I still don't know which one is right but am opting for never allowing that beast to cross my lips again. It appears that I am going to have a tough couple of weeks and maybe even months.
The tests run while at the hospital on both occasions bore out that I am as healthy as an ox. No heart trouble. No issues with my lungs, even though I could not breathe well. They even checked my electrolytes and said that everything was fine. However, everything is not fine.
Withdrawal Symptoms from this first week:
Tightness in chest
Awakened gasping for breath
Difficulty catching my breath once awake
Severe headache but not a migraine
Very severe nausea - no vomitting though
Convulsions of different muscle groups - I remember telling the paramedic that my stomach was contracting like when I had my kids. It was not painful per se, but the aftermath was very sore muscles.
My first ever panic attack and then multiple ones thereafter Are we having fun yet?
Tearfulness
Anxiety
Depression
Although I am anti medications, below is how I am attempting to get through this. My best is not getting me through at the moment and as I am a single mom, I have to do something:
-Anti Nausea meds (for the short term until I can handle it on my own)
-I am attempting to avoid pain meds but did take Motrin when the head was pounding pretty badly
-Magnesium for the muscle contractions
-Walk for 15 minutes twice a day
-Mega Fluids
-Gingerale and Sprite for my stomach even though I do not typically drink soda
-Darkened glasses and avoiding sunlight until the head calms a little.
-Reminding myself that the panic will subside and that I am going to be ok eventually.
If you have any further suggestions for the first two weeks of this, I'd love to hear them.
I wish any one well who is trying to get this monster off his back and
if somehow you are lucky enough to have found this before you ever slip it between your lips, then I beg of you, don't do it. Whatever you are going through is better than what you will go through if you do. I know the desperation that pain can bring on, but this is not one of those things that you need to learn for yourself. Just read through these pages and know that this is a heinous beast.
Good luck to all and Thanks to those who took the time to put it all here.
