I had been taking Lyrica for 4 years. I was up to 150mg 3xday. It truly did help my fibro and nerve pain. Then one day last year on a Thursday evening I went to get it refilled and I had no refills left. Drs office was closed for holiday and wouldn't reopen until Monday morning. I thought Oh well, it's just Lyrica, I'll be ok.

By Sunday evening I literally wanted to die, I was suicidal. Head to toe RLS, sweating and freezing, wide awake but too sleepy to think, lethargic but couldn't sit still, diarreah, depression, headache, bloat, I mean I'd had withdrawal before, but this was hell on earth. It was SO bad that when I finally got it Monday morning I immediately began cutting back just on the off-chance that one day I may have to go through it again.

I tried cutting back more quickly than what I've said below, but I felt sick all the time, so I cut back extremely slowly:

Was taking 150mg 3xday everyday, so I cut back like this:

2 months:

150mg 2xday one day / 150mg 3xday the next day, back and forth

next 2 months:

150mg 2xday two days / 150mg 3xday the third day, back and forth

next 2 months:

150mg 2xday three days / 150mg 3xday the fourth day, back and forth

next 2 months:

150mg 2xday everyday

next 2 months:

150mg 1xday one day / 150mg 2xday the next day, back and forth

Right now it's:

150mg 1xday two days / 150mg 2xday the third day, back and forth

I've seen forums where other people have talked about cutting back and not being able to stop taking the last little bit, so I don't know if I'll have this issue or not, I don't think I will since I'm giving my body 60 days to adjust to each new dosage.

Lyrica isn't addictive in the same sense that narcotics are addictive. I think your central nervous system itself is what gets addicted to it, those miles and miles of nerve endings everywhere all over your body. Then when you don't have it, your entire system goes haywire.

NOBODY told me that could happen. Lyrica was supposedly "safe" because it wasn't an opiate, but listen to the commercials sometime, or visit the website, it says "Lyrica is THOUGHT to work by...." etc, I mean they don't even know how it works and they're trying to claim it isn't addictive??!!

If you're trying to get off of it, the best thing to do is go very slowly and give your body a lot of time to adjust.

It's very sad because it really did help, but my message to anyone thinking of starting it is this:

If you can be SURE that for the REST of your life that you'll never, ever, ever, ever have to go one day without it, then sure, go ahead and take it, but be 100% POSITIVE that you'll never do without it because once you're on it that's it, pray you never run out or can't afford it or that they don't decide to take you off of it.

Not me though, no more.

I hope I've helped someone.