Chronic Pain Whatever the cause, support for managing long term or intractable pain.


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Old 05-31-2018, 04:42 PM #251
LeBraz62 LeBraz62 is offline
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Confused Crying for hope!

Hi, As a result of 3 major back and neck surgery, I have been on lyrica (3x75mg/day) since April 2016. I have stop taking lyrica on April 20, 2018 following a 3 weeks period (75mg/week). Since then my life is terrible, I cry everyday, I sleep 12 hours/day, I have no energy, no appetite (lost 15 pounds) my hands are shaking, I have suicidal thought, I have stiff neck etc.. I had 5 good days a week ago then back to hell again. Yesterday I had a good day. Today is again terrible day and crying again. Can someone had similar withdrawal symptoms and if so how long did it last? Thank you for your comments!!!!!
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Old 10-06-2018, 06:25 PM #252
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeBraz62 View Post
Hi, As a result of 3 major back and neck surgery, I have been on lyrica (3x75mg/day) since April 2016. I have stop taking lyrica on April 20, 2018 following a 3 weeks period (75mg/week). Since then my life is terrible, I cry everyday, I sleep 12 hours/day, I have no energy, no appetite (lost 15 pounds) my hands are shaking, I have suicidal thought, I have stiff neck etc.. I had 5 good days a week ago then back to hell again. Yesterday I had a good day. Today is again terrible day and crying again. Can someone had similar withdrawal symptoms and if so how long did it last? Thank you for your comments!!!!!
Hope you are ok. I have been on Lyrica since it came out for several conditions. I am only on 75 mg twice daily. I have gone off of it twice, only to have to go back on as I could not tolerate the prolonged severe withdrawl. I will be on it until the day I die. The withdrawal was worse than any opiate change my pain doc made. Somebody paid a lot of money to get that approved for human consumption. I am appalled at the number of reported side effects and the body awful withdrawal when attempting to discontinue. Best wishes.
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Old 02-11-2019, 02:27 PM #253
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Originally Posted by Spiney95 View Post
Hope you are ok. I have been on Lyrica since it came out for several conditions. I am only on 75 mg twice daily. I have gone off of it twice, only to have to go back on as I could not tolerate the prolonged severe withdrawl. I will be on it until the day I die. The withdrawal was worse than any opiate change my pain doc made. Somebody paid a lot of money to get that approved for human consumption. I am appalled at the number of reported side effects and the body awful withdrawal when attempting to discontinue. Best wishes.
I have been on Lyrica for 5 years. Four months ago my dosage was increased to 300mg twice a day. Until the increase in dosage I did not make the connection of side effects to Lyrica (painful bloating,memory problems, high weight gain etc.... I cut it back to 300mg once a day for 2 months without issue. Started to cut back last week to 150mg once a day. I am now feeling effects of withdraw as mentioned: nausea,diarrhea etc....... I will talk to doctor to slow down slower. Preferably I would gut it out over a few days, however after hearing about how long withdraw symptoms may last(years?)a slower approach mat be needed. Reading the stories of others with same issues is quiet helpful.
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Old 02-16-2019, 03:44 AM #254
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Cut back with GP guidance, definitely don’t go 300 to 150. The side effect withdrawals are hideous but also a well know little talked of event with doctors. I don’t know why. Titrate up to 275 for 3 weeks, then 250 for 3 weeks and follow a diarised plan of cutting back. It’s a good drug for what it’s prescribed for if tolerated but getting off is not without difficulty. Always seek GP advice for titrating down on medications. Sorry you’re going through this
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Old 03-13-2019, 05:01 PM #255
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Default anyone had si joint issues?

I am not sure how to start a new thread, but I am giving it my best shot. I suffer from Lupus, Si Joint pain, and chronic lower back pain. My pain is so intense sometimes that I just don't know how I am going to make it. My back has been fused at l3 l4 l5. Ever since then my life has went down hill. Currently I have one neurosurgeon saying I need si joint fusion and another saying they don't think that is it. If anyone has suffered from si joint pain could you please tell me if your pain is always one sided or do you also get pain on the middle of your spine at the lower end of your back?
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Old 06-09-2019, 07:39 PM #256
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Default Lyrica withdrawal too

Just posting this to document that I too had severe withdrawal problems from Lyrica, even with tapering over about three weeks. The symptoms started gradually while tapering off, worsened when I was completely off the medication, and kept worsening for the 2-3 weeks I was off it. But I didn’t realize the connection until the symptoms got really bad. I felt so bad that I thought I would die, and at first my doctors and I didn’t know what was wrong. I restarted the Lyrica and sure enough, the problems immediately disappeared. A few years later I tried once again to stop it, this time with even a much slower taper. I started gradually feeling the same bad symptoms long before stopping and with just a fairly small dose reduction, so reluctantly will stay on Lyrica forever.

It’s true that the vast majority of people apparently do not have this type of reaction. But I’ve read many other reports of the same types of reactions from a small percentage of people. BTW I have many of the same symptoms, just much milder, if I am a few hours late with a dose. I felt considerably worse with this withdrawal than on chemo for breast cancer.

It’s hard to put into words all of the symptoms I got, but here are at least some. This is how they get when really bad, when off the med for several days. They start milder and come on gradually:

No appetite, Upset stomach and/or nausea. Forced myself to eat as much as I could during the last couple weeks when it was severe. Without trying, I lost about 15 pounds in the two weeks off the med plus 10 more pounds in the previous 3 weeks while tapering. Got to my lowest weight since my early 20s.

Bad Headache; Much more than my usual pain in my neck and shoulders (This is where my pain is usually worst and where I have the most problems with my spine)
Couldn’t think/plan; fuzzy thinking; Mind basically blank; Certainly couldn’t work at my job that required concentration, high executive functioning and problem-solving
No energy, Mental or physical
Irritable
No desire or ability to engage in any social interaction, Even just conversation with my family
No desire to engage in any physical activity or to do anything, even low energy activities like read, watch TV, Check my phone for contact from my children or spouse, shower
Felt disconnected from reality
Couldn’t drive
Difficult to even go to the doctor with the help of a family member
Fatigue
Couldn’t do any type of chores, Even line up people to drive my kids

———
F/50
Laminectomy c3-c7; fusion c3-t1 2007 Due to congenital narrow spinal column, syrinx & DDD. Symptoms since 1988.
Cervical syringohydromyelia; cervical, lumbar, and thoracic spondylosis with myelopathy and neuropathy; cervical and lumbar stenosis
Breast cancer survivor (triple negative) 2018; BARD1 genetic mutation
Basal cell skin cancer twice 2008
Central pain syndrome
ME/CFS
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Recurrent iritis
Joint hypermobility syndrome
Tachycardia, Occasional arrhythmia
Vulvodynia
FMS?
IBS
Intercystial cystitis
Possible Sjogren’s disease
Flicker vertigo
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Old 04-23-2021, 12:27 AM #257
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Default Headaces are real problem??

There is so much informative info here but I can't spend hours reads as my headache is making it very difficult to read the amount of information. I have both legs develop very severe neuropathy 600mg daly
t has moved up to my hips and I have a neurostimulator in my buttock helps which helps wonderfully also 7 nerve blocks. I have bad scoliosis and all the great things that go with it
I use Soma and whatever things often might release the neck and back pressure
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Old 05-19-2021, 07:04 AM #258
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Hello everyone,

Thank you for starting this thread, it has been very informative. My husband and I are both taking Gabapentin which is generic for Lyrica and Neurontin. We both have gone a day or longer without taking the medication. My husband has only gone without it because of the pharmacy being unable to fill his prescription until the next day because of the delivery to the pharmacy had not arrived yet. Or, we didn't make it to the pharmacy to puck it up before it closed. I do fine without it and never experience any withdrawal symptoms.
However, my husband is the complete opposite and has bad withdrawals, such as, nausea, diarrhea, and body aches. I feel horrible for him each time it has happened. Although I take the same medication I don't experience any of the symptoms of going without taking it. I do my best to look after him during those times. I hate to see him suffer through it. I don't understand it since I don't have the sumptoms. I hate to hear anyone else suffer from it too. Thank you again for starting this thread.

Best wishes,


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Old 09-26-2021, 11:18 PM #259
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I have been suffering from chronic pain for the last few years, received lots of different diagnoses for different things, payed stupid money in hopes to see some improvement. The other week I was given Lyrica to trial.

I have always known that I am sensitive to medication. Over the last 10 years I have tried and come off different medications countless times. Every time it was due to side effects that I could not cope with, mostly cognitive. So when I went to see my doctor about something to help me deal with my chronic pain, they offered this. I asked because of my history of side effects, whether this would have similar issues and I was told yes but we will put you on a low dose and up the amount gradually. Being told that they have patients at 300-600mg's a day and that this is a really low dose.

Days 1-3: I was on 25mg's. not a huge amount changed. Slightly fuzzy, pain slightly numbed. Trying to be hopeful
Day 4: dose upped to 50mg's. Taken before going to sleep. Night consists on nightmares and the day is rough, Can't think, brain fog really kicking in. Pain has reduced though
Day 5: 50mg's again before bed but I take a shower after the dose. End up falling down the stairs. Brain does not work, Can't remember what I am saying as I am saying. Pain is almost gone though. Really horrible nightmares though.
Day 6: much like Day 5, brain just does not work, had another fall. End up calling my doctor, get told to drop down to 25. On the pain front though
Day 7: 25mg's Still really foggy but now with brain zaps. It's like my brain gets stabbed randomly every few minutes. Said screw this and didn't take another dose. If I'm going to go through this dropping from 50 to 25 after only three days, I'm not taking this poison. Not to mention my brain is my key asset. If it's fried, then I lose this life I built up. I would rather live with pain than live as an empty person

Day 8: No dose, brain zaps like the day before, feeling rough, really rough. Nerve pain hasn't returned though.
Day 9: No Dose, Brain zaps have reduced, still happen once or twice an hour but have a pretty strong fever. still struggling to think a bit but getting better.
Day 10: No Dose, brain zaps have gone, no fever. But brain is still foggy, but memory is better. I feel more alert but stupefied. I hate feeling like I can't think. This is where I am now and I hate this living hell. I want my brain function to return. I want to be able to do what I enjoy. But now it just feels like the front of my brain is sleeping and I worry this is my life now.

This medication is the devil. Maybe in a week, I'll feel normal again but my mind is telling me that this causes serious permanent damage to the brains function and chemistry. I can only hope that I got off this monster soon enough.

I hope this just becomes a memory. If all goes well, I probably wont post here again, I hope
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Old 09-27-2021, 01:22 PM #260
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Question question question and think deeply on the drugs we are told to take for this and that. I learned from an ER trip with one yrs ago and that was a big wake up. IF side effects are not immediate, they most of the time do come I believe.

Learn to work with alternatives, they can work and I never had side effects taking them about 30 yrs. One with St Johns Wort for depression yrs ago and figured it out and got off pronto. Learn to work with alternatives and for pain issues we need to learn to manage and don't expect No Pain.
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