Hi. I'm 25y male. I took lyrica for only 2 weeks, 75mg twice a day, and quit it "cold turkey", my dr. didn't say anything about tapering off. I never had pain, fibromyalgia... just a little anxiety. Tomorrow it will be exactly 2 months of hell. Some days are better than others, making it hard to say if i'm actually getting better. I'm not sure if what i'm feeling are withdrawal symptoms from pregabalin, but it must be it, since i always have been healthy and the symptoms appeared after 1 day off lyrica. Most drs. in my country don't really care about my condition, many aren't even aware of withdrawal syndrome from lyrica, so i came here seeking for some help. My symptoms include:

• pressure in the head
• dizziness
• sensitivity in the head (jaws, teeth, nose, face...)
• sensitivity to high sound and sudden noise
• tingling in the scalp (and less often in the right little finger)
• muscle weakness (feeling heavy)
• tightness in the chest
• weight in the upper back (neck, traps...)

It gets worse when i sit down or/and look down. It all looks similar to anxiety symptoms, is it possible that what i'm actually deeling is generalized anxiety? Or maybe sinus? Should i try to take lyrica back again so i could properly wean it off? Please, help me. And feel free to correct me if i wrote something wrong (english isn't my native language).

I was prescribed Lyrica early on for my PN Peripheral Neuropathy. I lasted about two weeks and couldn't deal with the feeling like bugs were biting at my legs. When I went off (cold turkey); I don't recall any difficulties other than the PN pain I was and continued experiencing.

But; not so sure it would be helpful after all this time for you to go back on the lyrica and wean off. It would seem likely that the Lyrica is out of your system by now; but may or may not have triggered other problems.


Gerry

Hi Gerry. I didn't notice any side effect from lyrica, the symptoms came after i stopped cold turkey. And i'm almost sure that the lyrica is already out of my system. Were you taking another med or just lyrica?

Vini

At the time I was taking some meds for pain but had been on them for months.

The point I was trying to make was that after I had taken Lyrica for two weeks, I stopped taking the Lyrica "cold turkey". I did not notice any side effects from stopping Lyrica cold turkey.


Gerry

Hello, I'm new here as well. I'm 52 and have been on Lyrica for 8 years. I chose to take myself off it and have started a 150mg once a day instead of twice. I'm fairly worried about the withdrawal effects headed my way. I'm on day five. So far just a lot of nausea and haven't slept well. Yes, just work up and decided to get off all medicine and coffee. Yes I'm crazy. The only other prescribed medicine I take is Ambien. Once I can get control of being off the Lyrica then I'll focus on getting of the Ambien. Just wondering what I might be expecting for my next side effect. I don't wont to wake up everyday and think I feel a certain way because of decreasing my Lyrica, don't want to set myself up for failure, it that makes sense.
It's nice to know other people are going through this as well, don't feel so alone.

I can't remember where I saw it posted, but someone suggested drinking something sweet in the morning when you first wake up to handle the nausea. So I did this morning and it helped tremendously, thank you to who ever posted that. Just the little things might get me through this.
SLE

I'm going through a lyrica taper now, it's not nice,flu ,worsening depression, foul taste, sudden sweats,I have a friend on lyrica and he's got no sides at all!!

to those who are having difficulties
oh how i feel for you
it was prescribed to me
for fibromyalgia
forgot the mg but do
remember 4 tablets was
the magic number
until
the extreme side effects
palpitations
blisters in my mouth
hands and feet skin changes
including nail beds both hands and feet
as a matter of fact
when i stopped lyrica all of my nails
had a indentation in it
my ten figures and toes

here is the thing
it is around the time
i became a member of this awesome forum
lyrica was not yet labeled
still fresh on the market
point
on one of my visits
i told him there was a indescribable high sensation
he did not take me seriously
and insinuated i not follow my pain specialist
so to make myself clear
to date
i am on pain meds as a result of a
botched second surgery as i did not fuse
the first time around
so back to my meds
pain meds for the mechanical pain
unable to takezero meds for nerve related pains
lyrica is a drug my daughter is still on it to date
for her epilepsy
and i must tell all people this
if my daughter should miss her one of her doses
she is in immediately thrown into withdrawal
as much as it is a devil drug it helps her
and other than skin changes around her nails
it is a must for her
as we have independent reasons
and i gave my doctor a good piece of my mind
make no mistakes
i feel for you
anything
such as a beautiful scent in your home
cold and warm packs
use frozen peas
or put dried lentils in freezer as a cold pack bagged
dim lights
cold water at side of your bed

i feel for anyone going through withdrawal and not to
help the patient lesson the pain
love me

Hi everyone,

I signed up especially after finding this thread a couple of weeks ago.

I have taken 25mg Baclofen (AM & PM) and 25mg Endep/amitryptaline (PM) since 2000 for supraorbital neuralgia and migraines after a boating accident 20 years ago (apart from 2008-2011 when I went off to have kids).

I was getting increasing neuralgia pain and migraines about 18 months ago so neurologist prescribed 75mg of Lyrica AM and PM. The Lyrica worked for the migraine. I felt achy and a bit fuzzy when I went on the Lyrica, but figured that was mostly because I was tired had three little kids. The muscle ache and fog have gotten worse. The migraines are at a frequency and intensity level the same as before I started taking Lyrica. Feeling very incapacitated and my brain is mush, to the extent that I can't work and I'm finding it hard to do very much of anything. Apathetic and unmotivated. I've had every test under the sun done by my GP and all they could suggest was depression or chronic fatigue Then from somewhere in my sludge of a brain I remembered reading about these side effects before I took Lyrica.

A lot of reading has found me here. Hooray! Kinda.

Big thanks to everyone who has posted before - and Doc Smith **

I can't see my neuro for another month and I am desperate to start tapering before then. I've read the disclaimers... but I'm going ahead.

I'm 12 days in and my plan is to decrease by 12.5% every 10 days. So at the moment, I'm taking 37.5mg AM and 75mg PM. I'm doing this by emptying the capsule into 40g of water and taking half of this AM (was taking 3/4 in the first 10 days). I'm going to do this for the PM doses next, to keep it evenly dosed up in my system. So after 30 days I'll be on 37.5mg AM and PM. Then I'll step it down again from there.

So far not too bad. Yesterday when I went from 3/4 of the 75mg to 1/2 it did feel like a painful day, but not too bad in comparison today. Certainly none of the more drastic withdrawal symptoms that I've read about on here (which definitely makes me want to err on the side of caution, as desperately as I want to get rid of this stuff).

I'll let you know how I go.

Danjia

Eva,
Thanks for the reminder about aromatherapy at home. I had forgotten about that and it does help to calm/soothe your brain. What works for me is putting cinnamon in boiling water or lavender or peppermint oil.
My best to you,
Diandra