So glad you are feeling better. It is amazing how you begin to improve after taking that first pill. You may feel totally worn out for a few days but that is to be expected as you have been put through the wringer. You will improve, relative to w/d symptoms, quickly.

BTW, I was not suicidal when I went in the hospital, just having mild auditory hallucinations on top of all of the imaginable w/d symptoms. Having worked for a Psych., I knew if I went to the ER complaining of the other symptoms, the ER doc would pat my hand, tell me to keep calling my Part D provider and send me home.
That was no longer acceptable so I said that magic words that will get anyone sent upstairs. The next day, my primary doc and psychiatrist gave me a mild lecture for being a bad girl and then kept me there for a week so they could run tests that Medicare would not cover on an outpatient basis. Take care.

my psychiatrist put me on Lyrica for sleep. I was on it for over a year and in September I got extreme vertigo. I found out after many visis with doctors of all specialties (from a pharmacist) that it was the Lyrica. I stopped taking the Lyrical the 1st of April and am still experiencing hot/cold, anxiety the vertigo, nausea and extreme depression. I won't touch another Lyrica tablet and just wonder how long it will take to get this poison out of my system????? I already suffered from depression and the w/d has made me suicidal.

I took Lyrica for a year. I had to stop taking it becuase I found it made me less sharp mentally . I withdrew slowly 3-4 weeks , no problem stopping it.

was taking 450mg for two months for sciatica. after two months dropped down to 300mn, felt withdrawal but also quit 350mg daily Tramadol at the same time.

Kept up 300mg Lyrica dose while suffering severe withdrawals form Tramadol. After one month, began to break down Lyrica dosage, like: 150mg at night, 75mg in the morning for a few days then cut that in half for a few days, withdrawal was very difficult and I felt I was just dragging it on longer by weaning, I was impatient with the process and had a week where I had little to no responsibilities, so I quit cold turkey.

I am now on day 11 no Lyrica. It has been very difficult but is getting better. I take 100-125mg Trazadone at night to sleep, this is not good sleep but will do for now, I go down for about 7hrs. Trazadone is fairly safe and non-addictive, I recommend it over Xanax, benzos or whatever, useless you want another struggle down the road.

The depression and anxiety were manageable after 7 days, not acceptable, manageable. I've dealt with insomnia for a month and a half now. Having come this far I can tell it is getting better, it is slow, but I know I will return to my normal self. In terms of sciatica pain I am better than ever, that might just be a coincidence, and my body is naturally healing itself, after a year of acute pain.

I do not condone the use of Lyrica or Tramadol for any reason. Find another way. It subtly creeps into your being and destroys your ability to get anything from life. These drugs to dirty things, and you do not realize until you quit. And quitting will be a nightmare. Your body converts Lyrica into Valium, Tramadol into Morphine--this is information from my pharmacist. I have also withdrawn from Methadone an Vicodin after using for two months and the withdrawal period was 3 days and then done, much easier for me.

So, long story short, Lyrica withdrawal: severe 7days, but varying degrees of insomnia, anxiety, loss of appetite, depression, can last 2-10weeks based on my research. I did loose weight right away and my stomach was no longer bloated.

Of course some people say they had no problem quitting Lyrica, I find this hard to believe, perhaps they were taking other meds anyway, so withdrawal never really took effect I'm a healthy 30 year old male, besides my sciatica injury, I've never been depressed, suffered from anxiety or depression. These drugs had a profound effect on my psyche and wasted a chunk of my life. Pain Management folks had no words for me in terms of the potential withdrawal severity.

I hope this helps someone get through the early stages of Lyrica withdrawal, If you are starting today just remember that I was where you're at a little over a week ago and I am doing better now. The days will inevitably rack up and with each one you are getting closer to freedom. Give yourself a break and take it easy. Eat as well as you can and exercise--even walking or swimming, be as proactive as possible. Your life is not a wreck, Lyrica is just very powerful and holds a mean grudge when you reject it, making you feel things that are not accurate.

Take care. I'll let you know when I sleep again.

So it'll be six weeks in a couple days since I stopped Lyrica and over two months since I stopped Tramadol. Still do not really sleep, have mild anxiety, depression and trouble making plans for the future, socially awkward, etc. Issues that were never part of my existence until I meddled with Lyrica and Tramadol. My overall sense of well being seems to fluctuate somewhat. I am feeling much better than I did at 11 days however. I do not take any other medication, not even Ibuprofen. And if you have quit Lyrica and have not experienced withdrawal, I am almost certain you are on other drugs, SSRIs etc.

I exercise everyday, walk 3-5 miles and run at least 3/4mile, get the kidneys running etc. I do not drink, I eat extremely healthy, lots of veggies and fruit. I also quit smoking after 17years; it's been 3.5 weeks. I decided that I was going to get all that I could out of this struggle (lyrica withdrawal) that could last 4-7months, and make becoming a health individual my full-time job.

Pain is present and I will probably have my second back surgery in August--removing two ruptures, both on L5 S1 causing sciatica pain on both left and right sides. How do I run? well, it took a long time to get to that point, lots of walking, etc. I do not run on concrete. My surgeon said running was ok, I swim three times a week too, and do all I can to strengthen my core. Running just seems to shift things around in my back in a good way, it gets my heart and lungs working and releases endorphins that make me feel really great. I think all the work I do now will help prepare me for surgery in and make it easier to pick back up the routine post op, instead of trying to begin one.

Healing is a very slow process and meditation has helped me as well. I'm only 30 years old, too young for strong the meds I was prescribed and still optimistic enough that I can have another 30 years without pain and full of positive experiences and happiness, as long as I find the strength to take care now and make the necessary life adjustments. Looking forward to the possibility that I will sleep well again in a few more months, but also currently into the present moment and living mindfully right now, something that is impossible to do using these drugs.

Stay clean, keep your feet on the ground and head in this reality, bear it and find another way, to resolve your pain issues. These drugs are bad and will make you unhappy in the long run. All my love to all of you considering cessation, or going through the withdrawal process right now. I do not believe in drugs, even prescribed by doc pharmys. Stay sober folks, drugs are drugs no matter the context.

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.

I have been going through an "official" Lyrica withdrawal since June 22, 2012. I made the choice to stop taking Lyrica, with the guidance of my chiropractor, a little over a month ago. I had been taking Lyrica for at least five years, and had increased the dosage to 150mg daily for the past year or so. I experienced some of the same issues with Lyrica that so many of you had posted too! The withdrawal from missing a dose for an hour, a day, and now waiting for it to leave my system...

There is relief in now knowing what is behind these terrible symptoms, I was on the verge of tears last night when I read through everyone's posts and thought to myself, this is it! I know now that I'm not alone, going crazy, or suffering from some unknown disease.

Thank you to everyone for sharing your symptoms, your advice on easing the withdrawal symptoms, what your doctors have told you, etc. I cannot express enough gratitude for how this site has helped me in the past six hours where my doctors have not been able to help me in YEARS!

My withdrawal symptoms have included:
Nausea, general feeling of an upset stomach with no outcome
Extreme sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
Excessive sweating, made worse by stress
Headaches ranging from mild to servere
Flu like symptoms; sore throat, body aches, cough, runny nose, fatigue, etc.
Irritability
Mood swings
Acne
Muscle twitching
And a generalized increase in all of the other symptoms that accompany fibromyalgia

Thank you all!

Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and remedies for the awful withdrawal symptoms! 8/7/12 I experienced my usual hot flashes, queasiness, panic attacks, muscle spasms, depression, exacerbated fibromyalgia pain, exhaustion, etc.. Well that night I decided to try a warm water enema (not for the squeamish)! My mom had been sharing my ordeal with a naturalist she's been seeing, and he asked if I had been 'regular' and if I hadn't that the Lyrica could still be affecting me through my bowels. And wouldn't you know the next day I felt completely drained of energy, but I didn't feel as queasy or the urge to shake all over from the muscle spasms. Today, was my first day to feel 'human' since 7/23! I felt weak most of the day, but the nausea, panic attacks, hot flashes, and depression seemed to be gone! I'm not one to use enemas on a regular basis, but after this breakthrough I would say that I'm really glad I put the idea of it out of my head and just went for it.

I hope everyone else is on the road to recovery and if you're still miserable try an enema! The websites I visited prior to going through with it, list the benefits and ailments that people use enemas to ease.

If you're not quite ready for that, I did find that consuming large quantities of water, having access to an ice pack, moving at a slower pace, and just letting my body move at the onset of spasms seemed to help. Having people to talk to and being around those who have a sincere desire to help make a big difference too! Lastly, Poise brand has come out with products for women going through menopause, I did purchase the cooling wipes to use on your neck, wrists, and chest and they did provide some relief from the hot flashes.

Thanks again for updating your statuses and sharing!

The only things that I'm suffering since quitting Lyrica is depression, anxiety and the inability to speak as good and as muh as I used to do while on Lyrica. I also became very sensitive and very scared of crowded places. No nausea, no fever no any physical side effects.

I really have no idea how to overcome this anxiety and fear!

If anyone has had such experience, please share.

I have been taking Lyrica for 6 yrs. Everytime I run out or don't take it I end up so sick. I feel like I am covered in fire ants, nasea, headache, sensitive to light & sound.....etc. Unlike most of the sufferers the psych symptoms are not new to me. I have PTSD. The withdraw triggers me and though I have never been suicidal, this withdraw has pushed me there when I have run out of meds in the past. This time my PCP has taken me from 450mg to 200mg per day and I am doing fine. Yesterday I decided to take it down to 100mg and I started getting all the bad feelings and thoughts. I'm so scared that this med will be the death of me so I started back on 200mg today. How will I ever get this poison out of my body??