Lyrica Withdrawal - How Long Will This Last?

R.Sherrard · 06-22-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glixen

Hello, I am new here

For the past 2 years I have been suffering from an intense, constant head pain called Hemicrania continua. I also suffer from Cluster Headaches. For some reason I have not responded to the usual medications for this affliction, so I was put on Lyrica some time back. I took 600mg/day for about a year. I have since been switched to a different medication which works better. However, even though I weaned my Lyrica down very slowly over several months and though I've been off the med for nearly 3 months now, I still suffer some withdrawal effects. Currently, I am dealing with extreme excessive sweating (to the point where just walking up stairs makes me sweat). I am in good physical shape and never had this problem until withdrawal. Secondly, I have had horrible, very dark depression since coming off Lyrica. I've even been put on an antidepressant and tried to do as much exercise as my pain will allow in an effort to lift my mood. This hasn't helped, either.

I'd like to know, if anyone can help me, how long this withdrawal will last or how others' experiences compare to mine. I'm feeling at the end of my tether and am seriously considering going back on Lyrica so I can at least feel normal (well, normal for me

) again. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

just wanted 2 know if your lyrica withdrawal had stopped yet? i have the exact same withdrawals

R.Sherrard · 06-22-2011, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxynana1951

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.

have your withdrawal symptoms stopped? im experiencing the exact same things

sam1234 · 06-23-2011, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.Sherrard

have your withdrawal symptoms stopped? im experiencing the exact same things

hi guys I've been through this nightmare of withdrawal for 4 months... It decreases in intensity very slowly but after all it disappears for good... Now it's been 7 month and my life is back to normal and I hope I would never experience such a thing in future!

Stay optimistic as much as possible and exercise and stay away from stress. People around you can be of great help if they are supporting.

Stay strong

Help me · 01-31-2012, 05:06 PM

I feel like I am dying. I was taking 900 mg of Lyrica daily because I misunderstood the directions. A terrible fault I am suffering horridly for. I ran out so early that the pharmacists refuse to refill it even to taper off of. I'm on day 6 of detox and i'm in agonizing pain. A terrible smell haunts my nose, my stomach and lower abdomen feel like they're being squished, I'm always cold, but unbearably hot when under cover. I can't eat...I can't sleep. When I do fall asleep for maybe 30 mins I wake up in terrible pain and stay awake for the rest of the night with the smell, nausea, tremors, cold chills, hot flashes, head aches, and diarrhea never ending. NEVER. Someone...please...anyone..help me. I can't live like this. I thought it would be over or at least subsiding. My mom got back from her doctor at the family clinic and he told her that it was insane for them to let me detox like this. "Life threatening" were his words. I called poison control at day 3 and they said that no one has physical withdrawals from lyrica, that my symptoms are most likely coming from the oxycontin...but I was still taking the oxy when I started feeling this way..it's how I know that i'm suffering from quitting the lyrica. What do I do...

Dr. Smith · 01-31-2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Help me

I ran out so early that the pharmacists refuse to refill it even to taper off of.

The reason for this may be that Lyrica is now a controlled substance, whereas gabapentin is not.

I don't understand this either, as quitting Lyrica cold-turkey can definitely cause withdrawal symptoms, including seizures in some people. This is clearly stated on the Lyrica website, NIH/Medline, and anyplace you Google: Lyrica withdrawal

Typically, the weaning-off process takes about a week, so hopefully you're past the worst of it.

The other thing I don't understand is why you haven't contacted your doctor directly, and why he hasn't advised/prescribed you help for getting through it, especially in light of his comments.

Doc

Spiney95 · 03-23-2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith

The reason for this may be that Lyrica is now a controlled substance, whereas gabapentin is not.

I don't understand this either, as quitting Lyrica cold-turkey can definitely cause withdrawal symptoms, including seizures in some people. This is clearly stated on the Lyrica website, NIH/Medline, and anyplace you Google: Lyrica withdrawal

Typically, the weaning-off process takes about a week, so hopefully you're past the worst of it.

The other thing I don't understand is why you haven't contacted your doctor directly, and why he hasn't advised/prescribed you help for getting through it, especially in light of his comments.

Doc

I am going to throw in my two cents. Twice, my Part D provider refused to pay for my Lyrica and I am on a small dose which is part of a pain cocktail. Both times, it took six weeks to get the dispute settled and I was in full blown withdrawl the entire time. For several years, we had a major problem with kids using Lyrica as a weekend party drug as it can cause some real loopy side effects for many when first start it. Around here, the kids called it the Big L. If only for that reason, I always thought it should be a schedule II.

PinkPlatypus · 04-12-2012, 06:47 AM

Hi Y'all,
I am just coming off of Lyrica & this is the first hit on a sight this morning w/ key words Lyrica - withdrawal - sweating.

Thanks for posting your experiences - my sweating issues just went nuclear, despite my windows being open & my bedroom being 61 degrees. I am having some tummy upset too, but since I carry my emergency bag w/ me I have chewable Bonine to help me through that this morning (oddly when I was on Lyrica - needed it to combat the extreme vertigo.

I recently came off of Cymbalta also. Both had passed the point of being helpful to hurtful. I have had 95%+ of the Lyrica side effects to include the rare & severe and were getting worse each week - not acceptible for me.

I do have a history of working in the medical field as well as degrees & I have had to fight my way to just get someone to recognize that I was not psycho or lazy & really did have CFS - what a serious pain.

I have also studied herbal remedies/supplements...for many years and am using them to help clear my body of the bad stuff. Hoping the sweats are going to quickly quell themselves - even the cats got out of bed last night.

I am now using Boswellia by Ayureceutics(standardized to 85%) for the pain, Ashwaghanda by Ayureceutics as a non-stimulating adaptogen (while there are many adaptogens for the sake of my very stressed adrenals I really needed a non-stimulating one), Fibro-Response by Source Naturals - just got this one off of Amazon (I have a few cites that are my "norm" shopping sites) - would encourage you to read the reviews on this - very very good, just started & hoping it is going to do well for me.

Hope you all find what you need to help you out.

Spiney95 · 04-12-2012, 07:54 AM

If I had it to do over again, I would not go on Lyrica. I had the major w/d symptoms in spite of the fact that I am on a low dose. As far as I am concerned, I am on it for the rest of my life as I don't even want to try a taper. I have had less trouble with major reductions in sched II meds after a major spinal surgery. Heck, a number of years ago, a psychiatrist talked me into going off ALL sched IIs because he said my pain was rebound pain from the meds. He took me off cold turkey and that was not as bad as the Lyrica. BTW, the psychiatrist was WRONG!!!!! Have a good day.

Dr. Smith · 04-12-2012, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spine95

Heck, a number of years ago, a psychiatrist talked me into going off ALL sched IIs because he said my pain was rebound pain from the meds.

Hi Spine,

There must have been an article or study in a medical journal around that time, because I had 2 neuros and one other doctor try to ram that one down my throat all within a year. It's like it was the fad of the month or something.

I've experienced rebound pain - several times - so I know the phenomenon is real - unquestionably - but I've never had any problem distinguishing it from chronic pain (CP) - it feels different. When I told that to the last guy, he dismissed (disbelieved) me and asked, "How do you know it's not rebound?" My response was, "How do you know it is?" When I related this to my PCP, he got a real chuckle (and agreed with me).

I can't speak for other patients; I don't know how common or uncommon it is for CP patients to be able to distinguish the difference between CP and rebound pain (and I'm not aware of any statistics or studies about this) but I sincerely doubt I'm the only one. IME, the two types of pain are so different that it's difficult for me to imagine that others cannot tell the difference, but I'm not so arrogant (like some doctors) as to dismiss/disbelieve someone who says they cannot differentiate.

Out of curiosity, can you tell the difference?

Doc

Spiney95 · 04-13-2012, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Smith

Hi Spine,

There must have been an article or study in a medical journal around that time, because I had 2 neuros and one other doctor try to ram that one down my throat all within a year. It's like it was the fad of the month or something.

I've experienced rebound pain - several times - so I know the phenomenon is real - unquestionably - but I've never had any problem distinguishing it from chronic pain (CP) - it feels different. When I told that to the last guy, he dismissed (disbelieved) me and asked, "How do you know it's not rebound?" My response was, "How do you know it is?" When I related this to my PCP, he got a real chuckle (and agreed with me).

I can't speak for other patients; I don't know how common or uncommon it is for CP patients to be able to distinguish the difference between CP and rebound pain (and I'm not aware of any statistics or studies about this) but I sincerely doubt I'm the only one. IME, the two types of pain are so different that it's difficult for me to imagine that others cannot tell the difference, but I'm not so arrogant (like some doctors) as to dismiss/disbelieve someone who says they cannot differentiate.

Out of curiosity, can you tell the difference?

Doc

I experienced two completely different sensations between rebound and chronic pain. While I have numerous pain producing conditions, the worst is the never ending sciatica. It doesn't respond to conventional treatments anymore. Nerve pain is just that and feels different from rebound. I agreed to go off the pain meds as an act of desperation.....the way one might agree to a surgery that their "gut" tells them is a bad choice. This took place about ten years ago and it was deffinately a trend around here. Most of the neuropsychiatrists were doing their best to talk their pain patients, who had been referred by their pain docs, into discontinuing their sched. IIs as they felt the sched. IIs caused rebound pain. They had far more training in addiction than chronic pain and felt that most of us had been turned into addicts. They were on a mission!!!! Have a great day.

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