Originally Posted by PamelaJune

Hey Nick, it's horrid we get to encounter this experience without our doctors taking the extra minute to explain in a meaningful language what may happen.

I suffer with persistent headaches but when I tapered off lyrica the headache became almost unbearable and my emotions were raw. My GP referred me again to my psych who immediately put me on 50mg pristiq, within a week the headache was tolerable and the raw emotion under control. I chose to continue with the tapering off of lyrica and was able to stop it entirely not long after. If you need to increase it for a bit longer until your body can better manage the reduction it is not a bad thing or the end of the world. Everyone reacts differently and trying to function on a day to day basis with chronic pain, additional headaches and neuropathy is not for the faint hearted. Do what you need to do to get by, drink plenty of water and know that so long as you have a plan to manage your bodies dependence and you are working towards achieving it, you will gradually feel a sense of satisfaction and the angst you are suffering now will become a distant memory.

Doctors often use statements such as "it is difficult to treat" when they have reached the extent of their ability. A GP has to cover a broad spectrum of illnesses and your illness may not be one he or she encounters regularly so their experience can be limited. It is good he or she is talking of referring you to someone who specialises in your condition rather than having the ongoing hit and miss.