Hi,

So I'm all new here - after reading this and the other thread decided to post.

I got put on Lyrica after being diagnosed with pudendal neuralgia. Not long after going on I started getting suicidal - then not knowing it is the Lyrica - but rather thinking it is the pain. Either way, after a year long battle (with only a few months of relief in between) of being suicidal, I finally figured out its the Lyrica.

I was on 300mg (150/150), I asked the dr to reduce - he reduced morning dose to 75mg. This was in March. My mood nose dived even more, not realizing it is withdrawel.

I am now doing ear acupuncture, which is well known for its detox benefits, in conjunction with a slow(ish) taper. From 150mg to 75mg in about 8 weeks. But yes, the drop, oh the drop. Once you drop, so does your mood and you start crying. Considering dropping even less per drop.

But enough of that - what are the solid tips & tricks to getting "over" Lyrica? I read somewhere of enemas. Could this help in the detox?

Welcome RJSA.

Someone will be along to help.

Great stuff - thanks - I am glad this thread is still alive!

Hi, D. I have taken Lyrica for around 7 years. I have experienced some side effects, but was only taking 200mg in 100mg capsules 1 time daily. I am an exercise type person and love to eat right, so I am wondering if you were successful in getting off this drug? I am currently on the way down 25mg one month at a time. Very slow, but a pharmacologist I talked to said that this might be a good way to try. I am not a medical person, and it is only one person's viewpoint. Bottom line, were you successful?

Welcome Jenny Sue.

I'm back on my regular Lyrica dose (400 mg per day). My withdrawal pain wasn't any different than fibromyalgia pain, with a couple of different effects. I was reducing because i lost 80 pounds and I'm reducing on all my meds. Not my Dr's decision, we decided together.
I've already reduced two psychotropic drugs with no problem and they're supposed to be the worst. Lyrica has been a godsend for me and I stopped reducing my dose because it wasn't worth it for now. I've already talked to the Dr.s office and I'm going to go on to my next planned reduction after I recover from again the fibro setback.

Just to tell everyone Lyrica can be great , I would have been a wreck without it. I will get my dosage down. I've read a lot of smart things here that will help next time. I'm just going to work on other drug reductions and then go back and take my time with Lyrica. Hope that helps someone! dusty

Hello dusty7949,

I just wanted to welcome you to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

Welcome dusty7949.

Hello everyone. I sincerely pray that you are all doing well and congratulate those who have made it to the other side.

As I write this, I am so desperate for help. If you can offer a couple of words of support and advice I will be eternally grateful.

Let me introduce myself. I am a 37 year old female, professional, wife, and mother to a 3 year old boy. I have been on Lyrica for over 3 years on and off. This had been prescribed to me for neurogenic pain. I was diagnosed to have fibromyalgia plus had a traumatic back injury due to a faulty epidural during my c-section three years back. And several doctors believed that Lyrica would be the solution for both problems. They started me on 75 mg, increased to 150, then 300....etc.

I must admit that that even though it didn't do too much for the pain, it made me "care less" about the pain. It also helped with my anxiety which wasn't at a morbid level, only part of my slightly anxious personality. By this I mean that I would feel anxious if giving a presentation , going to crowded places, meeting new people for the first time, etc. Otherwise was completely normal. I found that Lyrica would help me feel more at ease and talk easier to others...kinda give me some courage I guess. I also must admit that it gave me a bit of a head-buzz that I enjoyed. I have never smoked, drank alcohol, or ever experimented with any recreational drugs whatsoever. My whole life I have been on the straight and narrow, even during high school and college. So I never knew what it meant to have a head buzz or feel "high". But I enjoyed the feeling that Lyrica made me feel.

I started to up my dose by myself as I grew tolerant to it. Towards the end I would be taking around 10 capsules of 300mg per day!!!!
I know this is a ridiculous amount and I don't know what got into me?! I feel like the Lyrica in my system made my judgment go bad and I would accept things I usually would never accept.....like taking dangerously high doses of Lyrica!!

I did get off Lyrica once in January and the withdrawl lasted for maybe 10 days and wasn't that severe. So I guess I didn't learn enough of a lesson and went back on it when. My back pain became worse.

Now I have made a firm decision to stop Lyrica once and for all. I didn't really taper off properly. My last capsule of 75 mg was on June 29 (58 days ago). And I still feel like I am not myself. You will not believe the roller coaster of a nightmare I was on! I was admitted to the hospital initiall for 2 week with a diagnosis of "Acute Confusional State". I was disoriented to person, place, and time. I had amnesia, dyskinesia, total insomnia, and hallucinations. I couldn't even use the bathroom by myself or bath myself. I was completely dependent on others. Incidentally they discovered that I was extremely low in Vitamin B1 which I believe was depleted by the Lyrica. Apparently I had Beri Beri and Wernicke's Encephalopathy (sever B1 deficiency leading to both physical and mental consequences). This occurs in alcoholics but I have NEVER even had a sip of alcohol. So I my best bet is that this was caused be the Lyrica!

A month after I was a bit better but as of today I still have the following symptoms: insomnia, anxiety, PANIC ATTACKS, a sense of depersonalizations and derealization, depression, and a general sense of uneasiness and tension, and memory problems. I always feel Iike I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, absence of impending doom. I'm too frightened to go out of the house where there are crowds for fear that it will be obvious that I am "abnormal". My close family who knows about what happened to me say I appear completely normal on the outside, but God knows that's NOT how I feel on the inside. On the inside I'm SCREAMING and my heart is racing and find it difficult two breath. But on the outside you wouldn't have a clue.

In desperation I started Cipralex (an antidepressant of the SSRI group) and am on day 8. Unfortunately things get worse on it before they get better ( it takes anywhere from 2-8 wks for a positive effect). My panic attacks are worse at night when I try to sleep and they keep me up FRIGHTENED TO DEATH with palpitations. I also would wake up repeatedly drenched in sweat and having panic attacks throughout the night. Again in desperation I added on Seroquel (an atypical antipsychotic/antidepressant which helps with anxiety and insomnia and actually augments the effect of Cipralex). This helps only at night when I'm unable to sleep from the panic attacks. It gives me only 4 hours of sleep (both when I tried 100mg and 200mg). And I know I NEED TO SLEEP because I noticed my panic attacks get worse when I'm sleep deprived.

I apologize for the lengthy message but I feel an obligation to let others know what Lyrica has done for me. I'm not a psychiatric patient, but had so many mental symptoms due to severe B1 (Thiamin) Deficiency brought upon by the Lyrica. So if ur having mental symptoms PLEASE INSIST THAT YOUR DOCTOR CHECKS YOUR VITAMIN LEVELS, ESP B COMPLEX!

In addition I was hoping, really praying, that someone...anyone...could chime in and say that they felt the way that I did and came out the other side. I'm desperate to feel "normal" again. Can anyone tell me how much longer it will take? I never expected to feel this way 8 weeks out!!

PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU CAN. IM DESPERATE!

God Bless You All,
Laura

PS: forgive me for posting this in different threads cuz I'm not sure exactly where I should post it. And I'm desperate for any answer. =(

First of all of I knew what I know now I would have never started regardless of my situation.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia because they didn't know what was wrong with me. They started me on a parade of pills nothing seemed to be working. The pain was horrible and I just wanted to feel normal again. I started taking Cymbolta three times a day I would feel fine for awhile then the pain came back again. So I did what the commercial said and I asked my Doc about Lyrica. She was very hesitant about putting me on Lyrica bit I insisted and she wrote the prescription. Well insurance only covers so much Lyrica and Cymbolta are very expensive and I came to a point where I couldn't afford the monthly cost of my prescriptions. It has been a week and a half and I seriously can't handle this anymore. I can handle most of the withdrawal symptoms it's the constant dizziness that makes me want to lose my mind oh and that I cry over everything. I have had the vertigo for a constant week and a half. On top of everything else I am a walking time bomb. I have taken so much time off of work for the Fibro that if I miss anymore I am going to be fired. Any suggestions please? I don't know what to do...