Hi everyone...I know that there have been several threads posted by members who are dealing with difficult withdrawal symptoms caused by Lyrica. However I believe that it's time to start recording the experiences of those suffering, so we can understand which symptoms occur commonly. Many people going through withdrawal are shocked by how sick they have become. Doctors and healthcare workers often don't know, or don't believe that stopping Lyrica can be the cause of so much misery. As terrible as it sounds, Doctors often react with anger or frustration when a patient complains of suffering because they don't want to assume any responsibility or accept any blame for prescribing something that makes a patient so sick. "You must be imagining things, or even lying or exaggerating,because this drug does NOT cause this level of withdrawal!"...Well, we know better.

I was prescribed Lyrica for RSD, 450mg per day. I made the mistake of running out when my pharmacy was closed. I became so sick that I was unable to get out of bed for more than two weeks. I was unaware that Lyrica caused withdrawal, so much so that I thought I had the flu! My husband picked up my prescription by chance one day, while having his own prescription filled, and brought it home. I was blown away to find myself completely well within an hour of taking my regular dose. Then and there, I made the decision that I would stop taking the drug. I had found the side effects horrific anyway, with the weight gain, mental foginess and emotional deadness I had been experiencing while on Lyrica. I began a taper immediately.

I started reducing my Lyrica by 25mg every 10 days to two weeks. It was rough, especially when I went down in dosage, and it took days to feel even marginally better. Still, I stuck it out, beginning in January 2013, and finally finishing in July of the same year. A long, slow taper, I know, but I went as fast as I felt I could, enough to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay so I could function. Many have found, like I did, that quitting cold turkey was virtually impossible, due to the fact that the terrible illness of withdrawal would just go on and on, never getting any better. I've heard of people sick for months while going through Lyrica withdrawal.

Reading about the experiences of others going through what I was going through was an enormous comfort to me. It made me feel that I wasn't crazy, that I was one of many who had been taken in by promises of pain relief without fear of addiction or withdrawal (that's what I was told!). The following is a list of the symptoms that I experienced during withdrawal from Lyrica. I encourage everyone to add your experiences to this thread as well. Believe me, there are lots of people suffering right now who will visit this sight and be comforted with the knowledge that they are not alone!

LYRICA WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME

Exhaustion, coupled with insomnia (horrible combination)
Depression
Crying jags
Rage
Extreme episodes of sweating
Chills
Inability to regulate temperature
Headache
Nausea
Stomach pain (often described as stabbing pain)
Severe Anxiety
Restless Leg Syndrome
Body aches
Muscle contractions
Vision problems
Suicidal ideation
Difficulty breathing (hard to take deep breath)
Lack of desire to socialize in any way
Mood swings

I know that more symptoms exist, and I hope that you will add your own experiences to this thread. Only by bringing this terrible issue forward will we ever convince anyone...Doctors, health-care workers or Pfizer itself to do something about the irresponsible way that this drug has been fed to us all, and force them to take measures to at the very least inform the public of the risks that taking Lyrica bring.

Gosh my ego is a bit bruised...lots of views of this page, but no one posting. I hope if you have a similar story, you tell it here, even briefly. Reading posts from others who were suffering was some of the best recovery medicine I found (which is why sharing is the cornerstone of the 12 Step Movement). But even if you are just reading, I hope this thread helps you!

Hi trivia
I have to admit your post is a bit disturbing and scarey. I know you are trying to help others (like me) to understand withdrawing form Lyrica is difficult and what we can expect. That is how I found your post. You said you were on 450mgs but you didnt mention how long you were taking Lyrica for. Did it help with your pain from RSD, even though your say your side effects were "Horrible". Were you on another medication for your pain while you were weaning off the Lyrica. (sorry my question mark key is broken).

I take 300mgs of Lyrica for small fiber neuropathy for 8 mos now for neuropathic pain. I think it is helping a little with some of the pins and needles & tinglin pain , buzzin pain, and some burning. My side effects are very painful belly bloating and painful stomach, (little weight gain tho) head fogginess, and depression. My Doctor doesnt want to increase my dose, he thinks the sideeffects outweigh the benefits! I feel the same. I think its time to cut back on Lyrica. I have a script for 25mgs to start titrating.

So my "dilemna " scares me to death for three reasons. My pain may get worse. I do not have a back up med for my pain. And the withdrawal symptoms . I knew withdrawal from Lyrica could get bad, but I guess I didnt realise how bad until I read your post! Are the symptoms you listed only if someone goes cold turkey. Did titrating at 25mgs for many days help make withdrawal less painful for you. My plan is to go sloooowly (again, sorry question mark key is broken).

Im going crazy , I dont know what to do. I have pain, but Lyrica is not working, If I go off Lyrica my pain could get worse and will suffer withdrawal side effects too. Ugghh! I tryed Cymbalta, neurotin, and elavil no help and had to stop due to sideefects. (I take a low dose of Xanax for anxiety).

How are you feeling today. Are you off the Lyrica completely and what are you taking for your RSD pain.

Has anyone else had a bad withdrawal experience with Lyrica. Thanks for letting me vent!

I'm sorry that I scared you. My anger about withdrawal from Lyrica comes not only from my own experience, but also from the thousands of posts I've read from people suffering these terrible withdrawal symptoms with little or no support from their Doctors, who will often plead ignorance or deny outright that this drug causes these complications (self protection from possible malpractice suits). The drug giant responsible Pfizer, is dealing with lawsuits as well, but mostly relating to suicide and suicidal thoughts.

I did not get much pain relief from Lyrica. I was on the drug for about a year and a half. My worst experiences came during withdrawal. Yes, I'm now off Lyrica, but it took me seven months, and I basically took as little of the drug as I could take and still get through the day without sitting and shaking in misery in my room. My taper was about 25 mg at a time, tapering down every two to three weeks. I wish that there was some over the counter meds or vitamins that I could suggest, but as my pharmacist said, It's like using an umbrella in a tornado.

The only thing to do is try to get as much support as possible, and if possible take some time off if you have to taper down faster than I did. To answer your question, I'm on the fentanyl patch, which works great for me, with few side effects and no druggy feeling. I change patches every 3 days. I researched it well before I took it, and I was willing to risk the side effects listed, none of which I have. I'll have to taper off, but at least that taper is well known.

I want to encourage every person who has been hurt by this drug to write down their experience, save it somewhere where you can copy and paste it in every forum possible. Pfizer thinks that they can hide behind the mountain of small print that they publish about Lyrica, stuff that one needs a degree in molecular biology to understand. Information is power, and getting information out is our best tool at this point in stopping the big drug companies from pushing dangerous medication on us, all to bring in more money.

I'm sorry to rant on at you, when you're scared and just wondering how the heck to get off Lyrica. As another poster said, "Slower feels better than faster", and that's good advise. You may get lucky and be one of the people who go off with little or no withdrawal symptoms. Good luck, and PLEASE keep us posted!

you are so right about the horrors of this drug. I just posted my story, but I am new to this forum, to forums in general, so I hope you can find it.
I am ^ months into withdrawal after only taking 100-150 mgs. daily for 3+ months and still not right.
how can this drug be legal? and why aren't doctors aware of the dangers.
and they were so worried about 10 mg.s of oxycodone for my pain. that withdrawal/side effects was nothing compared to lyrica.

Hi Marie,

IMO, your worst enemy here is fear itself, and you may be putting the cart before the horse. Everyone is different; not everyone experiences severe withdrawal effects when tapering off Lyrica, and many can taper off of it within a relatively short period of time.

Sure, it's scary to read the horror stories, but it's the people who've experienced the worst that seek support and post their stories/complaints, and in many instances, there is incomplete information (e.g. substance abuse, medication interactions, exaggeration, faulty memories, comorbid conditions, details re: discontinuation, etc.) Those who taper with little/no problems don't need support, and hence aren't likely to post their uneventful experiences. This results in a skewed perspective.

Getting Off Lyrica Without Problems; Minimize Side Effects

Doc

Oh, the horror...the horror! (My nod to Dr. Smith and Lost in Space)

Thanks Dr. Smith! Of course you are right in that there are plenty of people who have gone off Lyrica with no trace of withdrawal. My husband spent many months in the hospital getting IV Dilaudid every two hours, and was weaned off within a week and seemed to have zero withdrawal symptoms. Lucky him, and lucky you, whoever you are, that stops so easily. This post is not for you. If you read my first post, I was dead sick for two weeks before I even knew I was in withdrawal, so precipitous fear wasn't a problem.

I thought rather than scare everyone to death, I'd tell you a few things that helped me a lot, or a little. I did crazy research online to find some solutions. I am not in any way recommending anything. Do your own research, and try what you will at your own risk. This is information widely available online, that I found with Google searches. I didn't have blurred vision, so I don't know about that.

OVERALL: GABA. GABA is an amino acid available over the counter. I came upon it by accident at GNC, and thought hmmm...gabapentin/GABA. I bought a bottle, brought it home and did some reading before trying it (***-backward, I realize). Web M.D. states that GABA works by inhibiting brain wave signals. Lyrica is believed to work by inhibiting brain signals. GABA is analogous to Lyrica (chemically very similar, also from Web M.D.) While there are many who believe that GABA doesn't cross the blood brain barrier, the consensus is that some of a dosage does cross. I took mine with grapefruit juice, hopefully to potentiate crossing the bbb. GABA is believed to relax you, help you sleep, aid in fat burning, help with PMS, relieve pain and aid in balancing blood pressure. I was concerned about taking another version of Lyrica, even natural, obviously because I was trying to get off it, but could find no evidence that GABA caused any of the problems of Lyrica, especially withdrawal. I took GABA every night (makes you sleepy) and darned if it didn't make everything easier. I wish I had found it at the beginning of withdrawal, because it did help me very much. GABA was the first (and only) thing I tried that made me forget that I didn't feel well, often for hours at a time (and when I'm ill, I have this OCD habit of constantly reevaluating my current state). Everything else helps, but this was the most helpful. It cost around fifteen dollars for 60 at GNC.

Anxiety: Many people suggest a benzo like Valium or Clonopin (sp?). I didn't go that route, because I was afraid of going through withdrawal, which I've heard is brutal. I occasionally used Valerian (tastes terrible) in an oil form. I'm not sure that it really helped. As much as you don't feel like doing it, getting some exercise is good medicine. I tried very hard to walk for 45 minutes every day, and I always felt better after.

Flu-like symptoms: This was pretty obvious with ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin available everywhere. Helped the body aches.

Stabbing stomach pain: I used loperamide occasionally, which is the active ingredient in Immodium, and can be purchased in any drugstore. Opiate users all have this in their cupboards for withdrawal. It's actually an opioid which has a molecular composition too large to pass through the blood brain barrier. That means it doesn't affect your central nervous system (there are many arguments about this, but I'll go with the science). However your body has many opiate receptors, especially in the gut. 4 mg took care of this every time for me. Once again, I took with grapefruit juice. Pepto Bismol also helped.

Sweating: Oh, my most hated symptom! I would break into massive, drenching sweats where water would roll down my face and my clothes would be soaked. I once again found help from those handy opiate users (some of them could be biochemists...and maybe they are!). The biggest help was benedryl, hands down. But it made me so sleepy, I could only take it before bed which kept night sweats away and gave me the added benefit of extra sleep. Afrin nasal spray was helpful during the day. It contains a chemical similar to the blood pressure med Clonidine, commonly prescribed for alcoholic withdrawal. Lots of people get a prescription for Clonidine for withdrawal, but I didn't, so I don't have first hand knowledge. Beware though...Afrin can be highly addictive too. I tried to use it sparingly. There are a number of prescriptions for hyperhidrosis (sweating) which I also did not try. If you have used them, please post and let us know. Finally Sage oil, in tea or capsules, which I got at GNC. I'm not a big natural remedy person, but this did help. I rubbed sage oil on my wrists throughout the day.

Insomnia: I used everything I could find that was available otc. As I mentioned earlier, I took benedryl every night for sweating, great for sleep (but druggy aftereffects in the morning were a price I paid). Variously I tried Unisom, Tylenol PM (especially when my body was aching) and some of the newer preparations like Tylenol PM with no pain reliever, just sleep meds). I can also highly recommend Sleepytime Herbal Tea, which can knock me out if I make it strong (I use 4 tea bags!). There are many other drugs available with a prescription, so go to your Doctor for these. I was scared off Ambien by stories of people driving off of cliffs in their sleep.

Exhaustion: I KNOW that what I used was not good for me. I drank Monster no calorie energy drinks. There is a ton of evidence that energy drinks are terrible for you. But I'm just being honest. However, my Dr helped me by switching me from Prozac (I took for depression) to Wellbutrin, which gave me energy and had the major added benefit for me of curbing my appetite, which helped me lose all that lyrica weight. This is absolutely a conversation to have with your Dr. after doing lots of your own research. Never again make the mistake I made, by not thoroughly investigating what you put in your body.

These things helped me. PLEASE add your own tips. Everyone who reads this, however, must understand that these are things that helped me. I'm NOT a Doctor, and these are related to you not as recommendations, but as my personal experiences. Be your own advocate and research what might help you. Let me know if it does.

Triviafriend,

I'd like to thank you for your wonderful post for the lyrica withdrawal symptoms that you faced. I too was on lyrica for only 4 months, taking 450mg per day. I stopped taking it because of the following side effects:

EXTREME joint pain
blurred vision
nausea
massive weight gain
lack of sex drive
dizziness
depression

I did wean myself off of the medication following my drs instructions and have been off of the med for 3 months now. I did have many of the side effects that you encountered, and thankfully my symptoms have all improved with the exception of the joint pain which is excruciating. The lyrica was prescribed to help with chronic neck pain I was having, being supplemented with 7.5mg of hydrocodone every 4-5 hours. Unfortunately, with the joint pain that was caused by the lyrica, I'm now up to 15mg of hydrocodone every 4 hours. I was suggested to see a rheumatologist who performed massive blood work, all resulting with inconclusive results. So, now I'm faced with taking more hydrocodone than I've ever needed before, which is also being supplemented with 4mg of tizanidine at bedtime to help with sleep, and no solution to my joint pain. I've always been an incredibly active person, who now is feeling crippled with pain if I sit for too long of a period of time (5 minutes is too long), and no solution to my condition. My doctor doesn't want to believe that the lyrica could possibly have caused the joint pain, but I NEVER had any of these pains until I took the lyrica. Depression is major for me and I have been taking 150mg of welbutrin for 3 months which isn't helping.

I suppose what I'm trying to offer to other members is to please just be extremely cautious with lyrica and do your research. Only we, as the patient, truly know our own bodies, and must listen to them carefully when taking medication. Lyrica is an incredibly dangerous one that medical professionals are prescribing far too easily, with limited knowledge of it's side effects.

Hi there. Just reading through some of your posts and I think what you are doing for people going through this is wonderful. I am about a month and a half off Lyrica after tapering off 600mg at my highest dose. Your post on GABA and how it helped you to feel better really helped to connect the dots. You see, I was put on benzodiazepines back in 2008 for mild generalized anxiety.
I was feeling ill about 6-8 months later and didn't know it was that little pill making me sick. Long story short it took about another year to realize I wasn't dying from some odd disease (all work ups were 100 percent normal) and no doctor caught it was the clonazepam and Lorazipam causing such ill effects. Little did I know that the real horror would be when I went cold turkey and the nearly 15 months of relentless withdrawal that makes my Lyrica withdrawal feel like a walk in the park!!

What I'm getting at and what we need to spread to these folks out here is that Lyrica is thought to act on the same receptors that Benzodiazepines do. This is why many of the symptoms are similar when withdrawal hits! These receptors take months (and for some years) to "reset" and regain affinity to attract GABA and cause the nervous system to calm down and the odd symptoms people feel to dissipate.

I did a LOT of research while in benzodiazepine withdrawal and have educated myself FAR beyond what your run of the mill physician will tell people. I was told I was crazy, that NO DRUG can cause withdrawal months after cessation. What they don't know is that it's the ADAPTION AND CHANGE in the brain that is causing the problem, not the actual drug which had left the body months ago. Same holds true with Lyrica.

If you have any questions or would like me to help anyone on here (I am new on here) please let me know. Like I said, I am only a month and a half off Lyrica and am experiencing about half of the symptoms you have listed but compared to what I have been through, this is something that can be tolerated and put up with because it does get better it's just that people are quite surprised to find that these class of drugs can create such a long and painful withdrawal syndrome. No other class of drugs, even opiates, cause such a long drawn out withdrawal.

If anyone needs help or questions answered let me know. I'm not a doctor, just someone that has been severely injured by big pharm and a medical community that is completely unaware of what the drugs they so freely dispense can do to people.

Hey triviafriend,

thanks for the great post on how to deal with these symptoms.
I just wanted to ask about GABA, how safe it is to use to help with anxiety,depression and are you still taking them? Do these amino acids also have a withdrawal symptoms? Also, did GABA affect your memory, intelligence in any way. I realized that Lyrica interfered with my short term memory while I was on it.
Again, thank you for the great post. It has helped me tremendously.

cheers,
robs246