I am curious as to exactly what kinds of pain Lyrica is helpful with (understanding that everyone is different). For me, 60mg daily of Nortriptylene is helpful with pins & needles, tingling, burning & a bit of forefoot pain. I add 50mg (usually, but sometimes 100mg) of Tramadol in the AM which helps with forefoot pain, some of the numb feeling & helps me with my balance. It kind of rearranges the feelings in my feet.

I see that Lyrica must be safe to take with Amitriptylene. I wonder about the Tramadol. My Dr(s) are pretty flexible unless I get needing too much in the line of opioids, then they would be wanting me to try something else, like Cymbalta or Lyrica. Is Lyrica available generically in the US now?

I took it with Tramadol and Lyricai is not available in generic.

For me it lessened the burning to almost zero, shooting and electric jolts greatly as well. From going through my notes I feel I also created some rough nights on days I overdid it thanks to Lyrica numbness. I am sure this is possible with any med that is deadening sensation, but if it works for you don't start over doing it.

Keep a journal is just a great idea I think, says the guy who has been bad at journaling lately.

I hope you find positive results.

Jon

Jon is correct about no generic version however I have seen something that said there will be one by 2018

I am only on 75 mg twice a day. I am mainly worried that Lyrica will cause me to gain weight. I was told previously that I am prediabetic, although my last A1C was 5.2. I need to lose weight and am thinking that if I do, my pain might be reduced and the progression might stop. I think that this recent round of extreme pain might be from Gabapentin withdrawal, and only want to go through that once. Right now it is gamble as to what is going to help me in the long run. I don't want to take Lyrica if it is going to make me gain weight. The last three weeks I have noticed that I am starting to get stabbing in my ankles and the pain is coming about half way up my legs, where it used to be only below my ankles.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell the original poster that Lyrica didn't cause me any dizziness at this dosage, but that I also had a horrible reaction to Cymbalta so totally understand the concern.

I put off trying it initially due to weight gain concerns. I was very cognizant of what I ate and drank while on Lyrica & actually lost weight, but disclaimer- I was eating vegan half that time.

The benefits and side effects vary so greatly that is why I think it is worth it to anyone who feels it is an option to try it. It is possible I wouldn't have gotten to here without Lyrica. Unless Peter Capaldi shows up on my stoop we will never know.

Keep a journal.

Jon

onebeed -
here is a pretty good article outlining the possible reasons Lyrica causes weight gain most of them still have to do with changes in diet and exercise after starting the medication (like less exercise because the drug makes you sleepy or an increase in appetite). Also weight gain only affects between 10 and 20 % of people and most see the change over a long term of treatment

http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/02...ld-you-expect/

I was reading through comments and a few people were claiming lyrica made them gain like 40 lbs in one month or 20lbs in a few weeks and I have to believe that there is no way this happened without some change in their diets or lifestyles in addition to the medication because this is drastic. If I were you I would monitor your weight each week to see what happens and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that if you do gain weight you can be sure it is the medication causing it. Hope the article helps!

I haven't taken lyrica, but do take gabapentin (a similar drug). I do have a theory on the weight gain issue, based on my experience with gabapentin.

Your body has two "hunger signals" - one that signals you to eat when your stomach is empty, and one that signals you to stop eating once your full. For me, I don't have any major cravings that push me to start eating. However, once I start eating, I have a really hard time stopping. (Gabapentin seems to prevent the "stop eating" signal from getting through.) I might decide to eat a small sandwich for lunch even though I'm not super hungry. But after I finish the sandwich, it takes a great deal of effort to prevent myself from following that with a whole bag of chips and a dozen cookies for dessert.

I was on gabapentin in the past (for something other than PN), and went from about 190 lb to 230 lb in a year. I was able to lose that weight after quitting the gabapentin. After my PN symptoms, I went back on the gabapentin, but this time I'm aware of the weight gain issue and have only put on a few pounds. I have made a decision to never go back over 200, and although its not easy, I'm so far managing to meet that goal.

One of the other theories--
 

--regarding weight gain on Pregabalin (Lyrica), gabapentin (Neurontin) and most of the other anti-seizure drugs is that since most act by downregulating neural signalling, especially in the central nervous system, the hypothalamus reacts as if the body needs more nutrients to "wake it up", and produces hunger signals.

I've also heard people claim that these drugs act as if the body is going into a sort of winter hibernation and that causes a craving for especially carbs to "get through the winter". I know I certainly carb craved (more than usual) while on Neurontin.

We really don't know the exact mechanism behind the appetite increase/weight gain effect, but it certainly has been noticed as a common side effect of these drugs. Moreover, some of the weight gain may also be due to fluid retention, which is another side effect commonly reported with these. That effect may have to do with the fact that these meds are generally excreted whole through the kidneys, without going through appreciable metabolization by the liver (and why one needs good kidney function to take them).

glenntaj - anything out there suggesting it affects metabolism? or is the theory that a majaority of the weight gain comes from increased eating by people who's bodies are producing more hunger signals due to the medication

Glenntaj, I definitely have fluid retention from gabapentin. However at night when I want to sleep I often seem to urinate excessively. Do you know if this could be because my kidneys are working overtime to rid my body of the fluid?