Lyrica vs Generic. Is pregabalin as effective?
 

Hello, I have fibromyalgia and small fibre neuropathy. My insurance company is no longer going to pay for my Lyrica so I'm going to try the generic pregabalin. Any thoughts on how effective it is for small fibre neuorpathy? Currently I save up my dosage to take at bedtime to dampen the burning sensation in my feet and lower legs so I can fall asleep. I used to take 75 twice a day but I now take 75 at once at bedtime.

I tried Cymbalta in the past and had terrible side effects when I withdrew. Insurance won't pay for that either. Thanks for your thoughts.

its not helping my nerve pain cause by head injury. but that is a different kind of pain and i think preglabin will be just as good as lyrica. good luck with it. also, i think its sustained release so wouldn't it be better to take it as prescribed. whatever helps you the most.

I wasn't aware that Lyrica had gone generic, but if/since it has, there should be no difference.

Doc

Shouldn't be any deference, But after debacle with generic wellbutrin. Learning that the latitude generics are allowed in how close the dosage is, and that the name brand maker often retain the time release patent. Which sometime causes different generic makers to vary how the dosage is distributed all with the blessing off the FDA.:mad:

Thanks for your comments. Yes, the generic has just recently been offered. I've often read of patients complaining that generic drugs aren't as good. Well it's much cheaper so I'll give it a try. I would like to see what life is like without this medication, but I can't sleep with the burning pain of SFN. I tried Cymbalta and found it reduced my neuorpathic pain from 20 to 40%, but I was still taking Lyrica and found my cognition declining, and terrible constipation. Had a very difficult withdrawal from Cymbalta--migraines for 6 weeks, brain zaps, etc.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones for whom R-Lipoic Acid takes care of the burning as good/better than gabapentin/Lyrica. Wish it were so for everyone. :Sigh: :Dunno:

Doc

R-Lipoic Acid
 

R-Lipoic Acid helped me too but it is so darned expensive, that while I still have medical coverage, I'll try the generic Lyrica/pregabalin.

It's running me about US$8.50/month. I don't know Canadian tax law, but if your doctor writes you a scrip for it, it may be tax deductible.

Doc

Burning is my worse problem and getting worse. I have not gotten on meds yet but I fear its coming close.

What name brand of Rlipoic acid do you use?

I tried Drs Best and got horrid acid reflux, never even got to take more than a handful of pills from the bottle.

I wonder if a different name brand would work.

To hear you say Rlipoic really helps with burning makes me wanna try again even though I spent 30 on a bottle I didnt use.

Amazon and iherb.com have very discounted prices on the
Doctor's Best products.

If the stabilized form (which has high solubility) gives you heartburn, try the old ALA... it has slower solubility and may work if you take enough.

This is the older formulation at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-A...st+lipoic+acid

At first, Dr's. Best was the only game in town. Searching google again, I see other brands pop up, but I couldn't tell you if they're all the same stuff (same mfr.) being packaged & sold as different brands or not.

Stacy, I don't know what else to suggest that I haven't already. :( :Dunno:

Doc

I was just given a script for Lyrica yesterday.

I have had so much pain since I got hit by the car. I really didn't want to start another med but I actually feel desperate. I take Cymbalta and Tramadol when needed. I also take R-Lipoic Acid, COQ10, B12, Krill Oil.

My pain level is about 8-9 everyday now. I was doing pretty good before. I even started PN.

I saw my neurologist yesterday and he suggested Lyrica. He said when people with PN get injured the can go into a flare up. He also said sometimes it calms back down and sometimes it doesn't.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Did it stop or not? I also have fibromyalgia with the SFN. Now some of my joints have swelled and are painful.

Anything you can share about accidents and/or Lyrica I would appreciate it.

Hopeful, I am so sorry to hear this! :(

My heart and prayers go out to you and all of us dealing with pain. :(

Lyrica
 

I just started the "generic" Lyrica. I've been on a few different meds and nothing is coming close to touching my pain/symptoms. The Lyrica seems to be making me feel worse. I can barely see straight and my neck is stiff. Is this normal?

I didn't tolerate Lyrica (or gabapentin) well either, but many rave about it -- everyone is different. IIRC, my doctor wanted me to give it a month (which I did) to see if the side effects abate.

A condition called torticollis ("twisted neck") has been reported as a side effect of Lyrica/pregabalin.

lyrica torticollis

With any/every med., the question is, do the benefits outweigh the side effects (or... does the good outweigh the bad).

Your doctor needs to know about this and any other intolerable side effects, and whether or not the Lyrica/pregabalin is helping. If you decide to discontinue it, your doctor needs to taper you off of it slowly -- please do not discontinue abruptly.
Doc

:grouphug: Just joined your group to talk to you about the fact that my doctor said to stop taking Gabapentin for a whole week before starting Lyrica. It took so long to get to see the doctor that the burning pain in my feet by then made me want to yell. I got the Lyrica prescription and started right away taking some that night. Didn't care about a possible overdose : was way beyond caring. Anyway, Lyrica gave me nightmares and fitfull sleep for a couple of nights and I was reducing the number of Gabapentin from 6 to 3 a day. Now, I take 1 capsule of 75 mg of Lyrica (actually the generic med) in the morning, 3 Gabapentin at supper time and 3 Gabapentin before bedtime. Since taking Lyrica, I have noticed memory loss, balance trouble and word slurring occasionally. I do not want to stop taking it because the medication is helping to keep the pain at a manageable level. I know that my doctor would get mad if she learned that her orders are not followed exactly. What do you think?

I was in 2 car accidents and have had back and neck pain ever since. Each year (accident happened in 2007 and should have killed me) the pain gets worse. I feel your pain :( I also have fibromyalgia and Raynaud's. I take Lyrica but it doesn't help the pain it just makes me feel drunk. I'm still waiting on an MRI but I constantly need to lay on the floor and twist/crack my back for that 1 minute of relief. Do you try sleeping differently? Like pillows between your knees or extra pillows under your head. I think the way I sleep determines how the start to my morning will be. I hope that you find something that works for the pain. Ps I put voltaren gel on my lower back and it helps a little

Hello Ouchnic, Welcome. :Wave-Hello:

I don't know your doctor, but if you know that she would get mad, then I think you're probably correct.

What's done is done; what do you think you should do from this point forward?

Doc

Is generic Lyrica available in the US now? Was just taking with my Neuro about it, and he said it would be a more expensive option than Nortriptyline.

Hi Everyone, I couldn't get on the computer to see your responses over the weekend. Had my grandchildren.

Stacy thank you for the prayers!

Mg23 I know how you feel. I just can't believe this happened to me from a small accident. I mean she did hit me kind of hard but still I would not have expected all this. Seems like everything went haywire.

Ouchnic Next time you see your doctor it may be a good idea to make them aware of what doses you are taking in your meds. I tend to change doses of my meds on my own but when I see my doctor I always tell them. They can't help if they don't know. Welcome to the group!!

I started the Lyrica a few days ago. 50mgs three times per day. So far only mild side effects. I feel little fuzzy in my head and tired. It has not worked on the pain yet but I think I should give it some time. I hate having to take medications but I can't take the pain!
Thanks again everyone!!!

That's what I've been hearing/reading here. I don't know the costs; you'd have to check with you pharmacy, and it may depend on your scrip coverage. Noritriptyline has been generic for a long time, so it may still be cheaper than something that's just become generic. Again, the big difference will be when insurance gets involved.

Doc

Thanks, Doc:
Our insurance is in 3 tiers, with Nortriptyline on the lowest Tier. Usually all generics are on that tier, but some may be in the middle one, which would cost 2 1/2 or 3 times more. The highest is 5x the lowest tier. No hurry. I just talked to my Neuro about it for future reference, as I couldn't tolerate the side effects of the Nortriptyline at a higher dose, should it stop working at my present level.

What ever you do don't drink alcohol in access when taking Lyrica. I learned the hard way :( it's been about a week and still no pain relief so I think I am going to tell the doctor I am done with it.

When do the side effects of Lyrica begin to wear off. I started it 5 days ago and take mgs three times a day. I feel very light headed and if is hard to explain but I feel a little fuzzy. Has anyone taken it long enough for the side effects to wear off? If so how long does it take?
Has anyone taken and gotten good results? For those who did not like Lyrica, can you share why?
Thanks!

Im confused. :confused: I thought Pregabalin is the generic for Lyrica. But yet I keep reading Lyrica is more expensive then Neurotin because Lyrica dosent have a generic. Isnt Pregabalin the generic for Lyrica and if so, then why is lyrica still so expensive?? I take Lyrica, Im afraid that at the end of this year , my Ins will stop paying for mine too. couldnt I just get the generic Pregabalin then? Can someone please clear this up? Thanks...

Pregabalin is the generic for Lyrica. Gabapentin (cheaper) is generic for Neurontin. The price for Lyrica isn't likely to come down. If there is a generic version in the US, which would be Pregabalin, the generic will be cheaper. Our insurance company automatically fills the script with generic when a generic is available, unless the Dr says "dispense as written". You need to ask your insurance company.

Hi Hopeful,
How much lyrica are you taking you left out the amt in your post? I take lyrica too,:( and still get very light-headed, dizzy like, drunk like feelings that last for a few hours after I take it, I understand how your feeling, its "normal" with this drug ughh. I have been taking it for 7 months now , and I still feel the sideffects, but it was worse for the first three months. Sorry to say its not helping with my pain, I have sfn -idiopathic :( and I still feel more pain then I should, Doc dosent want to increase my dose he says I should feel better at this "high" dose (300mgs). I tryed taking an extra 25mgs after a 100mg morning dose because my pain was so bad, I was soo dizzy and drunk-like after taking one xtra 25mgs pill! and No the extra pilll didnt help with the pain either! It seems sidefects are bad with each dose increase too.
And to make matters worse, I just thought you should be aware, my hair is starting to fall out. I have noticed in the past few weeks I have more hair in the tub, sink and brush, not bald patches but I see more hair around then usual! I called Phizer *sp and they said its not listed but hair loss has been reported. Sorry, but I just thought you should know. This is freaking me out, I believe its the lyrica, another reason to stop taking it. I know eveyone is diff, so I hope it works better for you. (no weight gain for me) I wish I had more encouraging things to say.
What are you taking lyrica for? Let us know how you do..thanks

So are you saying there is a generic, which is pregabalin but its just not available in the US yet? I do take lyrica but I dont know if my Doc put an X for the generic. My Ins paid for it anyway , but it had to be pre-authorized and they said its only good till the end of the year. Im wondering if I could get the generic if he marked an X. I just thought lyrica didnt go generic yet, but then later I started reading about Pregabalin and it became confusing.
On a diff note, Dont even think Im gonna stay on lyrica, im on 300mgs for sfn and this stupid drug is not even helping :(. any comments anyone?? Thank you..

Hi Doc
Yea you are one of the lucky ones! I take RLA 100 mgs a day for a few months now. (and Lyrica 300mgs) I do not feel a diff with my pain and burning for this sfn!. Thought about increasing it but its expensive and Im afraid a higher dose will make me jittery. What do you take RLA for? You are lucky that its helping and without having to take any meds, I hope you continue to do well with it.

Part of why is hard to put into words -- even for me! :o The worst being that it robbed me of my ability to focus/concentrate and create (imagination, applied knowledge). To me, that was most intolerable.

Doc

If the RLA isn't helping after this length of time, an increase may, or it just may not help at all, in which case I would discontinue it and save the money. This is the second time you've mentioned the expense of RLA; how much are you paying for how much of it?

As I mentioned, I take it for the burning pain of PN, and it has eliminated that pain completely except for flares that I probably have coming (eating/doing things I shouldn't).

Regarding the Lyrica/pregabalin confusion, many medications are sold both by brand name and generically. Lyrica/pregabalin is now one of those. It is still available by brand name, but the brand name will always be more expensive, and the generic less expensive. It could be that by the end of the year your insurance will no longer pay for the brand name and insist on generic -- I don't know. But if you're going to discontinue because it isn't working, that's kinda moot. ;)

Doc

I actually called my doctor today to see if I can stop taking it. I've only been taking it a week but that's long enough for me to say enough is enough. Most of my pain occurs in the 10 hours I am at work, I don't see how I can take it twice a day if I am walking into walls and falling all over the place because I feel drunk. I've also had a sore neck for the past few days and most importantly it's doing nothing for the amount of pain I am in. I thought after 2-3 days it would get better but it isn't. I suppose everyone is different but I don't think it's for me. If I can't even take it at work when that's when my pain is at it's peak then I don't see the point.

Hi Marie,
I take Lyrica for the same thing you do. Idiopathic small fiber neuropathy. I also have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I only take 50 mg three times a day.

I'm glad you told me about the hair loss. I want to hear the good and the bad. I think I'll be bald if that happens to me, haha. I already have a lot of hair loss when I wash my hair. I know that is from my thyroid disease.

I'm sorry to hear you have been on it for so long with little results and so many side effects. I tried it once before and stopped it due to depression from it. I wanted to try again since my pain got so bad after I got hit by the car and had a flare up. My neurologist said sometimes an accident can cause a flare up that goes away and sometimes it can start a chain of events that never goes away. Comforting isn't it? So I told him I would try the Lyrica again. I have only been taking it for about 5 days and I really don't like the side effects. I don't feel drunk, just out of it. I don't know if it is too soon to take effect but it has done nothing for the pain so far.

I think I'm just tired of this whole thing. Every now and then this happens to me. I just give into the sadness of all of this. I sometimes long for who I was 6 years ago. The healthy me. The me who worked and exercised and was able to do just about anything. The pain free me. How I'm felling won't last long. I won't let it.

Well I better try to get some sleep or at least watch some TV. Thanks goodness I don't have to be anywhere until 3PM today. Thanks for the info:)

Last night it put me to sleep right after I took it. Tonight it is 3AM where I live and I am wide awake just feeling really funny. Has it ever made you hyper. I hate trying all of these meds. I am very sensitive to them and usually can't get up to a dose high enough to help the pain due to the side effects being intolerable.

Before the accident I was taking Cymbalta 60mgs and Tramadol 200mgs a day, along with IVIG once a month. I stopped the IVIG before the accident. I wanted to stop it to see if I could do without it because I am sick for 4-5 days after I get the treatments.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I think I have tried every drug out there. I take a lot of the supplements suggested here. Those are what I believe have helped me. One doctor yelled at me that if I don't do anything else she tells me to do I should get off the IVIG. It has severe s/e and there is no research to show what may occur to patients is the future who have had theses Rx's. To put it bluntly she scared the crap out of me. That is mostly why I stopped my Rx's.

Hi Mag,
I am glad to hear I'm not the only one who hasn't been on it long and can't take the s/e. As I said I don't feel drunk but my dose is very low. However, I do feel very wobbly. I knelt down the other day and couldn't keep my balance.

I am on disability now so work is not an issue for me although I wish it were. It took me 6 years before I finally gave in and said I can't do it anymore. I know how I feel on this med I wouldn't be able to work.

I'm thinking about stopping it. Thanks for answering and good luck.

Hi Doc,
God forbid I should have to focus or concentrate on this. I feel like I already am experiencing memory loss from it.

The more I hear and read about this I don't think I want to continue it. I don't know if it requires weaning off if I have only been taking it for 6 days. I will call my neurologist when I make my final decision.

I am going on vacation on Thrusday for 10 days and I don't want to go in this shape!!:(

Of course everyone's different. I stuck it out for the full month requested by my doc, and when I stopped it, I think it had worn of within a week or so, but it was years ago, and I was in a different place (journey-wise).

Doc

I stopped it. I think I said I tried it before and did get depression. Well it started again. I was a mess crying, etc. I e-mailed my neuro and he said to stop it. Wow, it was really bad and I am not usually like that.