Lyrica Cause symptoms?
 

I started Lyrica a couple months ago and had good success with it - it reduced my sensitivity to the cold and helped with some burning in my feet. I ran out and because of insurance issues and express scripts pharmacy issues was off of it for about a month. I was originally on 50mg 3X per day and then I upped it to taking 2 50mg 2X per day. My new prescription is for 100 mg 2X per day. I just restarted on saturday. I noticed sunday I had burning in my feet and today it is on my right side. These symptoms are VERY typical for how my pain usually presents itself so here is my question.

Is it possible for Lyrica to cause symptoms you have previously had as far as burning pain? Is this just a flare that the Lyrica is not effectively managing or it the medication itself causing the flare?

(I saw burning as a small possibility in side effects but I assume this is for patients that this was a new symptom caused by the Lyrica not that it triggered old symptoms)

Thanks!

Plecebo effect
 

My wife and I both use x-press scripts and sometimes I think that the pills have nothing in them. I am sure there are safeguards against this but I am just talking about perceptions. You might have to wait and document to make any sense of it all. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

I have always found these drugs really just make me more dopey than pain free. I go through periods where they seem to work and then some periods where they seem like sugar pills. Most notably i get as much relief from 300mg of gabapentin as i do from 1800mgs. Really wonder about this stuff sometimes.

I believe gabapentin has a known effacacy issue related to less is more.

Lyrica related and to the point of the thread, I think some of it is perhaps the on and off, up down on dosage thing, perhaps. I know for me, coming off Lyrica, it was "Welcome to how you truly feel/don't feel".

It was sobering, both literally and figuratively. I agree with Patrick on the dopey thing. It was not a good or functional dopiness either, well I guess it was functional enough as I subsisted that way for quite a long time.

For me it is better to be in more discomfort without Lyrica & have greater mental alertness. I reserve the right to go back to my Lyricabotomy if my nerve pain kicks to an unmanagable level, but for now I am managing with tramadol.

Good luck to you.

Hi Jon,

Just curious about the Tramadol...does it make you tired? Also, how often per day do you take it? I'm on the Gabapentin 300 X3 but have wondered if the Tramadol would be better. I have both but so far have only used the Gabapentin. One thing I don't care for with the Gabapentin is it has impaired my vision.

Thanks,
Cliffman :)

Hard to say I guess, tiredness and fatigue are part of the neuropathy package, but I would tend to say for me, no, not compared to the tiredness and fatigue that Lyrica brought to my table.

Thanks for the feedback Jon. Yes, tiredness/fatigue are definitely part of the package...good point.

Wishing you well......

Cliffman :)

Lryica literally made me feel like my entire body was beginning to stiffen. There were times I felt like I couldn't get one leg in front of the other. Horrid stuff.

Hmmm yes I was on gabapentin for almost a year and when I came off of it I didn't realize how dizzy and tired it made me until I was off of it! With the Lyrica I just don't know if this was a flare of symptoms or the medication - frustrating that a medication for neuropathy can cause neuropathic symptoms! Talk about making everyone feel crazy. I will continue on it as it has only been a few days and see if it levels out (I am also a little mentally foggy and sleepy but I saw a study that said this could take 4-6 weeks to clear up).
Thank you for all of your replies - I do have a more general question for those who have taken Lyrica - were your only side effects tiredness and dopeyness/drunk feeling or did you notice any additional burning pain or a flare at the time of taking that may or may not have been attributed to the drug?

It is hard for me to tell these things because sometimes I am symptom free but others I will have symptoms for months...makes it hard to decide whether to take medication and also if the medication is the problem or if I am having a flare....

I think most would tell you that an increase in symptoms is not normal. It would have to be something else. When i took Lyrica I found it very effective for pain. I just hated how it slowed my reaction time, alertness and stiffened all my joints. It was a case of Cons outweighing the pros.


Although, this may not be the same as your issue. I only take my gabapentin dose at night because that is when my cortisol levels are lowest and my pain starts to flare up. i could swear that when i take the gabapentin, at first the pain worsens, and then it reduces after a few hours. Is that the gabapentin? Is it that it is just becuase its end of day when most people's neuro pain ramps up?

I know it's gabapentin and not Lyrica but they are similar drugs and Lyrica shares ingredients of gabapentin.