[marabunta]

Since Thanksgiving, Lyrica has been my miracle drug. In the past 15 years, the only other drug that came close was low-dose Valium. It was very tough to get the dosage right, trying to find the balance between relief and memory loss/dizziness/sleepiness. But the pain relief was so worth it. I ended up only needing between 50-150mg/day, usually 100mg total.

But now the wife and I want to try to have another child, and the warning about trying to conceive while on Lyrica are there, but vastly incomplete. So it isn't worth it right now. Hopefully we'll get pregnant quickly, and I can start on it again. In the meantime, I'm back to the traditional fixes, and trying not to flare up too much, or take too many drugs.

Marabunta

Symptomatic since 9/92. First tentative TOS diag 2/95. C4-5 fusion 10/2004, worsening of TOS symptoms since 2001. Still looking for a N.California neurologist.

[dabbo]

I read the same warnings, Marabunta. I wonder why/how it has those "side effects." I got great relief from Lyrica, but after 3-4 weeks on it, I had an allergic reaction that went on for ~3 days and resulted in 2 trips to the ER. It worked well enough that i've contemplated going back on it. I'm sorry that you had to stop, and good luck with the goal!!
-dabbo

[DiMarie]

Hello both,
I hope that you can find something that helps with less effects.
For me it has been almost 7 years of valium low dose. I can miss days, or increase to amount perscribed, or I can cut in half. I am at 10 mg a day.

THis si really the only thing I tried. I have no side effets, not messing with equipment and memory (that is already shot).
Iam not as severe a case as many and managing the spasms is my primary concern and this helps. I triend zanaflex, I tried the other meds givien. When it came down to it I told neuro, the low dose of valium compared to meds for seizures and side effects there is no comparison.

So she is comfortable with perscribing and I am happy witht he effect.
Nice to hear from you Marabunta, good luck.
Dianne

[beth]

I am experiencing the same problems as I did on Neurontin, urinary frequency, incontinence - well, the next thing to it, when I get the urge, I' have almost NO time to make it to the bathroom - and before I stopped taking Lyrica 3x/day, there was blood present in the urine on at least one occasion. For some reason, kidney-related problems are a side effect for me and a small percentage of people who use gaba-based meds.

This happened to me in the fall of 2003 when I was taking 2100 mg/day of Neurontin, and I went through a battery of increasingly unpleasant tests until I did the research and was able to show my Drs that this problem had occurred in a small group of people in the initial trial for Neurontin. At that point they took me off, the problem went away rapidly, and they decided I was correct - one of those, "Gee, and I'm paying YOU moments"!
Anyway, it's 3-and-a-bit years later, slightly different med, different DR, same scenario - he wants a blood/urine test first up to rule out any other problem. I'm fine with that, but I'm not going through any other testing, especially the one I call "the rack" at the urologist's.

Anyway, I've cut back to only one 100 mg pill a day, and I do notice the difference. I didn't know how much Neurontin really helped until I had to go off it, and I'm not excited about losing Lyrica from my pain-relief kit either - but I'm kinda fond of my kidney, too. I was really hoping the lower dosages of Lyrica meant this side effect wouldn't be a problem like it was with Neurontin, but no such luck!

The SCS does continue to help quite a bit, I really can't say enough about it for intractible (sp?) pain. This continued below freezing weather is taking a real toll though, I've barely been out of the house for a month, the highs have been in the single digits or teens!

beth