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Lyrica or Cymbalta for pain relief?

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Posted 2/4/2008 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone here used either Lyrica or Cymbalta for pain control?  Is the Lyrica something someone who has had a history of abusing opiates could use?

Thanks.

Posted 2/4/2008 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I'd say over half of the people here have tried Lyrica, and many have used Cymbalta. I have used both. Lyrica is somewhat better at combatting neuropathic pain than Cymbalta, plus it does not have the side effects that Cymbalta has (considering it's meant to be a anti-depressant). Lyrica is not like an opiate and is not addictive, though there are a few people out there who abuse it. They use it to relax the muscles; its effect is sort of like alcohol. But those side effects only last for 1-2 weeks and so I don't believe anyone abuses Lyrica longterm. Again, there is no craving for the drug. You just need to be comfortable with your life and not look toward escaping it.
Posted 2/5/2008 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Lyrica does have addictive potential; it is considered a controlled substance, although not in the same class as many of the opiates. If you have difficulties abusing drugs, discuss this with your MD. Cymbalta is not the evil drug some here make it out to be, although everyone is different. And cymbalta is not a controlled substance, and has no significant addictive potential.
Posted 2/5/2008 7:08 AM (GMT 0)
I have been taking lyrica and cymbalta

for aprox two years now, and several months ago I got sick with the flu pretty bad, so feeling so sick and couldnt hold nothing down I ended up not taking my two meds for a few days. I thought it was the flu just getting worst because it kept getting worst and worst as the days went by. Finally I went to my primary when I thought my insides couldnt be ripped apart any more. I thought I had the flu, he immediatly figured it out that it was those two meds missing 5 days worth. I never realized how strong those meds are until this happend, I always just figured the narcotics would be the problem with the withdrawals, but as for as I'm concerned nowadays I never miss any doses on a consistant time. It was painful as hell and everything else that comes with it, but if I actually knew I was withdrawing I could of saved myself.........

                     OH WELL lesson learnd

      nono MUST REMEMBER ALL MEDS ON TIME OR YOU WILL FEEL THE PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                with all that said, have a great day..............

                                             Mike

Posted 2/5/2008 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
PAlady: are you basing your assertion that Lyrica is addictive entirely on it being a controlled substance? There are many drugs that are controlled substances and are not considered addictive whatsoever.

Lyrica never caused me any problems when I stopped taking it (cold turkey) and Cymbalta caused me some issues with my head, but it was hardly the worst thing for me. I think your problem was mostly your flu, sorry.
Posted 2/5/2008 5:12 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks for the responses.

Mike, Does the combination of cymbalta and lyrica totally control your pain?  What type of pain do you suffer with?

Thank you.

Posted 2/5/2008 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Says in the literature with Lyrica it has ABUSE POTENTIAL, so Palady very well could have been suffering withdrawals. When I went off of it my doctor tapered it down over time just like she had tapered it up. The accompanying literature also says it should not be stopped suddenly...which is usually an indication that there have been problems in the past.
Posted 2/5/2008 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
I was told not to take them together .
Posted 2/6/2008 9:20 AM (GMT 0)

trust4me,

I have had rsd twice in two years, that turned into nerve damage. From having many different surgeries in the same foot and location I guess it got too tramatized. I have been going to pain mangmt for about two and a half years and they are getting to wits end with me. I do like taking those two meds. I usually take two lyricas and one cymbalta before bed. Then take one lyrica in morning. These two meds by no means take away my foot pain, but I think they are used as a long term thing and most beneficial after you have been taking them for a significant amount of time.(so they tell me!)

Im going to the dellon institute for a procedure next tuesday and they are going to cut one of the main nerve trunks, and see if we can defuse the pain signals.

anyway hope it helped,

     have a great day

                                  mike

Posted 2/21/2008 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'm currently on Cymbalta 60mg once a day and it does not help with the pain.  I just started taking Lyrica yesterday so its a little too soon to tell if its going to be effective.  One thing is for sure, it makes me real dizzy and light headed. 

Posted 2/22/2008 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
I take 60mg Cymbalta x 2 daily. It has helped me greatly!
Be Blessed
Volfan
Posted 2/22/2008 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
I take up to 3200mg Neurotin (Gabbapentin) daily for nerve pain. It too does a wonderful job.
Posted 2/23/2008 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
Nobody will give me anything else but LYRICA for my post shingles pain. It causes dry mouth, confusion, sleepiness for me. At high levels it causes dizziness too. I have to take it sometimes. When the post shingles pain goes into remission...I stop taking it and feel no withdrawal. I do not like it but none of the doctors will give me anything else. Have decided to see pain management to see if they can help.

The thing of it is...the lyrica makes me so OUT OF IT...I feel stupid (like I'm going to lock myself out of my car). I do not like it but that's what I have to take. Have to admit it takes care of the problem...back pain ... nerve damage.
Posted 2/24/2008 1:49 AM (GMT 0)

The dizzy headedness will go away eventurally.  I was on it for several months, but after I built up to the right dosage I had an adverse reaction that I had to seek immediate medical attention for.  I woke up to my face being all swollen up and my throat being swollen.  If you read the liturature that comes with the medication..that is one of the very bad reactions.  I had to quit the medication cold turkey.  I hated doing that.  It had helped my nerve damage from my c-spine surgeries and my pain from fibro to boot.  I also take Cymbalta at a much higher dose than the 60mg that is suggested.  I take 120mg.  But I really don't see that it helps.  Then again, I have not gone off of it in 3 years.  I might think differently if I were to go off of it.

I also take tramadol for pain and if it REALLY gets bad I take norco once in a great while.  Prior to my last c-spine fusion I was on oxycotin.  So I guess the last fusion helped somewhat.

I am new to this group.

B R E N tongue

sglantz said...
I'm currently on Cymbalta 60mg once a day and it does not help with the pain.  I just started taking Lyrica yesterday so its a little too soon to tell if its going to be effective.  One thing is for sure, it makes me real dizzy and light headed. 


Posted 2/24/2008 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome Bren to HW. You're going to find a wealth of information here and a whole lotta support. And, already in your very first post you have answered a question I had...about Cymbalta.

Hope you stick around and keep posting, so we can all get to know each other.
Posted 3/2/2008 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi! Im new here, but would like to tell you that Lyrica has been my saviour for about 2 years now. I can work (when nothing else is bothering me) and I dont randomly fall over or have nerve pains like I was having. You do have to be weened down by a doc, but I never had any feeling of "out of myself"-ness or side effects. I was on Neurontin for 1 year and had to stop taking it for fear that if I was to drive down the road with my daughter in the car they would have pulled me over, arrested me for DUI and child endangerment. I know everything acts differently on different people and problems but lyrica works for me. I have a bulging compressed disc with a tear in my lower back (which is why I started taking the lyrica) but it also helps immensly with Fibromayalgia. Hope this was some help!
Posted 12/22/2011 10:49 PM (GMT 0)

I have been taking Cymbalta for about 3 years to combat post-accident nerve damage in the pelvic area.  Unfortunately it had no measurable effect on my pain level, which is what I initially started taking it for, but I stuck with it because it was helping against anxiety and depression.  However, in the last few months, it started making me extremely sleepy.  I couldn't get through the day without a couple of 30-60 minute naps.  My doctor at the pain management clinic prescribed Lyrica, which I've been taking for about a month.  I really can't tell if it's doing anything for my pain, at least not yet.  However, I feel a lot less sleepy, which lets me work and function more or less normally.

BTW, a caution for those who wonder about quitting Cymbalta cold turkey - dont!!!  Having had my experience with it, I am highly surprised that it's considered non-addictive.  There were a few times that I forgot to take it on a trip with me, and skipped 2-3 days.  In addition to strong headaches and weird tase in my mouth, I felt extremely anxious and depressed, even though there was nothing happening around me to cause it.  Massive withdrawal symptoms.  I just stopped taking it after tapering down my dosage for over a month.  I don't have nearly as bad an experience from that, but in addition to gradual  reduction in dosage, I'm sure Lyrica is helping me deal with the withdrawal symptoms.  Hope this helps!

Posted 12/23/2011 1:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Switchman, and welcome to Healing Well. We've locked this discussion because it's so very old. You may not have not have noticed, but it dates from 2008!!

Can I suggest that you might like to start a new topic to introduce yourself, and I'm sure that everyone else will be along to welcome you fairly shortly :)

Laura
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