Lyrica Beneficial?

I had been prescribed Lyrica 75mg x 2 by the pain clinic doctor. She said that these helped a lot of people but that they really didn't notice until they stopped taking them. She also said that they worked to help the pain medications work better. I had been taking Lyrica for about 6 weeks and was not really able to tell if it did much to help or not. The last time I saw her, I asked her if I should continue taking the Lyrica and she told me to take it if it helped and to not take it if it didn't. I stopped taking it when I ran out and didn't refill the prescription even though I have two refills left.

My mother (she has had four hip surgeries and a knee replacement as well as being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Myofascial pain syndrome some time ago) was recently prescribed Lyrica and she seems to think that it is helping tremendously. My doctor has told me he thinks I have some problems deep in the muscles in my back and not with nerve damage. From what I can find, Lyrica is for nerve problems. I haven't noticed anything one way or the other with Lyrica. Has anyone had any similar experiences?


Skrape

Hi, Skrape,
Everyone is so different with medications it's almost impossible to compare. I have a lot of nerve pain and take neurontin, but was tried a couple of times on lyrica. I still don't know if lyrica would help because I found the doctors kept me at a very low dose, and I learned this from reading the website (it's probably lyrica.com). What you were on is basically a starting dose, but on the manufacturers website I believe therapeutic dosages range between 300-600mg. So I'm not sure if you really know if it would be helpful - same position I'm in but I'm tired of asking to try it. I think it's fairly new and unless a doctor is used to using it he/she may stay at too lose a dose.

Just my thoughts!

PaLady

Skrape Lyrica is being prescibed alot for Fibro and supposedly does help those folks. Its one of those things it may help some but not everyone. I have been on Lyrica for neuropthy in my feet & hands which is a nerve problem and I was very successful with it. I do know it can work for nerve pain and its being touted as a good drug for Fibro. Its like alot of these drugs it has to build up some in the system.

If you went off of it and could not tell a difference then maybe it wasn't working for you. I think its a matter of if you want to stay on it at a higher dose if your dr will increase the dose. Thats between you & the doc.

Susie

You never did say what you suffer from, so I don't know if the Lyrica would help you or not. For me I have been on Lyrica twice like theswan and had the same experience.

I have fibromyalgia and was prescribed the drug in low doses and it worked for a year or so and then not, so I stopped it. The after a year of being off of it, I started it back up and wow, it has made a tremendous differnece in my life. I take 25mg in the morning and 75mg at night, not very much compared to others. But if I take any more, I get very, very sleepy and I have grandchildren to watch during the day.

Anyway, please let us know what kind of pain you suffer from, specifically. Thanks.

Gentle Hugs,

Lindaloo

Lindaloo,

Sorry I did not see this post until just now. A lot of the frustration I have is that no one yet has been able to find out what is wrong with me. I see a lot of people on here with a lot of different diagnosis in their signatures. I have no diagnosis to give. I think this may be part of the reason that the docs have thrown so many different meds at me for different things. They are just playing a guessing game with meds to see what may help. I have had three MRI's in the past year or so and they all show slight scoliosis and slight arthritis but nothing else that is definitive.

As far as pain goes, I have a constant sick ache in my extreme lower back that absolutely NEVER goes away. I have intermittent pain in mid-lower back that is more of an acute pressure that gets worse as the day goes on. If I bend over (forward or back) for any length of time, the pain becomes so intense that I will break out in a sweat and shake almost uncontrollably. I have had my blood pressure and pulse taken after sitting for a while and then again immediately after standing and both will jump through the roof simply from the pain trying to get up. I also have this problem where I will get this really bad throbbing pain in my lower back after getting up and doing some kind of activity (like letting the dog out) that will absolutely take my breath away. The only thing I can do when this happens is to lay or lean back and wait it out. It will usually go away after 3 to 5 minutes of inactivity. It does not hurt for anyone to press on my back anywhere.

Every doctor I have explained these symptoms to seems to be perplexed. I am told that I do not present as a normal pain patient does. This seems to be a problem for every doctor I have ever seen. If I do not present as normal, I must be lying or something.


Skrape

I was on Lyrica for about 3 weeks and I seriously gained 15 pounds! I have extreme water retention in my feet and hands, and it made me feel like I was drunk. I would run into stuff. I stopped taking it and had no problems coming off, however I do recommend doing so under a doctors care, my doctor was aware and I told him I would never use that med again.

Hugs,
EMTJenn

I've been taking Lyrica for about a year now for nerve pains (some are probably related to my lumbar spine problems) and I have found that it does help me a lot. I had been without for a few days while waiting for a new fills being sent to me and right away, many of my nerve pains were coming back. Once I started them again, most of those pains subsided. Now...I do still get severe nerve pain exacerbations, which I believe are cause by spinal nerve compression (probably disk issues) and nothing seems to help that except for getting a nerve block. But for day to day it seems to keep most of my nerve pains at bay. I think if I stopped it, I'd be in trouble.

That's how I am with the neurontin. Even if I'm late on a dose, the symptoms come back and it reminds me I need it.

PaLady