Lyrica

I just started Lyrica this week, my neurologist put me on it for migraines.  He started me on 10mg one daily for 1 week, then 10mg twice daily for another week, then

10mg 3 x's daily.  I am also taking Cymbalta and Trazodone for sleep which is not helping me at all. 

I was wondering how everyone else that is taking Lyrica is dealing and how are the side effects.

 

April

 

 

 

                                        

Hi April,
I am on Lyrica & I really like it. It definitely helps me with migraines & back pain. On the downside, I feel very, very sleepy on it, so I usually only take it at night (it definitely helps with sleep, often I don't even need sleeping pills anymore). I don't have any other side effects from it. I know a lot of other people also say they feel sleepy from it, so definitely DO NOT DRIVE until you've been on it for a week or so to see how you respond to it. My ENT is on it & he said he actually feel asleep at the wheel from being on the Lyrica (he slept well & was on his way to work in the morning after taking his AM dose of Lyrica). If you tolerate at okay & don't get sleepy, they probably it would be alright to start driving again, but gosh that seems like a huge risk to take when first starting the medication. I have friends who just struggle through the AM pain & take their AM dose of Lyrica as soon as they get to work. When I was in a lot of pain & needed the Lyrica 3x/day, I was also prescribed Provigil (a medication that promotes alertness) to take first thing in the morning. Provigil is great because it is the only non-amphetamine alertness medication on the market; unfortunately, a lot of insurance companies don't care about that & won't approve Provigil since it is so expensive.

On the depression side, though Lyrica doesn't directly treat depression, a lot of people, myself included, find that getting more sleep & bringing pain better under control can help people feel less depressed. Let us know how it goes & if there's anything we can do to support you.

hugs,
frances

hello could I ask if you can obtain Lyrica and Abilify in Australia???

Any response would be appreciated!!!!! Thankyou so much to all.

damaged..............

P>S> I NEED SOMETHING TO CONTROL MY ANGER<RACING CRAZY THOUGHT"S ECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE HELP IM GOING MADDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

very damaged..........................

d41. hi.

1. both are available.

2. abilify requires a dx of schizophrenia. (and or other relevant personality disorder). mainly schizophrenia.

3. lyrica is avail. although it has different catergory requirements for it's various uses. for me, as i have diabetic nuropathy, i would need a referal to the hospitals pain management clinic to obtain it. dr's can prescribe it for other reasons albeit criteria needs to be met.

hope this helps. abilify is excellent for those effects you have posted. i have used abilify with much success.

all the best, jamie.

from down-under!!!

Have you tried any of the "natural" remedies? Some that have helped me (usually I need more than 1 of them):
1. Acupuncture
2. Turkey (trytophan induces drowsiness -- if you look it up there are other foods with this nutrient)
3. Lavender (spray, oils, lotion, etc. -- but it has to be real lavender not an artificial scent)
4. Sleep hygiene (I think I posted on this in the past -- you could do a site search)
5. Passion Flower Tea (some people also say chamomile tea helps)

I'm sure others have ideas as well. There are sleep specialists (prescribing psychologists or psychiatrists usually, sometimes neurologists) who can also help figure out how to get you a full night's sleep using a variety of treatments -- after a full workup to check what physical factors might be contributing to insomnia.

feel better,
frances