Lyrica (Pregabalin) is an anticonvulsant drug utilized primarily to treat neuropathic pain. It is also used as an adjunctive treatment option for adults with partial seizures. In countries outside of the United States, it was approved in 2007 to treat generalized anxiety disorder. Doctors also have found that it works well to treat chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia in select patients.
It was originally designed to be a more promising offshoot of the drug Gabapentin. The drug works by binding to voltage-dependent calcium channels in the central nervous system, which leads to decreases in release of various neurotransmitters including: norepinephrine, substance P, and calcitonin gene-related peptide.
Despite carrying a relatively low abuse potential, it is classified as a Schedule V drug in the United States. It is regarded as being a depressant of the central nervous system (CNS). There is some evidence suggesting that there may be initial mood-boosting effects associated with Lyrica usage, but these tend to disappear with long term use.
Many people experience an array of uncomfortable symptoms when they initially discontinue this drug. There is significant evidence of withdrawal effects, especially if a person has used the drug for a long period of time. Most doctors should know to have their patients conduct a gradual taper off of the medication to reduce severe withdrawal effects.
Factors that influence Lyrica withdrawal
When discontinuing any medication, there are various factors that play a role in the severity and duration of withdrawal symptoms. These factors include things like time over which you took the drug, your dosage, how abruptly you discontinued, as well as some individual factors.
1. Time Span
How long were you on Lyrica? Those who took the drug for many years are thought to have a tougher time with discontinuation compared to those on it for shorter terms. When you are on a drug for a long period of time, your nervous system adjusts to accommodate the drug. The transition back to sober functioning is usually a longer process when you’ve taken a particular substance for a long term.
2. Dosage (150 mg, 300 mg, 450 mg, 600 mg)
Those who took a higher dose of the drug are thought to have more intense withdrawals than people on a relatively low dose. When you take a high dose on a daily basis, your body will eventually develop a tolerance to that particular dose and the drug will eventually lose effectiveness; this is inevitable.
Dosing tends to vary based on the condition being treated as well as the individual. Those who take it for pain associated with diabetic neuropathy may take between 150 mg and 300 mg daily, while someone being treated for seizures may take up to 600 mg daily.
3. Cold Turkey vs. Tapering
Unfortunately many doctors aren’t even aware that there are withdrawal symptoms associated with Lyrica. This leads to them telling patients that it’s fine to discontinue the drug “cold turkey.” Those who quit the drug abruptly or “cold turkey” tend to have longer lasting withdrawals with more severe symptoms than those who conduct a gradual taper. Therefore, it is always recommended to follow some sort of tapering protocol when you plan on quitting.
For long term users, you may want to consider tapering at a rate of 10% per month. By tapering your current dose at just 10% every 4 weeks, you are giving your nervous system plenty of time to adjust to changes in dosing. If this seems too slow for you, you could consider dropping at a rate of 15% or 20% a month depending on the symptoms you’re experiencing.
4. Individual Factors
When withdrawing from any drug, it is important not to get caught up too much in others’ experiences. Some people will withdraw and not really notice any symptoms. Others will withdraw and have a very difficult time performing basic functions.
Various individual factors that are thought to influence withdrawal include individual physiology, withdrawal sensitivity, whether you are taking any other drugs, and daily habits. People who are getting daily exercise, eating healthy diets, and getting good social support are thought to recover at quicker rates than those who aren’t.
Lyrica Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
Below is a list of possible symptoms that may occur when you discontinue Lyrica. Keep in mind that although many of these are common symptoms, everyone is affected differently.
- Anger: Some people have reported feeling very angry, nearly to the point of rage when they stopped this drug. Feeling angry can be a natural consequence of withdrawal from a drug that can have a calming effect. If you find yourself getting angry, keep in mind that this symptom should fade with time.
- Anxiety: In countries outside the U.S., this drug is actually approved to treat anxiety. When a person stops taking it, they may experience a spike in anxiety. The quicker a person withdraws from the drug, the greater the anxiety is thought to be.
- Body aches: Many people take this drug to help manage neuropathic pain. When you stop taking the drug, you may note that the original pain reemerges. The pain may even be more intense than it was when you first started taking the drug. This is because your body had become accustomed to receiving analgesic effects from the drug and it needs to reinitiate its natural pain response.
- Chills: Some people have reported chills upon discontinuation. If you experience chills, it is likely that your nervous system is attempting to function without influence from the drug. It is unlikely that you will experience chills for longer than a couple weeks following your last dose.
- Crying spells: Many people become depressed when they quit taking Lyrica. This is a drug that acts on neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, which may be abnormally low or altered during withdrawal. This may lead a person to experience overwhelming emotion and cry.
- Depersonalization: You may feel as though you feel unlike your normal self or completely void of emotion. This is a zombie-like effect that some people experience when they withdraw from this medication. It’s a result of brain chemical alterations and changes following medication usage.
- Depression: Do you feel severely depressed now that you’ve stopped taking your Lyrica? It is well documented that this drug can affect norepinephrine levels and other chemicals in the brain. It is known that low norepinephrine and depression can be linked. Withdrawal could lead to a temporary chemical imbalance, which results in depressive thinking. Assuming you weren’t depressed prior to taking this medication, you should eventually get better.
- Diarrhea: Some people have reported diarrhea when stopping this medication. The diarrhea is usually accompanied by an upset stomach and shouldn’t last longer than a week or two. If you are having difficulty coping with this symptom, get yourself some Imodium (available over-the-counter).
- Dizziness: It is normal to feel dizzy when you discontinue this drug. The dizziness is thought to be intensified if you quit cold turkey. Usually the more gradual you taper, the more dizzy sensations and/or vertigo is reduced. This will fade over time, but may be present for weeks following your last dose.
- Fatigue: Having low energy levels are commonly noted during withdrawal. You may experience deep physical and mental exhaustion and/or lethargy. Doing seemingly everyday tasks such as cooking meals, going to work, and cleaning may seem very difficult. Keep pushing yourself through this fatigue and know that in time, it will improve.
- Flu-like: The combination of feeling chilled, hot flashes, dizziness, headaches, and nausea can lead a person to feel like they have the flu. It is more common to feel “flu-like” if you quit cold turkey.
- Headaches: This is a very common symptom that people cope with during withdrawal. Some people actually take this drug to help prevent migraines (despite no evidence supporting this treatment option). In any regard, dealing with headaches (mild or severe) is common during withdrawal.
- Hot flashes: These are sudden sensations of heat throughout the body. Between these and “chills” some may have a difficult time dealing with the temperature changes that can occur during withdrawal.
- Insomnia: Another common withdrawal symptom is the inability to fall asleep at night. You may feel tired, but unable to sleep. If this symptom becomes bad, you may want to consider some relaxation exercises and/or taking a supplement like melatonin.
- Irritability: Things that don’t normally bother you may really irritate you during withdrawal. Realize that an irritable disposition is temporary – as your brain readjusts, this symptom should gradually subside.
- Itching: Although this is a less common symptom to experience during withdrawal, some people do report itching. You may initially think you have developed a rash. This is usually caused by sensitive nerve endings as a result of drug discontinuation. Consider taking an antihistamine until the symptom clears up.
- Joint pain: This drug can work very well for pain management, but when a person discontinues, they may experience an increase in joint pain. It is important to understand that this is a normal symptom of withdrawal, but may very uncomfortable. Do your best to cope with the pain in your joints and keep faith that it will improve.
- Mood swings: During withdrawal, your mood may be in constant flux. Usually people experience negative emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety, and unwanted thoughts. Moods will eventually improve and should fully stabilize in time.
- Muscle spasms: Muscles may be more prone to spasms when you quit the drug. Although not everyone will have spasms upon stopping this medication, some people do. Realize that this is just part of the way the nervous system is reacting.
- Nausea: The body can take some time to adapt to changes during discontinuation. In some cases, this can lead some people to experience nausea when they stop the drug. The nausea may be uncomfortable, but shouldn’t persist for an extended amount of time.
- Panic attacks: When anxiety becomes overwhelming during withdrawal, it could lead some people to panic. It is especially common to panic when dealing with both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. It is recommended to use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing to help curb anxiety and reduce the possibility of panic.
- Poor concentration: This is a drug that influences neurotransmitter levels such as norepinephrine. Norepinephrine can improve vigilance and concentration while a person is taking the drug. Unfortunately during withdrawal, a person may have difficulties with concentration.
- Restlessness: You may feel especially restless when you come off of Lyrica. If you are feeling restless, the best thing you can do is to get some sort of mild exercise (e.g. walking) and/or engage in a relaxation exercise (to help decrease anxiety). In particular, many people note having restless legs.
- Seizures: In people taking this drug for seizures, withdrawal can lead to recurrence of seizures. The seizures experienced during withdrawal may be stronger and more frequent than normal. It is important to with a doctor during withdrawal if you are prone to seizures.
- Shortness of breath: Some individuals have experienced shortness of breath when they initially come off of the drug. This tends to be a more common side effect while taking the drug, but can also occur during withdrawal.
- Sleep problems: You may notice changes in your sleep patterns when you first quit the drug. This is because your nervous system is attempting to balance out the changes that it is experiencing. In addition to insomnia, you may not be able to get good quality sleep and may wake up frequently throughout the night. Your sleep should improve over time.
- Stomach pain: Many individuals report stomach pain and/or cramping when they initially stop the drug. This pain will likely be uncomfortable, and there’s no telling how long it will last, but usually improve within a couple weeks.
- Suicidal thinking: Many people report feeling suicidal depressed when they initially withdraw from Lyrica. If you feel suicidal, it is important to recognize that the brain is temporarily chemically imbalanced during withdrawal; sometimes to a significant extent. As the brain recovers, neurotransmitter levels will be restored, but this is a gradual process. If you cannot cope with this feeling, be sure to seek professional help.
- Sweating: You may start to sweat a lot when you first quit taking the drug. The sweating may be prevalent throughout the day and while you sleep. Sweating is a natural response exhibited by the body when undergoing withdrawal.
- Vision changes: It is certainly possible to experience visual disturbances during withdrawal. You may note blurred vision and/or other disturbances in your field of vision. Vision should return to normal over time so try not to work yourself up.
- Weight loss: If you gained while taking the drug, you should expect your body to fluctuate back to the pre-drug weight. The weight loss may not come overnight, but as time passes, you should drop back down to your normal weight.
Lyrica Withdrawal Duration: How long does it last?
There’s no exact timeline that can be followed for withdrawal from Lyrica. In general, withdrawal length will be subject to variation based on individual experience. Among people who have been on high doses of the drug for years, withdrawal symptoms may be more intense and longer lasting. In people who took the drug for a shorter duration at a lower dose, withdrawal symptoms may be minimal.
The half-life of pregabalin is (on average) 6.3 hours, indicating that Lyrica stays in your system for approximately 1.5 days after your final dose. Although the drug may be fully out of your plasma, withdrawal will just be starting. The symptoms for the first few weeks of withdrawal can be very discouraging and debilitating. These symptoms are caused by your nervous system expecting to receive the drug, and scrambling to function soberly.
For some individuals the most severe withdrawal symptoms will clear up within a week. For others, it may take months to fully recover from the discontinuation effects. You may feel as if you are never going to get better, but you will. Your nervous system will be able to readjust itself back to normal functioning and symptoms will eventually fade.
In order to speed up the withdrawal process, it is recommended to engage in healthy activities such as: getting light exercise, socializing, and staying productive. Additionally it is recommended to eat a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, and consider taking supplements that promote healing. If you have gone through withdrawal from Lyrica, feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.
I was on Lyrica for three years, originally on 150mg in the morning and 150mg at night for nerve issues from cervical fusion ten years ago. The morning does was too sedating and I’ve been tapering over six months. Recently, I tapered from my single does of 150mg at night to 100mg. Foolishly, I stopped abruptly after feeling that the Lyrica wasn’t helping and was put on 10mg twice a day of Baclofen instead.
I’m starting slowly and just taking 10mg of Baclofen at night. The next few days were terrible with stomach upset, nausea, headache and restlessness and I had to go to the ER for fluids. I was also given Ativan for the restlessness. After a week of no sleep and the worst night sweats, the Pain clinic suggested I go back on 50mg at night. This has been successful in stopping the night sweats, but I am still having trouble with appetite, digestion (noisy stomach), and shortness of breath and some trouble with anxiety.
The Pain clinic then suggested that I go on a Scopolamine patch for nausea (which gave me dilated pupils and double vision, and I am concerned about being dependent on another med) or take 25mg in the afternoon when symptoms return. They also recommend a taper schedule of 50mg for two days and 25mg for five days, but that sounds like too fast of a taper based on my current withdrawal symptoms. Any suggestions for what I should do? Should I just try to taper down to 25mg since I’m already on nausea meds or go up to 75mg and restart a slow taper?
I need to return to the work force and we are moving in a month and I don’t want to create greater symptom issues. I’m wondering if it’s just best to continue with a taper and get off Lyrica for good. Once people have stopped their taper, how many months after stopping are you seeing symptoms continue? This blog has been such a big help and I’d appreciate any advice.
I took 150 mg of Lyrica for four years for neuropathic pain arising form spinal cord injury. I gained 30 lbs in weight was fuzzy headed, often struggled to formulate sentences, and had terrible oedema in my legs. Then I began to develop cardiac tachycardia and arrythmia. That was enough for me, I decided to come off them as I couldn’t take the side effects anymore. I titrated down from 150 per day over six weeks.
I had horrid side effects including insomnia and night sweats so bad I’d have to change the sheets two or three times. This lasted about three months. I’m now six months post, and I still have sweats about twice a week, I’m also on heart meds due to the cardiac problems caused by the Lyrica. My hospital consultant says it might take a year before the Lyrica finally lets go of me. My heart may or may not recover. I HATE THIS DRUG.
Hi. I too am trying to withdraw from Lyrica. Went from 150mg 2x day to 25mg now. I have felt terrible since I started tapering in February. I was wondering if you were off of it yet and how you were feeling. I just need some hope of feeling normal again. If you feel like replying I would be grateful.
I have just read through your many letters and taken considerable comfort from the numerous accounts of reactions to pregabalin. I had developed unacceptable side effects taking 100 mg twice a day for about 6 weeks which I built up slowly. I felt ‘out of it’, had poor concentration, erratic heart beat and fluid build up at my ankles and no huge improvement in my joint pain. I suggested to my GP that I should come off the drug. I halved the dose for one week and then stopped completely last Friday.
By Saturday I was feeling inexplicably depressed. Since then I have felt far more alert but I have had a horrid week of disturbed sleep, intense anxiety, intermittent feelings of anger and worthlessness and waves of nausea. I had no idea what was happening to me although I suspected that I might be reacting to drug withdrawal. Until this evening, I had no idea how true this was! I wish I had known what a risk I was taking when agreeing to this drug! Never again!
Had swelling of gums and lips from lyrica. Had only been taking it for a month. 75mg x a day. Doctor didn’t think the reaction was from lyrica and sent me to an ENT. ENT said I should see a dentist! So I have stopped the lyrica after 4 days on half dose. Having chills and no appetite, muscle spasms, low energy. Hope the symptoms stop quickly. Looking for new doctors to go to in the future.
I’m currently withdrawing from 600mg Lyrica per day whilst taking a starter dose of 100mg carbamazepine per day. I’m withdrawing because 600mg has little effect any more, and I’ve only been taking it for 6 months. My withdrawal rate is 50mg per week. The withdrawal effects have only just started to show after 4 days on 550mg, but I’m not sure which effects are carbamaepine and which are Lyrica. Needless to say, right now my neuralgia has worsened, I feel dizzy, sick and I am suffering from depersonalisation. I also feel anxiety, mild depression, and a strange tingling pressure at the front of my skull.
I was on Lyrica for General Anxiery Disorder (GAD) for four years (450mg/day), and beside some minor side effects it was helping me fine. But then depression and suicidal thoughts started creeping in (well known Lyrica side effects). They got so worse that I decided to wean off of Lyrica very slowly by reducing my dosage by 10% a month.
The first two month were okay, but after that depression, anxiety en suicidal thoughts were very scary and hard to bear. But I decided to continue my schedule, because I know staying on Lyrica would eventually result in suicide anyway. Now I’m at 225mg/day (5th month) and I wish I would die. I’m very anxious, depressed, fatigue and think about killing myself most time of the day. I’m very desperate and don’t think I will survive my slow taper any way if things will get worse.
Staying on Lyrica will eventually result in suicide as well, just like my slow taper will. I don’t think I will survive Lyrica anyway. I have red about a class action Lawsuit against Pfizer for this, and I hope I can join them. For what reason? My life is ruined or probably won’t last much longer. Thank you Pfizer!
I only took Lyrica for a couple months; 75mg twice a day. The minor reduction of my fibromyalgia symptoms was far overshadowed by confusion and extreme lethargy. My doctor suggested stopping it after giving it another 2 weeks to see if it normalized. Without thinking about it and without any suggestions from my doctor to the contrary, I stopped cold turkey. As an RN I should have known better. My only excuse is that I was truly not myself the entire time I was taking it. I’m about 72 hours into horrific withdrawal symptoms; migraines, crippling nausea, and pain worse than before I started the Lyrica all 3 days so far. I’m hoping tomorrow brings some relief.
I was given Lyrica by my psychiatrist starting at 25mg twice a day for my anxiety and chronic pain. I can’t even say for sure if it even had any effect because my primary found my vitamin D to be extremely low at the time of starting the drug and I began taking 1500 units of vit D at the same time. Not long after that I also began Cymbalta which is good for pain as week. After about four months my pain improved but my anxiety hasn’t.
Not only that, but Lyrica has caused me to be very dizzy and unable to focus. I just stopped taking it and it is causing me to be very unbalanced, dizzy, unable to think clearly, irritable and giving me terrible headaches. This was only a 50mg dose twice a day! I can’t imagine the withdrawal for those who have been on high doses for a long time. Good luck if you are discontinuing this medication.
I’m so grateful to all of you who’ve posted because I don’t feel so alone. I had fusion surgery on my neck and was prescribed only 25mg of Lyrica 3x a week and took it for 8 days. Hated how it blurred my vision and fogged my brain – I needed to work again in a week and couldn’t be so mentally out of it. I’d literally forget if I’d taken it five minutes after taking it.
As soon as I missed a dose, my heart raced. I’ve never had heart issues before. Went to the doc practically every day since then. My bpm shot up to 120/minute and my BP shot up as well. Had a lot of the the symptoms you guys describe too – sleeplessness, severe anxiety, crying, etc. One doc said my dose was so low I should be fine going cold turkey, but a few days later when I saw my primary care, she instantly pinned it as Lyrica withdrawal.
She said it would take about a week and I’m on beta blockers and xanax to sleep, eight days later I’m finally feeling a little like myself, but my heart rate has slowed only a tiny bit. Thought I would share to show even a small amount of this drug over a short period of time can cause damage. I hope you all find relief and feel like yourselves again soon.
So pleased that you have all shared your experiences to read on line. I am so grateful as here I am at 2am reading them all and saying in my poor battered mind ‘I am not alone’. Points mentioned in your writings resound throughout my body. Nerve sensations that I never thought possible are still ongoing at times and I am coming up to 4 weeks off the lyrica. Insomnia, oh I have it big time. The restlessness in the mind and body is freaky. Someone even mentioned the possibility of the liver absorbing damage.
I’m finding now that my joints need popping relief. My scalp tends to have a whip crackling sensation every now and again and ‘restless legs’ jerking around while I’m trying to watch telly (‘yikes’) the brain ‘freezes’ when you go to do something and can’t remember what your wanted to do? Thank you again for your words they have helped me through another ’round of withdrawal symptoms’ that I am still trying to deal with. Best wishes to you all.
Just 3 days into withdrawing from Lyrica cold turkey. I didn’t think that I would get any symptoms since I was only on a dose of 150 mg/day for a week and then 300 mg for 3 weeks. I have stomach pain, some nausea (not too bad), slight body aches/laziness, itchiness, and a terrible time staying asleep at night with alot of sweating. I am going to tough it out because I am not going back on this drug. I had terrible bloating, gas the whole time I took it. I decided to stop when I started getting blurred vision. Not worth it since I still was experiencing the nerve pain from my back.
Are you any better? I’ve just come of lyrica after being on it for only three weeks and I feel terrible this morning. How long did it take you to get back to normal?
I abused lyrica for almost a year. I used to take 1025 mg a day to get the euphoric effects from it. I quit it in December 2014 3 months ago. I had no withdrawal symptoms only the insomnia which was easy to overcome it by smoking weed every night before going to bed and I used to have a hard job that required me to physically work for 16 hours a day. Which helped me to get exhausted by the time I get home. Thank god I didn’t get what people say they are getting from much less dosages than I used to take. Guys hang in there. The insomnia only lasted for less than a month.
Well, I am very sorry for all the peope who have posted on this board with Lyrica withdrawal. However, I am grateful for everyone who took the time to write, because it has helped me see I am not alone in my responses to the discontinuation of this drug. I had a traumatic neck injury and a couple of surgeries, neuropathy from this, in addition to having fibro and an autoimmune disease. After taking gabapentin (up to 2400mg a day), my doctor switched me to Lyrica – 7gmg a day, working up to 300mg pre day.
At first I felt great – reduced pain, more energy, elevated mood. Then my eyesight got very blurry, depression started increasing, and pain returning. I was on Lyrica for about 3 months. Now, have had to stop due to eyesight, depression and return of nerve pain. I stopped pretty much cold turkey; didn’t know any better. I feel pretty awful; chills and hot flashes, drenching sweats at night, headaches, nausea and stomach pain, depressed, and a sit-and-stare zombie.
It is very interesting how consistent some of these symptoms are among all of us. All of you are in my prayers, and I hope you all feel better soon. No more Lyrica for me! Ever!
The first time I took Lyrica, my doctor prescribed it for Shingles in 2007. I also had fibromyalgia, so I continued the Lyrica because I noticed it helped with that. I was on 75 mg. 2x daily. But there were side effects I didn’t like and refused to live with any longer, so I stopped taking it, cold turkey, because I didn’t know better. I suffered from such severe depression that I knew I would die if I didn’t start back on the Lyrica.
It took 3 separate attempts to get off the Lyrica, and I enlisted the help of a chiropractor, which was the best thing I did. I succeeded in getting off of that drug within a couple of weeks. I thought that was the hardest thing I ever did. That was in 2009. This last year (2014) my husband and I after 30 years of marriage got divorced. He had been engaging in behavior that is very stressful to me for the last 5 years. It became so stressful that I “failed to thrive” for a few months, and would have died if I hadn’t received help.
These last few months the stress was so high that it brought back my fibromyalgia. I started the Lyrica again in January. I’ve managed the stress and I thought I could just stop the Lyrica again. NOT SO! This time, I don’t have the depression or the anxiety/panic attacks I experienced before. But I do have the mega-chills, joint pain, muscle pain, dizziness, sleep difficulty, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, indigestion, acid reflux (and sinus trouble that may or may not be the Lyrica).
I thought I had caught a terrible bug from someone, but today I realized these symptoms to be the same as someone I know who is on methadone and who sometimes forgets to take her meds. She begins all these withdrawl symptoms within a few hours. So I looked on-line and, sure enough, here they are! I took a dose of Lyrica a few minutes ago, and will now wean myself off this dangerous drug. Wish me well, please, as I do for all of you. I forgot to mention a very disturbing new withdrawal symptom I began having today: blurred vision. I hope this one reverses as I wean myself off the drug.
I took Lyrica for approximately 7 years for neuropathic pain. Prior to this I was on Gabapentin but my Dr. switched me not because it was not working but because Lyrica was the new up and coming drug and supposed to be better. When it stopped working for me on Feb 21st of this year I asked to get off of it and return to Gabapentin. I was on 300mg Lyrica at night and started tapering off while adding Gabapentin.
200mg Lyrica plus 100mg Gabapentin for one week, then 100gm Lyrica, 200mg Gabapentin week 2, 50mg Lyrica, 200m Gabapentin week 3 and now no more Lyrica, 300mg Gabapentin. The first week was fine. 2nd week I started to feel as though I was coming down with something (hot and cold, can’t regulate body temperature, indigestion) and of course the neuropathic pain got worse. Oh yes, and the anxiety. I was waking up with a knot in my stomach each morning and experienced shortness of breath and general anxiety whenever something minor happened at work.
Week 2 was more of the same plus shortness of breath, week three those effects had lessened a bit but then headaches started, and this week my new hell is all over body aches and pains that are so intense I can’t sleep at night, neck pain and bouts of extreme impatience and anger whenever my dogs annoy me. I usually don’t get upset with them, now I am shoving them aside and swearing at them. The pain got so bad today I ended up in the emergency department thinking I was having a heart attack after pain between my shoulder blades (new area).
Got so bad I googled it as a symptom and it recommended that if this was accompanied by shortness of breath and indigestion it was better to have heart attack ruled out. After undergoing blood tests and chest X-Ray and explaining to the emergency room doctor about the med switch, he pretty much said that the extreme pain I am living with is muscle pain caused by the withdrawal from the Lyrica. My doctor did not warn my about any of this; I believe this is because she was not aware. I will certainly be fully informing her at my next visit.
I’ve read on other sites that some people find the withdrawal so bad that they can’t ride it out and go back on the drug. Not this girl. Although extremely hellish and unpleasant, I figure I’ve come this far, eventually it will get better. But I will tell anyone who will listen to avoid this drug if at all possible. If I had known I would have just stayed on the Gabapentin. After all, it was working and it was cheaper. Good luck to everyone and thank you for your comments. Although I don’t wish this on anyone it does make me feel better to know that I am not the only one having this problem, that I am not dying and am not going crazy.
This site has really confirmed all the things I’ve come to on my own regarding Lyrica. I’d been on the drug for around 5 months, 100mgs twice a day for Fibro and other neurological pain. I’d suddenly become “hopelessly” depressed, irrationally emotional, zombie-like, and the Fibro pain wasn’t even being controlled anymore.
I’d gained weight for no reason, and realized I’d been experiencing headaches, stomachaches, nausea, dizziness, blurry vision, chills and sweats at the same time (I thought this was part of my peri-menopause,) etc., for months now. So, around a week ago, I weaned off in three days, and despite the withdrawal symptoms now, I find I’d been having the same symptoms all along for months now, just didn’t realize it was the drug which was causing it. Why didn’t my doctor tell me about the drug, the side effects, the problems of withdrawing, etc?
Simple, he wasn’t aware, he was given the same specs sheet by the drug company as came with my first prescription. I’d read it and of course nothing on the sheet mentioned anything like I’d experienced. So, I thought, it wouldn’t be a bad chance to take for relief. HA! I feel lucky that my withdrawal symptoms have been milder than being on the drug.
Withdrew cold turkey from Lyrica. Have been agonizing now with: severe nausea, fatigue, and feeling terribly sick – especially with the nausea, difficulty swallowing, and total loss of appetite. How to get rid of this agonizing nausea!
Was presribed this drug for a nerve issue, but frankly I would rather have the pain than take this stuff. I have never reacted to a drug in my life, but Lyrica made me foggy…but that was the good bit. When I started weaning myself off it, I had an incident one night where I became quite disorientated so I stopped taking them. 3 weeks on and I still have: hot/cold flushes, sweats, headaches, and can’t sleep properly because of muscle spasms. I also feel sick frequently. Won’t be going back to these bad boys ever again!
I was prescribed Lyrica for back pain associated with a trapped nerve. I was on it for 5 weeks and my final dose was 75mg three times a day. Thankfully after acupuncture I had total relief of pain and dropped my dose over 10 days finishing on 25mg before bed. After stopping that I experienced 10 days of absolute hell withdrawing from this drug. Cramps, sweats, hot and cold flushes, vomiting, runs, insomnia, and extremely emotionally raw with suicidal thoughts.
On consultation with my GP afterwards she point blank refused to record it as withdrawal and instead put down that I was allergic. I am exceptionally annoyed about this. Lyrica is a SH*T drug and should not be given for pain. I would have been better of on opiates and would have had half the withdrawal period or less. Pharma is big business and really they do not care for your health at all just the profit. IMO modern pharma companies are worse than any drug dealer.
Yours lasted for 10 days? Did it slowly taper throughout or did you have spikes of worsening even towards the end? I’m getting towards 10 days and was on about the same dose for the same time. Today is bad, but it got worse the day before it got slightly better last Friday too… Just trying to figure out if it’s worth fighting through and staying off or going back and tapering more.
I have been taking Lyrica for over five years 150 mg three times a day, for neuropathy pain that occurred after two major surgery’s were I lost to much blood. I was put on lyrica for the nerve pain. I started taking a drug called neuropathy which works just as well but Dr. won’t prescribe. I took the neuropathy and lyrica for six month together, then dropped one lyrica and then six months later dropped another lyrica and two months ago I stopped taking lyrica.
Talk about awful withdrawal symptoms. After each pill that was dropped I had fuzzy vision and itching face and it felt like bugs all over me lasted about six to eight weeks for the first two pills that were dropped. But since this last pill its been eight weeks and I still have withdrawal symptoms. All the time I was on Lyrica they said “you can’t have withdrawals because it is not a narcotic.” I don’t believe that for a moment. I will get through it, but if someone had told me that vitamin b12 and other b vitamins would take care of my problems, I wouldn’t have taken this drug.
While I’m experiencing the same symptoms tapering off of lyrica & also have neuropathy, don’t get too excited about B vitamins helping your neuropathy. I’ve been on high dose Rx B 12, Folic Acid, & B6 pills, the active form, and they haven’t done a thing in 6 months, and I think they may be making Lyrica withdrawal more severe. I always have less withdrawals when I don’t take them.
I’m 21. I’ve taken 200 mg x 2 a day for almost 3 months for fibromyalgia. I’m getting off it 25 mg x 2 a day every 4 days, but still the withdrawal is so so bad. I’m so nauseous I barely know what to do with myself and I’m so dizzy. My body feels more tight and achy than it usually does, which says a lot. I considered going to the emergency room a few days ago…
Lyrics is a sh*t drug and doctors should be aware of the withdrawals and warn their patients before starting medicating them. I looked up Lyrica 1 month ago and saw everyone writing about having bad withdrawals. I thought they were joking, overreacting, or that it was a different drug than what I was on. Learning the truth was tough. Think twice before starting this drug.
I have been taking Lyrica for a year now. I was feeling great on the medication, but wasn’t displeased with some of the side effects. One being the weight gain. No matter what I ate, or exercised nothing seemed to work. So I thought I would come off from the Lyrica and see how things changed. Mind you as I am writing this is 1:45 in the morning and I have two boys to take care of in about 4 hours and I cannot sleep. I can say I am very fortunate that I don’t have all the withdrawal symptoms that are being discussed. However the symptoms that I am having are not easy ones.
First one I experienced was the sweats and it lasted for a few days. Then came the sleeplessness. God help me I just want to get a good night’s rest. Also another one that seems to be taking the biggest toll on my body is not wanting to eat. Granite I enjoy the idea that it will help with the weight loss, but when you seem hungry to eat a meal with your family, it gets old fast. I maybe can get about 4-5 bites in then I am full, nauseous and miserable. Because about a half an hour later I am feeling hungry again but only a few bites.
Then wake up to an angry belly for breakfast your body won’t allow you to have.. Grrr I am about done with this. I have come off from oxycodone cold turkey and never did it take this long to feel better. It’s so discouraging when you are trying to take back your life and become human again, it just kicks you in the butt for trying. I was so sleepy all the time and it took everything to complete everyday tasks. So now after quitting it’s no better. But I will tell you, hang in there it will get better.
Stay active, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Try also to keep your mind active. It helps you to not think about your withdrawals. That is the most annoying part. You are counting down the days until your symptom free. Reclaim your life and not allow this medicine to control you. But don’t be ashamed if the side effects get to be too much. Go seek help and support for this. It’s better to get help especially for the anxiety and depression.
I’m sure your family would appreciate you getting your mind right and rid your body of the suicidal thoughts and or actions. I hate the fact that this medicine is just given out so regularly and without much knowledge given to the patients. I feel the doctors really need to inform their patients. We need to be aware of what some of these medications really do. That’s what we pay them for! I pray that everyone feels better quickly and that the symptoms reside quickly. There are definitely much brighter days ahead.
Been on lyrica 50 mg for over 5 years started titrating very slowly probably too slowly! Had horrible ocular migraines, sweating, spasms, etc. – but the worst was the depression (and I am still not done stopping it)! I am taking the 50mg every other day a very small dose but was on it so long! Was easier for me to stop Xanax and Paxil when I stopped those drugs! No withdrawal at all! Hopefully I can completely stop it! We shall see but I am going slow!
I’m not sure if I am suffering Lyrica withdrawal – but it’s the only thing my doctor can think of. I’ve been on Lyrica 200 mg/day for a year or so. 3 weeks ago I had leg surgery and sometime between my leg surgery and 12 days later, I stopped taking my Lyrica. On the 13th day I got an antibiotic for a possible infection in my incision and a new pain pill. The next day I started noticing when my hands touched anything cold, my fingers started tingling like shooting needles and itching horribly. I thought it was the antibiotic and got put on a new one.
Well over a week and half later, I’m still itching on my fingers and toes when they get too cold or near cold water. I’ve been back on my Lyrica a week and half now. The pricking on my fingertips has stopped but now I’ve noticed my lip starts itching when I eat something too cold and most recently my eyelids start itching when I get too cold. Anyone else experience such a thing? Does anyone know how long it takes for Lyrica to get fully back in your system when you start taking it again. Ugh – this itching is driving me crazy (it’s not Raynaud’s disease because my fingers don’t turn white or purple).
I’m tapering down from 225 mg. a day for 4 mo. As I’ve reached the lower doses now, I’m noticing bad pressure in all my sinuses, followed by head spinning dizziness for a few seconds. Also, shortness of breath. Anyone else notice this? Also, since being on Lyrica, I notice in bed I’m constantly drooling & have to constantly wipe my mouth all night. I haven’t heard anyone else mention these symptoms. Anyone?
YES. Especially the dizziness. I have been on Lyrica at only 150 mgs a day for neuropathy. It worked beautifully for the neuropathy, but my doc didn’t warn me about the fluid retention, which was beyond anything I have ever experienced in my 42 years of being a female. I tapered down, starting about two weeks ago; my last dose was two days ago. Yesterday wasn’t too bad, until the anxiety came screaming down out of nowhere in the middle of the night…
Anxiety that was so bad, it literally woke me up and had me wishing I could get out if my own skin. The hot and cold flashes started in the wee hours; by this morning, they were so bad that I was either sweating or shivering, often within minutes of each other. Getting out of bed SUCKED. I was miserably fatigued and weak; my muscles and joints were all aching, and the head-spinning dizziness was unbearable.
It got worse as the day went on; I literally lost consciousness while making lunch for my youngest, but only long enough to hit the floor. Standing up, the dizziness was so bad I knew I’d pass right back out if I stayed upright. So I have tried staying horizontal as much as possible. I tried to nap; I dozed off with some difficulty. The anxiety, temp fluctuations, extremity numbness and tingling, and drooling made it impossible to snag more than 20 minutes or so.
I have zero patience, and am all over the place mood-wise, mostly angry. I withdrew from hydrocodone a few years ago, following extensive cancer surgery. That? Was NOTHING compared to this. I had no idea. I don’t know how I am going to manage even one more day like this, much less a potential couple of weeks. :/
Hi Todd, I’ve just read your comments on tapering down from Pregabalin. I was on 200mg twice a day for nerve damage, I am now down to 75mg twice a day and I must say the withdrawal symptoms are terrible. Like you I have a shortness of breath, did you also notice sore eyes? I did think that I was beginning to suffer from something else!! Hope you are feeling better, I can’t wait to feel like my old self again.
Todd I am drooling too. I’m only on what seems a relatively low dose of Lyrica compared to most folks on this page, nevertheless I can well identify with more than a few folks in respect of regret in beginning this drug and all it doesn’t do and do. I’ve made up my mind to go for it and live without Lyrica. Today I’ve halved the dose and will drop the dose again in a week and headache or not, I’ll eventually be rid.
Right now and as has been the case for a few months, I’m being driven crazy with headache, gland pain eg behind my ears and around the pituitary gland. Now to say this is sore is an understement! I’ve also put on 14 lbs since beginning Lyrica last summer and despite my food intake and weight being monitored weekly, I fail to lose anything but my patience. Oh I loathe the day I began Lyrica.
I was prescribed Lyrica after gabapentin 300 mg oral capsule stopped working. I was told that my great new insurance plan, would require me to try Amitriptyline 25 MG first. The reaction from Amitriplyline was needed so that my plan would pay for the Lyrica. I come from a generation where your doctor is responsible for your medical needs. You are sick they fix it.
No one told me about the addictive qualities of any of these drugs. Once the side effects got so mad, vision, rash, fluid retention weight gain and itchy scalp, I said enough of this. At an emergency room visit the Dr determined all my issues were a reaction to Lyrica. He said I would need to taper off of the drug. The side effects were so horrible that I did not ramp down but decided to go cold turkey.
It has been 5 days since I took the last pill and life is very uncomfortable. I had been on the Lyrica about 6 weeks – I can only imagine what the withdrawal would have been if I had been taking this poison longer. I have talked to many people and there are no good comments about this drug… Once again the big fish eat the little fish.
Due to nerve damage from the incision in an Arthroscopy, I have been taking Lyrica for 3 years. I started on 150 mg twice a day and eventually cut it down to 75 mg per day. Just lately the nerve damage has not felt so bad so I stopped taking it altogether and then wondered why I was feeling grumpy, anxious, can’t sleep too well and keep waking up because it feels like “my mind is jumping around” for want of a better description. I decided to Google it and I see that most people don’t stop cold turkey but after reading all the horror stories I am not going to start it again.
Please note that there is Lyrica Survivors support group in Facebook. I accidentally read about it in a forum, joined and had a lot of support and useful advice.
Hi! I have been taking Lyrica for one month on a doses of 75 mg a day, on prescription as a painkiller for a neuralgia. I have very quickly become numb, been down devoid of energy and had suicidal thoughts and a hypochondriac thoughts. Not knowing about side effects I decided to stop cold turkey and treat the neuralgia with ostheopathy, which helps. Quickly I felt lighter and in better spirit but after a month today of having stopped I feel terrible anxiety in situations that I could deal with before (flying, interacting).
I have had huge emotional responses to situations and started crying. I still feel dizzy, have had electric shocks in feet and arms and for the last week have muscle seizures in arms and now muscle pain and joint pain. I keep telling myself that this will improve but it is tiring because sometimes you are invaded by all those pains, strange sensations in the spine and you still need to perform at work. I feel like at times this eats up half of my mental capacity and have then trouble to re-concentrate.
My sleeping got terrible after one week stopping and is only now slightly improving (from 0 hours two nights in a row to 4-5 hours a night to 6-7 now). So I have changed my habits and go to sleep earlier. I also have decided to “hurt myself”, meaning increase my mental and social activity even if I do not feel like it. At least it will help feeling less strange. Like Syndie I will stay clear of this drug. The benefits do not compensate the real pain and discomfort it creates afterwards.
I pray that soon I will be out of the woods with no more symptoms because I feel everyday that I have to fight against myself to forget the occasional spasms, pain, slight dizziness and joint pain that I constantly have. As a painkiller, this drug is not worth it for me. During treatment it makes you go so down that you cannot perform basic tasks and after treatment it has far too many side effect. Like others I am mesmerized at how easily this is prescribed by a non specialist doctor who then have no clue on what it does to you.
2 weeks ago I visited a neurologist who told me that this drug was at the basis of my dysfunctions and that only activity would restore normality. He said he could prescribe it again but that this was what he called “the demise of medicine’ and that I’d better get going without it until things were back to normal, which may take time and effort (physical and mental by not losing faith).
I was prescribed Lyrica five months ago for a pinched nerve in my groin. This caused my whole thigh to burn & be extremely painful. My dosage was 300mg daily. It’s now been two weeks since I stopped taking lyrica & I can honestly say, it’s been the worst two weeks of my life!! The nerve pain started in my scalp about ten days ago & is about the most painful thing I’ve had to endure, and for such a long time!!
My whole head and face hurt so badly that I’d spend up to eight hours rocking myself back & forth. It would ease for about an hour & then start up again. Sleep has been almost impossible, catching only on hour here and there. Today the pain has diminished somewhat and I’ve been able to sleep for a longer period of time. Had I known the withdrawal symptoms of this drug for some unlucky individuals, I would NEVER have started the drug. How I wish I’d done some research prior to taking that first pill!!
I have no idea how long this withdrawal will last, however, I’m PRAYING it will start to ease soon. Other withdrawal symptoms I’ve experienced are; stomach upset, severe anxiety and body aches. These symptoms, however, pale in comparison to the head pain I’ve suffered. I wholeheartedly advise anyone starting this drug to conduct in-depth research before deciding whether or not to take the medication. There is no way to measure how each individual will respond to stopping this drug, but unless you absolutely have no choice, at least you might be somewhat prepared for the nightmare of stopping Lyrica.
Hi all, I was on 600mg a day when I decided to come off them after taking for 4 years. I am so fed up of feeling drugged up. Also stopping tramadol at same time. Symptoms of withdrawal are mild: headaches, nausea, depressed and angry. I saw the doctor at the hospital this morning who says I’m withdrawing too quickly and is going to write to my gp with recommendations to help and support my withdrawals. I am now down to 300mg (from 600 to 300 over 2 weeks).
To be honest I am coping well with the mild symptoms so hopeful I’ll be off them completely in another 2 weeks with withdrawal not getting worse. I won’t be following the advise from hospital or GP as I want off all my meds asap. I want to feel normal again! I wonder if the fact I’m also taking trazodone and amitriptyline is helping with the withdrawal symptoms from pregabalin and tramadol. I wish you all the best of luck.
Highly ambitious stopping 2 medications at once Sue. Although you may be excited to discontinue your medications, be sure to proceed with some degree of caution. The Trazodone and Amitriptyline are likely mitigating some (possibly a significant portion) of the withdrawal effects you would be experiencing had you no medication to fall back on. Wishing you nothing but the best in your withdrawals and effort to reclaim better mental functioning.
I was put on Lyrica a year and a half ago for hip pain. I really didn’t want to take it, but my Dr. told me it would change my life….seriously??!! She also put me Cymbalta for migraine. She never informed me of withdrawal issues..These drugs were so expensive monthly I didn’t feel the cost was worth their usefulness. I immediately noticed the swelling, dizziness & balance issues w/Lyrica. I do a lot of hot yoga so it was interfering w/my practice.
So I cut back slowly. Lowest dose, then every other day. Yesterday I had gone 3 days & I ached so bad I took one at bedtime. Some things that have worked for me are supplements-B Complex. Butterburr for headache and Maca Root for the horrible sweats & chills. I also take Benadryl for sleep & Cannabis is legal in my state so I occasionally use it for sleep. I use a homeopathic cream called Traumeel for the aches. It sounds like a lot of stuff, but it’s all natural.
I use good quality supplements from Whole Foods and I must say they have really helped. I also have “brain zaps” around the time I normally take Lyrica. And I practice hot yoga 5 times a week. All of this lessens the withdrawal, but I still experience feeling crappy every night & sleep issues. I’m glad to hear that eventually it will pass as I was beginning to think I would never be able to give it up completely! Lyrica is poison!!!
I started on Lyrica 75mg twice a day to relieve back pain. It worked well because the nerve was impinged. I took the Lyrica for three weeks and then stopped cold turkey. I’ve been nauseated, dizzy, sweating, forgetful, have headaches, and leg weakness. I also have muscle spasms, and feel fearful and nervous. I can’t believe how ill I feel. I hope these symptoms don’t last – I can’t work or do normal daily tasks. I don’t think I’ll take it again despite how bad my back gets.
Thank you for all this info. I started on 75mg Lyrica for nerve pain and sciatica about 12 months ago. This was soon increased to twice daily, then 150mg twice daily. The pain relief was short lived each time. Then my feet began swelling very badly. It took a while before I realized this was the Lyrica. I don’t believe my doctor is even aware because he gave me fluid tablets, which were useless.
I stopped cold turkey, and within 2 days my feet were back to normal. BUT… Sleepless. It has been 4 nights now without sleep which leads to all sorts of other issues. Reading through the list of symptoms I can tick off quite a few. My skin and scalp has been very itchy, I am cranky, can’t concentrate, the list goes on. Not sure if it is worth going to the doc, or just try to ride it out. At least now I know that what I am experiencing is normal.
Hi Julie, I’ve was on Lyrica for 18 months for sciatica pain. The first 12 months I too was on 75mg Lyrica twice a day. This was increased to 150mg twice daily for the last 6 months. Like you the pain relief was short lived each time.
2 weeks ago I stopped cold turkey, and have experienced sleeplessness, irritability, anger & poor concentration. The worst part about all this is not being able to get a good nights sleep as it compounds the other symptoms. Im trying not to reach out for something else to help with the sleep, don’t want to become dependent on another drug.
The first week was hell trying to sleep so the second week I planed my approach with a lot of thought. What is helping is keeping active, busy days, always something to do so when its time to sleep I’m relatively tired (still not a great sleep but better than week 1). Try sticking to a routine bed time & rise time (factor in sleep cycles).
Eating well is important along with 20 min a day meditation. This approach seems to be helping a little a day at a time just hope it doesn’t take months like some people experience. Not sure if cold turkey is the way but now that I’ve started its best to continue. The tide has to turn some day. Best wishes with your journey. :)
I am in my 6th day of withdrawing from Lyrica. Although I was on a lower dose to begin with, the first two days were the worst. I experienced shivers and shaking along with mood swings, severe headache, nausea and crying. Right now I am still having mood swings where I will feel very depressed and at night I get very nauseous.
What I recommend to everyone is to taper down very slowly. I would say even slower than 25mg capsules which is the the smallest amount the drug comes in. I have been taking out about 12mg of powder and a tiny bit more every other day.
Wow. I never knew that this would be so difficult. I read the posts and some of my symptoms are mild and some are extreme. I have been on lyrica for about 7 years. I took 300 mg nightly and 150 prn in the morning for Fibromyalgia. My decision to get off lyrica was NOT a choice. My doc left the practice in July, my script ran out and the doc taking over for him said I should have plenty left therefore she rejected my refill (rx filled on 10/18 for 90 – 150 mg capsule.
Apparently she has issues with math). That was 11 days ago. I have missed 2 days of work, headaches constantly,stomach cramps, diarrhea, debilitating fatigue, irritability and slight tremors. I also have this feeling of impending doom. I take a sleep aid so that helps with insomnia and am in pain management so I have help with the pain. But I never knew this would be so bad. It’s Christmas… I need to get stuff done but no motivation or energy.
What pisses me off about this is that the doctor (Dr. Carey Huner) apparently has NO clue what the w/d effects are. But I will get through this and WITHOUT going back to lyrica. My kids and grandkids are coming down next weekend so I pray I can muster up enough energy to enjoy them. Any suggestions??? My heart goes out to any one attempting this. I have high hopes that this will pass as quickly as possible. Merry Christmas ALL!
I have decided to taper off of Lyrica because I need to lose the weight I have gained while on it. I am 3 days off of 150 mg ( I take 450 total per day). The withdrawal is just beginning today. I have diarrhea, irritability and my appetite is going down (yay)! I gained 80 lbs on this drug! My back is very bad anyway but now it is very difficult to walk. I have a small frame and this is killing me. This list is very reassuring… Just knowing what I might experience is great! Although, I admit that I am not looking forward to the pain of the Fibromyalgia returning!!! If you are going through withdrawal, hang in there!! They say it takes awhile.
I have been on lyrica for 3 years 600mgs per day. 300 am 300 pm for anxiety. My Psychiatrist took me off it just over a week ago over 5 days and I’m petrified. I am in serious withdrawal feel exhausted permanently can’t sleep then keep waking. Sweating all of the time then freezing. Feel so sick and don’t want to eat at all. So so depressed and panic attacks and awful anxiety and shaking. This can’t be right.
I’m so scared and am now seeing another Psychiatrist tomorrow. The day after I started reducing them I had a suicide attempt and just want the world to go away. Why did this doc do this to me. It’s so wrong I think I’m going to have to go back on them again. According to what I’ve read I should have reduced them by 10 per cent a month which should take 30 months to come off it. NOT 5 days!!! Don’t anyone else try this please.
I wish I had the luxury of taping of 10% a month, but can’t afford almost $500 a month for several months. At least reading these posts I don’t feel like I’m dying from some unknown disease, and I am sincerely hoping I can get back on Lyrica, since I have Fibromyalgia so bad that I had to quit my job 3 years ago even with Lyrica, and that pain didn’t even come close to what I am experiencing right now.
Gabapentin and Cymbalta did nothing for me, so it’s either Lyrica or severe pain, and I will gladly take the Lyrica for the rest of my life if need be, especially after going through these withdrawal symptoms.
Hi guys. I took 150mg a day for 5 years. I stopped in August. I now am dealing with such horrible nerve damage. A month ago I had to go to the ER BECAUSE OF ITCHING, CRAWLING AND BITING PAIN that made me so sick physically and mentally. I have been taking anti depressants and antihistamines now. I have had this hellish condition for a couple of months and I have NEVER felt this horrible in my life. I only went off because it was costing me $700+ for 90 days. Had biopsies and $5000 of tests. If you are reading this I am sure it is too late. BAD DRUG. RUINING MY LIFE!
When you talk about the itching, crawling feeling – was it on your legs? Is it gone? If not, look into Arachnoiditis it’s one of the symptoms. I have it. There is no cure but it can be managed with the right drug protocol.
I was on lyrica for about five years, taking it as needed, 50 mgs. daily for the most part, at times 100 mgs. per day. Nerve pain in my legs and fibromyalgia led me to get on this drug and I had very little side effects while on it for years. It was when I chose to increase my use just a bit that side effects like pain around my eyes and mouth made me think it was time to give it up. Quitting abruptly led to dizziness from hell which I am still dealing with.
I asked my doctor to switch me to neurontin at a very small level to help me slowly detox, to get over this crazy disorientation, depersonalization and dizziness and he wrote for me 300mgs for three times a day. What a mistake that was. One day of that was enough for me, barely enduring horrible tinnitus and a zombie-like state. I asked for lower doses, as low as possible, which will likely be 100mgs once or twice a day to help control some of the pain in my legs. If the dizziness continues, I may have to drop it all cold turkey, which really sucks when I have such a demanding job.
I”m trying to get off of LYRICA and the withdrawal is horrific! What do you do to get off of this stuff and not suffer? Why didn’t anyone tell us it was so ADDICTIVE?! I’m upset with my Dr. and want to get off of it. Any suggestions? If I miss ONE DOSE – I end up with a horrific headache, nausea, feeling weak and just overall horrible. Then when I take my missed dose, the side effects still remain for another day! Please give me some help. Where do you go for help?
Betty, hang in there, I was on Lyrica 13yrs, for migraines, 150mg 3x’s a day=450mg, side effects were killing me. I tapered off for 9 months, going down 10% every 3 weeks. I am on my 7th week of “WITHDRAWAL” (everyone is different). I’m suffering from burning skin & tingling, had insomnia, sleep is slowly come back, having anxiety off & on. It can take anywhere from 4-8-12 weeks, before the withdrawal starts to slow down. Hope this helps.
I was hospitalized for the 4th time for chronic pancreatitis. To relieve the pain I was discharged on Lyrica 50mg twice a day… VERY low. I had to take it for 3 weeks VERY short. I stopped 3 days ago and I honestly think I am dying. Every bone feels like it is made of razors cutting through every muscle. I am disorientated, can barely move from the pain. I wake drenched in sweat. I can’t even turn in bed from the pain. I am wearing a neck brace to relieve the muscular pain in my neck. All this HELL after a very LOW dose and SHORT time… please BE AWARE. And all my thoughts and wishes to all of you above after such high doses for so long.
I’ve been on Lyrica now for approximately 7 years and have decided to get off of it due to a growing list of adverse effects. I noticed that over time my body began anticipating the next dose by an hour or so as I began feeling very anxious. Then I began waking in the mornings with dry heaving, diarrhea and the chills. Also my thoughts upon waking would turn incredibly negative, bad mood swing towards my partner, rage at times and I’d enter into this mild to moderate state of depression where everything just sucks all the time.
Sometimes I almost cried during commercials. I then moved to taking the same 225 mg amount of Lyrica but divided into three doses over a 24hr period to help offset the short half life of this drug. Within months my body began anticipating the new dosage regime so I then decided to seek professional help. I have managed to reduce my daily dosage from 225 mg to 150mg over 4 months through the use of a compound pharmacy, but have added Xanax to help offset the withdrawal. Bad days typically include mild panic attacks, high levels of anxiety, nausea and lousy sleep.
I don’t even sleep with my partner any more because I just toss and turn all night and wake her up. I have also found that when mixed with alcohol it can be very unpredictable. A couple of beers is fine but any more than that you are playing with fire and setting yourself for deep depression the next day. Medical MJ has helped especially with sleep but I’m furious that I need it at all. My advice to anyone looking to get off this drug of if you are simply researching it due to a recommendation from your doctor, please make this decision very, very carefully as this is an awful drug to become dependent on.
My pharmacist who specializes in getting people off drugs with nasty discontinuation syndromes says that about 20 per cent of those who take this drug will have severe issues with withdrawal. And unlike opiates that also have nasty withdrawal effects over shorter time periods, Lyrica withdrawal can last for months. I fully anticipate having to take a leave of absence from work when I finally get off this crap. The only solace I can take from all of this is that even the worst cases that I’ve read on these boards eventually recover. Good luck to everyone on this board.
OMG I have been on Lyrcia for 7 yrs with very good results. It did take some time to get use to it. Felt loopy sometimes. My dosage was 150 mg@ 3X day.
The cost of the drug was taking us to the poor house. After consulting with my Dr she had me tapering off as well as adding gabapentin.
It has been 2 months and have every side effect in withdrawal going full steam. Nauseousness constantly, daily living to much to handle. Burning, sensitive to every fabric, unending all types of fibromyalgia pain. Can’t concentrate, anxiety is through the roof. Very depressed to read this could go on for long long time.
Makes me want to say screw it and start taking it again. No joy in doing anything. And yes I am on a depression med. Very frustrating.
I’ve taken lyrica for 5 years now 400 milligrams a day. It helped with the sciatica and I was able to function again. However recently my medications were stolen. I have never felt so miserable in my life nausea, diarrhea, weakness, hanging on objects so that I don’t fall over, and I can’t seem to make up my mind whether I’m hot or cold.
I and several others I know are taking this drug, and I accidentally ran out a few days early this month. Put quite simply, the symptoms of withdrawal are so severe I can barely concentrate enough to type this, and I’m accustomed to spending hours writing & proofreading per day! I have had to actually take several days off, and I’m a “type A” personality! I may end up in the ED. I’m most concerned about the lowering of my seizure threshold – I’m taking it for 4 reasons: Fibromyalgia, Seizure Disorder, Panic Disorder, and a problem with my pituitary gland. This is BEYOND AWFUL.
Amity this too happened to me I was away for a weekend and didn’t have enough to get me through the few days. I was taking 150mg twice daily I thought I would have been okay seeing it was only a few days but was I well wrong. My husband ended up having to take me to get an emergency script wrote up from the hospital doctor of the town we were staying. I’m now trying to decrease it and have got down to 75mg twice daily but like I’ve read on here my head tells me I need to take it so I don’t know how I’m ever going to stop it fully. My sleep’s awful. I empathise with all on here trying to get of Lyrica.
I was doing a medication study for the next generation of Lyrica and had been on Lyrica for 3 months and the study for 1 year. The study ended Monday answer was taken off all cold turkey. I have never felt this way ever in my life. I am even a meth addict clean for 11 years and I never went through withdrawals to even compare. I called the study Doctor and they put me on Lyrica 2xs day for 5 days then once day for 5 days. Someone PLEASE tell me this will work.
Jennifer, Lyrica is a beast. Dr is going too fast. Symptoms will be worse and worse without slowing down. You will be angry, restless, sick sick sick, no sleep, anxiety and on and on. It will take 6 months to a year to taper without suffering. I’m talking 10% every 2 weeks minimum. A support site called Lyrica Sufferers is on facebook. Ask to join it for support. The manufacturer Pfizer does not like this site so it is closed but the person who created the site will let you in after screening you.
Hi. My mother is 60 yrs old and has been taking Lyrica for a couple of years at 100mg 3x daily, she has been taking it for sciatica nerve pain and on top of that she had recently had a 1/4 of a lung removed from cancer also has an Aorta aneurysm on her heart, anxiety, depression and other medical issues. The doctor just recently discontinued 4 of her medications including the Lyrica cold turkey and she has been in non stop pain, extreme anxiety (which is bad for the aneurysm), sweating, problems seeing to walk or grab objects or to feed self and tends to walk in walls, panic attacks, problems sleeping, loss of appetite and diarrhea.
The reason the doctors stopped this so sudden is cause her liver function tests came back very high and also come to find out the true reason may of came from the medication crestor for cholesterol and the doctor never monitored her liver functions when starting this medicine. But also the Lyrica can have some impact on the liver as its absorbed in the liver from what the pharmacist had told me. I really hope no one else has to suffer with these symptoms or watch a loved one go through this. Do some research on the reactions of starting and stopping this before even trying it.
I am suffering terrible nausea from withdrawal symptoms from Lyrica. I was on cymbalta for years and started having terrible reactions to either that or the lyrica. Completely off the cymbalta, started cutting the lyrica back. I cannot do anything but suffer. I do not dare cut back any more. My Dr. had me cutting in half for a week, then every other day for a week and then stopping. I have cut dosage in half. I feel sick to my stomach constantly. Is there anything I can take to help with this terrible feeling. I mean like a hot or cold pack etc. No more med’s for me ever, I will suffer the pain. How long can this misery last?
Hi Margaret, I have had severe withdrawals as well and although you may not like my recommendation, if you are in a state where medicinal marijuana is legal, I recommend getting CBD oil (it does not make you high) and taking a little bit of that. It will take the nausea right away. That is the only thing getting my through it right now.
I am weening off Lyrica, and using CBD also. I am taking Lyrica for chronic pruritus (4 yrs). The CBD really helps. I am experiencing chest pain, and wondering if it is a result of getting off Lyrica. I went to ER two weeks ago to see if I was having a heart attack. The complete cardio work-up was negative. I have had headaches, and leg cramps – but is this chest pain also a result of the decrease of Lyrica in my body ?
I just found this page and your comment is the most recent I’ve seen so far. I was on the highest dose of gabapentin for a couple of years, before starting on 600mg a day of Lyrica; that was 4 months ago. I ran out of Lyrica on Tuesday, or Wednesday. It never occurred to me that I would experience significant withdrawal symptoms, because the drug didn’t seem very effective.
I’ve been confused, sweating constantly, irritable, apathetic, nauseous, dizzy and have pain and cramps everywhere; just to name a few. I drank and took several methocarbamol (fairly weak muscle relaxers) on Thursday night, when I thought it was just soreness from working out. I didn’t drink that much, but Friday I had a bad hangover that got worse as the day progressed.
It’s Saturday night now and I feel worse than I did Friday. At one point the chest pain was bad enough that I thought I might be having a heart attack. That was when I remembered that I have been waiting for my Lyrica prescription to arrive on the mail for several days. My second thought, after stumbling back empty handed from the mailbox, was to see if Lyrica was the cause and not just a contributing factor.
I think I’ve noticed every withdrawal symptom on the list and it seriously understates some of them.
Hi Peter, Just wondering why you went from Gabapentin to Lyrica? I’ve just come off Ropinirole for RLS and was told that 600mg Gabapentin works well. Suffering rebound from the ropinirole I wanted to give it a go. Went to my supposed specialist and requested gabapentin. He sent me home with Lyrica.
I wasn’t that familiar with the different names and had forgotten gabapentin is neurontin not Lyrica lol. But I thought my dr would get it right. Anyway after 2 weeks of pure hell I realized the mistake. I have since requested the right drug and have to hope the withdrawals from lyrica aren’t too bad considering I was only on it for 2.5 weeks.
Anyway… Sorry it’s a bit longwinded but just wondering why you went to lyrica. Were you having trouble with gabapentin? Were there any side effects?
I am experiencing withdrawal effects from Lyrica. I ache all over, am sweating, have lethargy and all over fatigue. I don’t know what to do about this.
WOW!! let me say that I used this drug to suppress the methadone withdrawals. I should have known that it was to good to be true. I had severe withdrawals, including but not limited to, feeling weak, sweating, no sleep. HORRIBLE!!!! I have concluded that if it makes you feel better, there is certainly a downfall. Hope I feel better soon. Good luck to anyone suffering from this withdraw effect. My advice: drink lots water, it won’t make you feel better, per se, but it will help you from feeling any worse due to dehydration. If you need to, check yourself into the hospital.
Do you mind me asking how long you were taking lyrica for when you used it to help you with the withdrawals? Not sure if this is a very old post, sorry if it is, but I am currently using lyrica to help me and my first week of opiate withdrawals and it has helped significantly but I’m going to stop the lyrica tomorrow so I will only have been on it for 6 days. I am curious if I should be concerned. I would greatly appreciate your advice and thoughts! Thank you?
In my experience, if you only used the lyrica for a short time, the withdrawal from lyrica won’t be bad but the methadone takes minimum 30 days. I know first hand.
I started taking lyrica in Feb for suboxone withdraw. I had come off it before but was on pain meds then so it didn’t matter. Talk to your doctor the right one will help you. I can tell you this is nothing compared to suboxone withdrawal. Talk about pure hell on that one. I’d probably take a low dose for two or three months. Then being seven months off suboxone I am taking something for anxiety and have given up on antihistamines. I was pretty adamant not to ever take anything addictive again. Everything is a process… jump too quickly and you might fall back. Only my personal experience.
I took it again just for one week while a conference was on, to help with severe neuropathic pain. One week later I am suicidally depressed, can’t stop crying and am basically non functional. Hate this drug.
A friend introduced me to Lyrica, and he said I had to take more than 400mg to actually feel the high or whatever. That was 6 months from now and I still am taking the drug because I felt to hung up upon it, I felt really stupid, slow ant-social without it. So I am still taking it… it feels really bad being a prisoner to a drug that controls your brain. But believe if I was born without it, I can live without it. Learn how to make your body adapt to the change online and that’s it.
Good Luck
I was told that Lyrica was or is a safe drug. Maybe for some but not for me, I was horribly ill. suicidal, depression, coming and going of strong and great anxiety, sick to my stomach, ached all over, was unable to get out of bed, paranoid and the list goes on. I would never suggest this drug to anyone.
If I ever have to withdraw from another drug such as this I will definitely be hospitalized. I got so depressed I cut on myself.
I had to use oxycodone/oxycontin and the withdraw was easy compared to this drug lyrica. I suffer from organic brain damage from a surgery where it took 2 heart teams to get me back, this affects everything such as personality conflicts within my self, speech, depression, lack of recall, trouble remembering, anxiety as tho horrible things happening to love ones, about every 4 months I split up with my partner, withdrawal etc, this was not a pleasant experience and like I said I would not recommend this drug to anyone, and its taken me a long time to realize not all doctors are educated very well in this area.
I thought lyrica would be safer for me than oxycodone/oxycontin.. I use to recommend this drug for pain. not again. and I always discuss the withdrawal symptons with my doctor. I did not know anything about these withdraw symptons
This is all so true. Only used on week and I can’t function at all. Given to FM. I have also had pituitary tumors. Feel worse than ever. How long does this go on? Not sure what to do.
See a naturopathic physician or herbalist.
I had been taking 300mg for over four years. I before stopped cold turkey with Seroxat and felt like my world was ending. I had felt that the same would happen with Lyrica as every so often I would miss and dose and would feel awful. However, it was not near as bad as I imagined. Reading other people’s experiences online did nothing to help, as I was sure their horror stories would happen to me also.
I tapered of 50mg a day for a week. I started with the morning dose and reduced it from 150mg by 50mg over the period of three weeks. I then was completely of the morning dose for two weeks before I began to tackle the night time dose. Again I dropped by 50mg per week over three weeks. The side effects were minimal and although I still had slight side effects they were very bearable and manageable.
I suppose I would like people to know that it really is not so bad. I do know that everyone’s experience will be different and at different severities but my advise is as follows. Do not read up on other peoples experiences online as often they do nothing more than scare. Taper of slowly over a number of weeks and tackle the morning dose before beginning to reduce the night time dose. when you have tapered of the morning dose allow yourself two weeks before beginning to taper of the night time dose to allow your body and mind time to adapt. And best of luck.
Was this a schedule done in partnership with your doctor?
Jodie the way you reduced sounds good to do. I was on 400mg for quite awhile and these past few weeks have begun decreasing with my Mental health carers knowledge of what I’m doing. I’m now on 75mg twice daily. I would have preferred to do it your way tackling the morning dose firstly then the night one but I’ve did both at same time which hasn’t been really good on me. I don’t think I can go any lowering even as I find I’m getting nervous feelings and having then to take one dose before lunchtime and then again same feelings before bedtime one due. How am I ever going to go Lower and even come off fully being like this?
Hi maureen. You’ve done really well reducing as far as you have. I would suggest sipping at this dose for maybe a month to give your brain time to adjust. Add with anything the can be harder to do but you might find that once you get stabilized again it will happen as easily for you as before. I’m sorry you’re having a rough time at the moment. Don’t despair. You’ll get there. Best wishes.
I think most people don’t suffer too badly. It’s a very widely used drug and there aren’t hundreds of thousands of people on the support pages. Those that have had bad reactions are just trying to help other ppl come off it slowly rather than cold turkey which can cause the brain trauma. Best wishes.
I tapered down like you did with help from my doctor. I was on 500mg per day for 5 yrs. My doctor had me decrease the doses monthly and took 5 months for me to completely weak off the Lyrica. I haven’t had any side effects from weaning off this way.
This is the very first comment which is not sooo discouraging me from weaning this drug. I am on 50mg a day for 4 month. I am taking 25mg before sleep twice with 1 hour gap. Because I do believe, that I have found a more safe help in using Oil of Magnesium for RLS. I want to stop using Lyrica. Reading about all those horrid reactions is very discouraging. Can’t find any references from someone who used lower dosages and stopped.
I was taking 75mg at night to help me sleep; fibromyalgia pain. I wanted to go off Lyrcia, and talked to my doctor. He said yes, just quit. In two days I was a wreck! Many, if not all the withdrawal symptoms listed above. Again, saw the doctor, and started a tapering off. I have now started my third week of no Lyrcia, and I’m still having withdrawal symptoms. I can’t believe it’s taking so long. I’m not suicidal, so I will just keep going. I wish you well.
I want to get off of the Lyrica but was afraid of the side effects. The best alternative is to have your doctor help you. I am going to follow Jody’s advice and call my doctor.
I was on 50mg per day… one in a morning and one at night. I took just one at night for about a week then stopped. I’ve had some stomach pains and been a bit headachy but nothing debilitating. I’ve been stopped a week now.
I notice this was back in March. How did you get on? Any further side effects? I was on Lyrica for 2 weeks low dose. Had stomach cramps for 2 weeks now awful anxiety. Help.
Mila, Hot packs on your lower spine around the location of your tailbone can also help to relieve your RLS prior to sleep. I hope you give it a try and it helps you a little as it has me.
I like the hot pack suggestion. Last night I had a hot shower, just standing under the water until the jumpy leg thing, stopped. Sadly, I was on Lyrica for severe arthritis pain. I have since had a successful hip replacement and have tried to stop taking this stuff. The side effects have been too much to cope with. Will try a tapering withdrawal now. Thanks to all who have commented here.
I cold turkeyed and suffered no side effects once. That was when I was on three 50mg tablets a day. I used to take less on good days and had more control. Then a new doctor gave me it all in a one a day 150 mg and I took it regularly and consistently for six months. The withdrawals are vile this time. I think that the length of time you consistently take the drug has a major impact.
Mila, I’m on 25 mg trying to get off it. I took my last tablet on Friday and I tell you today I am having massive withdrawal symptoms from it. Never again will I use this drug whatever my circumstances. Angela
I was on 50 mg for a year or so. Went cold turkey Monday, today is Thursday. Have not had any side effects just feel a little melancholy. Reading too many negatives is not helpful so I’m going to take one day at a time on my own.
Jodie: Thank you for your comment. This is the most wise and reasonable plan I’ve read. I am meeting with my PA today to discuss a sensible way to wean off Lyrica. My new insurance doesn’t cover it and I’m waiting for Pfizer to approve a prescription at no cost, as I am on disability due to the fibromyalgia and bipolar type 2.
Jodie, I just wanted to let you know that Pfizer has given me my prescription at no cost both in 2014 and 2015. I’m on disability and my insurance has a donut hole. Thank God because I don’t know what I would do without my Lyrica. I take 200mg twice a day.
The whole reason I found this site is because I just accidentally missed my Lyrica for 2 or 3 days. I finally figured it out this morning but I was so nauseous and headache, felt like I got hit by a truck and couldn’t sleep. I take several different meds and put them in my pill planner. I took out all of my pill bottles and did my meds but the Lyrica bottle is white instead of brown and I somehow overlooked it.
I don’t have my lyrics right now due to the “donut hole” and I’m going through horrible withdrawals thanks to medicare. If I may ask, how did you get Pfizer to cover Lyrica?
Go to Pfizer.com print out application fill it out, take to your doc to have them fill out their part, have doc fax app and prescription to pfizer.
This is a program that will pay 100% of the cost of Lyrica. It is based on your income. I highly recommend checking out this website. The application is reasonably simple for both patient and provider. My insurance company does not cover Lyrica.
I was on Lyrica for about 7 years for Fibromyalgia. I was exercising daily, had no side effects, and it worked fantastic at controlling my pain. Last month we had to move due to husband’s job, and new insurance won’t cover it, so I had to come off it. Even though I did it over a period of a few weeks, I literally feel like I’m dying. I have no appetite, severe sweats, sick to my stomach, shaky, anxious, etc.
And my Fibro pain is far worse. Dr. tried to put me on gabapentin, did nothing for the pain, so now I am not on anything. I am going back to see my dr on Monday to see if she can get my insurance to pay for Lyrica again. Even without the withdrawal symptoms, my Fibro pain is so bad I can hardly get out of bed. Thank you Amy for your info on contacting Pfizer, I may be able to get help from them and get back on Lyrica just need to get some info from hubby tonight. I need this medication.
Fibromyalgia is just a term Drs are using because they cannot come up with anything else for your symptoms. My Dr tells me the exact thing.
I started taking 50 mg of Lyrica in 2011… due to a terrible burning feeling that seemed to come out of nowhere. I took my dose before going to sleep each night. Then the powers that be changed the classification of the drug and I would have to go to my doctor’s office to get a new prescription. At one point I was without the Lyrica for 3 days and started withdrawing with anxiety, and sleeplessness, etc.
Recently, I decided to taper off and started alternating between 25mg and 50mg. Finally, a month ago, I became totally free of Lyrica. I feel itchy and a bit nervous but I will tolerate it. Hopefully it won’t last too long.
Hi Judy, Did you find it affected your sleep when you reduced & finally withdrew? Also did you get any anxiety? Thanks, Jo
I came across your comment after several very scary ones. Thank you, I’m 6 days completely off lyrica and thus far, just mild headache, little tummy butterfly like feelings and sweats on and off. I went off because I didn’t feel I needed it anymore. I have been taking for 2 years and found some great exercise for my lower back and sciatic pain. I feel better than yesterday so I’m hopeful. Thanks again for your sincere comment.
I am currently coming off lyrica. I was on 150mg AM and PM. I found it not effective. So have decided to taper off it. I was taking it for spinal cord injury and nerve pain. Doctors keep wanting me to increase. The only thing increased was my size! I went from size 14 to 18. So I find fighting weight and looking like this as much an issue as the nerve pain. I reduce it 25mg weekly am then pm. So far no side effects, I pray it continues this way.
Good advice to taper morning first. I have tried to taper off 50 mg in one day for the first week and been so ill last night with over breathing, spasms, fluttering of face then waking sweating and feeling ill in stomach and head with bad vision. Then unable to sleep anymore with bad diarrhea. Horrible.
Thanks for sharing a non-horrific experience! It’s so much more tempting to share bad results than when things happen as planned. I’ve been taking 300mg daily for several years for seizures and just started tapering off, by 50 mg/day over a period of 6 weeks. I’m in week 2, a bit emotional, zero short-term memory, nerve pain in my feet, clammy hands… lots of little things but can deal with it in the short term. Hopefully I’ll get through the process smoothly, we’ll see how things go in a few weeks.
Thank you for giving me positive hope to have a fairly painless withdrawal. Only been on for 4 months to combat shingles pain.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and the helpful tips on getting off of the medicine. I was not even aware there was an issue until my insurance stopped paying for it and I was miserable until it was worked out. It scared me to think my body needed the drug so badly to function. I am going to talk to my doctor and feel hopeful after reading your post. Thank you for not scaring the daylights out me.
12 years every day of 300mg… W/C all of a sudden denied approval… specifically Quiben from SCIF. 5th day without and miserable oh my gosh ?
I took Lyrica for a year, 450mg a day for GAD and depression. It had no effect on my anxiety and when I stopped taking it my mood crashed completely. It was truly terrible, I was over whelmed with anxiety and panic attacks and awful dark depression. That was 3 years ago and I’m still struggling with my mood but I have improved somewhat. I wish I’d never taken it, it didn’t work and the withdrawal even with tapering was absolutely dreadful :(
I also am severely depressed and suicidal and have chronic anxiety restless no joy can’t concentrate isolation after stopping Lyrica 3 yrs ago. I was on 75 mg twice a day. I feel it robbed me of something in my brain. I lost my job as an operating room nurse. I lost 30 lbs. I was like a zombie. I felt so sad I went for shock treatments which did not work. I was never like this. I am 60 yrs old and on disability now. I fight everyday to keep moving forward. I hate Lyrica. Doctors have no idea of the withdrawal effects. This is the first site I found that talks about it. Karenalberini[at]aol.com
I too, was a nurse before becoming disabled. I was on Lyrica for several years to treat my radicular neuropathy and severe degenerative disc disease. I was forced to stop cold turkey when my insurance suddenly decided not to cover the cost anymore. I thought I was seriously going to die, the withdrawal symptoms were so severe! It scared my entire family! I wish they would take the drug off the market. It can’t be good for your body if it affects it that badly when you stop. Lyrica is one scary drug!
How long did it take for you to get over the withdrawal?
Mary: I am on my 11th week of Lyrica withdrawal, (was on it for 13 yrs). I have suffered with insomnia, hot and cold chills, sweats, burning and tingling skin, anxiety, body aches, crying spells, irritability, depression, mood swings’s, itching, restlessness, shortness of breath, sleeplessness and suicidal thoughts. The withdrawal symptoms are starting to taper off, but not fast enough for me.
I am now suffering only some insomnia, some tingling, some sweating and some anxiety. Just hang in there as I have done, it will get worse before it gets better, unfortunately, thoughts and prayers are with you from Alabama. I will keep you updated on my progress, as I hope you will do the same. I am hoping that I will dune with withdrawal in about 9 more weeks.
Hi. I’m weaning off Lyrica right now. My face is tingling, I have a headache in both temples and base of skull. I’m not holding food. And I’m tapering! I went from 300mg to 150mg to 75mg, over a period of 6 months at least. Now I’m at one 75mg cap every third day for the past month. Yesterday I started being unable to hold food down.
I don’t feel flu-like. I eat and within 10 minutes it bounces up. I’m not sure if the headache is from hunger or side effects. I’m thinking maybe I don’t e ever want to take another one with all theses posts. Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you feel better soon. Leah
Leah, There is a support site called Lyrica Survivors. It is a private Facebook site. Ask to join it. It is very supportive in all the side affects and symptoms. They are unbelievable and no one believes what we are going through except those on the site.
I am in the same boat currently, I was unaware that my insurance would be forcing me to pay full price, roughly $800 for 3 months worth. I am now on day 4 of no Lyrica and I too regret every getting on it. I also take Cymbalta for pain, at least there is a generic in that and I can afford it. I have been through this before, it was not fun.
Cathy, Wow, I too have been a nurse before I “officially” became disabled with radicular neuropathy and DDD. I resisted taking the Lyrica for months until couldn’t stand the surprise shocks through my chest and back…Long story short I took Lyrica at 150mg a day for 3 months. It helped the electric shock but I became so dizzy and uncoordinated I was afraid of falling.
I did I quick taper over 2 weeks ago and am still having WD symptoms. Poor sleep, dizzy, pounding chest pain, anxiety… Yesterday I had the worst panic attack I was barely able get out of my chair. Lyrica is the worst ever, I agree. Lots of risky side affects. I’m not sure the benefit is worth the risks.
Hello Karen. I am so sorry to hear of your experience on Lyrica. How are you feeling now? May I ask how long you were on Lyrica for, and whether you were on any other medications? Best wishes.
Hi seen your comment. Wow I hope things are better since this post. I was on 600 mg a day for 3 and half years. I just quit 14 days ago. GOOD LUCK.
I was put on Lyrica some 5-6 months ago, after presenting with allodynia, fatigue and rather unusual red patches on my arms and legs. Suffice to say, most of the health-care professionals who sought to give a diagnosis where baffled – one even confirming my symptoms alluding to some sort of “mystery illness.” Fibro was discounted, as was viral muscle inflammation.
A follow up (post MRI scan) with a neurologist recently ended with me being told I should come off Lyrica – but gradually. I’m in my first week of coming off and I feel dreadful. This stuff is poison and I wonder how much the Docs are being paid to push it. It destroys lives!
Oh – and I too lost my job on 20/06. Struggling to find words, mood swings, feeling constantly tired… seem familiar to anyone?
I’m on the same dosage as you, for 3 years, for radiculopathy. I just started cutting my dose by 20% and am getting a buzzing feeling in my body. Not painful but uncomfortable. How long did it take you to get off and any side effects?