Lyrica Side Effects

Is anyone using Lyrica?  I am having a terrible time with the tiredness.  Anyime I sit down for any length of time I am out like a light.  It can be 11am or 11pm or any time in between.  It's taken me a while to make the connection as I have been sick and assumed it was because of that.  I sit down for a moment and if I am only watching TV  I'll be sawing logs just to wake up an hour or so later with a different program on the TV.  Thursday was just a day of sleep punctuated by a couple of really small jobs.  I wouldn't mind but I can't be sleeping all day - my employer kind of frowns on it.

Will it get better?  Does anyone have a work around (other than not sitting down and stopping)?

thanks, bigted

Bigted, I have a few friends that have taken Lyrica for Fibro and some believe it is a wonder drug, others have had the same side effects you are, their only work around was to take it late at night before bed.  I looked the precaustions up on WebMD and it actually tells you not to drive after taking the medication!! Interesting...

I will ask a few more folks an see if I get any other ideas for you.

Previously bigted wrote:

Is anyone using Lyrica?  I am having a terrible time with the tiredness.  Anyime I sit down for any length of time I am out like a light.  It can be 11am or 11pm or any time in between.  It's taken me a while to make the connection as I have been sick and assumed it was because of that.  I sit down for a moment and if I am only watching TV  I'll be sawing logs just to wake up an hour or so later with a different program on the TV.  Thursday was just a day of sleep punctuated by a couple of really small jobs.  I wouldn't mind but I can't be sleeping all day - my employer kind of frowns on it.

Will it get better?  Does anyone have a work around (other than not sitting down and stopping)?

thanks, bigted

 

Bidted,

How long have you been on the Lyrica?  I've taken it for a few years and had tiredness at first, but I guess I got used to it because it doesn't bother me anymore.  I hope you get over the tiredness soon if the Lyrica is relatively new.

BigTed is here - Yay!!! - I've been wondering where you've been - I think we kept missing each other somehow.  In any case, I'm so glad you are back.  You always have good insights!

As for the Lyrica, I took it about a year ago.  I found these 3 things to be true:

#1.They will make you sleepy for approx. 30 days, upon which they will magically stop making you sleepy somehow.

#2. They will work wonders on your pain after a few weeks espeically.  Seriously, you will feel so much better, espeically once the sleepyness wears off.

#3. They will unfortunately make you gain weight, how much differs from person to person.  For me, I didn't think the side effect of weight gain was worth it, so I had to come off.  But there are days I wonder if I made the right decision.  That is HOW WELL Lyrica works!

I hope this answered your questions.  I will write more later.  Ambien is kicking in.

Love,
Kati

Hi BigTed. I've been on Lyrica for over a yr now, 75 mg twice a day. I really feel that I can't live without it. Yes, I've gained weight(I really need to lose weight!) and I think a lot of that weight is from the water retention I'm having in my legs this last month. Rheumy wanted me to cut down to 1 a day and see if it helps, but after a few days of that I'm running back to the bottle for the 2nd Lyrica of the day. I'm hoping it will eventually go back to just the normal every day swelling. They don't make me sleepy tho.  Maybe it will pass as your body adjusts to it.  If I could cross my fingers for ya i would!

Previously bigted wrote:

Is anyone using Lyrica?  I am having a terrible time with the tiredness.  Anyime I sit down for any length of time I am out like a light.  It can be 11am or 11pm or any time in between.  It's taken me a while to make the connection as I have been sick and assumed it was because of that.  I sit down for a moment and if I am only watching TV  I'll be sawing logs just to wake up an hour or so later with a different program on the TV.  Thursday was just a day of sleep punctuated by a couple of really small jobs.  I wouldn't mind but I can't be sleeping all day - my employer kind of frowns on it.

Will it get better?  Does anyone have a work around (other than not sitting down and stopping)?

thanks, bigted

I am still on the Lyrica and I am still sleeping a lot - but it is less.  I started Enbrel a month ago and I am going to post a new thread in just a minute.  I found I just didn't have enough hours in the day to get the basics done that's why I've been MIA. 

bigted

PS I am also gaining weight and for someone my size this is not good.  I hate trying to loose weight!  But I am glad others are in the same boat.

Bigted,

If you don't like the Lyrica  for theFibro, they have approved Cymbalta 60 to 90 mg for Fibro treatment also.  I have been on Cymbalta for 3 to 4 years now and it doesn't have the same side effects. Though they have to increase my dosage they took me down to 30 mg and the UNEXPLAINED pain is back.

Tess

Tess,

I have a question.  A while back, my Rheumy told me about Cymbalta, b/c she knew the Lyrica made me gain weight, and she said she thought of me when they approved Cymbalta for pain b/c it is known to decrease the appetite.

Well, I had the worse kind of reaction to the Cymbalta.  It is hard to explain, but basically it gave me so much anxiety that I felt I was living on the edge of a blade.  Furthermore, my husband said my eyes would not dialate, and they were huge for 48 hours.  I just remember not being able to blink or shut them.  They took me to the ER, where they said a lot of people reacted to the Cymbalta like that.

I was so disappointed, b/c it DID help my pain, and sure enough, my apetite was GONE!  Did anyone else have this kind of reaction?

Thanks so much,
Kati

I did but I started taking Xanax to counter act the side effect and eventully i went off the Xanax and  they lowered the dose of the Cymbalta but because it is too low now it is not as effective for the unexplained pain. 

That is what we now have to determine.  Though today the Morphine and nwo Vicodine will be masking all that pain.

Good luck on finding something to help, I will ask around to others that arent on this site about if they have experienced the side effect.

Tess