Hello!
I have already seen that there were some questions about the drug Lyrica but I have not found an answer.
I took Lyrica for a year, primarily for neuropathic pain but it also worked wonderfully for generalized anxiety disorder. It took three months for me to figure out the right dosage and for me to get used to the side effects.
I was mostly fine, but 15kg extra weight and "difficulties in bed" made me forget that after a year and my treatment was discontinued.
Now I am much worse again and a morphine treatment made sure that my stomach does not even tolerate ibuprofen or paracetamol anymore.
So I considering returning to Lyrica. However, it is not without its side effects and my doctor only wants to give it "under supervision", and my husband has great reservations. The real question is whether there are any long-term studies or reports about long-term effects?
Can we expect changes in the brain if we take it permanently? Does anyone know anything about this?
Kind regards
Response 1:
I also had my experience with Lyrica ........ because of my joint pain. What I can say is that I just stopped taking it and THAT was wrong. I was miserable afterwards. I started again and slowly weaned off. Until I was well again.
Response 2:
Hello! Welcome to the forum!
You are considering going back to Lyrica. Lyrica is the trade name, the active ingredient is called pregabalin and is a drug from the group of anticonvulsants. This means that it is a very good preparation for your condition (which you mentioned here)! The mechanism of action was discovered a few years ago and it was found that it binds to the CNS (central nervous system). That's why it helps especially with neuropathic pain, generalised anxiety disorder and epilepsy (whatever form it takes).
You have described some side effects that you have suffered from. These may pass with time. If you decide to use Lyrica, you should have an ECG and lungs checked after a longer period of time (1.5 years or more). Prevention for long-term therapy, don't worry! The initial dosage should be determined by your doctor. However, try not to go above 450mg maintenance dose. This way, you still have a margin for increase and the side effects (also long-term side effects) are kept within limits.
A tip about weight gain: if you increase the dose very slowly, the body can (often-not always!) compensate for the storage (oedema). I have one question: are you taking any other medications? I am thinking about interactions. The contraceptive pill is not weakened in its effect by Lyrica.
Personally, I can only recommend Lyrica to a person with your condition. There are no medicines without side effects! That's why you have to weigh up the benefits and risks. You can try it again, but under no circumstances should you stop taking this medicine on your own! Lyrica can only be discontinued under medical supervision. In what period of time did you stop taking Lyrica? You also mentioned "difficulties in bed", what do you mean? If you don't want to write about it publicly, send me a private message.
If you still have questions, ask them. We users will try to help you! I hope, like the other user, to have helped you a little. Best Regards.