Lyrica - is there any way to avoid the weight gain?

I hope you haven't started taking Lyrica. It is the most horrendous drug out there. The side effects are simply dreadful. As you ask specifically about the weight gain, I can tell you all about that. I was only Lyrica for only three months and the weight gain was frightening. I am a very active person, I do not eat any foods that are fattening or unhealthy, I don't use sugar, eat chocolates, sweets or cakes, pies or chips. I eat salads, chicken with no skin, I drink fat free milk, so I know my diet has nothing to do with the huge weight gain I experienced while using Lyrica. And this happened almost immediately. All the weight gain is in my upper body, especially around my stomach area. I look 6 months pregnant. It doesn't matter what I do to try and move this slab of fat around my middle, nothing helps. My upper arms, neck, back, and of course the stomach area has a puffy and swollen look.

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I am 1.65m, and have a small frame, so I can't afford to put on weight. If I do pick up a couple of kilo's over the holiday season, I make a concerted effort to get rid of it quickly. Now thanks to Lyrica, I am stuck with this unsightly tyre around my midsection. And might I add, that although it helped with my nerve pain, if I had known weight gain was a side effect, I would NEVER have taken it. The other side effects are loss of feeling in your hands, feet, arms, legs, tingling, sharp shooting pains, swelling, dry mouth, severe joint pain in the knees, elbows and ankles, the list is endless. I believe Lyrica also slows down your metabolism. I have a permanent pain around my whole ribcage now, oh and it makes your thought process wonky. I have started walking 10kms three times a week in an effort to try lose the weight. I don't know what else to do, its been 5 months since I stopped taking Lyrica, and this extra weight is showing absolutely no sign of going away. You would probably have to virtually starve yourself to ensure no weight gain, but I don't believe this will make any difference whatsoever. Even on a restricted calorie diet, you will still pack on the weight. I took myself off the Lyrica without consulting my GP. I would rather live with the pain than experience excessive weight gain and the other multitude of side effects. Do not whatever you do start taking this toxic drug. Even though I have read some people (they are surely in the minority) do not suffer any or few side effects, there are far too many people who DO suffer major side effects and spend the rest of their lives regretting ever taking this medication. Throw away that box of Lyrica.