I have gone from 150mg per day to 225mg and have requested to try 300mg per day as the nerve pain in my legs from Lumbar Fusion doesn't seem be going away as it did with Gabapentin. I have stability problems such that I use a cane as I feel I start to fall, though I never have. I do not have the degree of brain fog/ memory loss yet as I developed with 1200 mg of Gabapentin.
Has anyone taken Lyrica for a long time and if so did these side effects go away or lessen? fastcarbon
How long do Lyricaa side effects last?
Question posted by fastcarbon on 31 Oct 2012
Last updated on 12 December 2018
4 Answers
cindy-59
12 Dec 2018
I was taking Lyrica for 7-8 years. I was prescribed it for chronic nerve pain. I experienced many horrible side effects and I just kept getting worse. I was dizzy, confused, and forgetful. I was anxious, depressed and I had suicidal thoughts. I was so weak and tired that I wanted to sleep almost all the time. I lost interest in almost everything. I could no longer have an orgasm no matter how hard my husband and I tried. I had blurry vision and hearing loss. I also lost a lot of my hair. It has lost it’s shine and was no longer healthy. I would lose my balance and I fell many times. Once I fell down a flight of stairs backwards and another time I fell and broke my leg. My once perfect teeth are ruined and I’m quite sure that I’m going to have to get them all pulled. I gained over 80 pounds and I looked and felt like I was pregnant. I was always a small woman even after having my 5 children.
I would sweat so bad that I had to have a fan on me even in the winter. I tried Cymbalta too and I had the same side effects from it as I did from Lyrica. I am completely off Lyrica and I am hoping that I’m Cymbalta by the first month of the new year. Almost every side effect is gone now and I’m on the road to my recovery. Personally, I will never take another medication that affects my brain again. There are many natural remedies for almost every ailment and that’s the route that I’m choosing to take. I wish you all the best. Cindy
jasmin2000
11 Dec 2018
I am using Lyrica for about 10 days for pain, numbness, and burning in both my feet. The pain appeared to be subsiding however I continue to feel the numbness in both my legs. I am experiencing blurred vision, dizziness, and unsteady gate. I am not sure if it will get better or I should stop the medication. Please share your thoughts or comments.
Thanks
Buggs333
13 Dec 2018
This is a dangerous medication. It also lowers your immune system which could cause the virus people experience. (Sore throat etc . . .
kaismama
31 Oct 2012
I'm not sure what side effects you're attributing to the lyrica. I had some that never went away, they were deal breakers, I stopped it. I had cognitive effects, weight gain, and blurred vision.
fastcarbon
31 Oct 2012
kaismama: The major side effect I have is poor balance but I am at what is a pretty low dose level. I am very concerned with cognitive effects I had with gabapentin and hope this doesn't come back when my Lyrica dose is increased. So far I haven't experienced vision problems or weight gain so I will keep my fingers crossed. I do have some form of possible allergic reaction which consists of a sore throat and inflamation somewher between the lungs and throat. I called my physician to confirm it is just a virus that coincidently occured when I increased my dose from 150mg to 225mg. I haven't heard back yet. Thanks for your comments. fastcarbon
lola23
26 Nov 2013
hi I had bad blurred vision and loss of sensation of the right side
Inactive
31 Oct 2012
Hello fastcarbon. I did take Lyrica for over 3 years for fibromyalgia & the pain in my back & leg from a failed back surgery many years ago.. I had horrible side effects from Lyrica which did not go away. I finally had to stop it completely because of water weight gain, & high blood pressure it caused. It also made my vision quite blurry. If the gabapentin worked before, I would stick with that. I am giving you a link below about Lyrica. Wishing you the best...
https://www.drugs.com/lyrica.html
fastcarbon
31 Oct 2012
Thank you for your response. My blood pressure has increased. I hadn't attributed that to Lyrica but thought it might be due to increased pain when I changed from gabapentin. I don't have weight gain yet but have the same balance problem I had before the medication change. I haven't developed the brain fog/short term memory loss I had with gabapentin. With gabapentin I am pretty sure I couldn't return to work as it required a well functioning brain. Lyrica at 225mg has not resulted in brain fog but I wonder when the dose is increased due to a significant pain increase over gabapentin if I will get a reurn of the fog. I will check out the link you provided. Thank you.
Inactive
31 Oct 2012
You are welcome. Not everyone has all side effects listed, but quite a few members have had these problems with Lyrica. I never got past 225mg, & had to reduce it to 150 a day, & still had the side effects. Please check out the link I gave you as it lists the side effects. Now my husband takes gabepentin & he too has the brain fog at times. They are similar drugs, being siezure drugs used off label for pain. I don't think your sore throat is related to Lyrica, but you just never know. Some side effects are not listed because people don't take the time to report them. If this continues be sure to contact your doctor again. Another thing, your balance could be due to your pain if it affects your hip & leg like mines does...
Related topics
lyrica, pain, fibromyalgia, neuralgia, gabapentin, side effect
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