Lyrica - Has anyone complained about sleepwalking?

Question

My husband injured his back many years ago. Has bak cage in back and recently fell resulting in another herniated disk. Lyrica was recently added to his long list of pain meds. He has started sleep walking since starting lyrica. He has days he can't sleep at all, then will nod off right in the middle of talking. He many times has woke up in other rooms of the house not knowing why he is there.

Answer

I have been sleepwalking twice on Lyrica I went to sleep on a couch it was still light out side and I woke up when my foot hit the window seal as I was falling out a window that was a second story that I knew was that high I thought my back was broke but thank God it was two compound fractures on my left arm It was terrifying just can't stop thinking of how scary it feels when I was falling When I hit the ground it felt like it took all the breath out of my body

Answer

Hi. Yes. I work in Health Care... have some diagnoses which all lead to, in some form or fashion, chronic pain. Without comparing apples to oranges, the silly rhetorical analogy that I personally consider has no value, let's simply compare Pregabalin to Gabapentin. An apple to an apple but a different type of apple in the same orchard. Pregabalin definitely shows much stronger binding agents to the receptors in a brain vs. that of Gabapentin. Many pharmacologists report though that it has fewer side effects than gabapentin and it may be better tolerated. I found that to be the opposite in my case. And this is under reported imho. Both medications are considered; Anticonvulsant - GABA Analogs. Pregabalin however has extremely rapid absorption and binding to Alpha 2 Delta, and due to the strength and rapidness in which it binds, I believe it should be classified as a Dissociative and/or Anxiolytic.

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For both classes of drugs are related to the GABAergic system. However, the extreme rapid absorption/binding... makes a difference in many people... put it this way... all houses are not wired by the same electrician while pathways to the fuse box are similar, you can have ground loops, devices sharing the same circuit in the fuse box. Pain travels different circuits or can reroute in the body and no nervous system is has the exact same wiring. We develop new neuropathways, both good and bad as a coping mechanism or as an advantage to persevere and overcome deficiencies in pathways.

Pregabalin at night had a disassociate effect or hypnotic effect or both on me and I have read about his side effect in others, but not Gabapentin. There's a reason why the FDA classified it as a controlled substance and pharmaceutical companies don't always want their new medication to be classified or potentially classified as one particular type; there are dangerous side effects associated with certain medications. BTW: I slept walked on it... and I could not come out of this state, thank goodness I had my loved one there to watch me has I travelled all about the house. It seemed like an endless maze (as I continued to seek a place to sleep with extreme restlessness, I also felt an exasperation of pain; I do remember an escalation in nerve pain in my calf muscles which increased my sleeplessness, restlessness, anxiety; Besides sleep walking looking for a place to sleep... I appeared to be seeking relief, wanting to take Ibuprofen or another dosage of Pregabalin (faintly remember opening cupboards, my loved one watching me and then redirecting me. I was fortunate my loved one was providing protection, safety, and advocacy for me. I would also like to state I took the regular prescribed dosage; I am not in the category of caution for substance or polysubstance abuse. One factor to consider. When I did take the medication, I was experiencing anxiety from my occupation, due to chronic pain and difficulties and stressors to meet the workload; obviously anxiety has an effect on one's nervous system.

Answer

I started taking pregabalin about 2 months ago and some strange stuff has been happening... I kept waking up to find I had eaten stuff from about the house.. i have binned all my medication while asleep.. hidden my pillows from my bed and even took scissors to 2 night dresses and cut them up which is sad as I liked them a lot... I spend most of my mornings trying to remember the night before... it's worse then being drunk.

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Hi, Lyrica is quite commonly prescribed to help stop sleep walking, rather than cause it... it may be that an interaction between the medications is occurring? It would be useful to discuss this possibility with your doctor. I have taken Lyrica for years and i have not experienced this.

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I used to take it for nerve damage and I never had any problems with sleepwalking but a lot of water retention and  weight gain  and blurry vision

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Sleepiness/drowsiness are common side effects. But you say your husband is on a long list of medications. There is also notation of memory loss. So what he is experiencing are listed side effects of this drug. Perhaps it's not a good med for him. How long has he been on it?
I would suggest you speak with your doctor, and take a list of ALL his meds, and explain the symptoms he is experiencing. I realize the doctor has knowledge of all his meds, but sometimes it's a problem of having to look through his records to find them listed in a neat little list. So take your list and hand it to him. It will help him in trying to find a different drug. Best of luck!

Lyrica - Has anyone complained about sleepwalking?

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