LauraShel...... with your insurance and drs can cut yoi cold turkey, not obligated to wean! I was on 300mgs three times a day when there were troubles with insurance, couldn't afford it and my dr could do nothing to even help me wean! Needless to say, i had no choice but to quit it all at once and WOW, I have never in my life had withdrawals like that. Lasted 2+ weeks and i suffered hot/cold flashes, sweats, tremors, fidgeting, twitching, insomnia, vomitting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, mood swings, anxiety, crying... i wanted to die. It did help with my pain but the withdrawal i experienced was insane, incredibly hard and to me, not worth it. Now, you couldn't pay me to take it or anything like it again! If something makes you feel that insanely miserable without it, then something is definitely wrong/scary/dangerous about it. Use extreme caution please! If something out of your control causes you to have no choice but to withdrawal from it, then God help you. I would've rather withdrew from every single drug I've ever taken or tried, all at once, then go through that again
Lyrica - Please be very careful with this medication!! It is very expensive if something goes wrong
- Posted:
- 12 Jan 2012 by LauraShell31
- Topics:
- lyrica, persisting pain -- shingles, fibromyalgia, insurance, medication
Responses (4)
Candbeseen
Anonymous Anonymous 12 Jan 2012
Hi Ladies, I went through very bad withdrawals going off Celexa and Wellbutrin too. It is the nature of these drugs to alter the brain chemistry so much and that affects sooo many body and mental (mood) functions that it's no surprise that removing them from the brain abruptly will cause havoc on us.
Don't get me started on this topic!!! Not only that but who knows about the affects AFTER we get off them? what is the long term damage, this is our Brains and the pharmaceutical companies experiment on us. Does y'all realize that most of these drugs are only on trial for about 13 weeks and then approved? what happenes after the 13 weeks of taking them? There is no guarantee given or even expected for them to even work longer than that. I suspect thats why many of us get benefits from these drugs for a period of time and then out of the blue they stop working!! Then it's on to another one.
Anonymous 12 Jan 2012
Holy shiznit mindy!! Only 13 weeks of testing? No wonder you go the holistic route first, smart woman!! I find that quite terrifying, 13 weeks!!
I am tapering (as of today) off Zanaflex. I've gone cold turkey off so many med trials for fibro drugs that I have a list of what I've tried. The only real problems I had was cold turkey off of oxycontin.
THIRTEEN weeks? Amazing!!
Thank you Mindy for that info!! I shall not be a guinea pig any longer!!
Your friend,
Lara
Anonymous 12 Jan 2012
I read all the original literature about Savella, as it is called here in the US. It was first manufactured in Europe under the name Milnacipran generic, and is currectly on the market under many different names all over the world. It was meant to be taken for 9 months! Is it a wonder then that many folks find it stops working for fibro? It is an anti-depressant but they saw it helped fibro so started marketing it that way here for ONLY fibro. Thats misleading. Many anti-depressants are only meant to be taken for 9 months, not forever..There is great confusion over the diagnosis of "depression", it's not one thing. There's major depressive disorder, situational depression, some caused biologically not mentally, etc etc ... there are many sub categories of it and all are very different. Look up the components of these drugs "separately" and you get the gist of how complicated and far reaching the affects are on us.
Candbeseen
Mary63200912 Jan 2012
LauraShell, welcome to the site. I take Lyrica & know about what can happen especially at that dose. I know your doc should have some samples that they could have given you to reduce so you did not have this problem. I am so surprised they let you just stop at that dosage. You could have had a seizure! I have the # for patient assitance to get your Lyrica if it was helping with your pain. It is Pfizer labs patient assitance: 1-800-646-2455. I would call them & see if you can get back on it if it was helping you. Sometimes they will send it to you for free. Good luck girl. Don't know what I would do without mine... Mary632009
Anonymous 12 Jan 2012
Hi Mary, I was going to tell LauraShell about you, but I just knew you would answer this Q!!
Love,
Lara P.S. Just emailed you, please look for it, need your help!!!
Lara
xoxo
LauraShell31
12 Jan 2012
Thx for the info, but i have been off of it for almost three months and would rathet have the pain than to withdrawl from that again. They are trying to give me neurontin, but im even too scared to take that since it works similarly.
*Laura*
Mary632009Search for questions
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No doubt! Was one of the worst experiences of my life. Lol. I told my husband that drs are gonna get a bunch of ppl hooked and soon you'll see ppl turning tricks just to get a Lyrica!!! Haha. Yeah, im happy to be rid of that vice... it's very dangerous and addictive stuff.