Lyrica and Blurred Vision: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Gen...
• July 6, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I was on Lyrica for a total of four days. It got rid of my pain (almost completely!), but the side effects were terrible. I got anxious, depressed, confused, blurred vision, and a general 'high' (not a good high) feeling. I felt very dumb and had a lot of trouble articulating my thoughts. Overall, a terrible drug for me. The side effects outweighed the benefits of this medication."

• Puf...
• September 13, 2010

For Peripheral Neuropathy "It is difficult to rate this medication. I have all forms of neuropathy, very painful, and Lyrica has been the best so far at eliminating pain, allowing me to overcome the insomnia from the neuropathy and opiate medication, even at very small doses. I take 50 mg once daily before bed, and it works. The problem is the side effects, the worst being that after three days, my eyesight is so degraded that I cannot drive, I cannot read anything on the television 6 feet away, there is some eye pain, and my eyes seem dry and burning. Eye problems can be serious: wandering eye, crossed eyes, and most commonly blurred vision. It also causes peripheral edema in my legs and feet."

• Tef...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 8, 2017

For Neuropathic Pain "Taking Lyrica for spinal cord injury. Started with 75 mg daily. Seemed to stop the severe burning in my feet, but I have memory problems with blurred vision. The doctor has upped the meds to 150 mg 2X daily. Not sure how I'm going to react to that. I'll report back in a week or two if I have a brain left."

• Anonymous
• October 5, 2009

For Pain "My neurosurgeon prescribed Lyrica after a lumbar fusion at L5-S1 to control pain. It worked great and allowed me to sleep when no other medication helped. I started at a higher dose and then, as I felt better and better, I only took it at night. After about 4 months, I was ready to go back to work. I found myself unmotivated and disinterested. When I spoke to my GP about this, he made the connection between Lyrica and my general malaise, noting that it is also used for anxiety, which I did not have. After that, we worked to wean the dosage down, and I stopped taking it after a few weeks. My side effects included a long time to wake up, general uncoordination upon waking, and some bouts of blurred vision. I did not experience weight gain."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2018

For Fibromyalgia "I started on Lyrica 150 mg twice a day. I am 68 years old and could not tolerate the side effects. The medication did relieve the pain of fibromyalgia and helped me sleep at night. However, it gave me instant dementia. My short-term memory was gone. The doctor reduced the dosage to 75 mg two times a day. I could only take it at night because of drowsiness. It also caused blurred vision. Dementia continued, and I was forced to stop the medication. It works for the pain, but the side effects are bad."

• Anonymous
• March 10, 2009

For Pain "I had laminectomy surgery in 2003, which was about 40% effective. I still have constant sharp pain in my left testicle, recurring burning pain in my left calf, and lower back pain. For years after surgery, I have had acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, and medications. I have taken methadone, morphine, and oxycodone for 4 years. Now I have been taking Lyrica for a year. For the first 6-7 months, it was like a wonder drug. It worked as well as anything else, aside from dry mouth, weight gain, and blurred vision. Now it's not working so well. An MRI showed I have many broad-based disc bulges, spondylosis, stenosis, and arthritis. Now looking at fusion surgery. Lyrica has worked for me, however, it seems to be less effective than when I began taking it."

• For...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 24, 2017

For Neuropathic Pain "Initial euphoric effects wore off, so dosage was increased. Was told it would treat nerve pain and later told it was good for anxiety. My anxiety got worse on the medication, as when it was due or late, I was ill. It has addictive qualities I do not like. My health took a nosedive on this, and I had to come off due to blurred vision, weight gain, and blocked bowel. My doctor advised decreasing by 75mg a week. My first drop was hell, it completely threw me into a panic as I felt so ill. No one explained withdrawal when I saw medics in a state, no one comforted me, saying it could be the reduction was too high/quick for me. After all, in hindsight, if I felt unwell late taking one dose, then dropping 75mg wouldn't be helpful quickly. Lower doses are not easy to get as more costly to the NHS, etc."

• pac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2017

For Neuropathic Pain "My doctor prescribed me Lyrica for some trivially mild ulnar tunnel syndrome. Within about a week of taking just 75 mg per day (once before bedtime), I developed horrible anxiety, insomnia, muscle tremors, and suicidal thoughts. My vision blurred as well, but it wasn't severe. It's been eleven days now since I've stopped taking Lyrica, and most of the side effects have gone. The anxiety is still there, but it's no longer as bad as it was. Had I known about any of this, I would have just applied hot packs to my wrist and waited for it to heal by itself. The side effects were totally not worth it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 16, 2018

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "I’m 52 with a good deal of diabetic neuropathy, mainly stabbing pain, occasionally burning or feeling frozen, like frostbite. I tried Gabapentin first, which was moderately effective. My doctor suggested Lyrica, which was only slightly better than Gabapentin. However, the Lyrica was effective enough at 100 mg TID. Lyrica has a calming effect and provides me a mild mood boost. It’s nowhere near as powerful as opiates, though, for pain control. I also accidentally discovered it all but eliminated opiate withdrawal. I was still restless, brain dead, and exhausted for a week, but almost all the other awful symptoms I had been through before in pain medication withdrawal never materialized. Unwelcome side effects for me have been feeling “drunk” with blurred vision for a couple of hours after taking it. I’ve also stopped and restarted it without major withdrawals. I know some people have significant withdrawals from Lyrica, but I’ve not experienced that."

• dan...
• February 4, 2017

For Neuralgia "After spinal injury, I suffered neuralgia in my legs. The doctors tried multiple drugs, some were worthless, and some of the others were dangerous. Lyrica caused blurring of vision and tremors. Looking for something to make me feel better. Lyrica was not it."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I am 37 with multiple illnesses, fibromyalgia, diabetes, arthritis, and schizophrenia being the top 4. My doctor put me on 300 mg of Lyrica 3 times a day. Initially, it stopped my severe symptoms of fibromyalgia. I began to have sleeplessness, which became 3 hours of sleep every other night. My legs from knee down began to tingle, then it felt like worms crawling in them. I had fuzzy vision, and then 60 voices came out in my head, very loud and clear. My doctor refused to stop Lyrica, I stopped taking it, and within a month, the side effects disappeared."

• Anonymous
• February 14, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "Diagnosed with fibromyalgia 19 yrs ago, no pain medicines until 5 yrs ago. Electro-acupuncture is great, but hard to find/afford. Heating pads aren't therapeutic, I sleep on 4 ice packs (I know, eeww, but whatever works). They help with inflammation, try them. Lyrica gave me agonizing, shooting pains from deep within shoulder and hip joints down humerus and femur, and unwelcome 35 lb weight gain, and blurry vision that meant I couldn't drive. Lyrica was useless for me, so glad you all have something to fight this fibromyalgia."

• Anonymous
• November 2, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "Been on Lyrica for 6 months now. 100 mg 2x daily. Has worked great for pain relief. Side effects for me include dizziness and blurred vision. Have tried to change to Savella to see if the same relief would happen without side effects, but after 3 days off Lyrica, I started to feel really bad. No weight gain, but I do stay very active."

• JMa...
• February 5, 2018

For Neuropathic Pain "I suffer from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome after I rolled an ATV and crushed my right leg. I have significant nerve damage from the accident. I started taking Lyrica ($350/mo) and started to notice a decrease in my constant leg pain. About 6 months after starting Lyrica, I started to get restless leg syndrome in both legs (literally, my legs were jumping off of the bed) and my hands began to twitch. My memory was slowly fading, and my vision became blurry. I stopped taking Lyrica when I found out that the symptoms could become permanent. Lyrica withdrawal is awful. It's like having the flu x 1000. Nasty stuff."

• Dis...
• April 6, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I have had FMS for 4 years, but was not officially diagnosed until 1 year ago. Since that time, I have taken several medications. My doctor and I are trying to find which drug or combination of drugs will help. I took Lyrica for 5 months and had some serious side effects: 40 lbs weight gain, swelling in my hands, feet, and ankles, and blurred vision. I was not pain-free, and the cost per month was half of my rent."

• Kur...
• January 8, 2018

For Neuropathic Pain "I took this for 2 days at the end of a benzo taper to help with hopefully a soft landing for stopping altogether. First night was okay and helped with sleep. 2nd day, I felt uncomfortably intoxicated. Vision was blurred, decreased motor coordination, could not find words. In hindsight, probably should not have driven to work, and I'm fortunate I had a project to work on away from others that day. Because I felt like a lunatic. Anyway, it took about 3 full days to return to baseline. Obviously, with all meds, your mileage may vary. This one wasn't/isn't for me."

• Dav...
• April 23, 2013

For Neuropathic Pain "Helps decrease the amount of nerve pain but does not eliminate it completely. Decreases about 50%. Side effects noticed: blurred vision and constipation."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2012

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Lyrica for 1.5 years, and it took away 90% nerve pain. HUGE weight gain, 30 lbs, blurry vision, A LOT of swelling throughout my body, confusion."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "When I took Lyrica, I gained 40 lbs, and my eyes were blurry. Once I got off the medicine, it has been still hard to lose the weight. It did work for my leg pain, but the side effects were too much!"

• Anonymous
• May 25, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "Caused migraines and blurred vision."