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Hello, I'm from Canada and I was wondering if anyone else has noticed the increased push of Lyrica? I have nerve damage due to a botched hysterectomy, now have an ileostomy ( complete), severe back and leg pain, swelling body, tender heels which make walking diffulcult at times. Much more, but long story short I have seen several doctors, and now attend a pain managment clinic with our city"s supposive best MD's. I'm currently taking Morphine 60mg/ 4 times daily, it takes edge off and allows me to function reasonably well. The new proclaimed cure all Lyrica!! is literally being forced upon people. I had tried Gabapatin before with bad side effects(swollen tongue, ostomy shutdown, severe headaches etc.) refused to continue, and went back on Morphine. That was about 11 month's ago, now things are getting weird here, it seems no matter what problem you have Lyrica is for you. The push of this drug in Canada is becoming no longer a choice but an ultimatum. I had made it clear that I had a reaction to Gabapatin and I know that it is in the same drug family, but doctor's here do not like you to have an opinion. I'm seriously concerned that at the end of this month I will be told that it's Lyrica, that I should be grateful for, or if I refuse it will be Methadone period. Does anyone else see this PUSH? Thank's for letting me vent. Tavish
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Literally, the worst drug I've ever taken. Took it for 3 wks. for fibromyalgia as part of a plan to step down from heavy corticosteroids (prednisone, for another AutoImmune disorder, Polymyalgia Rheumatica). Within days, the side effects started. By the time I came off the drug almost 4 wks. later, I'd had practically every ADR that didn't involve organ failure or death. Seriously. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, disorientation (fell 5 times in first 3 days alone; nearly broke my leg when I lost my balance and took a header while walking down a sidewalk with a steep decline in Washington, DC about 2 days later), bruising, edema, dry mouth, blurred vision, weight gain, increased hunger, fever, increased fatigue, breathing problems--you name it, I probably had it. I found the ADR table at RxList.com and printed it out, checked off the reactions I had, and handed it to my GP; you could count the number of unchecked reactions on 2 hands and have fingers left over. To top it all off, it did NOTHING for my pain. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Two weeks after stopping the drug and returning to steroids, I'm still battling pain levels significantly higher than before I started.
Go online and check ANY health site with people discussing medications and adverse reactions. The number of Lyrica posts are shocking, but even more shocking is the sheer uniformity of them. They all tell the same story: Took Lyrica for ____, had nothing but problems with it, never really did much for _____, came off Lyrica, still battling some of the side effects. How this drug ever made it onto the market as a "treatment" for fibromyalgia is truly beyond me. Pfizer should be ashamed of themselves for inflicting this on FM patients who are usually already almost at their wits' end dealing with the pain, stiffness, fatigue, etc. The FDA needs a clue-by-four as a wakeup call--it's time to get strict with pharmaceutical manufacturers again and say, "Unless you can PROVE your medicine's benefits outweigh its risks, and unless you can PROVE your medication actually HELPS the condition it's purported to treat, you won't be allowed to bring it to market. Gotta have proof, and lots of it." Do we really need another Baycol situation, where a drug is known by the manufacturer to have deadly dangerous side effects and still the FDA does nothing until people start dying? Another Crestor? Another Fen-Phen? Another Vioxx?
Rant over...for now.
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I have been taking Lyrica four months now for Fibromyalgia pain. I have had Fibro for over 10 years and my Rheumatologist had prescribing Neurontin in increasing levels and I was up to 1200 mg. per day. I did not notice any relief or difference from taking it, so when Lyrica was available I asked for some samples to try it. He started me on 50 mg at bedtime and recently increased it to 75 mg at bedtime. Well, let me tell you that at first I was sure this was my miracle drug! The pain went away almost immediately, but then I started noticing some changes going on in my body. I did not have the side effects in the back of my mind so I was not focusing on them, rather the fact that I could move again without pain! Then, I began to become concerned. I have had a chronic cough for 4 monthis now (the same length of time I have been taking the Lyrica). I have had to go for breathing treatments and am now using an inhaler, which I had not been doing before Lyrica. I had a period of about three to four weeks when I swear I had Whooping Cough. Then, getting the cough a bit under control (but not completely gone) I started having involuntary ticks and muscle spasms when I am resting. I cannot sleep for any length of time and when I do, the dreams are vivid and disturbing. I have recently noticed a lot of extremity edema and abdominal swelling, and try to push fluids. They go in but done come out! I have probably gained about 35 pounds since starting the drug so now I am concerned about trying to lose that. I was laying in bed this evening trying to go to sleep and I am still awake. I was awake one day (and night) this past week for almost 48 hours, and I have to work. I am exhaused from the muscle spasms and ticks and embarrassed to tell my boyfriend about it. I keep getting up after he comes to bed so he doesn't notice my jerky movements. Just today I fell down while walking and I have had recent bouts of memory loss. So, I got up from bed tonight and Googled my concerns and was directed to this Website. I am floored by so many posts from people with most of the same concerns. In addition, I realized that the swelling in my body could also cause heart failure and I am already taking a blood pressure medicine. After all of this information, I have decided not to take Lyrica anymore. I am on such a low dosage that there should not be a problem with quitting cold turkey. I am scared for my life now! I appreciate all of the valid posts from everyone...you may just have saved me. Thanks, all.
Last edited by 1topgal (2008-04-06 03:09:33)
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1topgal
Memory loss can be devistating , I haven't had lyrica for 15 months , anyway , about 3 months ago 3 girls walked up the hallway in our house , one looked "familiar" , she walked up to me & said " Hi Dad" ! , it was my 18y/o daughter , then it took me an hour or so to remember her name .. I don't think the Dr believes me . Another day I had to go to the Dr , all I remember is being weighed , thats all , apparently my wife then took me to the hospital for a blood test , got a tyre checked on the car , and I have no idea of this happening .
The only thing I have got out of taking this stuff is "More Pain" 35lb increase , swollen legs , feet & belly , continuious cramp in ribs & sternum & shocking dreams , crazy sleeping hours , normally 1.5 to 3 hrs but being awake 35-40 hrs is not uncommon , and most of the usual side effects .
The doctors gave me lyrica to replace Prednisone . Geesh , it's got side effects but nothing like Lyrica , it might work for some people but Wow , for me it's just plain DANGEROUS
A-L
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I was prescribed Lyrica for injuries from a car accident and the resulting neuropathy. I took myself OFF the medication after nine months because I was a blooming idiot who couldn't remember anything, and I fell down if I blinked wrong. I had HORRID leg cramps, I would wake up yelling. THEN I was diagnosed with calcified Granulatomatous disease (granulos changes are a side effect), Hilar Lymphadenopathy (lymphatic changes are a side effect), Polycythemia Vera which is a HORRID disease, it is a bone marrow disease that is classified as blood cancer since the disease mimics leukemia (Polycythemia is a side effect, mine went full blown to Vera rather than stopping at secondary). THEN they found a cyst on my Adrenal gland and kidney (renal changes are a side effect). NO ONE wants to say the Lyrica caused all of my problems, but it seems funny to me my health tanked AFTER I started taking the Lyrica! I have spent the last year and a half and thousands of dollars getting my health back together. THANKFULLY my mental faculties are slowly returning, and the leg cramps are subsiding and reducing in frequency slowly. The Polycythemia Vera is here to stay, but my counts are stablizing. My body absorbed the cysts, but now I have to "wait out" all the hormonal imbalances the cysts caused, and that is HORRID. The Granulatomatous disease can't be "cured" but it can be quelled by getting the Lymphadenopathy in check. Getting the Granulatomatous under control is IMPORTANT, if it goes Chronic, I will have to live in a bubble. The Lymphadenopathy, still there, abdomen is still bloated, lymph nodes still stinging, and that is NEXT on my fix list. My results are not "typical" and are in the "rare" category, but my system is VERY sensitive to any kind of medication. If your system is sensitive, take Lyrica with caution, start out with LOW doses. If you notice any changes SPEAK UP LOUD, and don't let the end result be another pill to offset the symptoms of the Lyrica. Be careful or you will end up like me, BROKE from paying to fix all the damage Lyrica caused, and dealing with a devastating disease for which there is no cure.
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