Nerve pain, Lyrica - Need to know!?!?!?

[ThalensMom]

Hi everybody! Quick update:
Marriage situation looks to be resolving... no divorce in our future! Actually getting along so well... we hate to be apart now.

Health wise... not too good. While I HAVE noticed less withdrawal symptoms... I've been gradually over the last 2 months getting worse and worse sciatic pain in my legs and general stiffness and pain in my lower back. Had x-rays and an MRI... docs can't see anything wrong.

I went to a orthopedist/sports medicine doc today and he evaluated me, I thought maybe I had a blown disc or a rotated hip or a problem with my SI joint that they couldn't see well on the scans. He's not too sure... and so after talking with me... he's super nice, too.... he got me set up with some physical therapy and gave me some prescriptions. One, I've taken before, Flexeril (cyclobenziprine) and another for Lyrica. The Lyrica is for the nerve pain in my legs.

Oh... I forgot to mention... the nerve pain in my legs and feet got so bad that I missed too much work because I couldn't bare to sit at a desk for 8 hours with minimal movement... and I lost my job on monday. VERY SAD and VERY UPSET about it... but I can't do anything about it now... so I'm just trying to move forward with getting better and finding another job that I'm good at that isn't so damn boring.

So... what I need to know is... anyone out there know much about Lyrica... and used for nerve pain. Side effects? Dosage?
He said to take 50 mg 2 times a day. And to always take it 2 times a day, not use it like tylenol or something and just take it when I have the pain. But the thing is... I don't ALWAYS have the nerve pain, and right now... I'm not working, so I've a little more active and not just sitting all day. So I don't have as much of the intense long periods of nerve pain in my legs and feet. SO... I'm so up in the air right now about what to do, if I should even get this RX filled or not. (It's gonna cost me a pretty penny, and with no more job... ugh.)

So please help if you can. I have done some minor research on the side effects like the dizziness and weight gain and all that... so I just need to know if it's worth the money and effort...

I go in to start the PTherapy on monday... looking forward to it!

[carolyn]

Originally Posted by ThalensMom

So... what I need to know is... anyone out there know much about Lyrica... and used for nerve pain. Side effects? Dosage?

Hi TM!

I was on Lyrica for nerve pain in late 2006, for about 2 months.

I took 50mg twice a day for about 3 weeks, then 25mg twice a day for about 3 weeks.

My experience with it was very positive.

I started taking it after having an epidural steroid injection for an impinged nerve -- I had a rare bad reaction to the epidural and wound up with way more nerve pain than the original pain! Oops.

The first few times I took the Lyrica I felt drunk -- like when your legs are kind of heavy and things don't move quite right. It cleared up after an hour or so, and after about a week I didn't have that at all anymore. I still drove to work, worked full time, etc.

That was the only side effect I had. It was non-addictive for me and tapering off was a breeze.

Since I was going to be on it for a short amount of time, my doc just gave me sample bottles free of charge.

Oh, and it worked wonders for the nerve pain. After the three weeks of being on Lyrica, the debilitating pain never came back. The injured arm still gives me some trouble sometimes but between the epidural and then the Lyrica, I'm doing almost as well as before my injury.

[roxygirl]

I have never taken Lyrica, but can say from a personal viewpoint, that PT is awesome, and the way to go! Good luck, keep us up to date!

[Lilly]

Hi Andrea,

I sympathise with what you are going through. I went through that stuff in w/d and it eventually went away on its own. So I don't know about Lyrica personaly but have heard of it before and looked it up at good drug information page.
Heres some information on it:

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic...-68370-73.html.

Make sure and read all the sections on it. Not trying to scare you just inform you. It looks like it is addicting and has some scary side effects. Of course its your decision, just be informed!

Lilly