RE: Lyrica or Gabapentin

[Guest guest]

I had anaphylaxis (throat closing issues) from the Neurotin(Gabapentin) after 3

doses. Never tried the Lyrica but won't be either with my allergy history.

Good Luck!

> wrote:

> Has anyone had any strange side effects to Lyrica or to Gabapentin??

[Guest guest]

> Hi

>

> Has anyone had any strange side effects to Lyrica or to Gabapentin??

>

> For some reason the Lyrica I have more pain and the doctors tell me that that

is NOT an allergy to that medicine. Now I think the Gabapentin does the same

even if I take it in small amounts 300mg, the 600mg broken in half.

>

>

>

,

I got shingles TWICE while on Lyrica, Lyrica made me gain thirty pounds in one

month and it like a hormonal weight gain not fluid, my feet and hands were

swollen, brain fog, blurred vision and when it first came out it was going to be

the cure all and then it got a black box warning on the side effects. It did

help and when my Fibro flares up, I take it only short term as it does help but

the side effects are not worth it. I had to take Valtrex for the shingles but

you have to take it within three days to be effective. I didn't know what it

was.

I get butterfly rashes over my checks and hot flushes. The bad thing is getting

off Lyrica there is a warning for stopping it cold turkey. I am taking Neurotin

now (Gavapentin) and I do increase it when I have extreme pain and it saved me

this past week as I had nerve irritation on my coccyx and it was killing me and

I took 600 mg three times a day.

I always read the medical inserts and check out the interactions that might

happen from the pdr site and also it said it takes at least three weeks to come

in effect.

Here it is:

• ell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription

medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are

taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: angiotensin

converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin, in Lotrel),

captopril (Capoten, in Capozide), enalapril (Vasotec, in Vaseretic, Lexxel),

fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril, in Prinzide, Zestoretic),

moexipril (Univasc, in Uniretic), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril, in

Accuretic, Quinaretic), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik, in Tarka);

antidepressants; antihistamines; medications for anxiety, including lorazepam

(Ativan); medications for mental illness or seizures; certain medications for

diabetes such as pioglitazone (Actos, in Duetact) and rosiglitazone (Avandia, in

Avandaryl, Avandamet); narcotic pain medications, including oxycodone

(OxyContin, in Percocet, others); sedatives; sleeping pills; and tranquilizers.

Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you

carefully for side effects.

• Hope that helps. Lyrica scares me, it is not an answer for me and I only take

it short term. There is a vaccination for shingles if you have it a lot, it

surprised me when I broke out with it and then it reappeared two weeks later and

when I did research it states that this is common and (now this is my

interpetation) we have the herpes zoster virus in us , the shingles appear when

our body is immune suppressed or under stress. Gee, how do I control that ?

You know how people say you can only get Chicken Pox (herpes zoster virus)

once, well I had it twice. Here is the info on that I found helpful:

What causes shingles?

Shingles occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox starts up again in your

body. After you get better from chickenpox, the virus " sleeps " (is dormant) in

your nerve roots. In some people, it stays dormant forever. In others, the virus

" wakes up " when disease, stress, or aging weakens the immune system. Some

medicines may trigger the virus to wake up and cause a shingles rash. It is not

clear why this happens. But after the virus becomes active again, it can only

cause shingles, not chickenpox.

You can't catch shingles from someone else who has shingles. But there is a

small chance that a person with a shingles rash can spread the virus to another

person who hasn't had chickenpox and who hasn't gotten the chickenpox vaccine.

What are the symptoms?

Shingles symptoms happen in stages. At first you may have a headache or be

sensitive to light. You may also feel like you have the flu but not have a

fever.

Later, you may feel itching, tingling, or pain in a certain area. That’s where a

band, strip, or small area of rash may occur a few days later. The rash turns

into clusters of blisters. The blisters fill with fluid and then crust over. It

takes 2 to 4 weeks for the blisters to heal, and they may leave scars. Some

people only get a mild rash, and some do not get a rash at all.

It’s possible that you could also feel dizzy or weak, or you could have

long-term pain or a rash on your face, changes in your vision, changes in how

well you can think, or a rash that spreads. If you have any of these problems

from shingles, call your doctor right away.

How is shingles treated?

Shingles is treated with medicines. These medicines include antiviral medicines

and medicines for pain.

Starting antiviral medicine right away can help your rash heal faster and be

less painful. So if you think you may have shingles, see your doctor right away.

I had the Shingles on my legs and I am trying to build up my immune system I was

recently surprised that my Vitamin D level dropped to a dangerous level and woke

up in ICU, I woke up in an altered state and the hospital thought I had a stroke

and I could not walk and had a sense of smothering. The hospital staff was

looking at my pain meds and I saw no Doctor and needed to take my thyroid and

kept asking for it and then told them I wanted to go AMA (against medical

advice), the nurse would not call the Doctor and came in the room offering me

" Ativan " (it is to calm people or also to treat druggies in withdrawls) . I had

not had my Morphine and was not asking for it , only my Thyroid but they were

treating me like it was a narcotic.

The Nurse was mad, I know and she called the Doctor and looked and my husband

and said, The Doctor wanted to make sure you signed this also. This pissed me

off so bad, I told her that my husband does not have power of attorney over me

and I am competent to get out of this hospital and go home to take my scheduled

medications since I cannot get medical care.

This is a sore issue with me as I come from the medical field and I have never

treated patients like this and I DID work in a VA hospital that were drug

addicts and alchoolics but they are people that have medical issues and need to

be treated with respect. Okay off my soapbox but I cannot take Lyrica long term

and I take Gabapetin instead. My Doctor prescribes like a prn for my flares.

Hoep that helps. Bennie

[Guest guest]

> Hi

>

> Has anyone had any strange side effects to Lyrica or to Gabapentin??

>

> For some reaon the Lyrica I have more pain and the doctors tell me that that

is NOT an allergy to that medicine. Now I think the Gabapentin does the same

even if I take it in small amounts 300mg, the 600mg broken in half.

>

,

If you want to read about hyperalgia, here is a link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperalgesia. I know some of our members go on

medication holidays and do not take their pain medications

so that when the start back the body has a greater effect. I take a timed opoid

so I would have to taper off what I am taking and start an opoid that is every

so many hours.

I know I am at the point of medication tolerant and my medication is not so

effective so I am going to discuss what other medication I can take and have a

plan.

I believe that pain patients do experience hyperalgia and that is when someone

actually has more pain on opoids thatn they had before taking them

You might want to check what other medications you are taking and they are

effecting the response to Lyrica. Lyrica is one strange medication and I want to

see long term studies.

It is effective with a lot of people. My Lyrica and Gabapentin are capsules,

how do you break them in half ? Good Luck. Bennie

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have taken both Lyrica and Neurontin (Gabapentin) in the past.  Unfortunately,

I suffered from many of the side effects that are listed for these meds. 

I had swollen hands and feet, blurry vision, and worst of all  PACKED ON over 20

pounds in about 6 weeks that took over 6 months to lose.  I do NOT need to gain

any weight.  The Neurontin also gave me pretty severe gastric upset. 

Kris in VA

-----

e Sease

melissa wrote:

Has anyone had any strange side effects to Lyrica or to Gabapentin??

[Guest guest]

> You can't catch shingles from someone else who has shingles. But there is a

small chance that a person with a shingles rash can spread the virus to another

person who hasn't had chickenpox and who hasn't gotten the chickenpox vaccine.

YES you can catch it from someone because I got it twice (12th grade

18yrs ~1987 & again 20yrs ~1990) from patients I was taking care of!!! And I

had Chickenpox in 8th grade so bad I was in the ICU.

This irks me because they told us this when my Mom was in the NH when they put a

patient with it in her room & she has no immune system. I had a small fit when

my Mom got sick and had to go to the hospital again. That was in October 2011

Last night my Mom came in to the Univ. of MN hospital, so today she told me and

the doctors this afternoon:

" My mom would rather go home and possibly die with her dogs than go to a

nursing home or rehab facility. Knowing that the doctors don't feel she is safe

to be home alone. "

[Guest guest]

Kris wrote:

> I have taken both Lyrica and Neurontin (Gabapentin) in the past.

Unfortunately, I suffered from many of the side effects that are listed for

these meds.

> I had swollen hands and feet, blurry vision, and worst of all PACKED ON over

20 pounds in about 6 weeks that took over 6 months to lose. I do NOT need to

gain any weight. The Neurontin also gave me pretty severe gastric upset.

Ditto for me Kris. I took Neurontin years ago, and within a few days, I

felt like I was coming apart from the inside out. :-)

I had early onset cataracts and had to have surgery on both eyes. When I

started on Lyrica, I started puffing up on day 2, on day 3 I woke up and

my vision was so blurry that it scared the hell out of me. I didn't

take my morning dose of Lyrica and called my pain doctor. He said

" Whatever you do, don't take any more Lyrica! " So, I stirred the pills

into the cat litter I was taking to the trash, and that was the end of

that. It took about a week for my vision to return to normal.

If those things can cause so many wicked side effects, it makes me

wonder what permanent damage they're quietly doing.

Lyndi

[Guest guest]

Ok I have been a spectator for a long time, so I think I will chime in.

Gabapentin caused me to gain 60 pounds in the year I took it and barely touched

my symptoms. Since starting Lyrica I have found much more relief of my

symptoms, but I do have some side effects: Shaky hands and occasional twitches

or tremors. At this point after 10 years of suffering through the VA trying to

get the right meds (I have several military related conditions, from exposure to

different chemicals, and my duties), I am content with the side effects for the

benefits I am getting (but I am also on a pretty high dose 600mg a day). It is

amplified I guess for me because I refuse to take

narcotic pain killers so I needed something that would control the pain without

being narcotic.

Rev. Dr. J. Hassertt, Jr.

................................................................

Faith and Disability?

Success Through Challenges for a Joyful Life

<http://www.faithanddisability.org/> Visit Us on the Web

> Kris wrote:

> I have taken both Lyrica and Neurontin (Gabapentin) in the past.

Unfortunately, I suffered from many of the side effects that are listed for

these meds.

[Guest guest]

> wrote:

> Since starting Lyrica I have found much more relief of my symptoms,

Rev ,

I am glad it helps, watch it as it has an accumulative effect and will actually

give you some of the same effects of narcotics, brain fog, confused thinking,

dry mouth etc.

I am always amazed that people who do not want to take narcotics because of the

features of them but realize Lyrica is controlled med also. I am glad it helps

Some warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to taking Lyrica include:

� Lyrica is a controlled substance, meaning that it has the potential to be

abused. If you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, it may not be the best

medication for you (see Lyrica Abuse).

� As with most seizure medications, stopping Lyrica too quickly can increase

your risk of seizures and other problems (seeLyrica Withdrawal).

� Lyrica increases the risk of tumors in mice. It is not known if Lyrica

increases the risk of tumors in humans.

� Make sure to see how Lyrica affects you before driving or operating any

machinery, as Lyrica can cause drowsiness and dizziness. In general, you should

avoid alcohol while taking Lyrica, due to the risk of increased drowsiness.

� Lyrica can cause vision problems, especially blurred vision or double

vision. Let your healthcare provider know if you notice vision problems while

taking Lyrica.

� Lyrica can cause weight gain (see Lyrica and Weight Gain). Let your

healthcare provider know if you experience weight gain while taking Lyrica.

� Studies suggest that Lyrica increases the risk of fluid retention,

especially in the arms, hands, legs, and feet. This can be a sign of congestive

heart failure (especially if accompanied by difficulty breathing or chest pain).

Fluid retention may also make congestive heart failure worse. Talk with your

healthcare provider right away if you notice fluid retention. Rapid unexplained

weight gain can be a sign of fluid retention.

� Let your healthcare provider know if you have muscle pain, weakness, or

tenderness, especially if you also have fatigue and a fever. These can be signs

of a dangerous muscle problem called rhabdomyolysis.

� Lyrica can cause low platelets (a certain type of blood cells), which can

increase your risk of bleeding. While you are taking Lyrica, be sure to watch

for any unusual bruising or bleeding.

� Studies suggest that Lyrica can cause an irregular heart rhythm

(arrhythmia). Let your healthcare provider know if you have an arrhythmia.

� Let your healthcare provider know if you have kidney disease, as you may

need a lower Lyrica dosage.

� Lyrica can interact with certain other medications (see Lyrica Drug

Interactions).

� Lyrica is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that it

may not be safe for pregnant women -- though the full risks of taking this drug

during pregnancy are not known. Talk with your healthcare provider about the

risks and benefits of taking the drug during pregnancy (see Lyrica and

Pregnancy).

� It is not known if Lyrica passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are

breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, discuss this with your healthcare provider

prior to taking the drug (see Lyrica and Breastfeeding).

� Early evidence suggests that seizure medications, including Lyrica, may

increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors(see Seizure Medications and

Suicide for more information).

Just be aware and watch for symptoms, My vision symptoms did not occur for a

month and it took 6 months to take off the thirty pounds I gained in one month.

It is not a fluid type weight gain but like a hormonal type weight gain for me

and others and took a long time to get off. Good Luck and glad for the pain

relief.

Chime in more ..Bennie

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the warning!

Rev. Dr. J. Hassertt, Jr.

>Bennie wrote:

Rev ,

Just be aware and watch for symptoms, My vision symptoms did not occur for a

month and it took 6 months to take off the thirty pounds I gained in one

month. It is not a fluid type weight gain but like a hormonal type weight

gain for me and others and took a long time to get off. Good Luck and glad

for the pain relief.

[Guest guest]

Re; Lyrica or Neurontin

Lyrica is more expensive of the two but for me it works the best. I

did not gain weight and actually lost 25 lbs over a 4 month period. I

had so much back pain besides the neuropathy so did not feel like

eating.

I did have a serious problem when I took 100 mg. 4 x's a day and my

blood pressure was sky high. made my fitst ambulance trip as I had

totally went out of my head. I came home the same day and went to 50

mg. 1to 3x's a day as needed which has worked quite well for me.

The neurontin made me disoriented and had many falls so that was when

I went on the lyrica.

In Oct. I had plates and screws removed from a back surgery 11 years

ago then new fusion and plates and screws were put just above that

area. It has been six months and I have much more pain A month ago he

did n SI injection which flared the neuropathy up.

I cannot recommend surgery or injections He also removed a lot of

arthritis and supposedly helped the stenosis. He is rated as a top

neurosurgeon but this where I am at. I still use a walker and trying

very hard to walk straight. In his defense I have severe scoliosis.

I covered two topics and hope it helps someone else with their decison making.