After using Lyrica for about a year (maybe more, can't remember) I've had enough chances to experiment. If taken with some other euphoriant like an opiate (high dose codeine / fent / tramadol is all I have experience with) it can be extremely euphoric but will numb some of the aspects of the opiates.
One of my favourite cocktails is 600-750mg Lyrica, 400-500mg codeine (I had quite a tolerance so it's a lowish dose for me - will probably feel stronger now) and 4-5 really good HBWR seeds, enough to make you see patterns in textures without concentrating, but not too much that the walls start melting. Not too psychedelic or inciteful but extremely euphoric if anything. I take Cardura and Prexium to counteract the increase in bl pressure from the LSA. I don't do it often because I can feel the vascular constriction properties of HBWR - I have an undiagnosed problem with bl pressure fluctuations in both directions (kidneys+heart perfect - stupid ass docs don't know WTF) it goes from too low 80/50 to ST3 to hypertensive crisis 250/150 (only in hospital - never been higher than 200/110 at home). Any ways, the Lyrica + opiate is to modify the stimulating body load from the HBWR from uncomfortable to something extremely enjoyable. You feel like you're floating on clouds if you close your eyes - I can't imagine taking HBWR by itself. Give it a try if you have used all the ingredients before and take a smaller dose of opiate than usual, increase as required.
Most I've taken is 1,500mg which kept me awake, was stimulating - I had taken large doses of Midazolam for the past few days, in the order of 80mg / day for 5 days which is about 6x the max dose. After stopping, that I night I got that feeling of cold, shock and panic about nothing. I realized that maybe I might be experiencing some sort of panic attack or w/d symptom from taking so much Midaz. and abruptly stopping, it had happened the previous time I did it - I was using so much because I was so desperate to get to sleep the past few days (practically bed ridden with pain - chronic insomniac) and the Midazolam was working for 2-3 hours at a time and then I'd wake up in pain. Also I know Lyrica has been trialled in alcohol + benzo w/d so I decided to increase the amount.
I swear the Lyrica + "Midazollamed after-party" made me trip, I saw extremely vivid CEVs - Midazolam is known to do that if you take continuously and stop, Lyrica does so too at high doses, together they were a GABA psychedelic experience - if someone can explain that? Dreaming while you're awake - I felt like I was in a dream the whole time. I watched the movie Alexander on TV and well, you know how psychs or weed make movies more intense? Same goes for this combo - except I eventually didn't know WTF was going on. Just watching pictures, closing my eyes periodically to "see" the sound. I had to use my laptop to check out the plot afterwards. The colours were blurred and it was very difficult to recognize who was who, even though I have a large TV set running from a clear digital source (at first I thought it was the TV and started messing with it like a retard). The Lyrica helps with the paranoia of the Midaz w/d but it's not really a nice experience because you still feel a bit crappy. Maybe 0.5mg Xanax or Clonazepam would go down well with that.
The long term side effects of chronic use are low levels of concentration, impaired cognitive abilities (my spelling has gone to shit - getting better as the dose drops), lack of motivation, lack of drive, loss of vocab. I'm keen to get off it so I can get on with my life without having a chemical impair my thinking everyday. It's a major impairment - now I know how some of the dumber guys at school must have felt. Although I can still churn out source code like a machine, if push comes to shove - I'm just not as inciteful in the boardroom - or I struggle to phrase my sentences, which previously had almost perfect grammar and diverse vocab - obviously this is where your intellect is important in securing clients. The worst thing is forgetting what went on in important meetings or getting a project from the boss and totally forgetting absolutely everything he said about it - worse if you start arguing with him and tell him he's mad
I will be using amps for my next big meeting with clients who will bring in a lot of money - wish it could be modafinil but it's diffcult to get in my situation. My docs all pass the buck because they all think it's almost exactly like adderall / ritalin / desoxyn / dexedrine and has the same abuse potential.
So watch out for long term side effects - OFF TOPIC: I'd hate to be taking other psychoactive anti-convulsant meds. My uncle recently was misdiagnosed with epilepsy and he spent a whole night staring at the fire because he was seeing weird patterns and fractals (lol). He hated it. His epilepsy turned out to be bl pressure meds messing with his white blood cells. BACK OT:
It's cool to take every now and then - and a total GODSEND for neuralgia. I had to take 3600mg x 3 Neurontin to get the same effect (ie no pain in my dropped foot). Otherwise it took the maximum amount allowable of IV morphine once hourly in ICU just to settle it - it felt worse than my badly shattered hip. 2 months afterwards it went into full blown neuralgia, which meant no amount of opiates did anything. The only things that worked were weed, amphetamines/methcathinone/MDMA (made the pain much worse the next day), Lyrica and Neurontin.
