Lyrica And Speed Pills - Questions

[Madame]

My DH has been taking this mixture for a few years. He has painful arthritis, and found that he was too sleepy, sluggish when he took Lyrica on its own. He began to supplement it with amphetimines.

Prior to the Lyrica/speed, he was taking oxycodone and managed to beat that addiction. It wasn't fun to witness him on the oxy, but this combination is far worse, IMO.

I am very concerned because of the personality change I have noticed in him. It hasn't been a change for the better.

I really need some guidance and advice as to how to deal with him. He flies off the handle easily, and often seems to be confused.

He has been acting irrationally as well. For example, he has picked through all my things in the bird room where the computer is, including all my silver jewelery. He is hoarding the jewelery. He takes it upon himself to 'clean' in there, yet stashes a lot of his other hoardings in drawers where I would like to keep some of my clothes.

When I ask him to stay out of this room, reasoning that I don't go picking in his room, he blows up.

We just had another argument over this and I am really, really fed up with it. If it wasn't my pet lovebird, I'd have likely flown the coop a while ago. We have been together since 1987, so leaving isn't something I take lightly at all.

I just don't know what to do. We don't have a car, and at the moment, a local bridge has been demolished. I can't even walk to a couple of potential organizations for help, which is what I would do if I could.

What would you do? How can I cope with this man?

 

[Smoky]

I would gently confront him, ask him if he is willing to stop the medications. Tell him how you feel and why. There is nothing you can do if he is not willing to change, but you can help yourself. I would seek counseling and/or maybe check out a naranon meeting. You will find others there going through similar issues.

Do you know what he is doing with your jewelry? Or planning to do?

edit.
let go of the amphetamines first, if he needs the lyrica, it's understandable, but it does have withdrawal symptoms…. many are not aware of this.

 

[daynet]

Thank you for the advice, Smoky, and I apologize for having taken so long to reply.

I will look into Narcotics Anonymous.

Insfar as the jewelry is concerned, he's just hoarding it. We aren't rich, but we aren't hard up, either.

I think he's hoarding it due to the somewhat altered behaviour that he's undergone since taking Lyrica.

I have read about Lyrica and I am aware of the side-effects, and they sound nasty.

I tried to stop taking Paxil once cold turkey and I fell flat on my face on a sidewalk! How I managed to get home is anyone's guess. I didn't think about side-effects then, either.

I wish I could tell you how many speed pills a day that Bill takes, but I don't know...some days he yaps more than others.

 

[LilikoiMoon]

Confusion is one of the main side effects in mixing these two drugs, or Lyrica with stimulants. I'm surprised your DH hasn't had a seizure yet.

Lyrica supresses the NT's and amps stimulate them, so both meds combined are defeating the purpose. Understand?

Your DH needs to talk to his Dr. , perhaps the Lyrica dose he is on could be adjusted and mixed with a different drug safely...otherwise, he's confusing his body, and other symptoms are going to surface over time.

 

[Lovermane808]

Sounds like too much speed.

The lyrica is prob just allowing him some physical relief and sleep at this point. Any sort of high or noticeable change in mentality you get from lyrica goes away within the first week or so and then you still feel physically relief and sluggish but otherwise completely normal (until you stop taking it).

Speed and amphetamines in general are notorious for causing many of those behaviors you described him having. The anger, irritability, irrationality, hoarding, cleaning, etc. They make it difficult to truly get some rest and this compounds the behavior changes even more.

If you can get him to lay off the speed for even a few days you'll both be better off, though he may feel tired and sluggish.