One word of warning for new Lyrica users.
Lyrica WD can be horrendous and people have died from it. Please be careful. The hypertension and high blood pressure is the scariest, physically, plus feeling like you're going to seize.
The psychological efffects are horrible, terribe anxiety and panic, depression, extreme sensitivity to stimulus like light and sound, etc. But the physical symtoms scared me the worst. It was worse than opiate WD. Still had the flue like symptomps and chills, but felt like I was going to die with the hypertension and near-seizing.
Guess it's like a combined benzo/opiate WD. What could be more horrible? The benzo aspect bothered me the most as it freaked me out. Opiate WD is crrippling depression and flu-like symptomps. But it gets better day by day. Lyrica WD doesn't, it just goes on, and lasted a full 10 daays before I felt well again. But the benzo aspect, with the extreme panic/anxiety, hypertension, feeling like something is horrribly wrong with your body, is really scary.
Please don't go cold turkey from this drug. Taper off or detox with Gabapentin. Opiates also seems to work, especially combined with benzos. Otherwise you're fucked and will be in hell for 10 days. Especially without sleeping pills, because you won't be able to sleep at all, and that is the only time you will have any peace if you go cold turkey.
Just my experience and a warning. this drug seems so innocent. Few side effects. But if you get yourself dependent by taking it regularly for some months time, please plan a good taper.
Taper Lyrica, or detox with Gabapentin, use Magnesium as it helps a lot, and sedative herbs, like hops and valerian, theanine can help, and finally opiates and benzos, and sleeping pills.
Just writing this to help avoid others ending up in that situation. Cold Turkey Lyrica Withdrawal IS hell.
Now I've said it.Just don't be stupid and plan ahead for this. Any addicts should have a stash of Gabapentin or Opiates/benzos/sleeping pills to help you through it if this ever comes about (like supplier fail you or money problems). Then you need to have something on hand to avoid that experience, and please don't be tempted to use it up cause you might bitterly regret it.
Just this was the worst experience of my life and I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through it. Please be smart and plan ahead. Would be interested in hearing from others having gone through this. Those who say there are no withdrawals have just not used it long enough or in high enough doses, or there's some weird thing going on with them, but that doesn't apply to alll.
Take care and please don't misinform others that there are no withdrawals just because you haven't come to that point yet. It could hurt them a lot.