The LYRICA (pregabalin) Mega Thread

[Mona Lisa]

Dunno but it's shit babes

 

[Newbiana]

in short, as I dont have much time. I want to update later on. Right now I am on the 2nd day of stopping a very large dilaudid IV habit. I have 150 8MG every month (scripts are a godsend and a curse)... This time I did 50 in 7 days. IV all of them.

This is a major hellish withdrawal, until I decided to pop some of these. I have 90 200 mg lyrica. These are a godsend. No anxiety, no shakes, little tired, but love this stuff! No vomitting, diarhea (sp?), I am in a great great mood. This is unlike any other w/d's Ive ever had.

I can eat, sleep (like crazy), Im bouncing off the walls, laughing joking.. This is just simply amazing!

Guys I know I have a long long road, Ive been through this before, but I can say right now, all of those other suggestions about w/d work, but this is simply the best!

Of course, wobbly, and such!

 

[TheTwighlight]

out of neurontin and pregabalin which do you feel is worse for memory? Since neurontin was pretty bad for me I wanted to see if anyone had experience with both.

Well, gabapentin pretty well destroys your short-term memory. Pregabalin seems, while it's working on you, like it affects your memory as a whole, but not quite as badly as gabapentin. However, you know, different strokes for different folks.

My point is, if you need to be on either medication, you will have memory problems. It's just a given side effect. Neither is as bad as being on a benzo, if you needed a comparison.

 

[Kanga]

Sorry for the gravedig but I just wanted to add my story to the thread:

I don't remember exactly what the dose was that I took, it was about 5 pills (I don't remember what the standard pill content is)

I didn't feel anything except for EXTREMELY disoriented. I was going to a friend's house that I've been to at least 10 times before, and I parked like two streets away and then got out and started wandering around trying to find it, I couldn't think straight for more than 5 seconds at a time. Really really weird, would not recommend for rec.

 

[mitragyna]

^
If that was your first time, that is quite a large dose. Lyrica has a tendency to do that when you take too much. When I took way to large of a dose, it was shitty for me also. Try just starting off with 200-300 mg, it will most likely be much more enjoyable.

 

[TheEverlastingNod]

Sorry for the failure on posting a trip report last time, I ended up on the road for the rest of the day[don't worry, NOT the one driving. Hell, I wish I wasn't the one walking, either]. I've done it twice since then, so now that I'm a little more familiar I'll just give an overview for anyone who's interested.

Most of what I've read in this thread is very accurate: It takes a looong time to plateau, about 1.5-2 hours just to feel anything, and then maybe another hour to peak[hard to tell, though, 'cause once it came on I felt a sense of time distortion]. It stayed pretty solid for about 4 or 5 hours after that, and then seems to gradually fade. Very soft come-down, so much so that I found it sort of difficult to tell if it had worn off yet. The mental distortion it gives is very unique, mainly seemed to impact anything language-oriented. I.e., I could do juggle numbers in my head, etc., but at the same time I couldn't even form sentences, or fully understand those being spoken to me.
Also, the initial vertigo is INTENSE. I think the first time I noticed it had kicked in is when I stood up, turned to leave the room, and walked straight into a wall[I swear to god, it must've jumped out in front of me]. It seems manageable, even kinda fun, once you know what to expect, but never feels like you're able to walk quite right. Also effect fades for me within an hour or so, while the others stay strong.
The feeling of well-being isn't one I'd describe as 'euphoric', not on the same level as heroin or acid, at least, but it'd definitely positive affect. At the very least, it'd be hard to feel sad while on it.
Also a very dissaccociative effect, but like PCP or DXM. You still know who/what you are, it just doesn't feel as real or important[does that make any sense, or am I really as burnt out as people say??].
The appetite changes other people experienced didn't seem to effect me, though, so they may not be universal. I think food definitely tasted better/more interesting, but I had absolutely no desire to eat. The first time I took it I ended up at a buffet and destroyed it, the second and third time, however, I got distracted and completely forgot to eat for the entire day, never even feeling the slightest bit hungry.
I've dosed 4 times, the first was at 400mg and the highest was about 750mg, but to be honest I don't think I even noticed a difference, though when I took 400 the first day, followed by 600 the next morning, the effect was only about half of the first dose. Tolerance builds faster on this than just about anything I've ever seen, except maybe LSD.
The only other thing that seems worth adding is that twice I drank later that night, after the Lyrica had pretty much worn off, and found myself almost unable to get drunk. The one time I drank MASSIVE amounts of liqueur[it was on the house] and managed to catch a slight, dizzy buzz. The second time I drank about a 6-pack, felt absolutely nothing, and gave up. Anyone else experience this? Or have any thoughts/observations on the language difficulties?

 

[Cane2theLeft]

My point is, if you need to be on either medication, you will have memory problems. It's just a given side effect. Neither is as bad as being on a benzo, if you needed a comparison.

If you on an appropriately titrated dose, the memory side effects should be negligible.

 

[aallaann]

Guys I know I have a long long road, Ive been through this before, but I can say right now, all of those other suggestions about w/d work, but this is simply the best!

Of course, wobbly, and such!

I'm in a similar boat - the pregabalin erases my benzo opiate withdrawal and cravings. I feel great when I'm on 600 mg pregabalin. IMO anything over 900 mg is a waste - too sedating.

But is it just a trade from one addiction to another? If pregabalin can make you feel that good then isn't it going to have hellish w/d itself? I know it's only schd 5 but it's new - it might works it's way up when the data pile grows bigger.

I remember years ago coming off a couple month gabapentin binge and feeling like total shit and scratching my head about it because it was significantly worse than when I came off a couple month Xanax binge.

 

[memphiseve]

Good Gah.......I cannot believe wot I am reading. I was rx lyrica a year ago, 75mg and one pill....one rinky dink pill had me so stoned (not a high I liked) I could not hardly speak...I mean I forgot how to speak then the eye thingy hit me, I could not see right. I phoned Dr office and left a mesage. The next day I got a call back and she was laughing at me. I was told not to take any more, (prolly took 4 pills total) believe me I didn't. You wouldn't believe the small pharmacy I have. I have a very hard time with meds....I can only take what I call *real pain killers* ie oxycontin, oxycodone...ect I would throw it all away in a second if the pain would go away and I was normal though. What I would give for normal feet and cool shoes. ~sigh~

You peeples make me sik!!!!!

I wanna play your game too dammit!

 

[aallaann]

Well, don’t get me wrong, there are some “side effects” from taking 600 – 900 mg of pregabalin. It gets you stupid but not nearly as stupid as getting moderately stoned on pot. I’ve never needed a “sitter” on pregabalin. My first dose was 300 mg and I noticed no effect from it. I’m not sure if it’s a YMMV thing or if it’s a GABA tolerance thing but I can’t feel 300 mg let alone 75.

 

[Rubber Matress]

I've been taking prescribed Lyrica for a couple of months now and only really at low doses... 150mg - 300mg at a time. Great for pain (for now) but causes me to be strung out and tense/ridiculously focoused kinda. It's hard to describe. I never found it sedating as some people have claimed. the complete opposite infact. It does help with my social anxitey a little aswell. i find myself more outspoken and not looking at the floor so much when walking.

So i decided to take a higher dose the other day in hopes for a recreational experience. I think i took 450mg, possibly a bit more. After a few hours i did feel quite fucked. The buzz was a little like being on speed but without the sexy rushes through your body i'd say. I was feeling quite confident/lowered inhabitions. There was a nervous, kinda butterflies feeling in my lower gut, kinda like going down a rollercoaster drop. But problem was i couldn't walk straight. I was actually supposed to pick my son up from gym class but i was scared i might have a car crash so asked my dad for a lift instead. He wasn't happy and i got the "stop taking those damn pills!" again from my mum, who thinks i'm a junkie because i have to take prescription pain meds for my pain.

As the night went on the effects wore off and i felt all achey and my the temples of my head were all tense and achey. My breathing was a bit tight too. I fell asleep ok but woke up with a hangover kinda.

---
Then proceeded to try Kratom powder for the first time. Tried 5 gs of Indonesian and then later 5 gs of Bali. Got no effect whatsoever i don't think. What a waste. I ate all that horrible dry powder for nothing. My poor belly.
I wish i could experience the buzz that others here have gotten from Kratom. I don't know where to buy it from thats cheap but good quality. I have to be sure its good stuff this time coz i don't plan on wasting my money again.
I'm not even sure it was bad quality stuff i had. Maybe it just doesn't work on me.

 

[DeLee]

Tried 450mg (3x 150mg capsules) a couple of days ago and i must say that Pregabalin kicked my ass, very, very hard.
That morning around 0800 i took a GHB dose, at ~1300 i took 1-2 beers. Then at ~1700 i took the 3 capsules. at 1800 i started feeling some effects, the "world looked a tad different".
I was washing clothes, at ~1810 i took 2mg of my bupe + 1mg xanax and at around 1840 i couldn't do shit but lie down. My head was spinning, i had this very intense feeling but not like a rush from heroin or speed but like i was incapacitated.. had to ask my girlfriend to wash the rest of the clothes because i just couldn't do it.
10-30mins after i fell asleep for ~4-5h.

I have NEVER taken a drug that has kicked me that hard, never... not even speedballs or the purest heroin ive taken have put me down like a horse man.
And the next day i was so very happy, happy all day. This is some very exciting stuff for when im about to come of suboxone and bensos.

 

[Cadeblue]

I'm prescribed Lyrica for post herpatic neuralgia (still have the nerve pain from shingles). I have HORRIBLE w/d if I use up my script before it is time to refill. It's a controlled drug, so they will not refill early. Also, it makes my stomach bloat, get fat, something!! The doc told me that Lyrica causes some people to bloat -- sometimes it's their legs, arms, etc. I guess it's just my stomach. I'm trying right now to see if I can get rid of the "huge stomach" by exercising or if it is just a side affect I will have to decide if I can live w/ or not.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

^i gained a fair amount of weight since I was prescribed lyrica, its one of the more common side effects and yes, for most people its difficult or impossible to fully get rid of.

I haven't tried significant amount of exercise, but I know how much easier it was for my to drop weight or tone up before and those things are insufficient now. I have been exercising much more the last couple months and I firmed up a lot but its like there is a small layer from the lyrica that just won't fully go away.

I don't know how much your PHN pain is affecting you, but if its inhibiting how active you are that could be causing the weight retention too, its often a combination of factors.

 

[morphonorconic]

Lyrica is a very useful drug IMO that has helped and can continue to help many people, though it does admittedly have some fairly nasty side effects, ie weight gain and such. Lyrica is supposed to be the new and improved Gabapentin, and I absolutely view it as such. However, with Neurontin, and with Lyrica to a lesser extent, I experience swelling of my hands and feet, with my fingers sufferring the most inflammation, and as a musician, this is intolerable. Another side effect, possibly the worst, is provocation of suicidal ideation, or thoughts of suicide/irregular thought patterns, which my GF experienced with Neurontin and ultimately led to her discontinuation of the medication.

I am wondering, have any of you experienced anything of this nature? And what (mechanism) might possibly be provoking such "thought patterns?"

 

[Madmike]

While I am on Lyrica I think I am the shit . It makes me think about me and me. Everything else is forgotten. When I am not high on it, I just try to make through the day because things feel a little bit too lame. I am not interested in other people. I think people are stupid and their talking annoys me very much. It has come my DOC. I feel very much that I should kill myself.

But...

Is this only terrible side effects from pregabalin?

I have really really bad generalized anxiety disorder which makes my life intolerable.

First Lyrica made life more enjoyable. But almost instantly I was hooked. Getting off benzos at the same time when Lyrica was started. That was a terrible mistake from my doctor.

Now I am very high on this stuff. Tremors, tachycardia, distorted congitive function, shakiness, euphoria.

 

[dilated_pupils]

Madmike, what you're doing to yourself is just plain horrible. I used to take lyrica mixed with somas and it was an amazing high that would let me forget about everything in the world, but I quickly found I had a problem with somas and I ODed and almost died.

Lyrica alone for me will give me pleasant effects but I have to take a pretty high dosage. If I were you I would slowly lower my dosage over a couple weeks or so, the effects you are having are not good at all, in fact at this point I would contact my doctor especially if you are having feelings of suicide. Also, it was stupid for your doctor to put you on lyrica while coming off of benzos, you were right about that. You just replaced one addiction for another. Lyrica really can fuck with your head, it effects your body greatly and shouldn't be taken lightly although plenty of people think lyrica is just a bullshit drug that doesn't do anything positive when taken. Those people are wrong, and that is why a lot of people have trouble with taking their correct dosage.

Please go seek some help like I said, just call the doctor and be honest about your problem with the lyrica. It's in your best interest to get that help unless you want to end up even worse off than you are now, and I will bet that is something you do not want. Good luck, PM me if you have any questions or need any more advice.

-dp

 

[Madmike]

I am a bit amazed why the personnel at the treatment facility didn't realize this. Doctor thought that this very minor thing when thinking about the whole scenario. I think the doctor is getting fooled by the thought that this Lyrica would threat anxiety without serious problems. So, now that I will have controlled amount of Lyricas for every week, I know what will happen.

The cravings get overwhelming and I take drugs from next days dosage. Then I will be in withdrawal for couple days until week has passed and I get more of those.
Another thing is that Lyrica causes craving for itself. It sometimes feels really nasty. Like the thing would be strong opioid.

I am so afraid to talk about this. Lyrica makes me feel that I am fucked up person who doesn't do anything right and that conflicts with my identity. So I am a prisoner of one fucking drug. I feel like giving in. Oh god why this had to go this way I HATE SUFFERING

 

[hexxx]

I've been on Lyrica for around 16 months now, dropped my dosage from 600 / 450mg to 150mg / day and am hoping to halve it again soon. Chronic use is terrible, I've lost about 40-50lbs after I started dropping the dose at the beginning of the year, weight mainly from the Lyrica but recently from being active. My concentration's improved and I feel more motivated and driven. Lyrica makes me stupid, I lost the ability to spell for a few months at the end of last year. That was the most pronounced effect out of it's cognitive side effects profile, an indicator that you aren't thinking properly even though to you it will seem similar... Until there is a problem to solve and you can't visualize anything in your head any more. You come right when you stop, hopefully there is absolutely no long term effects - I doubt it but it's not impossible with a newer drug.

I would love to keep some around after I don't really need it. I will make sure to build a massive stockpile in case I have neuropathic flare up or something. This drug did wonders for my pain, Gabapentin worked but only in massive doses that insurance wouldn't pay for. Lyrica works for other pain at high doses - although you could trip out and imagine your pain as worse than it is if you have a very active imagination. The doctors said that I should have been practically comatose from the amount of Gabapentin I was taking and couldn't believe I was walking around and not slurring, completely cognitive. Lyrica actually has less cognitive impairment than Gabapentin. The most I ever took in a single dose was around 1300mg IIRC. Not the best high but very useful for w/d. One of the best w/d meds IMO, it's intoxication is much stronger than anxiolytic benzos so you can wipe yourself out and not care about anything. Not particularly enjoyable but damn potent. I tried as hard as I could to walk in a perfectly straight line and failed miserably. Even pissed out of my mind I could probably walk better than that.

There is a large chunk missing out of the corner of a wall due to a wheelchair mishap (when I still needed the chair) - wheeling and drinking is dangerous, wheeling and Lyrica is worse. Moral: don't take Pregabalin anywhere near a vehicle. I dropped the dose so much so I could go shopping and buy a new car. I want to halve it now but the neurologist told me not a good idea during winter as flare ups could set me back far and I'll need to take more plus SSRI's and other AD's if it's really bad. Then I'm sure as hell am going to balloon if that happens. Fuck that, I enjoy being thin and having lots of definition and energy. It will take a lot of pain to force me back to high doses.

 

[Madmike]

If it prevents fat loss , then I will discuss with my doctor to do tapering schedule.

How fast hexxx you recommend to reduce the dose? I started getting it in January, so I have used it everyday for 5 months.

My benzodiazepine withdrawal will flare trough when Lyricas are reduced.