# Lyrica



## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi All

Just thought I would let everyone know I just started on Lyrica last night. It's supposed to be the new gabapentin with less side effects. Anyway I took 150mg last night and felt very high. Anyone would think I was on smack by the way I looked! It was actually quite pleasurable and I forgot about my DR the whole time I was on it. I don't know how to describe the feeling, the closest I can relate is it's kind of like taking valium and ecstacy at the same time though not quite as strong. Definatly wouldn't operate heavy machinery while on it. Unfortunatly I slept past my alarm and wound up being 2 hours late for work  I really feel great today though, like I've taken a bit of speed, but it hasn't really killed the DR. If anything I feel a little bit more retarded and spaced out (even more than normal). I'll let everyone know how things turn out. I've only got a sample pack and my psych is on holidays until late January now, so it will only be a short trial, however I'm kind of looking forward to taking some more tonight :twisted:


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Ok just an update. I've been taking 150mg as advised for the last few days. That high feeling has kind of worn off. Don't know whether that's a good or bad thing. Anyway I wouldn't say it's killed the dr yet. It's definatly calmed my head down a fair bit. I actually find that I'm enjoying things in life a bit more now. I've also stopped thinking about this disorder every few minutes and it's stopped that pressure in the head feeling I get. Bad side is I feel a little dopey on, especially in the mornings and it makes me want to sleep 12 hours a day. I think this and ritalin would make a really good combination. I can't get my doctor to prescribe me ritalin unfortantly. I would definatly recommend it to anyone though. As I said before it's a bit like valium. It hasn't been a miracle yet but it's definatly helping.


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Another update.

This medication is great for calming the mind. It takes about 2 hours to really kick in, but after that it's off to la-la land. All my worries and tension about this disorder fade away. That feeling lasts most of the night and then I wake up the next day and my mind feels nicely sedated. It's kind of like my brain is still misfiring, however now it's slow enough for me filter out the "static". Seems to help a little with depression too. I have a feeling the combination of Lyrica and an AD would be a definate DR killer. I just can't tolerate any AD's though.
On the downside, it's really hard to wake up on this stuff. Guess it's a small price to pay though. Also I'm really concerned about physical addiction. I mean it acts on GABA receptors, so it's logical to conclude that there will be rebound anxiety coming off. Officially there's no such thing as Lyrica withdrawal, but after doing some research on Neurontin I've found people who have went through benzo like withdrawals coming off it. Seeing as this drug is meant to be super Neurontin, it's really worrying for me and will most likely mean I will discontinue it.


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear Spacecadet, 
I've been following this drug, and it seems to be kind of promising. But since it is "super-Neurontin", it has more side effects than Neurontin, which is one of the mildest drugs on the market. I've never heard of someone going through withdrawals on Neurontin, but Lyrica IS a whole heck of a lot stronger. The cool thing is, though, that its studies have shown it to be a whole lot better than Neurontin in every way. One of my physician friends says he wont prescribe a drug until its been out for 2-7 years. So I'm waiting to see what kind of adverse reactions pop up before I would take it (if my DP returns). If it works for you, though, I'd stay on it. Its mechanism of action is different than that of benzos, which is why you only need to take it once a day. If an anticonvulsant is working for DP/DR, it should feel like it is calming down the static up there. Good luck, and thanks for putting up this post.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks for your input Homeskooled. In regards to the addiction / withdrawal thing, I guess I'm really concerned about possible withdrawals because they are what got me into this mess in the first place. That and just being overly sensitive.

It's definatly a promising drug, it really takes the edge off the DR and like I said before it stopped that pressure in the head feeling. It's also really reduces anxiety. So far the pro's and con's are:

PROS:
Reduces DR by about 10 to 15%
Reduces anxiety
Stops tension headaches / eyestrain
Helps sleep
Induces feeling of wellbeing and relaxation
Calms down racing / disorganized thoughts

CONS:
Will lose a few IQ points on it. Not too bad though.
Has a narcotic like drug affect around 2 hours after taking (could be considered a PRO) shouldn't really drive straight after taking it.
Very expensive if you don't have epilepsy
Possible nasty withdrawal


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Looks like things are taking a turn for the worse with this medication. After my two week sample pack run out, I've been experiencing really bad nausea. I've also been experiencing mild, benzo withdrawal like, adrenalin surges and just generally been feeling pretty lousy. Most people's might get a bit more mileage out of this medication, as I seem to be really sensitive to withdrawals, however if this is what it does to me after only two weeks, I'd hate to try coming off it after a year or so.


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Well I don't visit this board much anymore but just thought i'd give everyone an update on this med. I've been taking it for around 5 months now. Tolerence is a MAJOR issue with this med. I'm currently on between 600 to 900mg a day. This is quite expensive too; around $240AU a month. Still i'm finding relief... It actually reduces my DR around 15% stops those pressure headaches, but side-effects are dizzyness, stiff neck?, occasional slurred speech. I also find it's quite effective as an anti-depressant. I'm certainly in a better state of mind than before. I worry about addictiveness though. I've been on and off med a few times and it's been about a week or nausea and restlessness before things go back to normal. It just feels like things are going to be ok when I take this med.


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## Cheryl Z (8 mo ago)

Space Cadet said:


> Another update.
> 
> This medication is great for calming the mind. It takes about 2 hours to really kick in, but after that it's off to la-la land. All my worries and tension about this disorder fade away. That feeling lasts most of the night and then I wake up the next day and my mind feels nicely sedated. It's kind of like my brain is still misfiring, however now it's slow enough for me filter out the "static". Seems to help a little with depression too. I have a feeling the combination of Lyrica and an AD would be a definate DR killer. I just can't tolerate any AD's though.
> On the downside, it's really hard to wake up on this stuff. Guess it's a small price to pay though. Also I'm really concerned about physical addiction. I mean it acts on GABA receptors, so it's logical to conclude that there will be rebound anxiety coming off. Officially there's no such thing as Lyrica withdrawal, but after doing some research on Neurontin I've found people who have went through benzo like withdrawals coming off it. Seeing as this drug is meant to be super Neurontin, it's really worrying for me and will most likely mean I will discontinue it.


Si it helped take away dpdr?


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