I've had my Lyrica dose at 150mg am and pm for 3+ years. So 300mg a day. Is that a large dose?
I've brought it down slowly, with my NP's blessing, using 100mg pills instead of 150. Now I've had only 200 mg for 3 days and I am in pain. Everything hurts and fatigue is bad. Do you think it will get better? Am i going too fast? I feel like a junkie. I don't want to take so many drugs. Ugh
I do see my rheumagologist in two weeks. I hope he has some good help that I can bring back and share with you all.
The actual recommended single dose every 8 hours is 300 mg. I take 225 every 8 hours for Sciatica, which is the worse nerve pain I've ever had.
May I ask why you are trying to reduce this if it is helping you? You should not try to take yourself off a med without your Doctor's guidance, L-Kitty! If this med helps you, why are you fighting it?
I did this at the advice of/under the care of a Neurologist and I crashed and burned! My Internist and Rheumatologist were furious! His diagnosis of me, was that I was STIFF!! Be careful, my friend. You are getting ready to see a Rheumatologist, perhaps you need to discuss this with him!
My nurse practitioner prescribed me the 100's to start reducing my dosage. I like her more than my male doctor. He's good, but he's one of those "well I did it this way and it worked, so you should" mr perfect doctors. Listens well. I'm not disliking him, I just like the older, rounder, white haired nurse practitioner.
I just hate being dependent on these drugs. I makes me so angry that I can't live without them. It's a problem that has plagued me since 2007 when the drugs started piling on. I don't know why I fight it? I wish I did know, then maybe I could tackle the issue. I think I worry about the future, and will I always be able to get them? I don't know, seems crazy. I was hoping reducing them would help with fog, but it hasn't. Now it's just painful and foggy.
We hear of people that successfully use herbal remedies and/or go gluten free or dairy free and have great results. I find it impossible (big word) to go gluten free.
I am going back up to 250 and talk to rheumatologist. I'm just having a pity party today. Hug hug hug. Thank you SK.
Ooh. That's a tough one. I took one less Lyrica one morning (take 2 a day) and was in baaaad pain all day and even into the next. I really really feel for you on this.
I don't know if the pain will last. it sure seems to me that my fibro kept getting worse and worse, so I had to keep dialing up the Lyrica until i got to the highest dose. I don't know if that's a normal occurrence or not. I guess all you can do is try it to see. And then let us know.
Good luck with your experiment, L-Kitty. Your idea is a admirable one. I hope you can make it work for you but SK does have a good point about waiting and talking to your rheumy about it.
What I can tell you my dear, is that my experience, is that any changes we make no matter how big or small to our bodies, is going to cause pain no matter what.
I wish you luck in your ventures of knocking lyrica down. Would you please keep us updated on what happens in the progress of it?
I wish I could ignore you Patricia Stephens. Stop copy and pasting on these discussions please. I'm sure you mean well, and good for you for being cured, but I'm not in the mood for you right now.
Ok everyone. This is what happened. I wiped myself out. I'm like a damp dish rag right now and I slept 12 hours last night. I am not able to reduce my dosage of Lyrica.
I think this is the old denial thing again. I don't want to have this fms/cf. I keep thinking it's a mistake. My life doesn't have all the stressers in it that it did when I was diagnosed. Maybe I miscommunicated to the doctor who diagnosed me. I was taking so much vicodin back then that maybe I didn't know what hurt and what didn't. Well, it's real. I'm convinced again that it wasn't a mistake. I surrender (I feel like an outlaw with a bandana and a cowboy hat). I give up. I'll take my original prescribed dosage.
I think the hardest part of this is adjusting to being sedentary. I had surrendered once before, two or three times actually. I am working on it. Just like the rest of you. I made peace with the fact that my home and my very understanding, still working hard husband would be my priority. Just keep the house livable, keep the laundry done and dinners for my old, sweet dude. But, I think that I come to a bump in the road, feeling like that's not enough to do. My life was SO full before. I have thought of volunteering, even a few hours a week, just so I have some outlet, some other sense of accomplishment. Other people contact. Can't figure out if I can or not, or even where to go. Probably the animal shelter, but then I'd end up wanting them all to come home with me.
Ok, this pity party is postponed until next time. I hope there isn't a next time, but there could be. It seems to come with the territory, doesn't it my friends?
LOL!! The post was not funny, but the sprawled out feline is!
I'm telling you, we ALL go through it, those that haven't are going to, and it's usually not a one time thing!
Just relax! Take a valiium, get some junk food and watch a good movie, a funny one, of course! My grandson and I watched the new 3 stooges movie not long ago and laughed at those idiots until we were breathless, tears streaming down our face! They are every bit as good as the originals.
I was on Lyrica at the the highest dose possible and it never made a difference in my pain. My doctors also tried me on gabapentin and Cymbalta which are the other two medication to treat FMS and neither of those worked for me either. I am currently oh a phentanyl path 50 mcg and there was a slight improvement in that I don't have to use my cane as often which is great because I am only 24 and I am way too young to have a cane. To make light of the cane I have named it, my cane is pink and I get lots of compliments from older ladies who are in their 70's and older. My friends want me to bedazzle my cane but that would take a long time. I am here if you need to talk.
Would you say your pain is more a nerve pain or a joint or bone pain. Gabapentin and Lyrica are only good for nerve pain, and strong enough to work on my Sciatica, but they do nothing for my joint and bone pain. I hope that you are under the watchful eye of he Rheumatologist, and you get some relief from the fentanyl.
Good to see you on the boards, good to hear from you!
Hi kjf. Nice to meet you. I think your cane sounds wonderful. Bedazzling it would be fun! I have 2 canes. I may need one today! One is wood with a fish for a handle. The other is more like a walking stick, wood too. I found it on a hike several years ago. It's my favorite. It has my name carved in it.
I'm sorry there has been little relief for your pain. I hope you find more comfort. Maybe your near future will hold more answers for you. You are too young for this.
Thank you. I also suffer from Addison's disease, chronic Lyme disease, celiac disease, endometriosis ( which I have had 3 surgeries for so far since they diagnosed me with that in 2009), raynaud's syndrome, asthma, and hashimoto's syndrome. I am tired of doctor's not knowing what to do with me because my case is so rare. Also due to my age and I live right near Penn State and the local hospital is the one that treat's most of the penn state students who come into the ER on daily basis with alcohol and drug related problems the ER doctor's have labeled me as a drug seeker. It has gotten so bad that they will not give me any pain medicine regardless of what I need treated that is related to my firbomyalgia and also any other aliment that has nothing to do with the fibro. I have had doctors scream in my face that I am just there for drugs and refuse to treat me, despite the fact that I am curled in a ball crying in pain and having such bad muscle spasms that when a person puts their hands on my back and can feel my muscles spasming.
It drives me crazy and I feel so discriminated against. I don't understand why they would say I am making it up to get drugs when why would I want to go through all that trouble. I don't like how narcotics make me feel loopy but there are times when the pain is so bad I am paralyzed and I can't move. No one should have to suffer this much!
I would say my pain is joint and and bone pain, but I also have have so much pain in my muscles. I also have such bad fibro fog its ridiculous. My short term memory is non existent, my mental clarity is so bad that my family has said half the stuff I say doesn't make sense and my mind is just so cloudy. Also things in my long term memory that I have remembered for years is getting bad as well. The other day I couldn't remember my birthday. I also have name recall for basic things sometimes where I will be trying to describe something like an apple and I can't remember what its called. I also on a daily basis I will be talking with someone and completely forget what I was talking about and am never able to remember what I was talking about to them.
When will I get a break? I am tired of sitting on the sidelines of my life and watching my young adulthood pass me by. No one my age can even remotely relate to what I am going through because this is not normal for someone my age.
L-kitty, you are one strong woman! Withdrawing from a med is so tiring both mentally and physically, yet you have such kind words to many. You vent any time you want to, pity party up a storm - we deserve it most days. Yes, there are those that suffer more than us, and they too can party. But don’t feel like you can’t invite us in - we all have been there and will be at some time.
Don’t doubt your strength. If you need the meds for quality of life, then take them. Take them because you want to be you again and this may be your only way to do so. I envy your strength and kind heart. hugs~ Sandi
Hi K, I’m so sorry you have been treated so bad, I understand your muscle pain, my muscles feel like someone took them out ripped them to shreds and put them back in…
I was wondering if you have tried tizanadine, my neurologist wants me to try it, just a thought.
Every time I see my dr. I tell her, this is not just a disorder for mid age women, please listen to young people, and educate your partners that it does exist in younger women.
I can’t imagine, what you must be going through… And being yelled at, that is just not acceptable !!! Unfortunately there is still a large medical community that thinks fibro is a psychiatric issue,
Stay connected with us… The support will help
Hugs & blessings
dee
Hi L-kitty,
I can so understand your struggle and thinking lets decrease this med… And just because it didn’t work this time, doesn’t mean you can’t try again in the future.
Reading how much Lyrica helps I wish I could take it, three diff times I broke out in a rash… Ugh
I love your kitty pic, and your positive outlook !!!
Hugs & blessings
dee
Hey. Thank you for the support. I am going to be starting a group called "But your too young to be this sick" and I plan to write a book not only to tell people my story but also to make people more aware, to explain to people that we get discriminated against by many doctors just they way some people have been discriminated for their race or sexual preference. Also to let instructors and on the boards of medical schools that they need to start educating these doctors more on fibro, as well and not to judge someone based on assumptions, especially if the doctor has just met the patient and makes assumptions that aren't correct.
Thank you, Sandi. Well, I don't know how strong I am. Wishy washy is how I would describe it. I do appreciate your kindness. Lyrica does help my quality of life...definitely, as I've proven to myself once again.
Accepting this illness is hard on the ego. If we have it, and we do, shouldn't it be acknowledged by all of our medical providers? Shouldn't these young people like "k" (above) be treated fairly and be offered what others of us have? Makes a person crazy. Makes a person angry.
You are certainly right when you say withdrawing is tiring mentally and physically. It takes it's toll. But I guess I just had to play the game once again.
You are a sweetheart. I'm so happy to have you and others here to talk to.
