posted
I'm so sick of the Lyrica thing. I have neuropathy in my face and neck. It does spread sometimes but is mainly in my face and neck. It's the burning kind, it's not like pins and needles or like something is falling asleep. I have described it as almost like ants biting/stinging my face or constant electricity type burning, it's HORRIBLE. My neck just has a general bad "sun burn" feeling.
My skin feels "tight" like a bad sun burn. On top of that, my neck muscles are TIGHT. It's the most bizarre thing and the thing that hurts and diminishes my life the most. It's torture.
Doctors want to Rx Lyrica and when it doesn't work for my pain (I don't know why!!!!), they for some reason want to think I'm imagining this pain. This pain is REAL and I do not imagine it. It's FRUSTRATING.
So, on the Lyrica website, it says that it is for Diabetic Nerve pain and Nerve pain associated with Shingles (which I have never had).
So what about other causes of nerve pain? What about being caused by Lyme? Aren't damaged nerves, damaged nerves? I have wondered this since I got ill.
Why is this for just for nerve pain associated with these 2 things (I know it's used for Fibro and add-ons for seizures)? Wouldn't it fix all nerve pain?
Why does this not work for me?
Doctors always want to go the Cymbalta and Lyrica route but it just doesn't help. I'd LOVE for these to work because doctors love it because it's not as scary as the others as far as tolerance and addiction goes.
What helps me? Stuff in the benzo family. I don't know why. This is not anxiety. I actually don't have anxiety, whatsoever. If another person (doctor!) says, "Well, maybe you aren't realizing you are anxious", I'm going to wring someone's neck!
I suffered with hard core anxiety and panic attacks when I was 18-20 years old. I KNOW what that feels like and this is not it. Why would the left side of my face burn so much worse than my right? My does the right side of my neck hurt SO much worse than the right?
Why don't these "simple" medicines work for me? My doctor warned me "This Lyrica will make you very sleepy and maybe even fall asleep when you don't want to...so be careful". What a joke! That stuff is like taking a placebo.
I will admit, I've got extreme tolerance of almost all meds, even if I haven't hardly taken them. I'm a very small girl, weight wise. I don't know why I can handle and tolerate so much.
Am I the only one who Lyrica (and even Neurontin) doesn't work for? I don't get it. I just want for them to work. The neuropathy sometimes makes me want to end it all. I can't live the rest of my life feeling this burning feeling.
It's truly the worst feeling in the world. I've got a horrible back, horrible! I can deal with it. I've got horrible ovarian pain. I can deal with it. I've dealt with those for years. But this, I can't deal. If I didn't have my son.... Posts: 63 | From Hell - Or at least it feels like it, Oh, I mean Tampa, FL. OOOps! :D | Registered: May 2009
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posted
they go that route because those are brand name drugs with active patents, many doctors get kickbacks from drug companies if they prescribe these drugs to enough people. Lyrica won't do a thing for a bacteria growing in your nerves anyway. I know of one person that had phantom pains and itches after an injury and it helps calm those nerve responses. But in most cases it's simply doctors making money.
Posts: 499 | From Indiana | Registered: Oct 2007
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
i feel the same way nessa. lyrica will not relieve the tightness and it only dampens signals in the brain so that you "feel" less of your nerves and the burning might go away.
I have not had much success with lyrica because the next day it usually knocks me out and leaves me in a grey depression/emotionally flatlined.
I did not like that feeling. So now I just take it in moderation once in a while when I want a deep sleep or if I am feeling slightlly hypomanic.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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Marz
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3446
posted
I've tried lyrica and gapentin.
I could never get up to the full days dose. Just never got used to it and was tipsy and it didn't seem to help.
Less is always more for me. About two months ago, I decided to try my leftover lyrica (50 mg) before bed.
I never take more than this one per day. It helps me sleep more soundly so I think it's dealing with pain while I sleep. (a sleep study a year ago showed I had alpha wave intrusion and was probably the reason I'd wake up in the night with headache and pounding heart)
I still wake up, but can go back to sleep again. The pain is not nearly as bad and no pounding heart.
It seems I always feel more rested when I use just one capsule of lyrica.
Even that small amount still makes me off balance during the day, but it's not bad and goes away as the day goes on.
I do take .5 ambien which didn't keep me asleep w/o the lyrica and late afternoon I take .25 klonazapam, so maybe it's the combination that makes me tipppy.
All of these are pretty low dose, but work better for me that way.
I only have the burning feeling in my feet and scalp feels tight, so maybe my experiences don't apply to all of yours.
Posts: 1297 | From USA | Registered: Dec 2002
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