Another Lyrica newbie (with questions!)

[fi83]

Well, I've been staring at this blue and white box for a month now and wondering whether to give Lyrica a try. I've decided to go for it. Mainly, I'm looking for some relief from the withdrawal symptoms associated with coming off Xanax (still a work in progress) but if Lyrica works as a long-term prophylactic treatment, even better. :)

Just took my first 75mg pill. Some dizziness, memory issues, the usual really judging by the posts I've read here. Some relief from withdrawal symptoms (didn't expect that from the first pill, so that's a pleasant surprise) mainly the chronic pain and muscle cramps. Slight positive effect on mood.

If Lyrica does work for me, the one thing I'm confused about is the dosing. I know I can go as high as 600mg daily but I've also read from others here that tolerance does build up. So is this a medication you take regularly and ignore the tolerance issue, or as-needed only, or do people vary the dosage depending on the severity of their symptoms? Thanks all.

Cheers


fi

[Scratchappy]

Hey Fi.

Glad you're doing well on the medication :)

I've been on Lyrica for a month now. Like you, I'm withdrawing from benzo's too (diazepam in my case). I've found it's really helped with my WD symptoms and anxiety in general. Do you reckon you're experiencing muscle aches/tightness from the Xanax WD? I seem to be getting that pretty bad with my daizepam WD but was told by a professional that it couldn't possibly be from benzo withdrawal. But then I think this professional is a bit of a ****. From recent research I've done, muscles aches and the like can be attributed to benzo WD. Just wondering if you've had it confirmed by a professional really.

With regards to dosage - I'm taking it every day at the moment. And that mostly seems to be the way from what I've read on others experiences. Although some do use it on an as-and-when-needed basis. Guess it depends how bad your anxiety symptoms are I suppose.

I'm not ignoring the tolerance issue but just accepting it's part of the Lyrica deal really. I still feel the drug is working for me even though tolerance builds up pretty quickly. I went up to 150mg x 3 daily but found it a bit much and have reduced it to 100mg x 3 daily now. I may need to increase it in the future but at least there's plenty of scope to work with if I do.

At the moment I feel I need to be on this daily but I can see it's benefit on using it only when you need to. It would be nice to get to that stage for sure.

Hope that's been of some use Fi.

Scratch

[fi83]

Hey Scratch,

That's very helpful actually, thank you. My anxiety symptoms are usually pretty strong, but they've been especially bad since I started the benzo taper (morning anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, etc.). So I think it makes sense for me to take the Lyrica daily, and I've sort of found myself doing that anyway. Still on a low dose (75mg twice daily) but I have no problem going higher once my body adjusts. Of course we'd all like to take less meds if we can as you said, but I know I'm certainly not at that stage yet, and probably won't get there until this benzo taper is finished.

Do I get muscle pain and tightness from Xanax withdrawal? Yes!!! Do I ever... I've been in constant pain since I started tapering. :mad: In that respect Lyrica has been a godsend, definitely helps with the pain. And I never had these pains before I started withdrawing off Xanax, so definitely they're withdrawal symptoms. As for professionals, what can I say... My psychiatrist does not seem to understand the difficulties I'm encountering coming off Xanax, and I've heard from many people in benzo withdrawal that they don't receive adequate support or understanding from their doctors. My GP seems to get it though, oddly. I think the whole benzo withdrawal thing is poorly understood by a lot of professionals. Very frustrating.

[Scratchappy]

No worries Fi. Glad it's of some use :)

I'm totally with you on your morning anxiety symptoms. Absolute hell for me too. I know my body is physically crying out for diazepam when I awake as it would have been about 10 hours since my last dose. My body wants more of the drug but I'm having to give it less.

Before I started taking Lyrica, I was waking up in the worst grips of anxiety I'd ever known. A really horrible way to start your day that's for sure. So Lyrica has really helped in that respect for me too. I get a solid 7 hours nights sleep now, thank God.

Benzo withdrawal is the hardest thing I've ever experienced. Even worse than my original anxiety symptoms which can be extremely hard to deal with in any case.

Christ, it's good to hear that the WD symptoms I'm having are experienced by others tapering off too (not that I wish it upon anybody obviously!). Just confirms what I've read and how I'm feeling so thanks for that Fi.

I agree with you on the professionals with regards to a lack of understanding. I have a separate team who take care of my diazepam WD and quite frankly, they're absolutely useless. I've only just found out that they didn't even have a plan for me :mad: Un-bloody-believable. I literally had to fight with them so that they'd listen to me. I asked if they'd heard of the Ashton Manual (a well known medically researched benzo WD study and reduction plan) and they hadn't. I was totally gobsmacked. I went on to explain what is was and the GP liason nurse cut me short and said "Stop going on about this manual" :mad:
I told them about my physical symptoms and they said it was down to me misusing cannabis some years a go. I almost went apoplectic. The doctor in the team blames everything on cannabis. So I told him how come I had anxiety problems even before I'd taken ANY drugs prescribed or otherwise. Funnily enough he didn't have an answer. I also suggested that maybe I should divide my dose into 3 so that my body has a more regular supply in the blood stream and they didn't think that was a good idea :wacko: I was thinking "WTF"?!!! But that's LOGICAL! What is wrong with them?! How can they not see the effing obvious? They didn't even offer me a switch to liquid diazepam where you can reduce and taper off slower. I had to suggest it. And then they took they credit for it!!!! I'm the patent and I'm educating THEM. Don't think their professional ego's could handle it, even though I spoke to them in a way that was calm and just suggestive to begin with. Wasn't like I went in there saying "This is what I want give it to me". Tried the softly-softly approach and didn't get anywhere. So I really had to stand-up for myself. The ****s. Made me so :mad: In the end they said that I appeared to know more than they did and I said "Yes, and that really concerns me". Grrrrrrrr.

But like yourself, my GP is much more understanding thankfully.

Anyway, good luck with the Lyrica and your xanax reduction plan. Keep posting to let us know how you're doing :)

Thanks................Scratch

[fi83]

Hey Scratch,

Yes Lyrica has helped me get a good night's sleep for the first time in ages. And insomnia is another thing I never experienced pre-benzo withdrawal, despite having a pretty severe anxiety disorder and a few bouts of pre-benzo depression.

You are certainly not alone in experiencing all these withdrawal symptoms. I've experienced pretty much every withdrawal symptom, physical and psychological, and am still experiencing them. I agree, this withdrawal is the most difficult thing I've ever experienced, and I've been through war, prison, effexor withdrawal (yikes). Nothing comes close to benzo withdrawal.

There are plenty of others who feel the same way; for example there are whole a bunch of online forums for people getting off benzos. Some of them are a bit anti-med, and fanatically anti-benzo (I am neither; I think benzos have their place but are not a safe or viable long-term treatment) but they've helped me get through this, as has the Ashton manual. I couldn't tolerate the cross-over to Valium unfortunately but in terms of general principles (a slow, tailor-made taper plan) and knowledge Ashton has probably saved my life.

If I'd tapered at the pace my doctor suggested (two weeks!) I would have ended up in hospital. I think it's actually quite disturbing to know more about benzo withdrawal than one's doctor, but I've since learned to be more active and assertive in my treatment, and that I have to educate myself about my illness and medications. It's a troubling thought, but they're our bodies at the end of the day, and we're the ones who have to endure the withdrawals.

Good luck! :)

[Scratchappy]

Hey Fi,

Sounds like you've lead a colourful life then :)

Yeah, I'm registered on one of the benzo forums but haven't really used it for a while. Mainly because some of things I read made me a bit :scared15: Did get some useful advice though. I sincerely hope I don't end up with protracted withdrawal. That would not amuse me at all.

I completely agree with you about some of the people on those forums and also that a benzo can be very effective in the short-term. It has it's uses, definitely. Just never for a sustained period where dependency could occur. Good to hear the Ashton manual has helped yourself as well.

You'd think a professional advising and treating a patient would at least do their research properly. Especially if it involves withdrawal from a substance. 2 weeks. Jeez man. Really does pay to read-up and research your own condition as their advice isn't necessarily the best or even correct sometimes. I don't expect them to know everything, but...... And yes, we really owe it to ourselves to educate and try to understand the conditions and treatment plans available to us.

I know if I'd researched drugs for anxiety earlier I'd have probably been on pregabalin some years ago. But, everything happens for a reason. Just so happens mine was being lazy ;)

Hope all is good as can be. All the best man :)

Scratch