Side effects bleaughhh

[Sammy1988]

So I've been on pregabalin for 1 week now only on 25mg x twice a day dose, it's made my head extremely fuzzy as if everything is happening around me... It's also made me quite moody, not happy/sad. Also feel quite numb! Is all of this normal or should I make a switch x

[A Nervous Nigel]

Hey Sammy!

The fuzziness is absolutely normal, and it decreases over 2-3 weeks. I was also moody , well irritable around that time as well! But hang in there, unless it becomes too much of a problem!

Your on a low doseage though, so if things don't get better soon it might be worth speaking to your doctor!

Hope things work out,
A Nervous Nigel

[Lord Choc Ice]

Hey Sammy!

The fuzziness is absolutely normal, and it decreases over 2-3 weeks. I was also moody , well irritable around that time as well! But hang in there, unless it becomes too much of a problem!

Your on a low doseage though, so if things don't get better soon it might be worth speaking to your doctor!

Hope things work out,
A Nervous Nigel

That's quite a while for these side-effects :ohmy:. Wish I'd never started the stuff now but that's just my experience. I read that the half-life of Lyrica is 6hours/1mg so if I was taking 200mg that's...well more than a month to rid myself of this poison - if the sums are correct :shrug:.

I also read it can raise blood-sugar levels so maybe that's why mine went up to 101 :weep:. I hope doctors are extremely circumspect when it comes to prescribing this medication, it has hidden 'depths'.

[teej]

The startup side effects from SSRI drugs can last for equally as long if not longer. Also as many have found the withdrawal syndrome can be protracted and painful (including me - I was hospitalized with it).

Long term use of benzodiazepines can cause addiction and cognitive impairment.

Name a medication that doesn't cause some kind of annoying side effects! Propranolol makes people wheeze, Ibuprofen causes stomach upset.

I've chosen to try Lyrica again because it was better than lying in bed with extreme anxiety drinking vodka all day. With all medications it's a trade off of side effects versus benefits.

Benefits for me today is that I am out of bed, not drunk and spending quality time with my daughter - living my life.

Fuzzy is not something I'm hugely worried about to be honest - having lived the last 10 years with a hangover - fuzzy is nothing new. So perhaps some perspective is missing here because for me the side effects of the Lyrica are inconsequential to a shortened, wasted life.

And as for blood sugar levels. Cut the sugar and simple carbs out the diet, and take regular exercise.

Just saying.... :D

[Lord Choc Ice]

The startup side effects from SSRI drugs can last for equally as long if not longer. Also as many have found the withdrawal syndrome can be protracted and painful (including me - I was hospitalized with it).

Long term use of benzodiazepines can cause addiction and cognitive impairment.

Name a medication that doesn't cause some kind of annoying side effects! Propranolol makes people wheeze, Ibuprofen causes stomach upset.

I've chosen to try Lyrica again because it was better than lying in bed with extreme anxiety drinking vodka all day. With all medications it's a trade off of side effects versus benefits.

Benefits for me today is that I am out of bed, not drunk and spending quality time with my daughter - living my life.

Fuzzy is not something I'm hugely worried about to be honest - having lived the last 10 years with a hangover - fuzzy is nothing new. So perhaps some perspective is missing here because for me the side effects of the Lyrica are inconsequential to a shortened, wasted life.

And as for blood sugar levels. Cut the sugar and simple carbs out the diet, and take regular exercise.

Just saying.... :D

Well as with everything it's all subjective and I don't need the patronising remark about blood sugar levels.

[SADnomore]

Hi, Sammy!

Yes, I wish pharmacists if not doctors would give us a quick heads-up about the common side effects of our meds so we know what to expect. And what you're experiencing is indeed a common side effect. Perfectly normal. Although obviously it doesn't feel normal, lol! It will pass, no worries. On my med, the most bothersome side effects, including knots-in-the-stomach, half-tensed muscles, and dry mouth were very pronounced until around the 4 week mark. Thankfully, I had learned via the med threads and posts that these were all normal, and most importantly, they would leave and the therapeutic benefits would begin to take hold.

As Teej says, side effects cannot be helped, and there are risks with every medication (and almost everything we do in life!) Your doctor has taken your overall health well in mind when choosing this particular medication for you. My med can, and did, raise my blood pressure at first. But I don't normally have high blood pressure and my heart is fine. No harm done and I'm getting benefits I would not have had if he hadn't tried me on this drug. He's a cautious physician, and I know that he believes that the risks were low as compared to the benefits. And, not surprisingly, he was right!

Lord Choc Ice, I don't think Teej intended to be patronising with the blood sugar level advice. Hence it came with a cheery grin. With my med one side effect is weight gain, and I have been advised on here to do the same things.

Likewise, I don't think he meant to be smug when stating that FOR HIM the side effects of the Lyrica are inconsequential compared to his life without it. It's his experience. Difficult to have perspective when you haven't reached the other side and started to feel better, that part is true. Sometimes hearing that things are "different" after the side effects pass still leaves one adrift without hope. To be able to hear in what ways things have changed for others can be a lifeline, a search lamp towards which to look. I thought to myself; By God, if this drug has gotten him out of bed and off the booze, it's worth toughing out the side effects to see what it'll do for me!

Meanwhile, reassurances such as yours, Nervous Nigel, are precisely what took away the worst of my fears when I had the brain fuzziness. All normal, the annoying detached feeling, the numbness and irritability. Goes with the territory, would be there most likely with any med that's going to help you. But do feel free if things don't improve within a month to consider something else. We need to be encouraged along to the point where these normal side effects are behind us. Where we come out of the fog and discomfort and are in a position to work with our doctor to establish that this treatment is the one for us.

We do not need to be made to further worry when someone refers to what we are taking as "poison", and makes dire comments about harm to come. If one is not diabetic, then a temporary rise in blood sugar is not likely to cause a problem. I got the same thing from a course of prednisone once, but had no lasting trouble. And in fact, 2 to 3 weeks (or even 4 weeks as in my case) is not unusual for start-up side effects, as Nigel says, it's pretty much bang-on.

Hang in there, Sammy! You can do this! Just a couple more weeks, not long really, and fingers crossed the Lyrica helps you as intended. But never fear, if it doesn't pan out, there are always other treatments to try. Meanwhile, keep searching the positive threads about your medication for more of what to possibly expect, and how to cope. Of course it won't have worked for everyone, as for some their pre-existing anxiety level was just not going to allow for enough time to see a change right now, or in the end, a working dose could not be managed for whatever reason. That's okay. Do your best to give it a chance though, and think positive!
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These medications are not poisons. They will ALL create side effects. It's a point in fact that along with the desired effects, there will be other less-desirable, even unpleasant or problematic effects from anything besides a placebo. My doctor is a physician. He is not a magician. If I wanted to continue to feel poorly, I wouldn't have gone to see him, but I know where his training lies and am willing to follow direction in hopes of getting better.

Good luck to us all, and thanks all, for being here. I LOVE this forum!! xx

Marie

[teej]

We do not need to be made to further worry when someone refers to what we are taking as "poison", and makes dire comments about harm to come.

Precisely. Thank you Marie. I had enough anxiety about taking this medication in the first place and had to have counselling in order to take it.

I love this forum too because of the positive support it provides and I will speak out when things become negative.

As a recovering alcoholic I've had horrific blood sugar problems. In 2012 was pre-diabetic and by 2013 was incredibly suffering low blood sugar levels as I dried out. My doctor is perfectly happy for me to take this as long as I maintain a good diet.

And when dealing with anxiety and depression a good diet to maintain good blood sugar levels is one of the corner stones to recovery.

And as always - just saying! :D Take everything I say at face value please.

[hanshan]

Hi Lord ChocIce,

I'm not so sure about your science. To the best of my knowledge, a half-life of six hours means half your dose will be eliminated in six hours, regardless of the dose. That means only one sixteenth of the original dose remains after 24 hours.

Also, can you give a reference or link to an actual scientific report describing the effect of pregabalin on blood sugar levels. Be wary that there are many people making scientific sounding claims of all kinds on various websites without much to support them except other people making similar unsupported claims.