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Rustyp81
25-07-10, 14:39
hey,

I've recently bee prescribed lyrica, after trying pretty much every SSRI & SNRI with horrid results. My doctor thinks i have HPPD, from years of self medicating with ilict substances. I've been reffered to a neural psychiatrist but my appointment is not till feb next year. In the mean while my GP suggested Lyrica, he put me on 75mg, twice a day.

Due to all the adverse side effects i had had from the ssri i decided to take it steady and just take 75mg at night. I did this for a couple of days with no reall noticable side effects. This morning i decided to take my pill in the morning, i think this may have been a bad ideal.

My visual hallucinations have gone through the roof and I'm shaking like a 70 year old. I also keep having hot flushes and what can only be describe as moments of pure euphoria, which is then followed by a crashing low point.

Is this normal and roughly how long do these side effects last?

Do you think it would be worth going back to just 75mg at night for a bit longer or try and sit it out?

I really wanna give this med a shot as all the other stories on here seam to be really positive.

Hmmm...not really sure what to do, but should mention I'm also taking 150mg amtriptyline, after reading the horror sheet that came with the lyrcia it said it can enhance the side effect of other medication.

Although these side effects are bad there nowhere near the horrors i experienced with the various SSRI/SNRI, they took me to some very dark places indeed.

Sorry if I'm rambling (i tend to do that a lot) but i guess I'm just reaching out for a little bit of support from someone that have gone through these side effects.

Many thanks

Russ :)

Rustyp81
26-07-10, 12:55
HEy,

Quick update, decided to stick with 75mg twice a day and whilst it's still trippy it's not as bad as yesterday. It's nowhere near as intense and the only thing i can compare it to is being stoned on hashish . I keep finding my self drifting off and catching myself smiling for no reason.

Hmmm...very early days, but could this finally be the med that helps me get better? I hope so. :D

Cheers

Russ

Rustyp81
27-07-10, 11:49
Day 3 - 75mg twice daily.

visuals are as intense as ever (tbh i didn't expect lyrica to reduce them) but due to the reduction in my anxiety ican actually take some pleasure out of watching them, rather than getting anxious every time a coulour changes hue or text on the computer screen starts to vibrate. Genral mood very good, went out into town on my own, which was packed and no rise in anxity at all....so far so good.

Side effect thus far.

Increased anxity on the first day of 2 x 75mg

Dry mouth (combated with copius amounts of chewing gum)

Drained fealing in the early eveings ( guess this is down to the morning dose starting to ware off, possibley better to take 3x50mg instead, i will speak with my gp about this)

Dosed up/drunk/stoned fealing - This seams to come on with in an hour of taking the med and gernrally peaks after about 3 hours. I quite like it but maybe a bit much for other folk. I've found taking the med with food make a big differance in reducing this feeling.

Lethargic - Find it difficult to get up and do any thing. Hardley moved out of bed yesterday.

Good points

Dramtic reduction in anxity

Fast acting

Managable side effects - Far less harsh than any SSRI i have tried.

I may update, if anything major chances.

Cheers

Russ

JT69
27-07-10, 12:46
Hi Russ,

I have been taking pregabalin since the beginning of June....I started out on 50mg daily for a week then increased to 100mg until taking 100mg at night and 50mg in the morning. At first I felt drained and a bit spaced out etc and still now when I take my morning dose I can sometimes feel weary.

I am also on mirtazipine which was 30mg but am currently trying to reduce down and am cutting one of the 15mg in half each time I take my meds. I think the pregabalin is a fantastic drug...it really has helped my anxiety levels. I am hoping to come off the mirtazipine and just take pregabalin and see if I continue to feel well.

I still wake up a bit heavy and feel a bit nethalgic (not sure of correct spelling) but is does pass and the fact that I dont suffer that horrible morning anxiety is a god send...I am so grateful to the person who suggested I try the pregabalin and that was on this forum!!

So I wish you all the best with the meds too...hang on in there as the side effects do get better and you will get through them.

Keep posting let us know how you are doing.

Take care.
Jo.xx

chloe555
27-07-10, 15:00
Hi Russ

I have been taking pregabalin for about 3 months now and i cant praise it enough .I have tried loads of ssris but could not tolerate any of their horrendus side effects.I started at 100mg twice a day and now take 200mg twice a day.I cant believe i wasnt offered this earlier and i think everyone with anxiety should try this because its so great.I have read reviews and nearly all of them are great some people saying its a wonder drug and a miracle drug.I certainly agree!


chloe x

Rustyp81
27-07-10, 17:05
Hey Chloe and Jo,

Thanks for stopping by. It's nice to hear from others that have gone through similar.

Today has been a bit of a wobble as my morning pill hit me a lot harder than yesterday, not really sure why. It wasn't really unpleasant, it just felt really narcotic and was a struggle to stop my self falling asleep.

Like I said it wasn't scary or alarming, more just the wish that the hit wasn't quite so strong, if that makes any sense. I think a lot of this sedation is an interaction with the amitriptylne as that on it's on is a muscle relaxant with sedative effects and I guess the two mixed together just increase the side effects.

I must stress to any one reading this, that is about to or is thinking of starting Lyrica, theses few niggles are by far out weighed by the positives. My anxiety is at baseline and my DP has pretty much gone back to baseline also. My DR symptoms have decrease but I still get the odd wave of DR but again put that down to the fact that I feel dosed/high.

I think the best thing with this drug is it gives you some benefits from the off, which I think makes the side effects more bearable as you can see some benefits. Unlike the SSRI/SNRI's that put you through a baptism of fire before you get any therapeutic effect if any at all.

I think it maybe a little early for me to claim it's a wonder drug but I am comforted by Chloe and jo reassurance that the side effects do wear off over time.

Hope you both stay well:yesyes::yesyes:

Russ :D

Rustyp81
29-07-10, 21:59
Day 5

Took my morning dose at 10am as usual. Didn't really get/feel any thing really diffrent untill around 2pm when it he me like a sledge hammer.Very,very, intense rushes. Throughts racing(although not in a bad way) felt very, very, high. Took around an hour i think to settle down and at times bordered on being a little too intense. I must state that i had not eaten before taking my morning dose this morning and this may well be why it was this strong.

What i do find weird about this med is the narcotic strenth dosen't really kick in till about 4 hours after ingestion and this drug suposedly has a half life of only 6.5 hours. What i also find strange is when i take my night does along with the amitriptylne, when i wake in the morning it's with a genrally clear head. But when i take my morning dose i tend to feell drugged up all day.

it is indeed a very strange medication. Not sure if i will be able to stay on lyrica though as i start a new job on Wed and there's no way i want to be in this state when i start. I'm just hoping the side effects settle down a little by then.

Over all the pluses out way the side effects, just about.

Ah well it's time for my evening dose, hope everyone else is well. :D

Cheers

Russ

Belfry1973
30-07-10, 00:14
Hey Russ, glad its going so well!

The euphoria and the crashing afterwards does goes away, my doc did actually give me a week off to adjust to it though. It only happens occasionally now, though I have noticed that not eating makes it much worse, and even something like a cereal bar helps. Just keep going with it, its def worth it!

JT69
30-07-10, 08:37
Hi Russ,

Just a thought...I take 100mg at night and 50mg in the morning...wondered if that might be a better way of taking it for you?? Be a shame if you had to stop taking them as the side effects will settle down.

Hope you feel more settled soon.

Take care and let us know how you get on.

Jo.xx

Rustyp81
31-07-10, 08:49
Hey thans for stopping by again :D

I'm going back to see my GP next week and am going to ask for some of the 50mg capsules and try taking 3 50mg doses rather than 2 75mg. Saying this, when i took my morning does today i had no intense rushes, all i had was a little bit of feeling spaced out. Managed to changed the head gaskets and clutch on my bike so couldn't have effected me too much. Maybe it was because i was occupying my self or maybe it was because i had a massive fry up before taking my dose. I'm gonna conduct a kinda of experiment by todaystomorrows dose on an empty stomach and then Sunday mornings dose after having breakfast.

I'll keep you posted as to how i get on

Cheers
Russ http://www.hppdonline.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif

Rustyp81
02-08-10, 23:44
well after a bit of playing around, it seems that taking my monring does about half an hour after eating completely avoids any adverse side effects. The only one that is still present is feeling sleepy. Although i must point out this could just be because my body has adjusted to the med, I guess i will find out when i up the dosage. But for now i am fairly happy and almost miss the euphoric rushes. Never happy me :P

I'll keep posting, but only when/if something changes. If i stay this stable for the whole week i think i will start to reduce my amitriptylne next week.

Also found that you can have a little tipple, enjoyed a bottle of wine with a few friends on Saturday, although whilst the hangover felt more harsh than usual, it wasn't filled with anxiety, just a sore head and very doggy belly and a few nervy moments but nothing a bit of distraction didn't sort out. Even went out for breakfast!!!

So far so good, Hope every one else is doing ok. Once the license on this runs out and generics are available i think it could well be the gold standard, rather than having to jump through all the hoop that certain PCT make people go through first.

Take it easy :D

Russ

JT69
03-08-10, 14:10
Hi Russ,

Just wondered how it is going with the pregabalin and if you changed the way you take the meds?? I am thinking of increasing to 200mg as my anxiety has been awful last few days but not sure when to take the extra 50mg.

Hope its going well for you.

Jo.xx

Rustyp81
03-08-10, 21:13
Hi Jo,

Sorry to hear things are not going to great. I took my morning dose this morning with out eating before hand to see if it made any difference or weather i had just built up a tolerance. It would seam that eating before hand defo helps with the side effects as i found my self starting to get the rushes/euphoria whilst i was out shopping lol.

I'm no doctor but if you are thinking of taking the extra 50mg, then maybe take it around lunch time after you have eaten. Maybe you just need that little bit extra to tide you over from the morning does to the one in the evening. Maybe you could also try taking 75mg at night and 75mg in the morning? Experiment a little and find what's right for you, the instructions on the box are only a guideline and every one reacts different. :)

The anxiety you are feeling may well just be your bodies way of saying it is ready for you to up the dosage. A lot of what i have read about lyrica Say's it's most effective at combating the symptoms of GAD at doses of 300+mg a day, with some people on doses of 600mg. In reflection you and me are both on a small doses. :) It's also worth noting that all that i have read seams to suggest that the best results come from slowly tapering up the dosage over a number of months.

Me personally, I'm going to stay on 150mg a day and try and reduce my Amitriptylne and then up my lyrica as needs be after that.

I think your doing great, you come this far and seen a glimps of the help that Lyrica can give and hope your blip doesn't stop you going forward. :D :D

Take it easy

Russ :D

JT69
04-08-10, 10:11
Hi Russ,

Thankyou so much for your reply....it is so valuable to me to read other peoples experiences and also what you have read re;Lyrica...I have tried searching for info on it and not found anything re peoples experiences and doses etc. Apart from helping me sleep the mirtazipine does not seem to be doing anything else...but I am only reducing it very slowly to minimise any withdrawal effects...I have gained stacks of weight and now I am starting to feel alot better than I did the weight is bothering me!!!

Do you take the amitripyline to help with sleep? How long have you been taking Pregabalin for? And have you gained weight on it??

Thanks for your support, I too hope that we both crack this anxiety!! Blooming horrible it is!! Lol....

Take care
Jo.xx

Rustyp81
04-08-10, 20:01
Hey Jo,
Yep searching the internet for usefull info on meds can be tricky. You have to try and think a bit different. If you just put in 'lyrica anxiety' into Google it will just bring up loads of pages telling you that Lyrica is now available as an anti-anxiety med. However if you put ' lyrica, anxiety, effective, Benzodiazepine' you tend to get better results but you still have to dig around to find the info your really after.

I've only been on Lyrica for just under two weeks. For me it has helped massively with my anxiety, but has increased my Visual hallucinations which are part of my HPPD. Although the visual disturbance have increased, the fact that my anxiety has been reduced means the increased visuals don't bother me as much as they would pre-lyrica.

As for the Amitriptylne, it does have very sedating properties but i have found tolerance to those effects, for me, have built. As posted before i am going to drop my dosage from next week and try and get off it completely as i don't feel it's of any benefit for me anymore.

As for the food. Since I've been on lyrica, i never seem to feel full. The first week i was eating anything i could lay my hands on. This week I've tried to be good and stocked up on loads of fruit and nuts so every time i get a craving I'll just grab one of those. Eating all the time is not a problem as long as your eating the right stuff ;)

I didn't realise you were reducing the zispin. That alone could be the reason for your increased anxiety?? Again, I'm not a doctor but maybe it might be worth uping the lyrica to a dose your happy with before reducing the the zispin.

Let me know how your getting on and feel free to ask any more questions! :D

Take it easy

Russ :D

JT69
05-08-10, 11:20
Hi Russ,

What is HPPD if you dont mind me asking??

You may be right re the increased anxiety and the reduction of the mirtazipine...I am going to wait to see if it settles down a bit before increasing the pregabalin again.

Woke up and felt pretty good today for the first time in ages so who knows I might be heading in the right direction....I just take each day as it comes.

Hope you doing well.

Jo.xx

Belfry1973
06-08-10, 11:07
Best way to be JT, one day at a time!

The eating thing does lessen, even when it had settled down and then I doubled my dose the 'not full' feeling didnt come back, I did put weight on but its my own fault it hasnt gone away again! :D

The only thing that has stayed is the dry mouth, I constantly have a drink with me, I have to have a drink immediatly on waking up, and from then on I constantly drink but I'm not making sure its sugar-free which isnt helping!

Best of luck to both of you!

Bel
X

Rustyp81
06-08-10, 11:56
Hey

Thank's for the kind words Bel you seem to be doing great.

Jo, HPPD stands for hallucinogen perception persistent disorder. Basically, i took way to many drugs that one day the chemical make up in my brain changed. I now have constant visual hallucinations, for example when looking at the computer screen the text will start to vibrate and some times move around. At worst it can be terrorfiyng and at best it is manageable. It's something i will have to live with as there is no cure, so it's just a case of managing the symptoms, but i only have my self to blame.

Had a pretty wobbly day yesterday and am still a little anxious today, bit worried about going to work to night which is weird as i throughly enjoyed my first day on Wed.

Glad to see things are looking up for you though. Long may it continue.

Take it easy

Russ

JT69
07-08-10, 19:19
Hi Russ,

Thanks for that...hope you didnt mind me asking...sometimes people write abbreviations on here and I dont have a clue what they stand for and if you dont ask you dont get to find out. Doesn't sound good for you...bless you...some things we have to cope with...not fair is it???

I have had a pretty rough day today but I think its cos I am due back to work after 2 weeks off on Monday and this happens alot to me...dont know why...but I just wake up and feel terriable and then that sets the scene for the day...feel constantly anxious...for what??? I never know. I enjoy my job and do well at it so why does this happen?? I may never know...but have to just go through it until I settle again!!!

Better days ahead??? Hopefully...and I am grateful for the good days I have had.

Take care.
Jo.xx

Rustyp81
10-08-10, 11:29
Hey Jo,

Not a problem I'm happy to talk to anyone about my condition. Yeah it can be a little scary at times but as i said i only have myself to blame and i think that was the hardest thing to get through.

Back on topic though, I've decided to reduce my amitriptylne and up my Lyrica to 150mg twice a day. Must stress this was with the blessing of my GP and not a decision i made on my own. Started yesterday and all the old side effects have come back but as i knew what to expect they were nowhere near as bad as the first time i took lyrica.

I know it's early days but my motivation has increased and my visual disturbances seamed to have dropped a little. I'm very optimistic atm. We'll have to see how things go once i stabilise.

Hope your feeling a little better Jo and your return to work went smoothly, I'm sure you were fine.

Anyway, take it easy

Russ :)

JT69
10-08-10, 18:01
Hi Russ,

Glad to hear you are doing o.k.

I had a blip day yesterday and first thing this morning but the rest of the day was fine, so am hoping it was just the initial returning to work and settling down again!! Now down to the 15mg of mirtazipine so will take that for a couple of weeks then reduce again....leaving the pregabalin dose as it is at 150mg per day at the moment.

Take care
Jo.xx

Rustyp81
18-08-10, 20:03
Woah

Got a bit cocky and decided to jump upto 450mg. I throughly recommend no one does this i spent two days on what can only be described as a rock and roll weekend. I lost all my inhibitions along with the plot. Gone down to 150mg daily and will start taking 150mg at night and 75mg in the morning from next Monday and work my way up from there.

Hope everyone is doing well

Take it easy

Russ :D

Belfry1973
18-08-10, 23:00
Yep Russ, self-medicating is not a good idea, as you already know!

So I'll agree with Russ, never increase your medication without your doctors, just cos you might feel better on one dosage doesnt mean you should up it to feel even better, it doesnt work like that!

But long may the recovery continue Russ!

JT69
19-08-10, 10:56
Oh dear Russ...what are you like...obviously huge learn!! I am now on 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night, seems to be stablizing. Talked to my GP today (am currently reducing on the mirtazipine gone from 30mg to 15mg) I am to take the 15mg for another 1-2 weeks then half it for another 2 weeks before stopping altogether and just taking the pregabalin.

See how it goes!!

Glad that you are benefiting from the pregabalin Russ...let it continue for you.

Take care
Jo.xx

Rustyp81
26-08-10, 15:55
hey

Sorry i haven't been around much. had to take my self away and get myself sorted.

Happy to report that i have stabilised on 150mg at night and 75mg in the morning. I am the best i've been for ages and have managed to get my amitriptyline down to 25mg a day.

Still a way to go i think and am looking forward to getting upto 300mg but am in no rush this time. :shades:

I've also been prescribed diazipam on an as needed basis and lyricia seams to increase the effect of thees, 2mg seams to have a similar effect too 5mg without, which is a bonus.

So yeah, doing O.K and for now O.K is just fine. :D

Hope every one else is doing well?

Take it easy

Russ :D

Belfry1973
27-08-10, 09:27
Good to hear you are doing well Russ!

I'm good and will do my usual long post soon but I'm getting ready for my sisters hen party which is happening during Manchester Pride this weekend. :yesyes:

I will soon be finding out if excess alcohol is a good or bad thing whilst on Lyrica :roflmao:

Be careful with those diazepam and I would say use at little as possible, I was addicted for a while and took 18 months to get off the damned things! :scared15:

Rustyp81
23-11-10, 22:17
Hello all,

Hope everyone is doing ok?

Sorry for the long delay in updating this post but i have been uber busy over the past month or so. I have started a degree course at uni and have been having issues with my meds.

I managed to get upto 150mg in the morning and 150mg at night. This seamed to work out OK but started to get very long lasting and strong belts of derealisation and depersonalization. This really played tricks with me and i really wasn't sure what to do. I went back to see my shrink and he said that DP/DR are both siode effects of this med. We decided to goto 150mg at night and 75mg in the morning. He's also suggested to reduce my amitriptylne as he thinks that the may also not be helping as anything that plays around with the 5-ht seams to have a negative effect on my symptoms, especially my visuals. He prescribed me CLonazepam rather than diazipam as the valium just wasn't doing anything unless i took a lot. I got a bit carried away with the Clonazepam at first but now have managed to get it back down to an as needed bases.

So that where i am now 225mg Pregablin - 50mg Amitriptylin - 2mg Clonazepam as and when. The pan is to drop down the ammi over the next 2 months so hopefully i will be off it by the time i go back to see my shrink in January.

So year, thats me. I hope everyone else is doing ok.

Cheers

Russ

elmarcos
05-12-10, 14:47
Hi Russ,

I have a form of HPPD but not as severe as what yours sounds like. I have static vision, illusion of movement and objects changing shape slightly when I stare at them. The drug use set me up for a bad case of OCD which after two years I am finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel through relaxation and practicing mindfulness techniques. Coincidentally as the anxiety has subsided so have the HPPD symptoms and they are slowly starting to go (or I'm not noticing them as much).

Hang in there buddy, it does get better believe me.

tognem
08-11-12, 10:35
just started pregabalin on 25mg in morning and night only been on for 4 days and feel really spaced out and dizzy so bad cant move was wandering if worth going on higher does and getting through side effects on them because there seems to be a lot of possitive benifits of it . I am taking it for chronic pain but headache seems to be worse at moment and no energy any replys would be gratfull :weep: