Lyrica side effects, who is taking it?

[JRS11]

My surgery, suggested at Yale has been rejected by my insurance carrier and I do not want to do a very radical surgery (I have radicular pain caused by stenosis as well as an absolutely horrible back, those that have read my posts may remember). So I am going for another intra-foramanol (sp?) injection in 3 weeks or so. My other alternative is Lyrica which scares the daylights out of me, so I have to ask about the reality of the side effects (I am a pharma rep and I take some of them very seriously).

Suicide
Anxiety
Depression
swelling of hands, feet, legs, mouth, throat (which can be life threatening)
Weight Gain (I work hard to keep my weight where it is, I am trim and believe with a back as I have that is essential).

Please help me know more about this drug so I can make an informed decision.
I have done internet searches and I have read the label, on the internet you will of course hear from those that have had a bad time with it so I thought here I might get a good perspective, either way, from folks using it or who have used it, tried it, stopped using it for whatever reason.

Thanks

Joel

[Cindylou]

My surgery, suggested at Yale has been rejected by my insurance carrier and I do not want to do a very radical surgery (I have radicular pain caused by stenosis as well as an absolutely horrible back, those that have read my posts may remember). So I am going for another intra-foramanol (sp?) injection in 3 weeks or so. My other alternative is Lyrica which scares the daylights out of me, so I have to ask about the reality of the side effects (I am a pharma rep and I take some of them very seriously).

Suicide
Anxiety
Depression
swelling of hands, feet, legs, mouth, throat (which can be life threatening)
Weight Gain (I work hard to keep my weight where it is, I am trim and believe with a back as I have that is essential).

Please help me know more about this drug so I can make an informed decision.
I have done internet searches and I have read the label, on the internet you will of course hear from those that have had a bad time with it so I thought here I might get a good perspective, either way, from folks using it or who have used it, tried it, stopped using it for whatever reason.

Thanks

Joel

Joel, I was on Lyrica for months and months after my 3 level lumbar ADR replacement surgery. This drug worked wonders for me with the nerve pain, after surgery. Weight gain was the only real side effect I experienced while on it. I am off the Lyrica and was able to get the weight back off that I gained, while on it. It was a God-send for me. Just my experience. Good luck, Cindylou

[ajj1001]

i'm on gabapentin, which is a similar med and older alternatuve to lyrica. . I've been on it for three years with no huge problems, wouldn't get out of bed if I stopped taking it.

the good thing with a tablet is you can take for a couple of months to see if it works and stop if it disagrees with you. nothing permanent. I had previously been diagnosed with clinical depression and gabapentin did not give me any additional mental health problems.

[JRS11]

Thank you for your replies, some food for thought....I appreciate your feedback.

Joel

[dalhousie]

I take low dose Lyrica 75mg/daily. I have problems with my sinuses & one of the side effects is nasal congestion so that's as much as I can cope with. I have had the weight gain but I'm also on Amitriptyline 30mg which gives you an increased appetite. I have lost a certain amount of the weight I gained but I do have to watch what I eat. I don't have any other problems with it though.

[RetroVirus]

Lyrica is an anti-depressant medication, that also has pain relieving properties. Keep in mind those side effects are rare, and only present in certain populations. You would be shocked to read some of the "possible" side effects on simple antihistamines are!

Possible= highly improbable