Hi There,
I am a newbie here but I am hoping someone can give me some advice. I have suffered major general anxiety disorder for the past 5 years. I have had to leave 2 jobs because of it. I have tried multiple SSRI without much success, I am currently on Sertraline 200mg a day. Anyway after going through all the NHS hoops I have finally got a really good psychiatrist who has been wonderful. So far we have tried Quetiapine (which I didn't like) Promethazine (which done nothing at all). I have now been prescribed Lyrica 75mg to take twice a day, which I asked to try after reading glowing reviews on drugs.com and how it helps with anxiety. It sounded like the holy grail of anxiety treatment. I have only managed to take 3 doses of this medicaiton as the side effects have hit me from the first capsule. I felt totally dizzy and lightheaded. Couldn't walk straight, the room was spinning. Feel sick and really not right. I haven't taken any dose today as I really couldn't take these side effects. I ended up going back to my GP today and he said maybe the dosage is too high for me. So he has now prescribed me 25mg twice a day. I am really not sure if Lyrica is the right medicaiton for me and I am scared to start the new dosage as the initial side effects were so bad. Has anybody else who suffers from GAD tried this drug and has it improved their condition?
Many thanks for reading.
Mark
Hi Mark
soory to hear of your suffering with GAD it is a horrible experience. Iwas prescribed Pregabalin by a senior psychiatrist and it worked wonders in relieving my anxiety completely. I experienced dizziness at first but it soon disappeared and now I have no side effects having been on 75mg x2 daily for 6 months. I really hope it works equally well for you. Good luck.
geoff
I would hang in there Mark and take this drug I am on 600mg a day for fibromyalgia and used to sufferGAD and now after taken this all simptons have gone and it has made me a quite a confident person
hope it works for you too
Hi Geoff,
Thanks for your response and glad that Pregabalin has worked for you. Unfortunately I am still not sure. The dizziness and nausea would be manageable but it is making me very lethargic and depressed too. I am not sure what to do for the best. Maybe the dose is just too strong for me? Can't really deal with the spaced out feeling.
Cheers anyway
Mark
Thanks Shaun,
I am happy it has worked for you. It is just making me feel quite depressed apart from the other side effects. Also I suffer from depersonalisation which is also making every thing seem worse. Thanks for your reply though.
Cheers
Mark
Hi again Mark
I agree with Shaun, hang in there and give it time. Also I was recommended Mindfulness course for anxiety and it did help.Your doctor or local mental health team should be able to let you know where and when these take place. They are usually free if run by your local heath authority.I was amazed at the number attending this couse in my area-over 60 people aged 18 to 80! You can also obtain all info regarding Mindfulness and courses in your area on line.Do try this course it can,t do any harm and will probably help you to train your mind to overcome anxiety.
very best for the future and remember, you will get better.
geoff
Mark:
Lyrica is really too new a candidate for GAD/Anxiety treatment. It is not FDA approved for this, and human trials are too few to validate its efficacy. There are so many better drugs for GAD. I too had issues almost exactly like yours when first starting Lyrica, and two other weird side effects. One was a drop in cognitive reasoning and I.Q. I test on average about 148 I.Q. on Lyrica I cannot test higher than 110-120 depending on the test. And secondly I use to have to go the loo 4-5 times a night, I can go 12-14 hours without a loo break.
WATCH YOUR SETRALINE DOSE ! 200/mg a day is max dose, I suffer from GAD and panic attacks and mine is controlable at 50mg/daily. For severe GAD I would suspect about 100mg/daily would work, maybe 125, but 200mg's is really pushing it, and may cause issues like serotonin storms etc. Good Luck
Thanks again Geoff, ok I have decided that Lyrica is not for me and I have ceased taking it my first 48 hours withdrawal have proved really tough after only 3 doses. I really need to feel like "me" and normally I have a great tolerance to medication but this drug was way too potent for me. I am gonna look at more natural alternatives I have heard wonderful things about Mindfulness. I am also going to revisit an App called Headspace which I tried late last year and did help a little bit. People's comments have been really kind on here and I really appreciate it.
Cheers
Mark
Hi Grey,
Thank you so much for your comments. The doctor increased my Sertraline about 6 months ago due to my anxiety getting worse. I was suffering from severe depersonalization too at the time, I was also taking 40mg 3 timses a day Propranonol at the time (which I am not sure helped).
I basically read about Lyrica on Drugs.com and the reviews were wonderful, since I got it though I have also read nightmare reviews about it too. I only took 3 doses of it and normally I have a strong tolerance to medication but Lyrica has proved too potent for me. I felt totally dizzy, sickly and very depressed within 24 hours of starting it. Two days of not taking it I felt depressed and had a headache. Day three now and I feel a little bit more like myself. I am definitely going to keep Lyrica out of my system.
You mentioned other drugs better for GAD? Would love to know what you would recommend?
Many Thanks
Mark
Mike:
Here is a few GOOD GAD suggestions. Zoloft, ( I know you use it.) Cymbalta, a definite winner. Escitalopram. Citalopram. Don't look at just SSRI's, look at SNRI's. Abilify is an adjunct medicine of great efficacy, when some meds won't work the addition of this agonist can help, it's an off-label use for GAD, and designed for use with other meds, it's a consideration when your mainline defense drug isn't working up to par. Good Luck...
Hi Mark,
its sounds like thev've put you on a high dose to start with. I started with 25mg 9 days ago & have had to go back to the GP because of depression. (had it before I took that) I asked to go on an AD aswell but he said to double the dose. He it's a 12 hour acting drug so you get peaks & troughs with it. I feel a bit weird on the higher dose, started today. My anxiety is improving with it but I'm getting gas, bloating, nausea (slight). My skin has felt a bit sensitive & I do feel a bit spaced out too. I've been getting weird heart flutters a couple of times a day, not like palpatations it feels different to that... It's says in the leaflet that this is an uncommon side effect. I also get depersonalisation or derealisation (gets these lables confused). I was on Sertraline last year but came off it becuse it didn't agreee with me after around 9months. They switched brands on me & that could have had something to do with it but I tend to find SSRI give me insomnia, adbominal pain & mouth ulscers. I'm hoping this lyrica works for me. I had a bad reaction to the last AD I was prescribed. My chiropractor says that my trapped nerve can flare up allergies...I feel a bit of a wreak! I'm managing to go to work but it all adds to the anxiety being on new meds. I get social anxiety with my GAD.
Hi Dee,
Thanks for your reply. I ain't touched it again. The side effects where just too weird for me. I prefer to be a unmedicated wreck than the wreck I felt on Lyrica. I only asked my psych, to prescribe it to me as I read some amazing reviews on drugsdotcom. Though looking at these reviews again a lot of them where written by "anonymous", so I am kind of suspicious. I also read some other reviews about the longterm effects of people taking Lyrica and they all sounded pretty hellish too. I suppose everybody is different and we all respond differently to meds, but this wasn't for me. Hope you fair better on it than me.
Hi Mark,
thanks for the update. The alternative choice to Lyrica was Quetiapine & I notice you've had this. I refuse to take an antipsychotic, I know they are mood stabalisers & can help when SSRIs dont work but I chose this instead. It's exhausting trying all these different meds. I'm reading a book called change your brain change your life & there's a section in ther about the Basal Ganglian being over active & the Quetiapine was mentioned in that to help stabalise it. Apparently worry plays a big part in that swction of the brain. I feel like I need a degree in psychology just to get through life lately!
You write good reviews. Tried first dose lyrica for anxiety last night. Feel drunk and dizzy today. Think i will miss out daytime dose to see if my brain will work again. I really need a good antidepressant but due to warfarin they wont let me try sertraline, citalopram, zoloft etc Help, dont know if they are right or not. I am caught between two stools
I'm glad yo hear you've decided to go off this poison.
It may "help" some people in some ways but they suffer in many others for it.
It was tested as a different drug in the US and when FDA approved, it was changed but not tested as such and allowed to be used as its original compound.
It is a dangerous drug and is capable of so much damage that can never be repaired.
There is a lawsuit going on as we speak...so many people disabled, their lives ruined.
I was prescribed it as lyrica for nerve pain but got a hell of a lot more than i bargained for!!
People are still withdrawing after years of quitting it.
Anyone reading this and using it - geware and take care.
Do some investigating.
This drug is a toxic nightmare!!!!
Hi Mark.
Read up on lyrica.
It's toxic and devastates the body and mind.
Once taken, withdrawals can be bad and long lasting (years) and the damage it causes is irreversible.
It may help in one area but destroy others.
It was FDA approved for completely different ingredients, then when approved, changed them without approval and but listed them with the same.
Lawsuits left right and centre now.
It's dangerous.
Hi Mark. This drug did nothing for me until I hit the max dose of 600mg a day. Now I find my anxiety is much better. Of course not everyone is the same, but I'd reccomend trying to stick with it to see if it can help you.
I tried it would not say it helped massively it took a slight edge off my anxiety loads of really nasty side effects and now I am stuck on it... Read my post. I would if I were you do your research on this drug I wish I had and I wouldn't have gone within a mile of this stuff! Good luck on your journey anxiety is the worst.
Hi. I take 75g, one morning then evening. I started on a low dose, then I was put up to the 150mg. I didn't have any side effects on the 100mg, but I feel sickly with this. Getting to the point where it's making me not want to eat, and have to force myself. I think this might be too high a dose for me too.
I was put on 75mg twice a day to begin then they increased the dose and after a while i stopped taking it because it made me quite ill and was no longer doing what it was prescribed for. The doctor told me if i "wasn't getting any side effects from it then i wasn't taking enough" and tried to get me to gradually increase to six pills twice a day, which he said was still a low dose.
I refused to re-take it because i was still so ill and withdrawing from it.
I studied this drug and found out what it does, what it has done to people, including myself.
Once this "medication" has been used for a bit, the effects and damage are irreversible!
I suggest you read into this med and read forums for it and make your own decision, but my advice is to stop taking it.