Life without Lyrica

[Arnold Layne]

In consultation with my GP I have decided that after 20 or more years of taking maximum dose of Pregabalin daily ( 2 x 300mg), its time to come off the stuff. I really did not know how effective it was being, and my insides are in a bit of mess. Now I've come off addictive stuff before, notably Amphetamines, Cocaine and Opioids. So I figured that I was pretty eyes-wide-open in terms of being ready for the come down.

 

Which was good, because it wasn't/isn't pretty! Not in any way, shape or form. Even though I did it by way of a slow tapering down before finally pulling the plug.

 

Physical wise, much the same set of nasties as one would expect from a modest Opioid withdrawal. Shivers, sweats, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, loss of motivation, complete exhaustion, shits, sleepless nights and total weakness.

 

But the most unpleasant part was/is the mind games, the psychological side of withdrawal. I though there would be some of this, but I seriously underestimated what was coming down the line, what I was running into. Depression I anticipated, and got. De-motivation I expected and got. But the worst part was the terrors. For the first week I was gripped by bouts of what can only be called total, uncontrollable "fear" or "terror". Not as in fear about something or being terrified by something, just irrational, inexplicable Fear. Essence of fear, as it were. I had something like when coming of heavy amphetamine abuse, but this was way beyond that. All I can say is, thank Fuck its fading and becoming less frequent after ten days.

 

The good news is, that Pot works wonders when going through the detox. Without it, I wouldn't have hacked it, and be still on the Lyrica. But I'm not, thanks to Pot.

 

The thing is, Lyrica works! As anticipated by both the GP and me, my background pain levels have become much stronger. But I have alternative analgesia in the shape of Oxycontin and Morphine. Long term, I hope to scale back these too. But Opioids have less negative health impact IMHO, so I'll tackle them when I feel ready. Although I will always need some. My spine is deteriorating all the time, and with PD on top, well, pain is just a daily reality. My hope is to get to a point where i use nothing but Pot and Morphine (ie, to ditch the Oxycontin).

 

If you're thinking of ditching Lyrica, all I can say is: Be ready for a scrap, and then some! And be sure to have a big bag of weed to hand.

[lildaveham]

Well done fella, 

 

Hope ya insides sort themselves out and good to see you posting.

 

Peace

 

lil d.

[Conspiranought]

Well done man! I was offered it along with clonazepam for epilepsy but refused it. Clonazepam itself along with the standalone med (lacosamide) is bad enough really, I don't want to be on lyrica to go with it as well. Reading this makes me glad I refused it. Hope you manage to stick it out and get it over and one with mate .

 

ATB

[AKPOG]

Well done mate, you have achieved what many fail at & what I am currently scrapping with.

 

Yes indeed, Pregabalin withdrawal is immense discomfort with major anxiety & all the other shit our bodies should never have to endure! 

 

I've managed to reduce so far from 600mg per day to 400mg per day & it has been a very slow progress.

 

May I ask how you cut down & how long it took you mate?

 

[Arnold Layne]

6 hours ago, AKPOG said:

Well done mate, you have achieved what many fail at & what I am currently scrapping with.

 

Yes indeed, Pregabalin withdrawal is immense discomfort with major anxiety & all the other shit our bodies should never have to endure! 

 

I've managed to reduce so far from 600mg per day to 400mg per day & it has been a very slow progress.

 

May I ask how you cut down & how long it took you mate?

 

 Thanks everyone. I posted this because I know a lot of folks are getting into difficulty with a Pregabalin habit. And not jut a medicinal addiction, but by way of using massive amounts "Recreational" Pregabalin. Never got off on it myself; each to their own, mind. Lol, Given the amount of pharmaceutical shyte I've abused the fuck out of myself with in my younger days I'm in no position to cast judgment on anyone doing whatever they want. So I wrote this really just to encourage anyone with an unwanted habit. Because unless you know and feel the truth of your habit being unwanted, stay with it. It works, and maybe for you its a a life saver. Cool. And if you don't experience any nasty side effects, what reason is there to quit? None whatsoever, which is why I was grateful and remain such to what Lyrica gave me over the last 20 plus years. But then I wanted rid. It was costing me seriously with internal issues. It became "unwanted".

 

The start off dose was daily 300mg x w (Morning and evening). I then took dropped from 2 x 300mg to 2 x 225mg, where i stayed for around a week or so. My next step was a week of 1 x 225mg per day. Then i stopped. Probably too soon, but I have always felt that for me to drop a habit, it has to cost me something. Aversion therapy. Not for everyone, altough there are others who prefer an even harsher regime. So I think you've really got to find what works best. There is no right or wrong, but I would always do whatever you do, with your GP on board.

 

I think I've been Lyrica free for all of a fortnight or so now! Still nauseous and chundering in the mornings, and gone from chronic constipation to.... well, you can guess the rest. But I am not far off from that feeling I get when losing a habit, that first day that you realise you never gave it a second's thought. For me, that's a line i don't cross back over. All other negative reactions are pretty much history. Apart from the daily increase in background pain levels.

[marcjuna]

Positive vibes in your direction

[marcjuna]

How's life treating you? @Arnold Layne

[Arnold Layne]

I've known better times! But could be a lot worse off. Been travelling around a bit, may hop over to Belgium and visit folks there too, soon. Be glad when this shit Lyrica is 100% out of my system. Its taking its time. Am blessed with, and grateful for my family, and my friends, that's a fact!

 

[crticalcontent]

Mate it sounds terrible, hope your ok now bro? I’ve been through a similar situation very recently. Accept mine was a side effect of infliximab, The fear heart racing, impending doom etc pure bullshit inescapable illogical fear! I get ya mate. I’ve dropped the meds my next infusion was supposed to be today instead my friend has been taking me to the gym at this wild hour in the morning just for a bit of mental restbite.