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How To Discontinue Intake Of Lyrica?

Posted on Mon, 2 May 2016

Question: I want to know if I can just stop taking lyrica or I have to ween myself off it?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Muhammad Sareer Khalil (39 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Need more info

Detailed Answer:
Hello and Welcome

I appreciate your concern

Kindly answer the following to advise accordingly

For how long have you been taking lyrica
What exact dose of lyrica were you taking.
For what purpose was it prescribed by your doctor.

Wishing you best of health

Thanks

Let me know if you have any query

Please consult your doctor before deciding on any further course of action.

For future follow up / correspondence you may ask me directly at the link given below

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=68107

Dr. M.S. Khalil

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Muhammad Sareer Khalil (26 hours later)

Sorry when I first sent the email it had the answer to all these questions I'm not sure why it didn't come through,
I've been taking lyrica for about 8 months for occipital neuralgia I started on 25mg and am now on 150mg, it's worked well for me, I take Pristiq for depression also, when I started the lyrica my mood got so much better I started to want to go out instead of sit at home I also started working as I used to stay home sleep all day get the kids from school come home do dinner etc and then sleep again, I also found that when I went to bed I fell straight to sleep my mind wasn't racing and woke refreshed, this no longer happens, I've also found my stomach has got really fat with bloating and I have excessive wind at night, my eye on the side of my neuralgia is blurry now when I try look out it and I lose concentration and day dream when I shouldn't, I just want to feel better but don't know what to do and I feel my doctor isn't listening to me

Answered by Dr. Dr. Muhammad Sareer Khalil (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Explained in detail

Detailed Answer:
Hello again.

Lyrica is pregabalin which is an anticonvulsant and used for fibromyalgia and other pain ful conditions like diabetic neuropathy, neuropathic pain, post herpetic neuralgia etc

Pregabalin has certain side effects which include problems with vision insomnia, mood or behaviour changes, depression, anxiety, hostility, restlesness, hyperactivity.

It also causes withdrawal symptoms like headache sleep problems nausea diarrhea so you shouldn't just stop it without talking to the doctor tell him or her about side effects you are having.

Pristiq is desvenalfaxine used in treatment of major depreesive disorders. Some times the required dose of the drug dont work because body adapts to it and its degraded and metabolised too fast so half life of drug is reduced then increased dose can work.

When discontinuing any medicine no of factors effect severity and duration of withdrawl symptoms like for how much time you have been taking , dose of the drug, and how abrupt it is stopped. So people who have taken it for long period of time and high dose are more likely to develop symptoms.

The 10% rule can be applied to lyrica just like another psychiatric drugs so you can taper the drug at rate of 10% per month it will give plenty of time to your CNS to adjust. With regards to the physician issue the best I can do is to advise a change in physician / psychiatrist through your GP.

Please consult your doctor before taking any further course of action

Wishing you best of health

Thanks

Dr M.S Khalil.

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar