is this wd or lyrica- should i contact dr?

[[St...]]

Hey BB

 

I'm sorry to keep talking about my sxs but I'm really sick and frightened and don't know what to do. I need BB in put. Who wiser at this than BB?.

 

I'm over 20 months out from my ct.  I had been tapering off Lyrica since 10 months. I got down from 225 mg daily to 18mg daily and the bottom fell out. I got intrusive thoughts, akathesia , many sxs I hadn't had n months and very intense.  I.up dosed. I'm now on 37.5 mg a day. At first I felt better - first couple days. Then roller coaster started back and forth. I have always been window wave but this is different.

I have been at this dose for 32 days. My psy Dr says it takes the body 2 weeks to stabilize on a  Lyrica change.  I don't feel well - don't feel like I have during my wd to benzos even while tapering.  I'm scared - really scared.

Is this benzo wd or do I need to do something about Lyrica?  I don't feel well enough mentally to taper off it. I'm wondering if I need to increase it?  I went on it to help heal from ct which it did but now I feel it isn't able to help for it is not right dose.

I'm not sleeping but 1 -2 hrs a night..I have nerve burning again haven't had this hardly n mos. I'm nauseous. Very anxious - runny nose - revved up - vibrations -  I can't think.

 

I don't know. My Dr and counselor say Lyrica is different than benzo.  I'm wondering if u can go down on it and back up as I did?  I just don't feel right u all.  I think I'm having reaction to needing more. But then is that going to keep happening?  Does anyone that know neurontin know if u can go back up on it?

 

I don't know what to do. I'm overwhelmed.  I just know I'm not right. I feel this is more than benzo wd. I feel I need to get stable to b able to heal.  I'm afraid to increase or decrease but holding here isn't working. My husband and counselor think this is wd from benzo and Lyrica isn't affecting me much at this dose.  I feel like these feelings r similar to when I went on Lyrica n the first place. I.feel I'm back to that point - I'm almost drowning again. Warning - danger zone.

 

All those months of tapering off Lyrica I did good. I hardly had any sxs until I got n my 30-20 mgs. But it still didn't feel like this. Then the bottom fell out. But up dosing to this level hasn't done it. Should I talk to a pharmacist?  A different one - mine said just cut 25 mg every two weeks. I didn't last 5 days trying that. So I started water titration and it went smoothly.

 

What do u all think? I feel I'm almost n a panic not knowing what to do. Would appreciate ur input.  Is this wd and I should hold at this dose or I should increase - up dose and try to stabilize?  Water is rising w no life jacket on.

 

Hugs

Sally

[[Ju...]]

Oh Sally, I've been following your Lyrica taper and hoping for the very best for you.  I'm so sorry you've hit a really rough patch.  I too, take Lyrica.  I've been taking Lyrica for about 8 years, 100 mg per day, to prevent migraines.  The migraines were probably caused by Xanax tolerance, which was unknown to me at the time I started taking it.  I had a decent Xanax taper, followed by a post taper that has gone extremely well.  I can't help but think the Lyrica must have helped my benzo taper and now post taper.  I am 60 and I took Xanax for over 25 years.  One would think that I'd have had a much rougher time with the benzo, considering my age and length of Xanax use.

 

Sally, what do you think deep down inside?  Don't you think that Lyrica could have been covering some of your ct benzo wd sxs, as well as now you've possibly just gotten ahead of yourself a bit with the Lyrica tapering healing as you go down.  Everything I've read about Lyrica wd is that the sxs mimic benzo wd.  So, my guess is that you're being hit by a possible double whammy --- a bit of benzo wd, as well as Lyrica wd.

 

I'm not certain if going up in dose on Lyrica would be the same thing as going up in dose during a benzo taper.  In other words, I have no idea if the 14-day 'loose rule' regarding up dosing a benzo also applies to Lyrica.  But I certainly know what I would do if I were in your shoes considering how terrible you feel.  After I had held my Lyrica dose for the 2 weeks your doctor suggested for stabilization, if I did not stabilize,  I would certainly try tapering back up until I stabilized.  Knowing me, I would put a cap on how high I was willing to taper up and off the top of my head it would probably be no more than back to 50 mg. or if things were still really awful, I might go back to 75 mgs.  I'd probably also hold at whatever Mg dose I stabilized at for at least 2 months until I started the taper again.  To me,  you seem to be really sensitive now that your Lyrica dose is well below 50 mgs.  I'm so sorry this is happening Sally.    I hope you get some relief very soon.  Please let me know what you decide to do and if you get relief.  I plan to start tapering my Lyrica within the next 12 months.  I will probably go much slower with Lyrica than I did with the benzo to try to prevent as much wd as possible.  This is especially true,  in case the Lyrica is covering some of the benzo wd.

[[St...]]

Oh Sally, I've been following your Lyrica taper and hoping for the very best for you.  I'm so sorry you've hit a really rough patch.  I too, take Lyrica.  I've been taking Lyrica for about 8 years, 100 mg per day, to prevent migraines.  The migraines were probably caused by Xanax tolerance, which was unknown to me at the time I started taking it.  I had a decent Xanax taper, followed by a post taper that has gone extremely well.  I can't help but think the Lyrica must have helped my benzo taper and now post taper.  I am 60 and I took Xanax for over 25 years.  One would think that I'd have had a much rougher time with the benzo, considering my age and length of Xanax use.

 

Sally, what do you think deep down inside?  Don't you think that Lyrica could have been covering some of your ct benzo wd sxs, as well as now you've possibly just gotten ahead of yourself a bit with the Lyrica tapering healing as you go down.  Everything I've read about Lyrica wd is that the sxs mimic benzo wd.  So, my guess is that you're being hit by a possible double whammy --- a bit of benzo wd, as well as Lyrica wd.

 

I'm not certain if going up in dose on Lyrica would be the same thing as going up in dose during a benzo taper.  In other words, I have no idea if the 14-day 'loose rule' regarding up dosing a benzo also applies to Lyrica.  But I certainly know what I would do if I were in your shoes considering how terrible you feel.  After I had held my Lyrica dose for the 2 weeks your doctor suggested for stabilization, if I did not stabilize,  I would certainly try tapering back up until I stabilized.  Knowing me, I would put a cap on how high I was willing to taper up and off the top of my head it would probably be no more than back to 50 mg. or if things were still really awful, I might go back to 75 mgs.  I'd probably also hold at whatever Mg dose I stabilized at for at least 2 months until I started the taper again.  To me,  you seem to be really sensitive now that your Lyrica dose is well below 50 mgs.  I'm so sorry this is happening Sally.    I hope you get some relief very soon.  Please let me know what you decide to do and if you get relief.  I plan to start tapering my Lyrica within the next 12 months.  I will probably go much slower with Lyrica than I did with the benzo to try to prevent as much wd as possible.  This is especially true,  in case the Lyrica is covering some of the benzo wd.

 

Hi Juliea,

 

It is nice to meet you. Thank you so much for posting to me.  Your words helped reassure me of what I have decided to do.   I am going to ride this out.  I am not going to up dose the Lyrica.  I am going to hold here for I don't know how long and let my body heal from the benzos. I sound brave and feel it as I write this.

 

Hearing you say that you have been on Lyrica for 8 years eased me to feel that it isn't the Lyrica being evil, it is my body going thru benzo w/d. Your words also showed me the Lyrica is definitely not preventing me from healing. You obviously are healing and did quite well thru your taper and in your recovery.  I heard so much negative about going on Lyrica that I wouldn't heal while on it, etc.  It made me so afraid - I started thinking I needed to get off it 2 weeks after I went on it.  I'm so glad I didn't.  I wouldn't be here if I had gone off of it. 

 

Yes Lyrica did help with my w/d symptoms.  I was too ill - beyond ill I was drowning - I wasn't able to even walk nor hold a glass, I was jerking violently. I wasn't able to attend my mother's funeral. I started Lyrica two weeks after her services. Lyrica stopped all those sxs plus more and I believe with my heart if the dr I was seeing then had put me on Lyrica I would have been able to say good bye to my mom but all that dr did was say I don't know what is the matter with you and you can take a xanax here and there if you want it won't hurt you. You think xanax won't hurt me and I'm this ill?                                    Lyrica did save my life.

 

I hope I can put my fear of this medicine and other medicines away. Lyrica may have to be tapered down but that can be done slow and it won't be like what I went thru with my c/t off benzos. I spent time yesterday talking to my counselor about Lyrica and my fear. My fear is of having a medicine ever have control a hold of me like xanax did for almost 16 yrs. After almost 21 months out from a c/t I'm tired of tapering and trying to heal.  I need to hold here and just let my body heal.  Even if I stay on this level of Lyrica for a year - two years - 10 years - is that so bad if I'm healed from benzos and living a full life?  I can't say I have any negative side effects from Lyrica other than maybe weight gain. But I can't even say that, I have benzo friends that have also gained weight and never taken anything else.  I think a lot of the weight issue for me is cortisol. 

 

I'm wondering if the Lyrica has kept migraines away from me?  I had migraines prior to benzos - then they escalated during my years on benzos. I haven't had a single migraine since I went c/t.

 

I'm going to start acupuncture tomorrow.  I had treatments years ago for fibromyalgia and body pain.  Now I am going to see if it can help with my recovery. When I went in yesterday to schedule the appt - the Dr was far more positive and encouraging than any of the mds I have told of my accomplishment. He wasn't surprised I was still having sxs - he said yes benzos take a while for some people to heal but I will. He is a professor at the med school here, all med students take acupuncture as a study in alternative pain treatment. I think this is worth trying to support my system in healing.

 

Thank you again Juliea.  I'm so happy that your recovery is going as well as it is.  C/t was the most traumatic harsh thing I have done to my body. Going slow and tapering is the way to come off benzos or any medicine. You will be fine Juliea, just listen to your body and do water titration. I think you are right I tapered fast on top of my c/t and it just all caught up with me. 

 

Healing to you and all of us,

hugs,

Sally 

[[ea...]]

Sally, theres so much they do not know about these drugs. Someone sent me a success story by a woman who took psych drugs for many years (what drugs, I dont know-) and weaned off them with eventual great success....she not only regained her mind, she lost a lot of weight and reports being a far happier person, tho not "cured."

I take 2 medications right now that may have a withdrawal, and it worries me. But my goal is to eventually be totally free of anything potentially harmful. Benzo withdrawal has had a tremendous effect on me this way.

Many of us wonder if our symptoms are still from benzo withdrawal, or "underlying" issues, or even from new medications. This is one reason keeping a log of symptoms is a good idea. But most of us will never know the real answer to this question...its going to remain a mystery and our only goal should be to be free of possibly dangerous medications.

I dont know the reason youre taking Lyrica, but...does it help at all?

east

[[gi...]]

Sally, theres so much they do not know about these drugs. Someone sent me a success story by a woman who took psych drugs for many years (what drugs, I dont know-) and weaned off them with eventual great success....she not only regained her mind, she lost a lot of weight and reports being a far happier person, tho not "cured."

I take 2 medications right now that may have a withdrawal, and it worries me. But my goal is to eventually be totally free of anything potentially harmful. Benzo withdrawal has had a tremendous effect on me this way.

Many of us wonder if our symptoms are still from benzo withdrawal, or "underlying" issues, or even from new medications. This is one reason keeping a log of symptoms is a good idea. But most of us will never know the real answer to this question...its going to remain a mystery and our only goal should be to be free of possibly dangerous medications.

I dont know the reason youre taking Lyrica, but...does it help at all?

east

Sally, theres so much they do not know about these drugs. Someone sent me a success story by a woman who took psych drugs for many years (what drugs, I dont know-) and weaned off them with eventual great success....she not only regained her mind, she lost a lot of weight and reports being a far happier person, tho not "cured."

I take 2 medications right now that may have a withdrawal, and it worries me. But my goal is to eventually be totally free of anything potentially harmful. Benzo withdrawal has had a tremendous effect on me this way.

Many of us wonder if our symptoms are still from benzo withdrawal, or "underlying" issues, or even from new medications. This is one reason keeping a log of symptoms is a good idea. But most of us will never know the real answer to this question...its going to remain a mystery and our only goal should be to be free of possibly dangerous medications.

I dont know the reason youre taking Lyrica, but...does it help at all?

east

     

 

this is like a bump for woofs