Lyrica

joannewtta
joannewtta Member Posts: 43
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

Have any of you on this board taken Lyrica for Neuropathy. I tried Gabapentin and helped a little. My neurologist suggested we try lyrica. He started me with one a night, then one morning and night, etc until I started two a day on Friday. I feel like every nerve ending in my body is firing; I jerk and twitch, am sleepy and have a little blurred vision. I plan on calling my neurologist tomorrow and I'm not taking any more. I just wondered if anyone on this board had taken it and had negative reactions. Yesterday and today I have just felt weird and decided I would rather have the pain instead of these feelings. If I hold my hand out in front of me my ring finger twitches from side to side. Mildly entertaining to my family.

Anyway just checking. Typing is a new experience and I did an update to Facebook and this is my third posting to this board tonight. Challenge and lots of backspace key. This is an excuse for any typos.

Joanne

Comments

  • It happened to Me
    It happened to Me Member Posts: 206 Member
    #2
    Never tried Lyrica

    Joanne, gabapentin didn't work for me.  I went to a homeopathic called Hypericum Potency 6X and that helped alot.  I didn't have near the pain. 

    Jeanette

  • joannewtta
    joannewtta Member Posts: 43
    #3
    It happened to Me said:

    Never tried Lyrica

    Joanne, gabapentin didn't work for me.  I went to a homeopathic called Hypericum Potency 6X and that helped alot.  I didn't have near the pain. 

    Jeanette

    lyrica

    Where did you find this? Health Food store?

  • It happened to Me
    It happened to Me Member Posts: 206 Member
    #4
    joannewtta said:

    lyrica

    Where did you find this? Health Food store?

    Homeopathics

    I got mine at a mom and pop health food store.  I don't know if places like GNC or Vitamin Shoppe or those main stream chains carry them.  I would imagine that you could call and ask.  Hypericum is a form of St. John's Wort but don't take St. John's Wort.  It has to be the Hypericum.  I also got some of mine online.  It was 1800Homeopathy.com.  I had talked to a former nurse who is into natural and homeopathics and she actually introduced me to them and to Rhus tox which helps with achy joint pain.  She actually figured out how many for me to take.  The bottle directions told me to take 4 little tabs and dissolve under my tongue every 4 hours as needed.  I ended up taking 5 tabs three times a day for 7 - 10 days then reduce to twice a day.  So, you can play with dosage because they rarely have side effects.

    Someone at the health food store might be able to help figure out dosage.

    I wish you well.

    Jeanette

  • Hybridspirits
    Hybridspirits Member Posts: 209
    #5
    Neuropathy

    I was advised to use L-Glutemine and take the B vitamins for Neuropathy. My oncologist had me take the b vitamins all during chemo and my naturopath continues to test me to make sure they are of acceptable levels as I still get neuropathy in my feet.  i finished chemo 5/2013. 

     If you google L-Glutemine you will find studies at Dana Farber about using it for chemo enduced Neuropathy.  I found as soon as I started taking it the tingling subsideded.  B-6 helped a bit.  You get the L-Glutemine powder at a Heath food store or even Whole foods.  I also dound others had posted on this website about using this as well.

    my oncolgoist had recommended accupuncture and found that she had success with her patients.

    I am sorry you are going through this and hoping that one of our natural remendies might help you out.

     

     

  • pinky104
    pinky104 Member Posts: 574 Member
    #6
    Lyrica

    I took Lyrica in the first year after chemo.  It didn't help at all.  I decided to get off of it and I was going to go off of it the way the directions said to (by decreasing it gradually). However, I fell on the edge of a friend's driveway just before I was supposed to finish the Lyrica.  I couldn't feel my feet because they were numb, and in the dark, I couldn't tell there was a large drop-off from the driveway to the lawn.  I decided it might help to stay on the full dose until I finished the bottle, as I thought it might help ease the pain from the fall.  I didn't want to refill the script since it had cost me $50 after insurance.  That was a big mistake.  I felt sick to my stomach for several days because I hadn't decreased the dose gradually.  

    I eventually tried accupuncture, which the PA at my cancer center said sometimes helps.  I tried six or seven sessions of that, which didn't do a thing for me, either.  I still have the neuropathy four and a half years later, but it's not as bad as it was at the beginning.  I get shooting pains when I'm flat on my back in bed instead of the constant numbness I had back in the early days after chemo. To complicate matters, I have a bunion and bone spurs in one foot, which I plan to get removed in the next couple of months.  I think getting the nerves in my foot cut may be beneficial for the pain, although it might just make the pain worse.

    Maybe you haven't been on the Lyrica long enough to have much of a reaction to going off it.   I have a strong stomach normally, so I was surprised how much it bothered me.  I hope you can find some product that works for you.  

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