One week at 150mg Lyrica BID...

[A's Mommy]

Hi friends,

After a month long flare was subsiding, I'd had it. I talked to my GP, and he said go ahead, double the dose of Lyrica from 75 BID to 150 BID. Pain went down at least two levels.... HOWEVER...fogginess is way up, i feel like I retaining water, and hungry/craving sweets. I am a tad bit body conscious... And so last two nights, I didn't take my 150mg capsule. Big difference. I HATE this. Do I gain weight because of the side effects of a drug while waiting for my next surgery, or do I suffer in more pain? Do I crash my car with my daughter in it bcz I can't think straight or concentrate or make quicker decisions?

What do I do? The pain really did go down about two levels in one week at 300mg a day, but side effect increase was also immediate. I am 5 ft 4, 112 lbs.

Love,
A's Mommy

Happy Easter and God Bless

[donstore]

AM,
In my experience, the side effects lessen after you get used to the higher dose. I work on it all day and I just have to remember to concentrate. For driving, especially at night, you really have to work at it to stay focused. It's a trade off for the pain relief. It does give you the munchies, however. I try to keep fresh fruit around and fill up on it when the cravings hit. Hang in there.

All My Best,

Don

[ezer]

Could you increase slowly to 150mg cutting pills if necessary? I think that is the way to go. Doubling the dosage suddenly is brutal on your body.

[Lernica]

AM,

I think that Ezer's idea of a more gradual increase is a good one. I too recently had a month-long pain flare and accordingly increased my Neurontin from 900 to 1200 daily about nine days ago. But I am finding the brain fog and disorientation very troublesome. Yesterday at Easter brunch with my family, someone asked me what I had done the day before during a beautiful warm sunny day and I could not remember! I felt so stupid. And today I had difficulty rousing myself after a 10 hour sleep!

But, like you, the increased pain relief from the increased dose was almost immediate so I think that the trade off is worth it. This week I will ask my psychiatrist if I can decrease my antidepressants in a bid to improve the brain fog.

I hope that Don's prediction that the brain fog will improve over time is accurate in both our cases. I am planning a gradual return to work at the end of the month, and I need my brain!!!

[Faith]

Hey AM!

I am glad to hear the increase in Lyrica has helped your pain! I am sorry about the side effects, but I too think that maybe it was too big of an increase at once. You could try 100mg in the morning and 75mg at night for a couple days then go up to 100BID for like 5-7 days then start increasing by 25mg (it comes 25,50,75,100,150,200,225,300) at one dose and then the other until you get to a dosage that you think helps your pain enough without increasing the side effects too much. You are a small gal so 300BID may just be too much for you.

[donstore]

AM,
As those of us on the lyrica train know, Pfizer puts the powder in capsules so it's hard to split up the doses or vary them. It can be done, however. You have to empty the powder out on to a piece of paper and eyeball the piles of powder and divy them up with a credit card. Since the drug is not generic, Pfizer wants to control the dosages and make sure you pay up for any variations but using the above method, it can be beat.

Don

[Celeste]

AM,
As those of us on the lyrica train know, Pfizer puts the powder in capsules so it's hard to split up the doses or vary them. It can be done, however. You have to empty the powder out on to a piece of paper and eyeball the piles of powder and divy them up with a credit card. Since the drug is not generic, Pfizer wants to control the dosages and make sure you pay up for any variations but using the above method, it can be beat.

Don

What a PITA. I know you can buy empty pill casings, but how annoying would that be to have to fill them. What do you do, mix the powder in applesauce to mask the taste?

[Lernica]

AM,
As those of us on the lyrica train know, Pfizer puts the powder in capsules so it's hard to split up the doses or vary them. It can be done, however. You have to empty the powder out on to a piece of paper and eyeball the piles of powder and divy them up with a credit card. Since the drug is not generic, Pfizer wants to control the dosages and make sure you pay up for any variations but using the above method, it can be beat.

Don

Ha! I can see the image now of AM surreptitously dividing powder drugs with a credit card without her family thinking she's a junkie! In my city you can go to a "compounding" pharmacy with your meds and they will do the dividing up themselves, putting the powder back into capsules with accurate measurements. I have never done this myself but an acquaintance of mine has.

[A's Mommy]

You are too funny, Lernica! Me with a credit card or a razor on a mirror divvying up my Lyrica powder... now that's a sight to see!

Thing is, my co-pay is $50 a month for the Lyrica. I was wondering if there was a reason that they had the powder in the capsules instead of a pill you could cut in two (like my Valium). Perhaps the capsule has some special "enteric" coating that allows the med to be absorbed where it should be??? What do you guys think? I could definitely just call my GP, though. Problem is, I don't think my insurance will pay for another Rx so soon --- now that they just filled 60 pills for a one month supply.

My GP thought it was fine to go straight up to 300 mg so I don't know. It was too much for me. Now I am not seeing the full effects at just 150mg in the morning. It's almost like I'm still at 75mg BID. I have to give him a call tomorrow. Things have been stressful here.

Love you all,

AM

PS: I was VERY concerned about my huge increase in appetite and my water weight gain.

[donstore]

AM,
The only reason it's in the capsules is to keep you from splitting the dose and not paying up. A friend of mine used the credit card method and he said it worked fine. You can always divide the doses all at once (maybe in the morning when you are feeling sharp) and store them in small envelopes for later use. Good luck.

Don