I'm sorry that you've got something else to deal with. I hope that the Lyrica works for you really soon. I don't really know because I only took it for almost three weeks. It made my vision so blurry I had to stop and still almost a month later my vision hasn't cleared. I have this problem with a lot of meds though. I've heard a lot of people say it's a great drug. I hope you can get relief soon. You've really had a rough time of it but you're always so helpful to everyone. If I can help you in anyway, let me know my friend.
Debbie

I always enjoy your posts and you always help and support everyone here. I'm sorry the Lyrica didn't work out for you.

I'm sorry to hear you have fibromyalgia now. I started getting relief in a few days but the Dr. kept increasing the dose and I had so many side effects so I stopped taking it. I hope you start to feel better soon. Take care. Charry

So are you not on Lyrica at all anymore? Does the Cymbalta help you? I'm kind of confused that the Cymbalta hasn't helped me with fibro; I've been on it for over a year. It's weird huh? I've been told to rest, eat right, avoid stress (yeah right). I just can't wait until the deep muscle aches and fatigue subside. Where did you buy your infrared heating pad? I desperately want one now.

I bought it at a little drugstore in a town close to where I live but you can buy them it online hopefully less than $200. It penetrates 2-12" in your muscles and joints opposed to a heating pad that only heats 1/2" of the muscle under your skin.

Moist heat is good but always be careful if you have any numbness as I burnt my back not too bad but the ones a PT use are good. But Thermacare makes the infrared platinum flexible pad can velcro on your back or leg, 2 size straps and can't burn you on low heat but can't be used with an SCS but can be used on hardware. I got a prescription so I didn't have to pay sales tax for the pad. The gold infrared is rigid and doesn't bend like platinum.
Cymbalta helps the sciatica but not completely but the recent injections are helping though that tingling is forever present.
I hope this treatment works for you but let the Dr know of any side effects.

Do you have trouble sleeping? How long have you had fibro and how were you diagnosed?

I don't have fibro. I just saw your topic on Lyrica a med I'm familiar with. But I know sciatica in my leg and back pain and I have elbow issues and minor neck issues. But my Dr. says I don't have fibro as you have to have 13? tender points at different areas over your body but I don't have that many.
I have trouble sleeping and end up taking a sleeping pill mostly although I feel sleepy the next day because of that..Hang in there. Charry

I started getting some relief after a few days. After a week it helped. First week though I also had to deal with hands and feet swelling and itching. Once I got past that it helped me with nerve pain. I don't have fibro. I tried taking it at night also to help with the side effects. I wasn't taking any other meds with it.

Longer term side effects are short term memory, lack of focus, and weight gain.

That was at the same dose you are being told to take.

I am so sorry to hear you have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. My twin cousins were diagnosed with this about 15 years ago. They are doing really well these days, but finding the right combination of medications years ago... was challenging to say the least.

When I first started taking Lyrica, I noticed relief within a few days. I did have the blurred vision side effect at first, but it went away after a week. My PM doctor switched me over to Neurontin after a couple of month, to see if the Neurontin would lessen the swelling in my fingers. I still have the swelling, but it doesn't hurt me. Both of these worked wonders on my nerve pain, so I hope you get great results. My twin cousins take Lyrica and it helps them, too.

I highly recommend the infrared heating pad, too. I have the same one that Charry does and I can't imagine living without it.

Take good care, Meydey...

Tammy

Tammy, I'm glad that your twin cousins are doing well on Lyrica. It's something else that they both came down with fibro at the same time huh? Does it run in your family? Do you take Lyrica for fibro and nerve pain? I wish I could get my hands on an infrared heat pad but I heard they cost about $200.

I really wish you could get an infrared heating pad too. I was going through so many of the ThermaCare heating wraps each day, so the infrared heating pad pretty much paid for itself in a relatively short period of time. I still need to use the heating wraps when I go out and sometimes use them at night, when I get knotted up. Sometimes the Lidoderm patches work really well on the knots, too.

Yes, it was a real bummer when the girls (my twin cousins) were diagnosed with Fibro. They were diagnosed about 8 months apart. Both girls were always very active, had wonderful jobs, married with kids, etc. My aunt (their mother) has Lupus, so the doctors believe their Fibro stems from their mother having Lupus. My aunt is very active, takes her medication and only needs to avoid direct sunlight. The girls can function with their medications, but they were declared disabled several years ago. There's no way they could ever work outside of the house again. They are both awesome mothers and still happily married.

I've been fortunate... I don't have Fibro. (I'm knocking on wood). I've seen what my cousins have gone through over the years and my heart goes out to you (any anyone who has this). When they have flare-ups, I can't even hug them. The flare-ups are becoming less frequent with them, thanks to the medications.

I take Neurontin for nerve pain in my thoracic area and tailbone area. (My thoracic pain also creates nerve pain in my chest, ribs and jaw). It really helps me and I'm keeping my fingers crossed you'll have great results with the Lyrica. Have you started it yet?

Tammy

meydey, relaxtheback.com has a size small for $179
They are all over the country including Virginia. You can order online or at a store. The large and medium size will cause severe sticker shock!
good luck, Jim

Hi Meydey;

Sorry to hear that you're going through this. I was sent to see a physiatrist a while ago, as my pm thinks I have fibro, but the physiatrist is a nutcase and said he didn't want to diagnose me because of the stigma attached to it, that he didn't want to "label me" and said I should stop taking the gabapentin and muscle relaxants and take more percocet. Yeah, he was a treat let me tell you. Anyways, after going back to my pcp, she switched me from gabapentin to Lyrica, that was about 3 weeks ago. I started at 75 mg twice a day, but am now up to 75, three times a day. The Lyrica has helped tremendously with all my tender spots, it no longer feels like someone has hit me with a brick when they touch me even gently. I haven't had any blurry vision, well nothing different than what I already had. I have found that my fingers swell a little though, and I'm not sure if it's just me, or because of the med, but I feel more bloated than usual since being on it. I also take 10-20 mg of nortriptyline at night, which is a cousin of amitriptyline, and I find that since I started the Lyrica with that, I have been getting more sleep. I still have the odd sleepless night (like tonight) but it's not as often as before, even while on the gaba.
The only other thing that I find, is that the Lyrica is taking care of the pain that the gaba wasn't, but now some of the pain that the gaba did help with has come back a little bit... 6 of one, half a dozen of the other I suppose, but I'd rather live without feeling pain from anything, even a blanket or bed-sheet, touching me. I wear boots to work, and by the end of the day, my legs were excruciating where the top of my boots are, but now it's fine.
I hope that it has started to work for you by now, and that it helps with your pain tremendously.

hey mey
i also was diagnosed with this invisible evil fibro
i have tried all the nerve pain meds lyrica..got some side affects with it weight gain with in few wks.and my mind was a mess..but that could have been just one of many evils of fibro itself..

i tried cymbaltia,neurontin few other things and flushed them all..
i swim ok well exercise in water even if ya can waterwalk ..i have to set a time cause its easy for me to stay in too long..
its hell getting out my legs feel like cement and drive home is hell but for that short time in water if worth it..
i started on lyrica just at nite then was put on 2 x then 3 times and with all side affects ..was not good mix for me..
i hope works for you
keep in touch
mary

Hey Tammy, it's so sad that it hurts to get a hug. I hope in time their symptoms diminish.

Jimmy, that's a lot of money for an infrared heating pad but it's worth it for us spineys.

Wow Kelly, I'm amazed that you're working with all that pain. I don't know how you do it but I'm glad that the Lyrica has helped you to keep on going.

Mary, are you taking anything else for the fibro and nerve pain? Those side effects can get pretty bad but so far I'm doing okay with Lyrica. I also feel much better while in water and I enjoy aquatherapy very much.

Longer term side effects are short term memory, lack of focus, and weight gain...

That's part of the problem with FM. Not only are these side effects from Lyrica, but they can be symptoms of the FM itself. I take Lyrica 75mcg 2 at night. I tried taking it during the day, but It made me so sleepy during the day so I switched it to taking it at bed time. I noticed some relief within a month of taking it. I'd say my only side effect is occassional dizziness. I definately have short term memory issues. I've noticed it a lot recently, espically if I get to many things going. Other than that I feel like I've had pretty good luck with Lyrica.

I still take it easy when I need to. I try not to over do it. I've had FM for about five years now. My Dad's sister has FM too. I know one thing I certainly don't want to go back to feeling like I did before I started taking Lyrica. Is it a mirecale drug by all means no, but it has helped for the most part. I wonder what the long term effects are for taking this drug. Is it one of those you can take for the rest of of your life like synthroid, which I take as well, or are their risk for taking it on a long term basis.