[kimmydawn]

I began taking lyrica aside my mild narcotic for trigeminal neuralgia. It made me sleepy.

One thing I noticed...It helped the nerve like pain shooting down my arm from neck (from a wreck a few years ago where I had untreated whiplash presumably - which was a mild discomfort), but it hasn't touched the facial pain. I don't want to increase it because I'm the guardian of my 3 1/2 yr. old nephew and can't afford sleepiness (can't sleep while he's awake, and don't want to be hateful because I'm sleepy and can't sleep).

Suggestions? Also, can you tell me about this drug so that I'll understand it? I have to admit that I quit taking it because well, meds scare me due to a period of time when I was overmedicated for 2 1/2 years by a p'doc for a disorder I didn't even have! I complained of feeling badly and he'd just increase dosages, etc. I was young, desperate and thought doctors weren't to be quesioned...that's another post.

Thank you so much!

KD

[kimmydawn]

bump

[Larry_Hoover]

It's not a narcotic, Kimmy. Not even close.

It is supposed to be the Son of Neurontin. That's what they want you to believe. But this is one of those cases where they just don't know. Except for one thing. It binds to a specific receptor, a very precisely specific receptor, in the spinal cord. It is very likely the seat of activity for the anti-neuropathic pain effects this drug displays. If it *was* a narcotic, it would influence all pain. But it doesn't. It influences pain in a very selective manner.

When a pain signal comes up a peripheral nerve (e.g. from burning your hand on the stove), some signal processing occurs at the level of the spinal cord. It saves time. The spinal cord is already retracting your hand from the heat, before your brain has even interpreted the signal as burning pain. Your hand is already out of the fire, when you really feel it.

Here's how that works. The spinal cord senses the afferent signal from the hand, the burning pain signal generated by nerves in the skin of the afflicted hand. The spinal cord splits that signal, relaying one part to the brain (where the pain is actually "felt"), but also sending a signal to the muscle up-stream from the hand, to pull it away from the heat. The less time the hand is in the heat, the less damage is done. By the time the brain knows there's even anything wrong, your hand is well away from the stove. BTW, you should immediately plunge a burned finger or whatever into cool water. Burned tissue is hot tissue itself, and it will burn neighbouring tissues if you don't chill it quickly. Water conducts heat really well, compared to air. And so does your body, because it is wet. The dip can save some damage.

Back to Lyrica. It's not supposed to have other side effects. BS.

You just need to check the drug out. Ramp up the dose slowly. You'll know when you took too much. I hallucinated on the dose the doctor said should be safe. It's not in the doctor's realm to over-rule my experience. I need only 10% of the dose he suggested I might need.

It's a weird drug, but a safe one. Pretty much. It's all in how you use it.

Lar

P.S. I nearly forgot to finish what I started to say. Lyrica will only work on neuropathic pain. If the facial neuralgia is caused by e.g. mechanical or crushing forces on the nerve, Lyrica can't do much to help with that. Anti-inflammatories, nerve block with Botox, possibly surgery.....those would be worth looking at, if the Lyrica remains unable to help with that pain. It has a different cause, than merely being hyper-excitable. That's what is suggested by the fact that you feel the Lyrica differently at those two different sites.

L

[kimmydawn]

Thank you, Larry! Meds scare me and I know that's my issue, but I've had problems in the past specifically with this type of drug. I've tried several too, trust me...neurontin, tegretol(sp?), topomax, and two others years ago that I can't recall the names. I simply couldn't tolerate them.

She had me on 75 and now wants me to take the 75 at bed and add 50 in the a.m. I'm afraid to. It seems that the 75 makes me sleepy as is (I'm fully aware that it could be moreso due to the mixture I'm taking with the mild narcotic I've been taking for years now). She assured me that this dose was still well under the suggested dose.

Thank you for helping me to understand why it appears to work on the pain presumably coming from my neck (which is very mild and intermittent). It appears to be all but gone. However, I've changed pillows too.

I've just never found this type of med to help enough with the trigeminal neuralgia and be worth the side effects...if I could take it at all.

I sooooo appreciate the information!

KD

[walkswithspiritbear]

(((( kimmydawn)))) remember I started taking Lyrica at the same time as you??? I know with my other pills( morphine specifically) it will make me sleepier... I also was told by my neuro that the usual dose if 300 per day.. maybe you still need to get use to it a bit.. though I know about the overmedicated feeling which is never good... but if it is helping a little maybe you need to give it a alittle more time????
I don't know... I too find it has helped just a small amount of my pain, but you know for me I will take it. I am just having a problem trying to take both my pills 3 times a day but trying to take them at different times so I don't get sleepy except at night..
Please excuse any goofy comments or sloppy writing as I have had a bad two days here and things are a bit confuddled for me to say the least. Take care kimmydawn Hugs to you that feel like a gentle cloud enveloping you with warmth and serenity.. Linda

[eskielover]

Hi Kimmy,

My pain specialist just suggested the use of this med. I looked it up in the internet & it says that it is basically used for 3 things. The first use is supposed to be for diabedics & the nerve pain they get.....like the neuropothy in their feet, etc. The second use was desecibed as the pain following shingles. The other thing it is supposed to be for is for partial onset seizures.

I am not sure how they think that migraines are even touched by this med since there isn't even one mention of use for migraines. They said they would have samples in the future, but I would have to know a lot more about how it would effect my migraines before I would become a guinea pig, putting more drugs into my body. Right now I am on a high dose of narcotics (200ug/hour of fentynal). I never have any breakthrough pain & that was what they were thinking it would be for. They didn't even suggest going off of the med I am on, so don't know how they could tell if the med would even work on migraines I am not having with the narcotic I am on.

It is a new med that just became approved by the FDA around July 2004. The side effects are supposed to be drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, & swelling of feet & hands along with weight gain. If you want to find out more about Lyrica, just enter the name in your search engine & there are many good information sites on this med along with the information on how it works in our bodies.

Hope you find some help with this,
Debbie