Is anyone taking Lyrica?

If you are currently taking Lyrica, please share your experience with me!  I have terrible nerve-related back pain.  I would like to try Lryrica, but am not happy that weight gain is a side effect.  I have worked too hard to get this weight off!  Did you gain weight after beginning Lyrica?  How much?  Were you able to get it off?

From my persepctive, if you are not eating additional food, I can't imagine how a medication can cause weight gain.  I do know that some of the Lyrica-related weight gain is water retention.

Please share if you can!

Blessings,
Mary Ellen

Hi Mary Ellen!

I'm not taking Lyrica, but I am taking Neurontin for Fibromyalgia.  It does help me, and might be an option besides Lyrica.  Weight loss is not listed as a side effect for Neurontin...  Good luck with your medication search!!

*hugs*,

Anne:)

I take Lyrica. I took it before surgery and now after. I have lost weight and I did not gain weight before surgery with it. It helps alot.

Thank you, both of you!  It is a hard decision to take a drug that will help with the pain vs. gaining weight.  I am only 10 months out of surgery and am not willing to comrpomise my weight loss!

I've been taking Lyrica for about 15 months. I didn't notice any weight gain when I started it, but I hear water retention is a side effect.  I'm sure that is easily fixed with a mild diuretic if it becomes a problem.
In my opinion, a little water retention is worth it if it relieves your pain.

I take Lyrica. i did gain weight after taking Lyrica and i have a lot of edema but I would not put the blame on Lyrica, there are mny other causes I would list ahead of it. I am still pre-op so I can't speak to its post-op actions. I do know that I would not give up my Lyrica easily. I have severe neuropathy from both diabetes and Sjogren's Syndrome snd it is my lifesaver and makes a great combo with Requip for my restless legs.

Jacquie

I started taking Lyrica just after my surgery for nerve damage to my foot . I haven't noticed any weight gain or water retention to this point. It really helped my pain.

 I started taking Lyrica for chronic back pain (neck injury related) about 3 months ago.  It really helped relieve the pain... but I didn`t really get relief until it was combined with Tridural which is a synthetic narcotic.  I have 2 types of pain in my back - so it seems I needed two types of pain relievers to address it.

I didn`t know weight gain was a side effect until I had already started taking it and had found relief from constant pain.  My therapist is an M.D. as well (she didn`t prescribe it) and she told me that if I was going to gain weight I would KNOW that lyrica was causing it because I wouldn`t be able to stop eating even though I was not hungry .  My pattern of eating would change.  So - that hasn`t happened.  I haven`t gained anything.   But some small percentage of people do experience this - but just because it is listed as a side effect doesn`t mean that you WILL experience that.  

I will be 2 years post op in November.

Good luck finding a treatment to relieve your pain.  You could give it a try and stop if you find you are gaining weight.