Hi friends--
Has anyone had a particular problem with weight gain when starting/taking Lyrica? I've been on it for 9-12 months and have gained almost 30 pounds. NOTHING FITS (sorry I had to scream that) and it most certainly doesn't help my stress or depression level.
I've battled weight most of my life so I know exactly how to take it off and how to eat healthfully. Well this time I've tried. And tried again. Not only is it not coming off, I have such cravings for things (I already know I'm a sugar addict--need to take care of that soon) and my willpower is nil. Being exhausted and feeling like crap doesn't help but even the days I feel good are tough.
I'm suspecting that Lyrica is the culprit because it's the most "likely to cause weight gain as a side effect" med I'm on. The only other med I've added since my fun vacation into Sjogren's land is plaquenil and I gained most of the weight before then.
SO, does anyone have any experience with this? Can you give me any advice? I see my rheumy tomorrow and am going to ask him if I can try Cymbalta for the pain although I'm currently on Paxil and have been for years so am reluctant to give it up.
MB, who's tired of feeling fat on top of feeling sick.
Lyrica helps me and I've been on it about 2 years and have probably gained 10 lbs and that's over what I've gained over the last 20 years. Way too much and I watch what I eat and like you I like sugar. I am starting more exercise since my knee surgery is healing.
I did just lose 10 lbs when I had knee replacement surgery and am struggling to keep it off. I can actually button my biggest jeans and fit all the way into a couple more pants. I have no advice for you only my experience. I don't even know if the Lyrica is the reason for 10 lbs. I can gain that by going to a buffet.
You should ask your dr about what's bothering you. I am just about into X size clothes and it's not a pretty picture at 5'. Let us know what you find out. I don't think I would like to go without Lyrica, but suppose I could if I couldn't get it or some other such thing.
Lucy
I haven't used Lyrica - yet. I was on Gabapentin and I had weight gain, and a caveman appetite.
So, now I have this bottle of Lyrica sitting with other bottle of meds, but it is untouched. I'm afraid to take it. I'm already overweight, I don't want to gain more.
I think I've had discussions of about 4 different docs about Lyrica, and they all say the biggest side affect is weight gain. (though my neurologist just said, don't eat so much and you won't gain). It's newer than Gabapentin, so depending on the person, it may not cause the weight gain. My Rheumy did tell me that I can try the Cymbalta if I can't tolerate the Lyrica. It sounds like your thinking down the same lines.
Since Lyrica side-effects can be like Gabapentin, I'd say it can cause your weight gain. Boy I've never had such a strong appetite, and need for food as I did with the Gaba.
Good luck deciding and let us know!
The health effects of weight gain are seriously overstated. Read "The Obesity Myth" by Paul Campos and look it up on Amazon. There are a lot of other books along the same lines.
Please, take the meds that make you enjoy your life, read these books and get seriously PO'd at the BS we've all been fed about out weight, and work on health at every size.
Sharon Campbell
Hi, I feel you girl! I've always been very thin, save for my pregnancies. Like you, I could and did lose the weight (I gained upwards of 60 ( that's sixty) lbs with all 4 of my full term pregnancies, and a yr after their births, I would be skinny as a rail again. I've been on large doses of prednisone and lost weight, not gained.
I began taking Lyrica in August and the day after I began, I woke up with a thick waist... And an anappetite like no other. I kept taking it, thinking it was helping my pain, but it must have been the Prednisone I was on, because at present, I'm in severe pain.
So I told my pain management doctor,2 weeks ago "I've gained 35 lbs since beginning Lyrica, it's not helping, and I'm mean." He raised the dose and told me to see a psychiatrist!!
Like you, I could always manage the weight, and despite my eating healthy, I'm not just not losing, I'm gaining. I'm calling my dr. today. The pain is enough. Now the weight makes it worse and I've become sedentary...which makes the pain worse. My husband and children walk on eggshells around me and my mother cries because she says she sees the real me, slowly fading away. Now he wants me to see a shrink so they can put me on more medicine to cover up the side effects of the medicine that's not working.
I think we both need new medicine and I know I need a new dr! By the way, I took Cymbalta and it didn't produce any negative side effects, however, it didn't work either. Hope this helps. Peace and blessings to you. ~ Andrea
I took Lyrica and the only thing it did was make me gain weight.. It never helped my pain at all.. The bad thing is I never lost the weight even after I stopped taking it..
Lyrica is known for causing patients to gain weight. It's one of the main side-effects and should have been on the info you got with the prescription. Neurontin is the other closely related medicine to help with nerve pain, but it does the same thing (weight gain). Many have good luck with Cymbalta, but don't know if you can this at the same time as taking Paxil...but never hurts to ask.
I've been on Lyrica for 4mths and have picked up at least a stone. I'm very active and eat a good diet so I can only attribute it to that. Even so I've tried very hard to cut down and I can't see any improvements yet :(. I see my rheumy in another 2 months and will bring this up and I can only hope he's got something else in his arsenal particularly as I'm seeing no benefits from the Lyrica-in fact my pain has worsened considerably. I know this could be due to the disease process but I thought I would have more cover!
I hope you find a happy medium and that the Lyrica is at least making you feel better
Sarah
This place always makes me feel better!! I'm so glad to have people who understand and are experiencing the same things.
So I saw Rheumy today. He is one of the most well-regarded rheumatologists in Nebraska (I'm not sure that's saying much...) and the Dean of the Rheumatology Department at the university medical school. So I trust that he knows his stuff. He's 100 times more knowledgeable than the idiot I initially saw who put me on Lyrica in the first place.
Rheumy said that he is not a big fan of Lyrica and would like for me to try and wean myself off it. He says that the more I can move around--he wants me to try and work up to 45 minutes of exercise/5 times a week--the better the Fibro pain will be. He said the statistics on Lyrica show it is not as helpful as the drug manufacturers want you to believe. It effectively helps 30% of the population, and of that 30% it doesn't help all of the time. He said the negative of the weight gain doesn't outweigh the small positive that I'm getting from it.
I told him that I tried to wean myself off a couple months ago but was hurting too much. But I do have to admit that forcing myself to do 20-30 minutes on the elliptical every other day DOES have me feeling better. And there's no doubt that losing this weight will make my joints and nerves feel better.
So he said to very slowly wean myself off as I tried to increase my exercise program. Take months if I need to. And if I don't get to 45 minutes/5 days a week, well something is better than nothing.
I am going to try and commit to this. Trust me, I am SO tired and usually feel crappy after overdoing it all day. I hit my wall after 4:00 so I'm going to have to schedule walking/elliptical/whatever before then. I'm going to move from 100 mg Lyrica in the morning and 50 mg at night to 50 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night for a month and see how that goes.
At this moment, until I have a fight with the Girl Scout cookies later, I'm feeling more in control. If getting off Lyrica can make my body feel better than it does now, I'm all for it.
Thanks again, all,
MB
BTW Andrea, you do need a new doctor! Wish you were in Nebraska! :)