Lyrica for Postherpetic Neuralgia User Reviews

• Anonymous
• May 10, 2013

"I had shingles for two and a half weeks, then experienced severe nerve pain after the sores began to heal. My doctor originally prescribed Vicodin, then switched me to Lyrica in anticipation of my return to work. Lyrica was very effective at reducing the severity of the pain, but it caused me to be very drowsy. I slept for 14 hours a night, and had difficulty concentrating during the day. I would also have trouble remembering things I had done while taking Lyrica. I had to discontinue using it."

• Cyc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2016

"I had shingles in January 2014. I have had terrible PHN ever since. 2.5 years of pain. It has been awful! Shingles is the worst pain I have ever experienced, and it isn't going away. I tried everything out there from Gabapentin to acupuncture, to Percocet, to injections in my back, and nothing helped, or it would help for a few weeks, but the pain always managed to come back strong. I was wary of Lyrica because of the side effects, but I finally decided to try it. It has definitely helped me, and I can do things like ride my bike again with little pain. However, I have put on 8 lbs in 6 months, and I am an extremely active person, so this is tough for me. I also have pain in my joints, and sometimes my hands go numb, but less pain."

• bet...
• August 25, 2007

"I woke up on February 17th, 2007, with pain and a rash from my breast down to my waist and around my right side to my spine. My husband took me to the emergency room, and I was told I had shingles. I got on the computer looking for something to help me and found Lyrica. I called my doctor, and he prescribed it for me. I started with 3 a day, and I am taking 1 a day now. I feel great."

• JMu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2015

"Had a thalamic stroke, which left me with disturbed sensations on my right side. 10 years later, developed shingles on my right leg, which I thought were bug bites. Within 3 days, I was in agony, after 8 weeks I was losing functionality in the right leg. Saw an orthopedist, pain specialist, and received the impression that they thought I was a nut or trying to get pain meds. Finally went to a neurologist, who diagnosed TPS and shingles nerve pain interacting. Within 24 hours of starting Lyrica, the pain lessened, upping the dose a few weeks later and the pain was zilch. I have started to regain function in the right leg, it's very slow, but I can see it. I have never felt such terrible pain, Lyrica was a true lifesaver."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 31, 2013

"Discovered I had the shingles and the Dr. put me on Lyrica, 150 mg twice a day. Felt like I was drunk all day. That feeling decreased after a few days. This was in May 2013. I had a hard time getting off of the first dose. I would experience shakiness and feeling unwell. I am finally getting off the second dose and it is Nov 2013. Have to take a sleeping pill to sleep as I have severe insomnia without the Lyrica. It did help the nerve pain, but hope I never have to take it again."

• cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2013

"I had an attack of shingles last December. I experienced the typical symptoms: rash, burning pain, itching, etc. After the scabs had dried, I was put on Lyrica to ease the nerve pain. I have to say that it worked for me. I am a healthy 46-year-old male. The side effects were some fuzziness and weight gain. This may have been due to lack of movement and also the Christmas eating, but I put on 3 kilos in two weeks, which is a lot for me. I am feeling that I would like to come off it, so I will reduce the dosage and see what happens. At first, I was nervous about taking this, but it has notably reduced the pain to practically nothing."

• Hur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 11, 2020

"Got shingles on the right side of the scalp into my right eye on May 25, 2020. Specialist got the infection out of the eye. Prescribed Pregabalin. On max dose - take 200 mg every 8 hrs, and the pain starts back about 6-7 hrs after the dose. It has been 5 months, and I'm still dealing with sharp, stinging pain! I have also gained 25 lbs. Dr. said deal with weight gain or pain. I chose weight gain because the pain is extreme. Want something that will heal the nerve damage. I also get severe itching on the right eyebrow, forehead, which is numb, and the inside corner of the eye. I’m hoping this will end soon, but I have a feeling it won’t. Hopefully, in the near future, there will be something that will heal the nerve pain."

• law...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 18, 2015

"I had pain shooting throughout my body for a week. One day it would be in my legs, then my torso, then my arm, my throat, my ear, and then shingles surfaced on my torso-right side. I took an antiviral for the shingles and Neurontin for pain. The blisters were painful, and they went away in a couple of weeks, but the pain remained, and I took Neurontin in high doses with Tylenol so I could sleep, but my right leg hurt all the time. I couldn't walk up/down stairs on that leg or sleep on either side without pain, and I am a side sleeper, so I was miserable. A neurologist was skeptical that the cause was shingles but prescribed Lyrica, and it was magic! 75 mg once a day, and the pain is 95% gone, 6 months later, it still works."

• Pai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2016

"I'm a 48-year-old healthy female, and I suffer from severe, chronic post-shingles pain from my spine, around my hip, to my belly button, basically, my entire left side. This is the worst experience of my life. This nerve pain is tiring, depressing, and just seems to not let up. Lyrica is helping to cut down on the amount of spasms and excruciating pain, but I keep wondering, 'When will it go away?' and why don't they give the shingles injections like chickenpox to 'prevent'? Why do I have to wait to get this again somewhere else or until I'm 50+ years old to prevent another bout of excruciating nerve pain."

• 1st...
• October 17, 2017

"I got shingles on my scalp, left side, forehead, and eye. I was in the hospital for 5 days on an IV for both antiviral and antibiotics. The doctor had said that it was the worst shingles he had seen. After the scabs had gone, I was prescribed Lyrica. I take 300 mg at night and 25 mg in the morning. It has been 5 weeks since I developed shingles and my face and scalp are still numb. I have intermittent pain shocks. I believe the Lyrica is effective, as I can't imagine what it would be like if I didn't take it. I'm not sure how long I am supposed to take this, but I imagine by other feedbacks that it could be months."

• Ele...
• August 24, 2018

"I have been on Lyrica for 9 weeks and am experiencing severe dizziness, so much so that I cannot go out without my husband, as I am in danger of falling, and my hands shake. I have decided to wean myself off of this drug and now take 75 mg in the morning and 75 mg at night. I would rather put up with the shingles pain than keep taking this awful drug."

• hat...
• October 29, 2015

"I developed shingles in my face, scalp, and eye in 2005. The initial pain was treated with gabapentin, which didn't work very well. The doc wouldn't prescribe anything stronger. In fact, she hardly recognized that shingles pain was significant. My PHN kicked in when the rash disappeared. I've still got it. I monitored the internet for PHN meds, and when Lyrica came out, I notified my new doc immediately. He started me out at 100 mg three times a day, and when that was only modestly effective, he kicked it up to 150 mg X 3. It works very nicely. However, there are side effects. My weight gain has been significant. Brain fog happens. I get double vision on an irregular basis. I feel tired. Now my liver values are increasing."

• ema...
• July 23, 2015

"Shingles in my scalp in 2009. Started off using 75 mg twice daily. I am now taking 150 mg twice daily. The Lyrica was/is a lifesaver since I also have migraine, sinus, tension headaches. I seldom have the migraines anymore. My problem is that my scalp continues to get irritated if I comb it or use any kind of lotions, gels, moisturizers, oils, or sprays on it. Concerned about the weight gain, but overall, satisfied with Lyrica."

• bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2015

"I've copped a dose of the shingles from the middle of my back wrapped around into my belly button on the right side. Doctors couldn't work out the problem because the rash took 5 days to appear. The pain was very uncomfortable. Painkillers weren't cutting the mustard. When the rash appeared, the Doc put me straight onto Lyrica 75 mg once a day. Had the pill before bed, then for the next 3 days had a migraine so intense that all I could think of is please wear off and give me the shingles pain back. So Lyrica did stop the nerve pain, but I developed side effects. Just not for everyone."

• Rhi...
• November 28, 2015

"I was on this drug many years ago, and the side effects were terrible, couldn't drive, felt like a zombie, and slept most of the time. So I was very reluctant to go back on it. I did give pregabalin a whirl, and so far so good. I am supposed to be on 75 mg 3 times a day, although due to my past experience, I will only take them at night, so one 75 mg. I am so surprised there are not any side effects like last time, although a weird sensation on my right cheek like a cool breeze feeling all the time feels bizarre!"

• Zig...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 10, 2018

"I first had shingles for about 2 weeks with extreme pain. The doctor prescribed Lyrica and it has worked fantastically for me and my postherpetic neuralgia for the past 10 months. Not sure if it will ever go away and if I can be on Lyrica forever. I take 3 - 50 mg of Lyrica per day."

• Anonymous
• October 18, 2010

"Suffered a severe attack of shingles in early 2008 and now suffer from nerve damage and pain. I originally took gabapentin (most effective) along with morphine to deal with the pain. I developed stomach problems from that mix, so tried Lyrica as a replacement for the gabapentin. My stomach problems have subsided, but the Lyrica does not seem to be as effective at relieving the nerve pain. Even tried a combination of Lyrica and gabapentin, but no increase in effectiveness."

• Med...
• April 6, 2012

"Very mixed results. Had a severe attack of shingles on the face and scalp (3 weeks in, most of the hair on one side of my head was literally gone). I refused morphine (in hindsight, I should have taken it), but I did take Percocet, which helped the internal pain but not the nerve pain in the skin. For that, they gave me Neurontin, but I could not tolerate it due to extreme drowsiness, loss of appetite, loss of concentration, and dry mouth (before I could chew food, it was too dry to swallow it). Tried Lyrica 75 mg 3 times daily. The first dose seemed to really work, but the effect declined significantly so that the fifth dose had no effect. During the fourth week, he increased to 100 mg 3 times daily. The second dose helped, then effects declined."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2010

"Used Lyrica for the treatment of shingles. Have had shingles for almost four months. Symptoms began with terrible burning in both breasts and in the back directly behind each breast. I started taking Lyrica twice a day (every 12 hours) for about a week and get much relief for about 10 hours. Then the burning sensations return. Started a couple of new drugs today in addition to the Lyrica. Hope to get serious relief and complete recovery."

• Anonymous
• January 15, 2011

"Got shingles on my scalp and face, was treated with Valtrex, Neurontin, and pain medicine. I have repeatedly had bouts of shingles for the last 15 months, resulting in PHN. I now take Lyrica, 1 at 8 am, 1 at 3 pm, and 3 at bedtime. This dose was gradually increased over time. Although very fatigued, I am 50% better and am able to function better. The initial drowsiness subsided after a couple of months. Do still have a bit of brain fog, not sure if it's the Lyrica or lack of sleep."

• Ano...
• October 3, 2020

"I got shingles almost 3 weeks ago in my scalp and face and in my left ear. Pain excruciating and numbness on the left side. I was misdiagnosed as having psoriasis until I went to the hospital almost 3 weeks later, as I could not stand the pain in my head any longer, all on the left side. There, they put me on Lyrica 25 mg 3 times daily. It had helped but I am still in a lot of pain. I may have to get the dose increased."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 19, 2022

"After taking 2 x 75 mg for approximately 4 weeks, my PC increased the dose to 3 x 75 mg with instructions to increase to 4 x 75 mg after a week. 4 days into taking 4 a day, I was horribly sleepy and really moody and anxious. This came to a head on day 6 when I screamed at my husband about anything and everything, then in the afternoon fell into a deep sleep, waking up at 5:30 PM not knowing what day it was or if it was morning or afternoon. That was when I decided to reduce the Lyrica to 3 x a day until I could get hold of my PC. I don't want to continue taking this medication. It hasn't helped my post-herpetic neuralgia pain at all and nearly destroyed my marriage."

• Ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2021

"I've been taking 75 mg twice a day for 2+ weeks with absolutely no improvement or change in my pain. All they are doing is giving me a really dry mouth, constipation, and I pretty much feel like a zombie all day. Not happy at all, as I was really hoping for some relief from this pain."

• Anonymous
• April 19, 2008

"I was prescribed Lyrica for shingles and consider it a miracle drug, as all my old age joint pain (not arthritis) went away."

• Anonymous
• June 3, 2009

"I have not experienced any decrease in pain, and I have had trouble sleeping, feeling constantly drowsy, and find it difficult to concentrate at work. I have had some instances of irritability."