Lyrica and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Ann...
• March 9, 2021

For Neuropathic Pain "Taking Lyrica for almost 2 weeks now at 50mg 3x per day and have had no change in how much pain I’m in. Doctor prescribed this without even looking at me. The side effects are so intense, and there are too many drug interactions that come along with it. I have had the worst brain fog, I forget the most simple words, and you lose the ability to speak properly. Always drowsy and dizzy, feeling of being drunk or high. More pain is also a side effect I seem to have. Definitely would not recommend this drug to anyone."

• CSa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "The first time I took it, I became a little dizzy, but I haven't had that problem since. This is an absolute miracle drug. I have fibromyalgia, and there are days when moving hurts to the point of tears. I also have severe back pain for which I was on narcotics, and at age 20, I'd rather not take them. Lyrica gives me energy, and I'm able to be a mom, play with my 2 babies, and get things done. So thankful for this medication! It is very expensive, especially without insurance ($568 for 60 pills that are 75mg), but with my insurance and a savings card, I only pay $4."

• Lis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 22, 2020

For Neuropathic Pain "I recently had a rib resection due to a bone disease and was put onto Lyrica. The first two days in hospital, my feet swelled, and my mouth was like a desert, and I was having nightmares. After my first night at home, being on Lyrica for a total of 8 days, I will never take Lyrica again. I had the most horrific hallucinations, lost all balance, couldn't be reasoned with, and couldn't sleep for 72 hours even after stopping it, and also losing all my peripheral vision for that time. My saving grace being my husband who got me to medical help as fast as possible. It took about 1 minute of talking to an emergency doctor to know what was happening."

• Okg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 6, 2014

For Fibromyalgia "I was taking Xanax to calm the muscle spasms and Tylenol 3 for severe pain. This combination worked, but I was terrified of addiction. Now taking 75 mg Lyrica 3x a day. Pain almost gone after two days, but I'm dizzy, falling down, sleeping in a stupor for 18 hours a day, weight gain 7 lbs a month for 5 straight months, can't remember vocabulary, feel dumb down."

• Cho...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2019

For Neuropathic Pain "I have both nerve pain and other joint and limb pain. But even with my injuries, I exercise every day, eat healthy, don’t drink or smoke. Twice I have been prescribed this drug for pain relief. Always being told it's a good drug, how can this be correct when the side effects make you dizzy (what can't stand, can't walk so no exercise). It increases appetite so you then put on weight because you can't prepare healthy food due to nausea. So again, you don't exercise, and it prevents proper nutrition. Beginning to think this is a way of further putting the blame on the patient. You won't be suffering from the initial conditions, but will have secondary medical harm that the medical profession can then blame on the patient. Instead of treating the initial problem."

• mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2014

For Fibromyalgia "I have had fibromyalgia for as long as I can remember. The pain was so bad 6 months ago from too much stress that I wasn't sleeping, which made it worse. I had to quit my job, and I would just lay in bed and cry, moving my heating pad all around my body. It was a nightmare. I wanted my life back. I found a doctor to do all the tests and diagnose me. I tried gabapentin first, and did nothing for me, and I was a zombie, so we switched to Lyrica. I take 300mg a day. It's not perfect all the time. Some days I am back in pain. And three days before my period, I'm in a lot of pain. It has also helped my anxiety and insomnia. For me, the dizziness went away after a month. And the other side effects are minimal."

• Sie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2019

For Neuropathic Pain "I tried this drug after recurrent nerve pain from a herniated disc (S1/L5). Could barely get out of bed. My doctor put me on 150mg once a day to start. I went home and took 1 on the Friday night to see how I would react as I'm a truck driver. After 30 mins, I felt like I was drunk. I couldn't put two words together and fell over. I crawled to my bed and had the wildest dreams of my life and woke the next day, swearing I'd never use it again. But after reading some of the reviews, I'm considering trying it again on a much smaller dose, say 25mg. Keep you all posted."

• myf...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 21, 2014

For Neuropathic Pain "Started taking Lyrica due to nerve damage suffered during surgery, 75mg twice a day. It provided relief for about 3 weeks, before pain returned. Have now been on 150mg twice a day for about 8 weeks - no pain, but the side effects are horrendous: dizziness, brain fog, and worst of all is incontinence. So I now have to decide whether to reduce the dose and go back to having pain but no side effects, or be pain-free but incontinent and out of it."

• Wor...
• May 13, 2013

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Lyrica for almost a year now and can say that it has helped tremendously. I am very active in trying to keep the fibromyalgia pain as controlled as possible and just not been able to get to a plateau of any type. After a rough adjustment period of about 5 wks, I noticed a drastic change in fibro pain. I have gained a significant amount of weight, but over the last three months have been able to maintain. Now I am able to start losing the weight but have to be very careful to not take in complex carbohydrates or sugars in the afternoon or evening. I have gone to an almost vegetarian-style diet and have noticed that the weight just starts to come off with ease but slowly. My balance and vision are the only consistent side effects that I have."

• Tta...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 29, 2018

For Neuralgia "I have been on Lyrica for 6 months for trigeminal neuralgia. At first, I didn’t want to keep taking drugs, so when I felt a bit better, I stopped the med. Then, very horrible pain attacked me after two days. The attack was so unbearable that I had to go to the hospital emergency. The doctor told me that is because I didn’t take Lyrica regularly. Since then, I have continued the med without any break. Sometimes when the pain is increasing, I take 100mg*3 per day. When it is in remission and totally pain-free, I still take 25mg*2. I feel very dizzy and unstable while in high dose. However, I thank Lyrica very much! Lyrica is my lifesaver. Without it, I might have committed suicide."

• Anonymous
• June 28, 2016

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "The nerve pain became so unbearable that it forced me to take Lyrica despite the bad reviews and long list of negative side effects. I was told by many that it worked a lot better than Neurontin with less drastic negative effects. Well, it has eased my pain some, but the side effects have taken my life from me. I'm dizzy at times, my head is always foggy and not clear thinking, I have depression, anger outbursts I've never had before, daily nausea, and am so tired that I can sleep all day and night long and can barely function. Unfortunately, the alternative medications have even worse negative side effects, so what are we supposed to do in order to have some normalcy?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2012

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "My husband suffers from neuropathy and his doctor put him on Lyrica 75mg twice a day. The side effects were horrible, he had to stop taking it immediately. He was dizzy, had headaches, was off balance, couldn't judge distance, and it looked to him like the walls and floors were moving."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2012

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "My husband suffers from neuropathy and his doctor put him on Lyrica 75mg twice a day. The side effects were horrible, he had to stop taking it immediately. He was dizzy, had headaches, was off balance, couldn't judge distance, and it looked to him like the walls and floors were moving."

• lou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 25, 2019

For Neuropathic Pain "Recently commenced on Lyrica 25 mg am/50 mg pm. - It is for nerve pain. Although I am experiencing side effects, drowsiness, slight dizziness, vomiting, to name a few, my pain has reduced significantly so far."

• Swe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2014

For Neuropathic Pain "I am 36 years old and had a lot of chemotherapy. Now I have extremely bad electrical pain in my feet, mostly at night but during the day too. I was taking gabapentin, but I got really sick. I am not sure if it was because of that, but my doctor took me off it and put me on Lyrica 50 mg 2x a day. However, I only take one at night because it makes me dizzy. The one at night works great. The pain before was so bad that I was starting to not be able to drive, but now I am fine."

• Jud...
• January 12, 2015

For Neuropathic Pain "The pain in my right thigh was almost unbearable. It was all I thought of, day and night. I only slept at most 2 hours at a time before the pain would awaken me. After a week on Lyrica (75mg twice a day), there was tremendous relief, but I still had pain. Then I was put on 150 mg twice a day, and it was like a miracle. The pain was totally gone in a few days. I also take it for fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy. But the meralgia paresthetica saw the most dramatic improvement. No noticeable side effects, except a little dizziness the first few mornings."

• Ach...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2015

For Fibromyalgia "History of aches fatigue 10 years, mostly in early morning. I started taking Lyrica 50 mg just one week ago at 50 mg twice a day. Very slight dizziness with the first pill, however, 90 percent better within a couple of days. No more morning profound aches. More energy. Maybe a little too much energy. Going to try just an early morning low dose of 50 mg. Overall, I am very pleased."

• Hea...
• October 24, 2018

For Fibromyalgia "Dizziness, sleepiness while driving, I got used to it. It did wonders at first for my pain. I found it was effective, but I had to keep upping the dose. I struggled with keeping a job, I had balance issues and low potassium levels. I ended up in the hospital twice for two months. I was euphoric and also had angry outbursts, it was a strange combination. There were blisters on my chin, I was unbalanced and had swelling in my ankles. I had to stop it once I struggled with breathing. I also had jerkiness at night when sleeping, and it affected my eyesight dramatically-floaters and blurry vision followed by vertigo."

• Hea...
• October 24, 2018

For Fibromyalgia "Dizziness, sleepiness while driving, I got used to it. It did wonders at first for my pain. I found it was effective, but I had to keep upping the dose. I struggled with keeping a job, I had balance issues and low potassium levels. I ended up in the hospital twice for two months. I was euphoric and also had angry outbursts, it was a strange combination. There were blisters on my chin, I was unbalanced and had swelling in my ankles. I had to stop it once I struggled with breathing. I also had jerkiness at night when sleeping, and it affected my eyesight dramatically-floaters and blurry vision followed by vertigo."

• Hea...
• October 24, 2018

For Fibromyalgia "Dizziness, sleepiness while driving, I got used to it. It did wonders at first for my pain. I found it was effective, but I had to keep upping the dose. I struggled with keeping a job, I had balance issues and low potassium levels. I ended up in the hospital twice for two months. I was euphoric and also had angry outbursts, it was a strange combination. There were blisters on my chin, I was unbalanced and had swelling in my ankles. I had to stop it once I struggled with breathing. I also had jerkiness at night when sleeping, and it affected my eyesight dramatically-floaters and blurry vision followed by vertigo."

• Nan...
• March 28, 2016

For Neuralgia "It cured my pain (trigeminal neuralgia), but I had nasty side effects at first: mild headaches, nausea, tiredness, feeling too full and bloated (even when not eating), weight gain, dizziness, etc. I stuck with it, and after two weeks, I was still feeling bloated and had headaches, and I continued to gain weight. I researched ways to counteract the negative effects and started taking a B6 supplement (for weight gain) and an herbal diuretic (for the bloat). I no longer feel bloated, and the headaches are gone. I'm on my 4th (or 5th?) week of Lyrica, and I am feeling much better. I don't think I'm still gaining weight, but it's too soon to tell. I wasn't eating any more or less than usual, so if the B6 helps, that would be nice."

• Jay...
• June 20, 2015

For Neuropathic Pain "Lyrica works. Unfortunately, I am on the verge of discontinuing use because of significant side effects. The most troubling for me are the eye disorders (conjunctivitis and blurred vision), and the dementia. I am 53 years old and I have trouble remembering elementary words! It's very embarrassing. I also have a significant taste disorder... many things taste like 'burnt garlic' to me... that's the best way I can describe it. Finally, I have facial bloating, weight gain, and dizziness. I have been on the maximum dose of Lyrica for chronic pain due to degenerative disc disease in my neck. I was willing to endure the weight and dizziness, but the eye, memory and taste problems are intolerable. Too bad, because Lyrica really helps pain."

• pai...
• March 19, 2008

For Fibromyalgia "I have been taking 75mg twice per day now for 10 days. I have severe back pain from an injury. I did not think that such a small pill twice a day could help. I was ready to stop using it after three days because of the side effects of feeling totally 'out of it'. I had mood swings, dizziness, and confusion. Those side effects have now eased up, and my pain has become less severe. I have had weight gain and wonder if it causes water retention. I feel bloated. Hope this helps."

• Anonymous
• February 19, 2012

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "I recently started taking Lyrica for two herniated discs. The doctor said I have massive nerve damage that will result in surgery but suggested taking this medication temporarily until surgery because my pain was unbearable! At first, I was a little off-balance, but within a week, I wasn't constantly in pain... within a month, my pain was almost gone, and I refuse to do surgery now! Thanks, Lyrica, for making this happen!"

• Juw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I was just diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After taking the first dose, my hands and feet swelled up, and I couldn't bend my fingers. If I tried, the pain was intense. Then I started to stagger. I wobbled when I tried to stand still. My mind fogged up. I felt drunk and hungry. I got a sandwich, and it slipped off of my plate to the floor, and I picked it up and continued to eat, at least a couple of times. Everything I ate that night tasted so good. I was so sleepy. When I got up in the morning, there were things in places that should never have been. (i.e., TV remote in the bathroom, food on the floor near my bed, and other things misplaced.) I felt like I had a hangover. NEVER AGAIN. I had the same experience with gabapentin. Just say no!"