Pregabalin and Blurred Vision: What Users Say

• nic...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 7, 2020

Pregabalin for Neuropathic Pain "I have stage 5 neuropathy in my feet, with the usual needle pain and numbness, and even worse electrical shocks. I am not diabetic, and they checked me for lead and mercury, so they have no idea what is causing my neuropathic pain, but it has ruined my life. I tried a variety of medications, even medical marijuana, to no avail. I also tried K-lasers and neurogenic electrical current machines, which seemed to aggravate my condition. I even tried a spinal block that didn't help one percent. Lyrica reduced my pain by about 30%. I was taking 100 mg three times a day, but I was a total wreck. I walked around like a zombie, sluggish, very confused, and depressed, and I swelled up like a beach ball, gaining 25 pounds in under 3 months!!! My vision would blur up, and I had trouble doing routine tasks, and blurred vision."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2014

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Lyrica has been incredible for my anxiety! Within just a couple days, I was running errands without needing to have someone with me due to anxiety. I was doing chores, which I often delayed without a second thought, and I was enjoying my life and time with my children. I was prescribed pregabalin for fibromyalgia pain, and I can't say I've noticed a difference with pain, but it has done everything for my anxiety! I am way less irritable and moody and feel like I can actually enjoy living a happy and complete life for once without worry, fear, or nervousness. I went from being a procrastinating homebody to a normal-feeling, confident person! My side effects have been blurred vision, sometimes feeling a little sleepy, and dizziness. It's 100% worth trying!"

• AJS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2023

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I'm a 45-year-old mum of two, and I have been suffering from obsessive thoughts and GAD for over 20 years. 14 years ago, I was put on 20 mg of Paroxetine by my psychiatrist, and I improved a couple of months later after taking it. My life has been good with up-and-down situations. 3 months ago, when my anxiety came back after I contracted bad flu, I started to feel anxious with dark obsessive thoughts every morning to the point that I couldn't cope with anything in my life. My GP prescribed me 40 mg of Propranolol, but it only slowed my heart rate, and I still wasn't good enough to function. After talking to my psychiatrist, he prescribed me Pregabalin 50 mg twice a day, and OMG, I started to feel brand new almost immediately! What a life-changing medication! I felt dizzy, and my vision was blurred at the beginning, but as days went by, the symptoms started to wear off. No anxiety, no dark obsessive thoughts! Life is good again! Recommend to everyone with anxiety and depression."

• aca...
• May 13, 2017

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "It's sad when people write a drug off because their experience was negative. With nerve pain of any kind, there are different levels of pain in which the body can get to. Sometimes I have muscle spasms with and without pain, in my face, my legs, my back, neck, and shoulders, and my eyes too. I even vomit as a result of severe pain. My vision is blurred, my breathing and anxiety levels are greatly affected. Lyrica makes most of this go away. Please understand not all meds suit every individual, so you have to try different things till one works for you. I also took Lyrica in pregnancy and have a healthy chubby little baby boy, 100% okay. This med gave me part of my life back. Living with pain is crucifying, but living with Lyrica is a solution!!! For me, anyway."

• Chi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2014

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was prescribed Pregabalin by my GP for anxiety disorder. I am 27 and have had anxiety since a teenager. I have never tried meds before. I have just gone up to 600 mg. I have definitely experienced side effects (blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness). The side effects do wear off, but it does take some perseverance in the beginning to get to grips with it. I felt 'out of it' for a few days. I definitely feel less anxious. It's hard to tell how well it is working, but I definitely have the ability to look at 'stressful' and 'anxious' situations with far more clarity. I am a designer and I always worried if taking meds would suppress my creativity, but in fact - I think it helps me to have more confidence in my ideas."

• Blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2020

For Pain "I had swollen discs in my neck from falling off a ladder. Incredible pain. I contemplated suicide to stop the pain. I took a heap of Advil in one day with no help. Steroid injections and a chiropractor did nothing. After 3 weeks of Lyrica at 200 mg a day, the pain was gone. There were definite side effects of dizziness and blurred vision, but it was worth it."

• Spa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2020

For Peripheral Neuropathy "I've suffered from peripheral neuropathy for a year. I've tried gabapentin, tramadol, and pregabalin. Pregabalin was best for treating the burning, stabbing, pins, and needles in my hands and feet. It probably brought my pain down from a 6 to a 2. But, and it's a big BUT, were the side effects. I was taking 100 mg twice a day, but I was a total wreck. I walked around like a zombie, I would just stare at my computer screen, not really doing anything. Throw in some blurred vision and mild cognitive impairment, and you have a really useless drug in my book. If pain relief was the most important thing to me, I would stick with it. For me, after just a one-week look at my future self (30 years from now), it was too much to bear. I'm going to keep searching."

• Pen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2013

For Pain "Just started Lyrica for extreme pain in my thoracic spine after a workplace injury causing a muscular ligamentous tear of my medial scapula. I tried every sort of pain medication available with absolutely no relief. My Dr. prescribed Lyrica for me a few days ago and about 4 hours after the first dose I noticed a change in my level of pain. Had massive side effects though such as vertigo, dizziness, light-headed, blurred vision, etc. I did have a fever though from an unrelated condition so I'm not sure whether it is related to the Lyrica. I have continued taking this medication with the hope that the side effects ease and the pain remains minimal. I'm worried about weight gain that others are talking about. I've just lost 25kg, don't want it back."

• DDa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2019

Pregabalin for Neuropathic Pain "Will never use again. Felt like I was drugged. Couldn't keep eyes open. Blurry vision. Knocked me out and slept from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Glad I didn't have to go to work! Woke up still groggy and with a major headache! How are people supposed to function on this?"

• Gra...
• April 2, 2019

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "The positives outweigh the negatives for Lyrica for my fibromyalgia, it is taking care of my pain so well. The side effects I've experienced are weight gain, blurred vision, swelling of my ankles and feet. Also, less output than the amount of input regarding my urine. I'm hoping that will adjust because Lyrica is controlling my pain, so I will tolerate the side effects anytime, anywhere, all the time. I take 150 mg a.m. and 150 mg p.m. I was taking Norco. No more, yeah!!!!"

• Kat...
• April 11, 2017

Pregabalin for Neuropathic Pain "I have had chronic pain from spinal stenosis for over 25 years: neck, shoulders, and lower back. I was on Lyrica 150 mg twice a day a couple of years ago, and truthfully, I cannot remember why I stopped taking it. Since the 'war on pain meds,' my doctor asked me to try it again. I took it for 2 weeks, then I started getting blurred vision, confusion, memory loss, and I would be standing in a store, and twice my husband had to catch me because I was just falling over. I felt sick inside, instead of my quality of life improving, it went downhill. I will never take this so-called medication again. I will live with the 10 to 15 pain level somehow if I have to spend the rest of my life just sitting still or in bed. I also got to the point where I was severely depressed. Do NOT take this drug."

• Hea...
• October 24, 2018

Pregabalin 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."

• man...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 18, 2016

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "I was prescribed Lyrica for fibromyalgia pain. It didn't really help that much, but it did wonders for the neuropathy in my feet caused by botched plantar fasciitis surgery. The pain in my feet was horrible, and the Lyrica took the sharp jabs and the feeling of nails being driven through my feet away. Still have some pain in my feet, but not the intense, jarring me awake type pain. On the one occasion I ran out of Lyrica, I got terribly sick, throwing up and diarrhea. So I don't run out! I am taking 300 mg morning and night. Have recently lost 37 pounds, albeit with great effort, just like before Lyrica. Sometimes my vision is just a little blurry, but I have learned to deal with it. I continue to take Lyrica for the benefits."

• Sun...
• October 20, 2016

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "I was prescribed Lyrica 4 days ago to help with my fibromyalgia. I am to take 1 pill at bedtime for 5 days, then increase my dose to 1 in the morning as well. I've been taking it at night and experienced involuntary tremors, muscle spasms, twitching of my fingers, arms, and legs. The twitching is scary! It's involuntary, I have no control of my body when this happens. My leg started twitching, and it stuck straight up, waking me from a deep sleep! The twitching and tremors linger all day. Lyrica caused severe swelling in my feet, ankles, and legs. It's very uncomfortable. I also experienced loss of balance, dizziness, blurred vision, and ulcer sores on my tongue and in my mouth. I felt far better before taking this medicine. Needless to say, I'm no longer taking it."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 14, 2022

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "This medication is horrible! I wish I had never taken it. My doctor prescribed it for me a few years ago, but I never picked it up. Recently, he prescribed it to me again for fibromyalgia, and I reluctantly decided to try it. It only helped a tad bit with my chronic pain. The first couple weeks on it, I had really bad headaches daily. I got urinary retention. The worst part is that I’m already diagnosed with depression, anxiety, bipolar II, and borderline personality disorder. Lyrica made all of these worse. I have suicidal ideation daily. I’ve only been on these pills for about a month and a half, but trying to get off them is hard. I’ve been through really bad Tramadol withdrawal, but Lyrica is way worse because your body becomes dependent on it so quickly. Also, it made my vision blurry, and my cognitive functions are a mess. I’m always forgetting things and have no sense of time. I’ve never been like this before. I feel so stupid and in a fog."

• MO-...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2017

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "Blurred vision while driving 70, nightmares, terrible balance, falling in the shower (took 30 min to get back up) my 4 & 6-year-old kids had to 'rescue' me and turn off the water, restless legs keeping me awake until all hours of the morning. 1 eye has twitched for 3 days now. Just to name a few of the side effects. This medicine needs to be an absolute last resort, with doctors warning patients about all of these awful side effects prior to prescribing. I am a former licensed practical nurse, and this is unacceptable as far as side effects go."

• Gyp...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 25, 2017

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "I have spinal stenosis, my spine is cracked on both sides of my spine, as well as a bulging disc pushing on the cracks, fibromyalgia, and some form of arthritis. Lyrica packed on the pounds, blurred vision, constantly tired, my body aches more when I take Lyrica. I use cannabis oil CBD form, it helps with inflammation, it sure helps considerably better with no side effects! The CBD form does NOT get you ‘stoned, high, or buzzed’, it removes the pain. I am extremely grateful for my cannabis oil, the effects last longer than Lyrica too! I can enjoy my grandkids again!"

• Bud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2016

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "Terrible med! Years after taking for a few weeks, I still have seriously blurry vision. Seems to be permanent. Everything about this drug was far worse than the problems it was supposed to address. Do not take this toxic garbage. My Dr. insisted I had to give it time to work... Any more time and I'd likely be dead or blind! Avoid like the plague and/or carefully read of myriad side effects and hope you can stop in time to avoid permanent problems from side effects. IMO, this med should be taken off the market!"

• jus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 13, 2013

Pregabalin for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "I started Lyrica 30 days ago and take 150 mg per day. I have not received any relief for my neuropathy. I have a constant headache, and my vision is fuzzy. I am hoping the Lyrica will solve these problems in 60 days, or I will have to stop the medication."

• Kel...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2017

Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia "I have been on Lyrica almost 2 1/2 years. When I first started it, I was really skinny, so weight gain didn't bother me, but now I have gained over 25 lbs, which is not good at all. I am going to go back to Gabapentin, which helped me get off morphine. My eyes are dry and blurry. I fart all the time, and I am fat! I was off of it the beginning of the year, and I was hurting, but side effects are too much."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2017

Pregabalin for Neuropathic Pain "I was prescribed Lyrica for post-shoulder surgery with continuing nerve pain radiating down the arm. Lyrica caused me to gain 20 lb, slurred speech, and blurred vision. I had edema in my ankles too. Since I would only take it two times a day, I would have rebound nerve pain that encouraged me to take more Lyrica. After my doctor advised me about the weight gain, I decided to take myself off of it. It took 10 days to withdraw from the drug, but I'm glad I did. I'm a clinical pharmacist and advised all on Lyrica to be aware of all the adverse effects of this drug."

• Anonymous
• May 11, 2016

Pregabalin for Neuropathic Pain "I've had problems with my feet burning for several years. Every year, it was worse than the year before. It got to the point that I couldn't stand anything on my feet. Lyrica helped a lot, with much less frequency and severity of burning. Finally, some relief. Unfortunately, I had to discontinue because of side effects. I had almost all side effects listed in the info sheet. Most I could have tolerated, but the ones I couldn't were weight gain, confusion, and fast progressing blurred vision. Also, I had severe clinical depression over 18 years ago until I received the correct antidepressant. I've had no depression since. However, the Lyrica caused it to return, although not as severe. It also caused anger flare-ups, very unlike me."

• Sea...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 22, 2025

For Fibromyalgia "I started taking pregabalin (Lyrica) 16 years ago. It still works for me. I'm on 200 mg three times a day. In the beginning, the doctor started me on 100 mg three times a day. The side effects were pretty severe. The blurred vision, jerking, and difficulty speaking bothered me most. But it helped the pain so much, and I could sleep. It took months for the side effects to subside, but I was on a pretty high dose and many other medications. I definitely recommend pregabalin over gabapentin. They are in the same drug class, but gabapentin seemed much weaker. It didn't even touch the pain. If you're sensitive to medicine, or your pain is not that bad, you should probably try gabapentin first. If you take quite a bit of medicine, as I do, and your symptoms are debilitating or keep you from your normal activities, I would highly suggest pregabalin!"

• tam...
• August 12, 2011

Pregabalin for Pain "I was given a lot of different pain medications, even 3 shots of morphine, and my pain didn't go away. 150 mg of Lyrica twice a day, and I had no pain. My vision is a little blurry, and I feel bloated, but I'll take that any day over the back pain."

• Mir...
• July 2, 2017

Pregabalin for Neuralgia "I've been prescribed Lyrica 300 mg morning and night, also Amitriptyline 10 mg for TN pain. Before taking these meds, life was near unbearable to live. The meds do come with some side effects, short-term memory loss and sometimes blurred vision being the worst. I've thankfully not had issues with weight gain. You have to take the good with the bad sometimes. Without the prescribed meds, life would be hell."