How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

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ViewsAskew
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by ViewsAskew »

That is what happened to me years ago - maybe 2006? - when I first tried it. I remember someone else at the time saying the same. It seemed to help for a few days, they I had to up the dose, and so on until I was taking a LOT per day and the only thing that was a sure thing was that I was a zombie during the day but I still has RLS at night. Since then, I cannot remember if anyone has mentioned this issue.

BUT, at the time, I'd just stopped pramipexole and had been severely augmented. I had no idea if that was part of it or not. I have tried it again here and there, but only as a sleep aid. It has worked well for me as that, even if I am tired the next day.

In terms of dosage, we have people who take 100 mg and others who take the max per day. The variability is fascinating.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

I just don't think it's gona work for me. I raised the dose to 150 mg. last night and it made no noticeable difference in my symptoms.
But it did put me to sleep after i got up and took hydrocodone to calm my arms down.(yes i'm weird. It's always in my arms while laying down.
Just like with you Ann..i was a zombie when i woke up. Trying to figure this out is frustrating to say the least. Seems i have no choice but to increase my ropinirole dose and i really don't want to do that.

ViewsAskew
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by ViewsAskew »

I used to be terrified to use a dopamine agonist. I augmented in about ten days when I first took pramipexole and spent 18 months in augmentation hell. I was off it a few years and then used it cautiously - and never more than a few days at a time - for several years. I have now had three iron infusions. After the last one over a year ago, my iron has stayed relatively high - it was 400 and now is around 300.

That encouraged me to be a bit less conservative. I already knew that after the second infusion I could take a DA up to 30 days without an issue, so I decided to push it farther. I just kept taking it a bit longer each time until I reached 5 months. It actually wasn't supposed to be that long, but I was trying to take an opioid break and I didn't time it well. So, I know my body doesn't augment anymore now that the iron is much higher (it was between 8 and 16 when I was first taking it).

I guess my point is that if you are able to make sure your iron is at least 75 to 100, you may be able to use a DA for a few months or longer at a time without worry.

My current plan is to take 50% DA and 50% opioid for 3.5 months. Then I will take a 2 week DA break, then a 2 week opioid break. Then back to the 50/50.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

That sounds like a good plan. I had my iron checked and it was over 200. So maybe i don't need to be as worried about raising it a little. I'm not positive that i actually ever augmented. Maybe i just built up a tolerance to ripinirole and my symptoms are just worsening because of age. How can one be sure?

Rustsmith
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by Rustsmith »

Augmentation versus natural progression with age is a difficult question. My doctor when I first augmented on pramipexole said that it was simply the progression with age even though it had only been a year. So, it is really something that you have to satisfy yourself with the answer. To learn more, take a look at the paper on augmentation by the international RLS experts in this link. There are a series of four questions on page 6 that should help you decide for yourself.

http://irlssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Summary-of-recommendations-RLS-Augmentation-13Aug2015.pdf
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

One thing i know for sure is before i went cold turkey from ropinirole for 4 weeks.. the measly .25 mg i am taking now wouldn't of had any affect on my symtoms at all. The only thing i have added since before is 100mg lyrica. I suppose there is the possibility it is doing more than i realize. It's tough to know what is working and what isn't when you change more than one thing at a time. I need to try one night with no lyrica just to satisfy my curiosity.

QyX

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by QyX »

curqlink wrote:Has anyone had issues with developing a tolerance quickly with lyrica or gabapentin? My dr gave me 50mg dose of lyrica. The first couple times i took it..it seemed to help make me sleepy. Then it just stopped working so i increased it to taking 2 capsules. Again..it worked a couple times and stopped. I'm not sure if i should keep increasing it or not. I know someone that takes it and they have been on the same dose of 100 mg. for years and they have never had to increase it. But they are taking it for fibro..not rls. Not sure if the dose is the same for both.


Tolerance is often an issue with meds you take for RLS. However 100 mg is still a small dose and at least in Germany they approved Lyrica up to 600 mg per day and I know that people who abuse Lyrica take doses up to 5.000 mg.

Speak with your doctor and ask him how high you can go in theory. Maybe something like 200 mg will work for you for a while.

I slept well with Carbamazepin for about 3 years now ... now I am stuck with tolerance and have no way to go.

Already tried Lyrica, Gabapentin, Benzos, all kind of opiods, DAs .... over 50 drugs total ... it's bad ...

peanut1
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by peanut1 »

Yes, I tripled the use of lyrica within a month. I try to find a variety of ways to deal with the RLS along with taking my meds. I also rotate my meds throughout the week. However, my understanding is that for some people nothing seems to work but the meds, so it all depends on how your RLS impacts you and what you need to do.

QyX

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by QyX »

peanut1 wrote:Yes, I tripled the use of lyrica within a month. I try to find a variety of ways to deal with the RLS along with taking my meds. I also rotate my meds throughout the week. However, my understanding is that for some people nothing seems to work but the meds, so it all depends on how your RLS impacts you and what you need to do.


When you have to rotate almost daily, then the meds you take don't seem to be that effective. You should at least find something which you can take for several weeks or much better, at least 3-4 months. If you rotate almost daily, you kinda just cause to much chaos in your brain.

There is already good evidence that some antiepileptics are effective for RLS (Gabapentin + Pregabalin (Lyrica)). From my own experience and researching the literature I can tell you that Carbamazepine is also a highly effective drug with analgesic, sedative and hypnotic properties.

In my opinion Carbamazepine is one of the most underused drugs for RLS. It is super cheap, old, well known to all psychiatrists and neurologists and has the potential to simply kill your RLS several years.

When I started Carbamazepine, I was able to stop 16 mg of Hydromorphone (= 120 mg of Morphine) within 2 weeks. Unfortunately after 4 weeks I had to start taking opioids again but at a much lower dose (about 40 mg of Morphine) and all my problems with falling asleep were gone.

Wish I could have that back. Carbamazepine was a life saver for 3-4 years. I wrote a lot about it in my pharma diary.

curqlink
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Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

I have been getting pretty good symptom relief lately using Tramadol with a low dose of Ropinirole and Lyrica. I have Hydrocodone on hand for the times that i need more. When i first started Lyrica it really helped me get to sleep quickly. Side affects were..weird dreams and having trouble waking up. This wasn't all bad tho because the extra sleep was helping with the RLS. For the last week or so I have been back to having trouble getting to sleep tho. But i still have the weird dreams and trouble waking. Tonight i'm gona up the dose to see if it helps. If it doesn't help then the next step will be to go off it completely and see what that does. That will also tell me if it's doing anything for my RLS symptoms.

ViewsAskew
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by ViewsAskew »

curqlink wrote:I have been getting pretty good symptom relief lately using Tramadol with a low dose of Ropinirole and Lyrica. I have Hydrocodone on hand for the times that i need more. When i first started Lyrica it really helped me get to sleep quickly. Side affects were..weird dreams and having trouble waking up. This wasn't all bad tho because the extra sleep was helping with the RLS. For the last week or so I have been back to having trouble getting to sleep tho. But i still have the weird dreams and trouble waking. Tonight i'm gona up the dose to see if it helps. If it doesn't help then the next step will be to go off it completely and see what that does. That will also tell me if it's doing anything for my RLS symptoms.


Could the ropinerole be partially responsible for the weird dreams? Pramipexole - which is similar - makes me have crazy dreams, as well as lucid dreams. I often have very fragmented, crazy sleep with it. The gaba drugs, such as gabapentin or pregabalin (Lyrica) actually help me stay asleep and I notice the dreams less. BUT - we are all so different, not saying it's the same with you!
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

I've been taking ropinirole for a long time at a bigger dose than i'm taking now. The dreams are only occasional and i can live with that. I just don't like how it makes me feel in general. It's kinda hard to put a finger on it. I just don't feel like myself anytime. I mixed things up a little last night and it seemed to work. Took 100mg Lyrica early in the evening and 100mg gabapentin later on. Went to sleep pretty good. I'm sure i will need to up the dose of gabapentin but i will see how it works tonight. First time can be a fluke..twice and i may be on to something.

curqlink
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:38 am

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

Ok...worked 2 nights in a row. I read somewhere that gabapentin helped more with sleep issues than Lyrica. Only problem is if i take enough gabapentin by itself to actually help then I don't like how i feel at all. More so than Lyrica. (Which i don't care for either) Combining the two seems to work better than just taking Lyrica by itself without increasing the nasty side effects. We shall see how it works over the long run.

QyX

Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by QyX »

curqlink wrote:Ok...worked 2 nights in a row. I read somewhere that gabapentin helped more with sleep issues than Lyrica. Only problem is if i take enough gabapentin by itself to actually help then I don't like how i feel at all. More so than Lyrica. (Which i don't care for either) Combining the two seems to work better than just taking Lyrica by itself without increasing the nasty side effects. We shall see how it works over the long run.


I would NOT combine Lyrica and Gababentine simply because when you get tolerant, you will be tolerant to both drugs and then you will not have an alternative for the moment.

Simply increase the Lyrica dose. 100 mg of Lyrica is still a pretty low dose considered that in hospitals doctors seem to think Lyrica is not effective unitl a dose of at least 300 mg is reached. Gabapentin and Lyrica, they work both in a very similar, basically almost the same way and they are structurally related in a very close way too.

The proper way to go is to take only drug, increase the dose until the drug is ineffective and then stick to it as long as it is working. When you get tolerant, you simply switch to the other drug and increase the dose until its effective again.

Taking both drugs only would make sense in a couple of cases: a) one drug is not effective enough even when the dose is high enough b) your doctor does not allow you to take a proper dose of one specific drug and therefore you are forced to take both drugs at the same time c) you are in transition between two meds, e.g. withdrawing from Lyrica and starting Gabapentin d) you need to limit your dose of each drugs to avoid unpleasant side effects, however please note that almost always when you increase the dose of Lyrica it will come with some nasty side effects (same goes for Gabapentin) who normally disappear after a few days. From observation on other patients, I would say when you tolerate 100 mg of Lyrica and even a combination therapy of Lyrica and Gabapentin, then you also should tolerate a monotherapy with Lyrica at a higher dose. Of course, I could be wrong but that would surprise, still not saying what you do is the best course of action regarding your individual circumstances.

I am surprised that you even have some kind effect on Lyrica with only 100 mg. I would do the following: stop Gabapentin completely, just from 100% to 0 ... and then increase Lyrica from 100 to 200 and see how it goes. If you don't get the old effect then increase to 300, 400 with 600 being your limit.

Only if at 600 the effect of Lyrica is not strong enough, I would even consider combining both drugs or have a conversation with your doctor and see if off-label use of Lyrica is an option and increase the dose above 600.

And again: combining Gabapentin and Lyrica, it would be the same as taking to SSRi antidepressants at once or taking two of the modern atypical antipsychotics at once. It simply makes no sense and will reduce your options once you are tolerant to one drug, which unfortunately is not unlikely to happen.

I switched from Carbamazepine to Oxcarbazepine due to tolerance and I hope that once I am tolerant to Oxcarbazepine I can go back on Carbamazepine but nobody knows if this is going to work but combining those two would speed up tolerance rapidly and limit my options in the future.

I don't want to scare you. That is just basic pharmacology and tolerance will occur because those two drugs you are taking are closely related and if you want some options once one drug is no longer working, only take one. Based on my experience, that would be the smart move.

And again: 100 mg of Lyrica is still a very small dose. I took 100 mg of Lyrica as a starting dose. It worked great at the beginning. Unfortunately Lyrica had paradox effects on me quickly.

If either one of those two drugs work, they are a great way to treat RLS. Much better then dopamine-agonists in my opinion.

Good luck

curqlink
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Re: How long does it take for Lyrica to start working?

Post by curqlink »

Thanks for the reply. I am going to try increasing my lyrica dose tonight. I thought taking both together was working well. But i quickly built up a tolerance to it. Took forever to get to sleep last night and then i woke up with symptoms a few hours later and had to take hydrocodone. I guess that tells me that not only is it helping me to get to sleep...but it also is having some affect on my need to move symptoms. I thought Tramadol and ropinirole was taking care of most of my need to move symptoms. Now i'm thinking the Lyrica is doing more than i thought. I'm not looking forward to increasing the dose tho. I tried that in the past and hated how it made me feel. I'm seriously considering a trip to Colorado to get some edibles. I already know THC will help me get to sleep. But i don't care for smoking. I can increase my tramadol dose at bedtime. But that just increases the difficulty getting to sleep. I'm thinking Lyrica is not a long term solution for me. But i need to make it work for now.

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