Lyrica and weight gain??

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Goodnightangel01
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:45 am

Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by Goodnightangel01 »

My doctor tried me on Sinemet for about a month, which I am pretty sure caused augmentation, as the RLS recently became really really bad. When I called to talk to him about this, rather than discussing different meds with me, he just called in 50 mg of Lyrica for me to my pharmacy, but I am really hesitant to try this because of all of the reports I have read of people gaining massive amounts of weight. I was just able to lose 45 pounds and my doctor did not want to increase my Neurontin dose because he was worried about the possibility of gaining weight, yet he prescribed Lyrica which is a known weight gainer??

I understand that everyone is different, but I feel as if I have read more instances of weight gain, and not just 5 lbs, we're talking 10+ pounds per month, than people losing weight or not having any weight fluctuation in either direction.

And, the medication is $20. He didn't discuss this with me, so now my insurnace has been charged for a medication that I am not even sure I want to take, and obviously doesn't have a generic, so it will cost me more money.

Does anyone have any experience with Lyrica? Have you gained weight while taking this med? Did it help your RLS at all? How long did it take to become effective for your RLS symptoms?

Here's what I've taken so far:
Neurontin: worked for the first year and then stopped working. I was taking between 200mg and 600mg per night.
Vicodin: did not help my RLS symptoms at all.
Percocet: works like a DREAM but was only given to me once per night, which would help but it wouldn't do anything for the flares that would continue during the day.
Sinemet: I never noticed any improvement in RLS symptoms, and after about one month of taking it, I experienced augmentation.
Magnesium supplements: these help sometimes, but not when the flare is really, really bad. I still take about 500 mg per night.
Epsom salt foot soaks: definitely help relieve symptoms in the moment, but isn't meant to have a long-lasting effect. Feels wonderful though!
Magnesium oil and magnesium lotion: both feel wonderful, I put both on my legs and feet and lower back where I have the most significant RLS symptoms.
Compression sleeves: I have these for my shin splints when I go running, and for recovery, but I have found that they can be very helpful when my RLS is acting up in my calves. I need to find a compression SUIT to help with the other affected areas lol!!
Electric massager: I do this every night before bed, I massage my legs and back and feet. Feels good in the moment, but the effects do not last once I stop.

Thank you so much for your help!

debbluebird
Posts: 2386
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 3:27 pm

Re: Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by debbluebird »

I gained 50 pounds very quickly with it. Really didn't help my WED. I was able to loose the weight after I went off it. I augmented on Mirapex. I'm now on Methadone 5 mg. I take 1 at 5 pm, another around midnight to 2 am. Sometimes that's all. If a night of symptoms, then I take a third around 4 am. I never take more, otherwise I itch. This has worked the best for me for five years now. I've taken many other drugs, including Neurontin. At one time I was on five different ones per night. That was a bad period. My WED goes up and down, every couple of weeks. There are periods, where I don't have any WED and I only take two pills those nights. Can't go down to one pill. Itching is the only side affect, and mostly I don't have that. Oh, at first I did have nausea, but it went away after a couple of months.
good luck

Goodnightangel01
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:45 am

Re: Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by Goodnightangel01 »

I took my first Lyrica tonight, only because I do not have any more Percocet and Neurontin does absolutely nothing anyway, so even though I have been taking 300 mg per night (my reasoning is, it's better than nothing right?!) I also have narcolepsy and take Xyrem. I wouldn't be given methadone while I'm on Xyrem. I have a friend in one of my narcolepsy groups on Facebook who is a nurse and has been suggesting Lyrica for RLS for some time now. I haven't read many accounts of people NOT gaining weight on Lyrica and it makes me so very nervous, and I realize just how vain it sounds. I have heard that people who have gained weight on Neurontin are more likely to gain weight on Lyrica, and since I never gained weight on Neurontin, maybe that means I won't gain weight on Lyrica? Who knows, since everyone is so very different. My nurse friend who suggested it says that she has a friend who is under 5 feet tall, weighs less than 100 lbs and never gained weight on Lyrica. So....I don't know....I have asked to speak to my doctor since he prescribed this without actually talking to me, maybe I can work something else out with him since Percocet works so well. The only downside to Percocet is the constipation side effect, but I was starting to manage that with the help of two different probiotics.

I don't know, RLS sucks and I wish one thing worked rather than having to constantly change directions once another med stops helping. Ggrrrrr.

debbluebird
Posts: 2386
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 3:27 pm

Re: Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by debbluebird »

You won't know until you take it.

ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16570
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by ViewsAskew »

One of past moderators, SquimingSusan, had narcolepsy. I know she took methadone and Xyrem - just not sure if it was at the same time. She doesn't stop by very often anymore, but you might read her older posts and see if you can glean anything from them.

The gaba-esque drugs - gabapentin, pregabalin, and gabapentin encarbil - work for quite a few of us, but definitely not for all of us. They didn't help me. It's sort of strange - there are people here who were helped with tiny doses and others that required the end of the dose range - I have no idea why the variability - maybe how the body metabolizes? The search engine works relatively well - you can use it to search on Lyrica or pregabablin and read older posts. People often stop posting once they have a solution, so you may not get as many direct answers as you'd like.

That Vicodin didn't help makes me wonder if the dose was just too low or you were augmented at the time and needed more. But, it doesn't really matter, does it, as it's likely just as hard to get as Percocet!

I don't remember if I gained any weight with any of the GABA drugs - gabapentin, pregabalin (Lyrica in the US), or gabapentin encarbil. BUT, they all did cause depression for me and none of them really helped the WED/RLS. So, for me, a bust. I think one of our moderators takes one of the drugs in this category - he hasn't gained weight. he's also a competitive long distance runner, but I think he'd notice if he had urges to eat more.

As debbluebird said, you really can't know until you take it - and you started it, so here's hoping for the best. If you can keep a diary of your food intake and how it's making you feel, you might be able to show your doctor how it's affecting you if it's not good. If it were me and I'd lost 45 pounds, I'd be at the doctor's as soon as there was a 5 pound gain and a proof that you were eating more and unable to control it. it might help. Either way, at that point I'd stop taking it!

There aren't many doctors who understand folks with multiple sleep disorders - the apnea docs get apnea, not apnea plus WED/RLS. Same with narcolepsy, it seems.
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.

jul2873
Posts: 445
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:32 pm

Re: Lyrica and weight gain??

Post by jul2873 »

Since Percocet, an opioid worked, you might try kratom, a mild, legal opioid. I've been using it for two years with no weight gain. In fact, many people lose weight on it. If you do a search, you'll find a number of threads on here that discuss using it. Here's one: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=8930&hilit=kratom

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