Frequently Asked Questions About LYRICA

LYRICA is a prescription medicine approved by the FDA to treat fibromyalgia, diabetic nerve pain, spinal cord injury nerve pain, pain after shingles, and partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older, when taken together with other seizure medicines.

Although healthcare providers don’t know exactly how LYRICA works, non-clinical studies suggest LYRICA helps calm overactive nerves by binding to the calcium channel on the nerve cell. This changes how the nerve cell functions by helping reduce the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals that nerves use to communicate.

The reduction of neurotransmitters may slow pain signals that travel through your nerves. LYRICA may also help change the way your brain and spinal cord process these pain signals, which can make you feel less pain. The reduction of neurotransmitters also helps reduce seizure activity.

Pain relief onset varies, with some patients experiencing relief within a week and others taking longer. Consult your healthcare provider if you’re not experiencing expected pain relief. Individual results may vary.

Take LYRICA exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much LYRICA to take and when to take it.

• Consider taking LYRICA in combination with other daily activities, such as eating meals or brushing your teeth
• You can take LYRICA with or without food
• Do not stop taking LYRICA without talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking LYRICA suddenly, you may have headaches, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, increased sweating, or you may feel anxious. If you have epilepsy and stop taking LYRICA suddenly, you may have seizures more often. If you and your healthcare provider do decide you need to stop taking LYRICA, he or she will help you stop gradually
• If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, just skip the missed dose. Take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses at the same time
• If you take too much LYRICA, call your healthcare provider or poison control center, or go to the nearest emergency room right away

The most common side effects reported with LYRICA in adults include:

• Dizziness
• Blurry vision
• Dry mouth
• Weight gain
• Sleepiness
• Trouble concentrating
• Swelling of hands and feet

LYRICA may cause serious side effects, including: 

• Serious, even life-threatening, allergic reactions: These may include swelling of the face, mouth, lips, gums, tongue, throat or neck, trouble breathing, and rash, hives (raised bumps), or blisters. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking LYRICA and seek immediate medical attention
• Suicidal thoughts or actions: Like other antiepileptic drugs, LYRICA may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in a small number of people, about 1 in 500. If you notice changes in mood, depression, or suicidal thoughts, contact your healthcare provider immediately
• Serious breathing problems can occur when LYRICA is taken with other medicines that can cause severe sleepiness or decreased awareness, or when it is taken by someone who already has breathing problems. Watch for increased sleepiness or decreased breathing when starting LYRICA or when the dose is increased. Get help right away if breathing problems occur
• Swelling of your hands, legs, and feet. This swelling can be a serious problem for people with heart problems
• Dizziness and sleepiness. Do not drive a car, work with machines, or do other dangerous activities until you know how LYRICA affects you. Ask your healthcare provider about when it will be okay to do these activities

Before taking LYRICA, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• Have or have had depression, mood problems or suicidal thoughts or behavior
• Have breathing problems
• Have kidney problems or get kidney dialysis
• Have heart problems including heart failure
• Have a bleeding problem or a low blood platelet count
• Have abused prescription medicines, street drugs, or alcohol in the past
• Have ever had swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, lips, gums, neck, or throat (angioedema)
• Plan to father a child. Animal studies have shown that pregabalin, the active ingredient in LYRICA, made male animals less fertile and caused sperm to change. Also, in animal studies, birth defects were seen in the offspring (babies) of male animals treated with pregabalin. It is not known if these problems can happen in people who take LYRICA
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. LYRICA may harm your unborn baby. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take LYRICA while you are pregnant
  • If you become pregnant while taking LYRICA, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy. Information about the registry can also be found at the website, http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org
• Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. LYRICA passes into your breast milk. It is not known if LYRICA can harm your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you take LYRICA. Breastfeeding is not recommended while taking LYRICA

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements. LYRICA and other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used to treat many conditions, including high blood pressure. You may have a higher chance for swelling and hives if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Rosiglitazone or pioglitazone for diabetes. You may have a higher chance of weight gain or swelling of your hands or feet if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Any opioid pain medicine (such as oxycodone), or medicines for anxiety (such as lorazepam) or insomnia (such as zolpidem). You may have a higher chance for dizziness, sleepiness or serious breathing problems if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Any medicines that make you sleepy

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine. Do not start a new medicine without talking with your healthcare provider.

LYRICA and some other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used to treat many conditions, including high blood pressure. You may have a higher chance for swelling and hives if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Rosiglitazone or pioglitazone for diabetes. You may have a higher chance of weight gain or swelling of your hands or feet if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Any opioid pain medicine (such as oxycodone), or medicines for anxiety (such as lorazepam) or insomnia (such as zolpidem). You may have a higher chance for dizziness, sleepiness or serious breathing problems if these medicines are taken with LYRICA
• Any medicines that make you sleepy

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine. Do not start a new medicine without talking with your healthcare provider.

Do not drink alcohol while taking LYRICA. LYRICA and alcohol can affect each other and increase side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness.

LYRICA is not an antidepressant or a narcotic.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes chronic, widespread pain and fatigue throughout your body. Fibromyalgia may cause heightened sensitivity to pain compared to those without the condition.

Fibromyalgia pain can vary from person to person and even day to day. Some of the most common symptoms include pain and stiffness all over the body. Symptoms can flare one day and then be better the next. They can also be affected by your level of stress or physical activity.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, also known as diabetic nerve pain, is a condition that results from nerve damage caused by diabetes, leading to symptoms like chronic pain, tingling, and numbness, primarily in the legs and feet.

Some of the most common symptoms include numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes, sharp pains or cramps, tingling or burning sensations.

Spinal cord injury nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain, happens when the nerves in or around your spinal cord are damaged or irritated. It can feel like burning, tingling, stabbing, or even like an electric shock. For some people, even light touches or gentle pressure that normally wouldn’t hurt can cause a lot of pain.

Nerve pain can vary based on your location of injury.

Nerve pain after a spinal cord injury can vary from person to person.

You might experience:

• Burning or tingling sensations
• Sharp, stabbing pain
• Feelings of cold or “pins and needles”
• Pain triggered by something that shouldn’t hurt, like a breeze or light touch

Pain after shingles, or postherpetic neuralgia, is a common complication of shingles. Shingles symptoms start with a blistering painful rash. This rash usually forms on the chest or back. The rash will go away in time. But once it is gone, you may still experience the burning, stabbing, shooting symptoms of nerve pain caused by shingles. Approximately 10-18% of people who get shingles will experience long-lasting pain afterwards.

Pain after shingles can vary from person to person. Some people experience mild pain with shingles. For others, the pain is intense and the gentlest touch can be excruciating.

Here are some common symptoms:

• Pain (aching, burning, sharp, shooting, shocking) that’s constant or comes and goes
• Itchy skin
• Loss of feeling or numbness
• Sensitive skin (to touch, pressure or temperature changes)

Partial-onset seizures, also called focal seizures, happen when abnormal electrical activity occurs in just one part of the brain. These seizures can cause a variety of symptoms, such as unusual sensations, movements, or changes in awareness, depending on the affected brain area, and the person may or may not lose awareness during the seizure.

Focal seizures affect specific brain areas and can cause physical movements, strange sensations, automatic body changes, or emotional shifts. Symptoms can be different for each person and can include involuntary twitching or jerking movements, seeing flashes or distorted visuals.