Introduction

For all intensive purposes, this thread is not directly related to PTSD medication, but around PTSD medications, in that Lyrica is used for treatment of seizure disorders.

Suitability

Lyrica is only suitable to those who suffer seizure disorders, or those that are defined within the scope of acceptable risk for use.

Dosage

The recommended maximum dosage is 300mg per day, also being the perceived normal dosage of 3 x 100mg doses at intervals daily. In actual fact though, often dosage upto 600mg per day is used for more severe treatments.

Side Effects

All drugs have possible side effect/s, which need to be taken into consideration when being prescribed.

You have approximately a 1:3 chance of having any side effect/s with Lyrica from the clinical studies performed at 300mg per day. This figure increases to approximately 1:2.3 at 600mg per day.

Lyrica has the following possible side effects:

• Body as a whole
  • Asthenia
  • Accidental injury
  • Back pain
  • Chest pain
  • Face edema
  • Infection
  • Headache
  • Pain
  • Accidental injury
  • Flu syndrome
• Digestive system
  • Dry mouth
  • Constipation
  • Flatulence
  • Vomiting
• Metabolic and nutritional disorders
  • Peripheral edema
  • Weight gain
  • Edema
  • Hypoglycemia
• Musculoskeletal system
  • Myasthenia
• Nervous system
  • Abnormal gait
  • Amnesia
  • Ataxia
  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Euphoria
  • Incoordination
  • Nervousness
  • Neuropathy
  • Somnolence
  • Speech disorder
  • Thinking abnormala
  • Tremor
  • Vertigo
• Respiratory system
  • Dyspnea
  • Bronchitis
• Special senses
  • Blurry vision
  • Abnormal vision
  • Eye Disorder
  • Diplopia
• Urogenital System
  • Urinary Incontinence

Further categorization of possible side effects are listed in decreasing order:

Body as a Whole

• Frequent: Abdominal pain, Allergic reaction, Fever;
• Infrequent: Abscess, Cellulitis, Chills, Malaise, Neck rigidity, Overdose, Pelvic pain, Photosensitivity reaction, Suicide attempt;
• Rare: Anaphylactoid reaction, Ascites, Granuloma, Hangover effect, Intentional Injury, Retroperitoneal Fibrosis, Shock, Suicide.

Cardiovascular System

• Infrequent: Deep thrombophlebitis, Heart failure, Hypotension, Postural hypotension, Retinal vascular disorder, Syncope;
• Rare: ST Depressed, Ventricular Fibrillation.

Digestive System

• Frequent: Gastroenteritis, Increased appetite;
• Infrequent: Cholecystitis, Cholelithiasis, Colitis, Dysphagia, Esophagitis, Gastritis, Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, Melena, Mouth ulceration, Pancreatitis, Rectal hemorrhage, Tongue edema;
• Rare: Aphthous stomatitis, Esophageal Ulcer.

Hemic and Lymphatic System

• Frequent: Ecchymosis;
• Infrequent: Anemia, Eosinophilia, Hypochromic anemia, Leukocytosis, Leukopenia, Lymphadenopathy, Thrombocytopenia;
• Rare: Myelofibrosis, Polycythemia, Prothrombin decreased, Purpura, Thrombocythemia.

Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders

• Rare: Glucose Tolerance Decreased, Urate Crystalluria.

Musculoskeletal System

• Frequent: Arthralgia, Leg cramps, Myalgia, Myasthenia;
• Infrequent: Arthrosis;
• Rare: Generalized Spasm.

Nervous System

• Frequent: Anxiety, Depersonalization, Hypertonia, Hypesthesia, Libido decreased, Nystagmus, Paresthesia, Stupor, Twitching;
• Infrequent: Abnormal dreams, Agitation, Apathy, Aphasia, Circumoral paresthesia, Dysarthria, Hallucinations, Hostility, Hyperalgesia, Hyperesthesia, Hyperkinesia, Hypokinesia, Hypotonia, Libido increased, Myoclonus, Neuralgia;
• Rare: Addiction, Cerebellar syndrome, Cogwheel rigidity, Coma, Delirium, Delusions, Dysautonomia, Dyskinesia, Dystonia, Encephalopathy, Extrapyramidal syndrome, Guillain Barre syndrome, Hypalgesia, Intracranial hypertension, Manic reaction, Paranoid reaction, Peripheral neuritis, Psychotic depression, Schizophrenic reaction, Torticollis, Trismus.

Respiratory System

• Rare: Apnea, Atelectasis, Bronchiolitis, Hiccup, Laryngismus, Lung edema, Lung fibrosis, Yawn.

Skin and Appendages

• Frequent: Pruritus;
• Infrequent: Alopecia, Dry skin, Eczema, Hirsutism, Skin ulcer, Urticaria, Vesiculobullous rash;
• Rare: Angioedema, Exfoliative dermatitis, Lichenoid dermatitis, Melanosis, Petechial rash, Purpuric rash, Pustular rash, Skin atrophy, Skin necrosis, Skin nodule, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Subcutaneous nodule.

Special senses

• Frequent: Conjunctivitis, Diplopia, Otitis media, Tinnitus;
• Infrequent: Abnormality of accommodation, Blepharitis, Dry eyes, Eye hemorrhage, Hyperacusis, Photophobia, Retinal edema, Taste loss, Taste perversion;
• Rare: Anisocoria, Blindness, Corneal ulcer, Exophthalmos, Extraocular palsy, Iritis, Keratitis, Keratoconjunctivitis, Miosis, Mydriasis, Night blindness, Ophthalmoplegia, Optic atrophy, Papilledema, Parosmia, Ptosis, Uveitis

Urogenital System

• Frequent: Anorgasmia, Impotence, Urinary frequency, Urinary incontinence;
• Infrequent: Abnormal ejaculation, Albuminuria, Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Dysuria, Hematuria, Kidney calculus, Leukorrhea, Menorrhagia, Metrorrhagia, Nephritis, Oliguria, Urinary retention;
• Rare: Acute kidney failure, Balanitis, Bladder Neoplasm, Cervicitis, Dyspareunia, Epididymitis, Female lactation, Glomerulitis

Warnings

Withdrawal of Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs)

As with all AEDs, pregabalin should be withdrawn gradually to minimize the potential of increased seizure frequency in patients with seizure disorders. If pregabalin is discontinued this should be done gradually over a minimum of 1 week.

Read more from the fact sheets on Lyrica:

• Lyrica Description
• Lyrica Pharmacology
• Lyrica Dosage Information
• Lyrica Side Effects and Drug Interactions
• Lyrica Warnings and Precautions
• Lyrica Overdose Information
• Lyrica Patient Information