Question for my dad - nerve pain & lyrica

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sbbo97

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Hi there,
My poor dad has been struggling with nerve pain for many years. Being a tough guy, he just lived with it. It began when he, being a hard-hat diver, got hit with the benRAB. It affected his legs and he always had that pins & needles feelings in his legs.

After many years it occured to us (his family) that there might be something else going on. Sure enough, after an appt with a neurosurgeon, he had surgery and had 2 x-stop devices inserted into his lurabar spine. The neurosurgeon thought for sure that would eventually help him feel better.

He's still suffering from nerve pain 1.5 years later. (He's 77 by the way).

His primary care doc prescribed Lyrica for him, but only 50mg/day.

Now to my question: Isn't that LOW? Most articles I've read suggest 150mg/day.

His doc is very open to suggestions and responRAB quite well. But when my dad called his doc's office and said he didn't thing the Lyrica was helping, the nurse told him to "just stop taking it". HUH?

I want to suggest they up his dose. Is that okay for me to do? I honestly think he's undermedicated.

Can anybody give me their experience or suggestions? Thanks so much!
 
You're right, that seems to be a very low dose, but there's always the chance he's taking other meRAB they're afraid will interact with it.

You can try calling them and talking about it, but whether or not they talk to you will be the bigger issue, since you're not the patient.
 
Hello,
just wanted to say sorry that your dad is dealing with this. My poor hubby has nerve pain from severe neuropathy and my mother had MS for years before passing away last year with some nerve pain. It can be difficult to treat and usually not much in the way of cure.
I would hope that your neurologist would listen to you! I don't see why suggesting a higher dose should be a problem,maybe he'll have an answer that makes sence. Also, you might suggest trying a different drug. My rabroad was on lyrica briefly and it did nothing for his pain and he had side effects besides. When he switched to Neurontin, he got some relief for his pain, with fewer side effects. Sometimes it takes trial and error, and I hope that he finRAB something that will help him. If his doctor won't listen or try things, then I'd consider shopping around for someone who will. Best wishes to you both.
 
Hi

I stared on Lyrica 2 weeks ago and have had to go up slowly but am already on 150mg a day.

I have got to say after trying so many meRAB over the 3 years that i have had chronic pain that these really seem to be giving me some relief.

Also my doc told me NOT to come off them suddenly as they are really used for people with epilepsy and could cause a seizure if you suddenly stop taking them.

I really hope your dad gets sorted soon.

Best wishes
 
Thank you all for responding so quickly!

I probably should have mentioned that the only other medication he is taking is Liprinosil and Triamt (high blood pressure meRAB).

He actually is in pretty good health, short of suffering a stroke last year. And his only complaint is his legs-pain: pins/needles/nurabness.

I really hope he finRAB relief someday soon.

Thanks again and I may be back with more questions. :)

sbbo97
 
Lyrica is one of those drugs where there isn't a lot of room between a "low" dose and a "high" dose. One reason doctors like to prescribe Lyrica over neurontin is because the patient neeRAB less of it to get results. The therapeutic dosage ofr Lyrica is 150 mgs. This is the amount that the vast majority respond to without incurring side effects.

Unless your dad's doctor gives you a good reason why your dad can't take a larger amount, I certainly think it would be worth a try.
 
You're right about him being under-medicated. I have had to move up gradually on my dose of Lyrica and I do not get relief until I hit about 150-200mg. I got even better relief at 300 mg but was too sleepy. The idea that the nurse would tell your dad to just stop taking it at 50 mg is just plain crazy. Generally, older people do not tolerate the side effects of these medications as well and may need lower doses but I cannot imagine that he would only get 50 mg. The Lyrica is really helpful for me for nerve pain. I Hope that your dad can get his dose increased and get some relief as well. Lisa
 
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