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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
I'm feeling weird. Strange crawling sensations on my skin, prickling, derealization. Dizziness. I just have a feeling as though I'm in pre-seizure mode.
----------------------------------------------------This is what I wrote last night. I had to switch off the computer and get help because it was getting worse. My hands were doing some weird convulsive rhytmic movements while I was trying to type. Got up to walk to the phone and my legs started doing the same. A bit of panic set in. I managed to walk up the street to my dad's house, because I didn't feel safe to be alone while this was happening. He's a panicker, so he actually made the problem worse, getting angry, waving his fists, snarling, blaming me for taking codeine. After I'd calmed him down I used his phone to call the urgent care centre, and eventually (1hr 20mins later) the doctor on duty rang me back. He said it was a side effect of Lyrica and to persevere with it if possible and tell my consultant in the morning.
It came on about 10 minutes after I took my zopiclone, which makes me suspect it might be some sort of drug-drug interaction. I don't see how or why one would suffer seizure-like activity on two anticonvulsants after administering a third, with mild anticonvulsant activity. My perceptions may be wrong, but I don't think so. My mother had fits after she developed a brain tumour and I recognize those weird movements, and also the confusion and walking round in circles. That's what scared me. If it was just tingling or some sort of tic (I am indeed having loads of tics) then I wouldn't be too concerned. I'm fairly sure this was some sort of serious seizure-like activity.
I'm going to phone my social worker to tell pdoc and we'll see what he says. I don't want to take zopiclone again tonight. It just doesn't feel safe. As for codeine and tianeptine, I don't think they are the major players here, but they're bound to be blamed because they're not on prescription. Lyrica is the perfidious element. They were all getting along nicely together until I started taking that.
100mg lamotrigine
150mg pregabalin
37.5mg tianeptine
7.5mg zopiclone
30mg codeineQ
Posted by Phillipa on July 21, 2008, at 10:44:08
In reply to I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
Q what did the team say about what happened? hope you're okay. Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 11:08:08
In reply to Re: I feel like I'm going to have a fit » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on July 21, 2008, at 10:44:08
I just got a phone call from my pdoc. He doesn't know what to do, so he asked me what I'd like to do. I said I'd like to give Lyrica a better trial because I think it's the combination of zopiclone and Lyrica that's the problem. That said, I am having an irritating side effect of parathesia(?) like a seatbelt digging into my neck. I wish it would go away. I'm also not liking this stoned feeling, but it is helping my anxiety as much as lorazepam did. I'm thinking this one might be better as a p.r.n med for me because I don't want to feel like this all the time.
So tonight I might try to sleep without zopiclone, or half of one and see what happens.
Q
Posted by dbc on July 21, 2008, at 13:27:16
In reply to Re: I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 11:08:08
Im not sure if it was on this board or another but i remember someone quoting a nurse practitioner saying "i dont know why anyone would take Lyrica the side effects are unbelievable"
I know theres some people who have done well with it and im not saying it cant be a good drug but it seems to be problematic.
Posted by bleauberry on July 21, 2008, at 17:03:19
In reply to I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
One lady at askapatient.com says lyrica killed her husband in just days, 5 of which were in the hospital. Just glancing at the overall ratings from patients, it scores pretty low in efficacy and side effect complaints are kind of scary. A few people love it, but most not. Magic for one, poison for another. No idea if it is to blame though. You kind of have to suspect the most recent changes, which were...lyrica + amalgams.
Could be any of your drugs or any weird biological thing going with their combination. Who knows.
Or it could be the fresh batch of mercury gas in the mouth entering the brain and lungs. A huge dose was received the day the amalgams were installed. The timing of your reaction is suspect. For a normal healthy person, no big deal, yet. For someone already stressed from illness and on many meds, different story. You and me are too ill to have ANY toxic exposure. Amalgams happen to be a large exposure to the second most toxic substance on the planet.
Posted by fayeroe on July 21, 2008, at 18:55:51
In reply to I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
Quintal, how are you now? I'm sorry that you had such a strong side effect from your meds.
Let us know......xoxopat
Posted by bulldog2 on July 21, 2008, at 19:24:32
In reply to I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
> I'm feeling weird. Strange crawling sensations on my skin, prickling, derealization. Dizziness. I just have a feeling as though I'm in pre-seizure mode.
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> This is what I wrote last night. I had to switch off the computer and get help because it was getting worse. My hands were doing some weird convulsive rhytmic movements while I was trying to type. Got up to walk to the phone and my legs started doing the same. A bit of panic set in. I managed to walk up the street to my dad's house, because I didn't feel safe to be alone while this was happening. He's a panicker, so he actually made the problem worse, getting angry, waving his fists, snarling, blaming me for taking codeine. After I'd calmed him down I used his phone to call the urgent care centre, and eventually (1hr 20mins later) the doctor on duty rang me back. He said it was a side effect of Lyrica and to persevere with it if possible and tell my consultant in the morning.
>
> It came on about 10 minutes after I took my zopiclone, which makes me suspect it might be some sort of drug-drug interaction. I don't see how or why one would suffer seizure-like activity on two anticonvulsants after administering a third, with mild anticonvulsant activity. My perceptions may be wrong, but I don't think so. My mother had fits after she developed a brain tumour and I recognize those weird movements, and also the confusion and walking round in circles. That's what scared me. If it was just tingling or some sort of tic (I am indeed having loads of tics) then I wouldn't be too concerned. I'm fairly sure this was some sort of serious seizure-like activity.
>
> I'm going to phone my social worker to tell pdoc and we'll see what he says. I don't want to take zopiclone again tonight. It just doesn't feel safe. As for codeine and tianeptine, I don't think they are the major players here, but they're bound to be blamed because they're not on prescription. Lyrica is the perfidious element. They were all getting along nicely together until I started taking that.
>
> 100mg lamotrigine
> 150mg pregabalin
> 37.5mg tianeptine
> 7.5mg zopiclone
> 30mg codeine
>
> QI have found high dose neurontin can be trippy which I guess is what you are experiencing. My senses become more acute and I'm more aware of my skin and all the feelings in my body. This may just be a feeling that you find unpleasant. I would strongly suggest that you lower the dose and this side may disappear or even discontinue it if is that disconcerting.
Kid's are starting to take lyrica now for weekend trips. In some ways marijuana like.
Posted by blueboy on July 22, 2008, at 10:48:45
In reply to I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by Quintal on July 21, 2008, at 3:16:25
> I'm feeling weird. Strange crawling sensations on my skin, prickling, derealization. Dizziness. I just have a feeling as though I'm in pre-seizure mode.
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> This is what I wrote last night. I had to switch off the computer and get help because it was getting worse. My hands were doing some weird convulsive rhytmic movements while I was trying to type. Got up to walk to the phone and my legs started doing the same.I got the same thing when Effexor dosage was increased. It got worse, though, when my back muscles started seizing. The "clonic" movement is just plain weird. I even started dancing a strange prancing dance.
It feels, to me, to be related to Restless Leg Syndrome, since that creepy crawly tingling always signals an onset. The effect on me lasted a LONG time. I fear some of these drugs can do long-term damage, but I don't know, it could be coincidental.
Posted by Quintal on July 24, 2008, at 12:27:59
In reply to Re: I feel like I'm going to have a fit, posted by blueboy on July 22, 2008, at 10:48:45
I stopped taking Lyrica on Tuesday. I was getting another weird side effect of a feeling of pressure on my neck, like a seatbelt digging in, and tingling that radiated under my chin that felt like ants crawling along my nerves. It still hasn't entirely gone away.
My pdoc said to persevere with Lyrica without taking zopiclone until Monday, and if the problem still continues he's 'not averse' to giving me some temazepam instead. Sure knows how to use a bit of carrot and stick, but I'm not going back on Lyrica. It might be okay as a p.r.n. med, but I'd prefer lorazepam. I was also getting behavioural disinhibition like with benzos, and this led to a few outbursts and embarssasing incidents. I don't want to go back to being like that.
Q
P.S. I did take another dose of zopiclone with Lyrica on Monday night and was okay, but I could hardly tell I'd taken anything - couldn't tell when the zopiclone kicked in and also the strange bitter taste didn't come on either.
This is the end of the thread.
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