Lyrica And Alcohol (Top voted first)

You are not supposed to drink while on Lyrica. I made the big mistake of doing that. I took my dose in the morning and then got invited by some friends to go out. I do not usually drink, but started drinking around 9:30 pm. I was found in an alley behind a restaurant at 4 am. The last thing I remember was last call at 2am. I am only posting this to give a VERY strong warning not to drink while on this medication. Luckily I am OK and still alive. It is a horrible feeling to not know what happened in those 2 hours. Please do not drink while on Lyrica.

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I have been taking the maximum dosage of lyrica, 600 mg daily, and have more than a few drinks after work and have noticed no dizziness, or any other side effects. Must depend on the person...

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Hi all .i take lyrica 75 mg aday ..i have plan to go for vication i love 2 drink beer .wine a nd some time Redlable.. can i do that with lyrics 75 mg a day

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I have been on Lyrica at various strengths from 200mg/day down to 50mg/day. I drink (probably more than I should) but I have never experienced any problems drinking the equivalent of 5 or so drinks while on this medication. I have experience withdrawl symptoms when I stopped taking Lyrical, and that is why I am winding down slowly now.

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It is also highly possible that your problem stemmed primarily from the alcohol you drank in the many hours, though the Lyrica may have contributed.

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I have been taking Lyrica for three years now and was on 200mg a day but have been on 50mg a day for the past couple of years. I can not control my drinking when I am out and am now scared to meet friends. It has ruined my social life and I have only just realised by reading these reports what it has done to me. I also recently became so weak that I could not walk and my neurologist suggested it was Vitamin D deficiency. I went for a blood test and my level was 11.6 nmol/l and it is supposed to be 150! I have suffered from back ache for the past 12 months and after 4 weeks of Vitamin D replacement and fish oil and calcium along with Mg spay on my skin the backache has totally gone. Lyrica stimulates the liver to metabolize Vitamin D. If you have a job which depletes your sun exposure then this over time is a big problem. I would recommend anybody on Lyrica long term to have a blood test. It is also extremely addictive and I am totally hooked. Returning to alcohol. I have found myself totally losing hours out of evenings. I have found posts on Facebook days afterwards; as sometimes I don't check that are quite offensive and I have no recollection of writing them. I have been offensive to people in the street and have found this out from people who I know that I have no recollection of being with at the time. Please try not to take this drug unless you really need it. I am going to do all I can to stop taking it as I feel it is having bazaar affects that change over time and with certain circumstantial factors. I wonder how much Pfizer know about these effects? Thanks everyone.

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I understand what you're saying, but believe that if so many of us are experiencing this problem for the first time ever, then there's bound to be something more to it. I was only on 75mg but am only 49kg - the combination of lyrica and alcohol definitely resulted in blackouts that I'd never experienced on alcohol alone. And I'm 53, and had only been prescribed lyrica since the age of 50. The problems began then. I believe they're directly linked. Naturally, everyone reacts differently to both alcohol and medication, so not everyone experiences what I've gone through. I'm off the lyrica now and haven't had a memory blackout since then. Truth be known, even the manufacturers of the drug aren't sure exactly how it affects the central nervous system. Most drugs are like this, particularly the psychotropics. Brain chemistry is complex - add or subtract a little neurotransmitter and the results can be unpredictable. Take care everyone.

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maybe it is because you dont usually drink

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It could be that you are not used to drinking and you had too good of a time.

Lyrica potentiates the effects pf drugs and alcohol- making then stronger and hit faster .

If someone rarely drinks - stick to 1 drink .

If someone is more likely to drink in a daily basis- take it slow and drink low proof booze.

If u notice u are becoming intoxicated in a weird way or quicker than usuall slow down! Common sense ppl!

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Yep, happened to me yesterday, 600mg a day, went to lunch, blackout from 3pm-9pm found asleep in my garden. DEFINATELY drinking good dose on Lyrica effect me... second time it has happened!! Won't be doing again!!! Like other post thought it was just me.

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OMG! This most definitely happens. I didn't realize the blackout was something to be expected until it happened a second time from just a few drinks. Very scary because you can't tell it's coming. Very careful now!

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Lyrica also causes dry mouth and contributes to thirst which helps someone drink more and faster than they ordinarily would. Just how good a time did your friends have?

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I also had this problem. It was scary, after I had two drinks, I would start drinking way more heavily than ever before. Thanks for the post- I thought it was just me.

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Hi Bob,
I am on 600mg of lyrica and have been for 12months. Don't take your dose until you are home after having a drink. lyrica with alcohol just hits you no warning just knocks you out. You will sleep for several hours and not know anything. I also take it for chronic pain relief from an accident.

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Hi Andrew, I have been on 600mg of lyrica since late 2012. I was involved in an accident back in 2010 and put on lyrica to help me with mental issues. After reading some of these posts I have side effects mirror imaging. Stiffness in my lower back has been very severe, Fingers cramping, short term memory loss and urine problems.
I just took it all as part of thr accident but looking back these problems were not there then. I have an appointment with a pain specialist very soon so in will see how things pan out then.
My sight has been changing and has drs scratching their heads there too.
My hands also shake and I drop things a lot.
I will get back to you all after the appointments

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Im only on 50g twice a day atm...and have been for 3 days..after one month of 2x 25g. My doctors working me up slowly next week it goes up again. I am drinking right now Ive had 3 cans of ouzo and coke (which is normally enough for me at a quiet night at home...1 can =1.2 drinks) but I have just cracked another...it does make me thirsty. I havnt noticed any change at all in the effects from drinking (Ive had these drinks over 5 hours...and food..I had my medicine 3 hours ago). I dont think Id go out drinking on it..as say I get very thirsty...if I did Id be sure to limit the amount and make sure to be with people who I trusted and knew I was on the drug. I often get heart palpitations when I drink coke probably because I drink about 5 black coffees a day too...but I havnt had any tonight. I feel much more relaxed on this drug I think it has decreased my anxiety. I take it for chronic nerve pain from a bad back. Ill be interested to see how I feel in the morning. I used to sleep lightly now I sleep deeply.

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I only take 150 mg a day. I think the higher doses (350-600mg) is to blame. I limit my drinking to once in a while. Tops, four times a month, with five or less drinks. I notice I am more "buzzed" then I used to be (without lyrica). I sometimes even skip a dose if I know I'm going out. My advice would be to limit your drinking to 2 or so drinks if you take high doses of Lyrica daily. It absolutely intensifies the effects. Know your body a little better to prevent a blackout. Scary.

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I've only just started on Lyrica almost a week ago. I take 1 pill at night before bed. After 2 nights, I was at a wedding reception and had 1 glass of wine (which I didn't even finish) and started feeling terribly nauseous. I broke out in a cold sweat and everything. The feeling lasted about 30 minutes, then I was fine. I haven't drank even a sip of wine since then. I drink wine often, so I'm certain it wasn't the wine. Has anyone had vomiting or extreme nausea with Lyrica with or without alcohol? Thanks!

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I've had the same experience though luckily I was at home at the time, so relatively safe. The complete loss of a couple of hours of my life was terrifying. Unfortunately, I didn't make the link for a while and it happened a couple more times. What can I say? My thought processes were pretty scrambled even without the alcohol.

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I have a good friend who was taking lyrica for nerve pain in his legs. He drank beer quite often. One night he drank a lot and went home and put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Nothing precipitated this. He was perfectly fine earlier in the evening. Believe the suicide warnings. They are real.

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I have noticed that I get drunk easier on when I drink while taking Lyrica, which is fine by me! I've never blacked out while drinking and, when I do drink, I tend to down a whole fifth. So getting drunk easier works in my favor because then I need less alcohol to enjoy myself. Granted I have always had a very, very high alcohol tolerance so that's likely why I don't have any issues really. I wouldn't recommend drinking excessive amounts like I do while taking a med like Lyrica, and I know I shouldn't be doing it but I still do from time to time. Working on cutting back with the drinking, especially since the Lyrica now helps with the pain that I was drinking to escape anyways. Won't be too hard for me to cut back on the booze though, did it before when my pain was under better control.

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