Lyrica FAQs

Fibromyalgia Friendly Exercises Slideshow Treating Fibromyalgia Pain Fibromyalgia Symptoms Quiz

What is Lyrica?

Lyrica is a prescription medicine used in adults, 18 years and older, to treat:

• pain from damaged nerves (neuropathic pain) that happens with diabetes

• pain from damaged nerves (neuropathic pain) that follows healing of shingles (a painful rash that comes after a herpes zoster infection)

• partial seizures when taken together with other seizure medicines

Lyrica has not been studied in children under the age of 18.

What are The Risks of Lyrica?

• Dizziness and sleepiness. Do not drive a car, work with machines, or do other dangerous activities until you know how Lyrica affects your alertness. Ask your doctor when it is okay to do these activities.

• Eyesight problems, including blurry vision. Call your doctor if you have any changes in your eyesight.

• Weight gain may affect the management of diabetes, Weight gain and swelling can also be a serious problem for people with heart problems.

• Unexplained muscle problems, such as muscle pain, soreness, or weakness. If you develop these symptoms, especially if you also feel sick and have a fever, tell your doctor right away.

• The most common side effects with Lyrica include dizziness, blurry vision, weight gain, sleepiness, trouble concentrating, swelling of the hands and feet and dry mouth.

What Should I Tell My Health Care Professional?

Before you start using Lyrica, tell your health care provider if you:

• have any kidney problems or get kidney dialysis

• have heart problems including heart failure

• have a bleeding problem or a low blood platelet count

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Lyrica may harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor will have to decide if Lyrica is right for you while you are pregnant.

• are breastfeeding. It is not known if Lyrica passes into breast milk and if it can harm your baby. You and your doctor should decide whether you should take Lyrica or breastfeed, but not both.

• plan to father a child. Animal studies showed that pregabalin, the active ingredient in Lyrica, made male animals less fertile. Also, in animal studies, birth defects occurred in the offspring of male animals who were treated with pregabalin. It is not known if these effects would happen in people.

• have diabetes. Lyrica caused skin sores in animals. Although skin sores were not seen in studies in people, if you have diabetes, you should pay extra attention to your skin while taking Lyrica and tell your doctor of any sores or skin problems.

• have abused prescription medicines, street drugs, or alcohol in the past. Lyrica may cause some people to feel "high."