lyrica reviews Capsules Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Precautions

lyrica reviews >> Generic drug of the therapeutic class: Analgesic Medicines
active ingredients: Pregabalin

Important to know about Lyrica Capsules ?

• Pregabalin relaxes over-stimulated nerves in the brain.
• With epilepsy , nerve pain and anxiety. Sometimes also with constant hiccups and restless legs.
• In epilepsy it takes several weeks before you notice the effect. Epileptic seizures occur less or disappear.
  Nerve pain and anxiety can decrease within a week.
• Side effects in the beginning: drowsiness, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision. These side effects are the strongest in the beginning. Do not drive a car for the first week. Then only if you no longer suffer from these side effects.

• Watch out with alcohol. This can still make you suffer.
• Furthermore, headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, dry mouth, restlessness, problems with movement, such as walking insecure, weight gain and deaf or tingling sensation in feet or hands. You are less likely to have side effects if you start with a low dose and then slowly build up the dose .
• Do not stop at once with this medicine: slowly build. Consult with your doctor first.
• Are you pregnant or do you want to become pregnant? Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of pregabalin.

what is lyrica used for  and indication?

• Neuropathic pain: Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules is indicated for the treatment of peripheral and central neuropathic pain in adults.
• Epilepsy: Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules is indicated in adults in combination in the treatment of partial epileptic seizures with or without secondary generalization.
• Generalized anxiety disorder: Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules is indicated for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in adults. 

lyrica dosage forms

The dosage ranges from 150 to 600 mg daily, in two or three doses.

Neuropathic pain

• Treatment with pregabalin may be initiated at a dose of 150 mg daily administered in two or three divided doses. Depending on the patient’s response and tolerance, the dose may be increased to 300 mg daily after an interval of 3 to 7 days, and may be increased if necessary to the maximum dose of 600 mg daily after an additional interval 7 days.
  

Epilepsy

• Treatment with pregabalin may be initiated at a dose of 150 mg daily administered in two or three divided doses. Depending on the patient’s response and tolerance, the dose may be increased to 300 mg daily after 1 week. The maximum dose of 600 mg per day can be reached after an additional period of one week.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• The dosage ranges from 150 to 600 mg daily, in two or three doses. The need for further treatment needs to be reassessed regularly.
• Treatment with pregabalin may be initiated at a dose of 150 mg daily. Depending on the patient’s response and tolerance, the dose may be increased to 300 mg daily after 1 week. After an additional one week, the dose may be increased to 450 mg daily. The maximum dose of 600 mg per day can be reached after an additional period of one week.

Interruption of pregabalin treatment

• According to current clinical practice, if treatment with pregabalin is to be discontinued, it is recommended to do so gradually over a minimum period of 1 week regardless of the indication (see sections Warnings and precautions for use and  Effects undesirable ).

Hepatic insufficiency patients

• No dose adjustment is necessary in patients with hepatic impairment.

Pediatric population

• The safety and efficacy of Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules in children under 12 and in adolescents (12-17 years) have not been demonstrated. Currently available data are described under Adverse Reactions , Pharmacodynamic Properties and Pharmacokinetic Properties, but no dosage recommendation can be made .
  

Elderly (over 65 years old)

• Due to decreased renal function, a reduction in pregabalin dose may be required in elderly patients (see use in patients with renal impairment).

Contraindications

lyrica side effects reviews

In addition to the desired effect, this can cause drug side effects.

To reduce the chance of side effects at the start of treatment, you should start with a low dose . The dosage is then gradually built up.

The main side effects are the following.

Sometimes (from 10 to 30 people in 100)

• Sleepiness . Rarely drowsiness . This usually happens when you use the same dosefor a week . Your body then gets used to it. But as long as the dosage is still being built up, you can suffer from this side effect .
  Avoid accidents during activities at home, at work and in traffic. For example when you climb a ladder, operate devices and monitor or control something at work. Very rarely just insomnia, nightmares.
• Dizziness . Rarely dizziness on rising from a chair or a bed. In rare cases, you may faint. If you feel dizzy, do not get up too quickly from a bed or a chair. It is best to lie down and lay your legs a bit higher, for example on a pillow.
• Headache .

Rarely (from 1 to 10 in 100 people)

• Gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal distention and constipation . Very rarely heartburn and acid regurgitation.
• Psychological complaints , such as confusion, irritability, exaggerated feeling or a lethargic feeling. Very rarely depressed feelings, feeling agitated, aggression, restlessness, apathy, hallucinations , panic attacks, severe drowsiness. In rare cases, suicidal thoughts. Talk to your doctor if you notice this.
  People with schizophrenia , delusions, hallucinations or serious confusion ( psychoses ) can get more complaints. Consult with your psychiatrist before using this medication.
• Fatigue .
• Problems with memory , concentration, orientation and coordination , difficulty talking . Very rarely difficulty learning and understanding.
• Movement disorders, such as an insecure gait when walking, giddy feeling, balance problems, tendency to fall. Furthermore abnormal movements of tongue and mouth, such as smacking, sucking or chewing, grimacing and tics of the face. Further bending and stretching of fingers and toes, swing and rotational movements of shoulders and pelvis.
• Vibrating hands (tremor). Very rarely vibrate when you want to touch or touch something, also trouble writing.
• Sore throat , cold , runny nose or stuffy nose . Very rarely nose-nose, dry nose, cough, shortness of breath. Consult your doctor for fever, sore throat and shortness of breath.
• Dry mouth . Very rarely a lot of saliva production , numbness of the mouth, loss of taste. Because of a dry mouth, holes in your teeth may develop earlier. Therefore, polish and floss extra well if you notice that you suffer from a dry mouth.
• Blurred vision and double vision . Very rarely eye irritation, pain in or around the eye, watery eye, dry eyes, less ability to see at the edges of the field of vision, less able to see depth, see asterisks.
• Increase in weight . This can be due to increased appetite or fluid retention; you notice that on swollen ankles and lower legs. Consult your doctor.
• Less desire for sex and getting an erection harder. Very rarely more difficult orgasm or ejaculation.
• Deaf or tingling sensation or pain in arms or legs.
• Pain or swelling of joints, back pain, muscle pain , muscle cramp , stiff neck. Very rarely weak muscles or just tense muscles, sometimes in a strange position,
  Muscle pain is usually innocent , but in rare cases there can be a serious side effect on the muscles. The symptoms of this serious side effect are muscle pain, muscle weakness, general feeling sick, fever, nausea and vomiting. The muscle pain is usually in the calves or lower back, but the whole body can also do very well. Consultationtalk to your doctor if you have unexplained muscle pain. If the symptoms are severe, you should warn your doctor as soon as possible.

Very rare (affects less than 1 in 100 people)

• Slack or weak feeling.
• Less appetite .
• Difficulty swallowing , feeling of pinched throat, swollen tongue. Consult your doctor.
• Smell less well .
• Hypersensitivity to noise , normal sounds less tolerable.
• Hot flashes , flushing and excessive sweating, or cold hands and feet, chills.
• Menstrual pain , stay away from menstruation .
• Breast formation in men, swelling of the mammary glands in men and women, milk formation.
• Pain when urinating , difficulty urinating. Consult a doctor.
• Palpitations , chest pain. Warn your doctor in these cases.
• Changes in blood glucose . This is especially important for diabetic patients. They may be given too high or too low blood glucose .
• Inflammation of the liver or pancreas . In case of sudden severe pain in upper abdomen, nausea and a yellow color of skin or whites, you should warn a doctor.
• Sudden impaired kidney function . If you suddenly start to urinate less, if you urinate dark urine or experience pain in the side or back, you should warn your doctor.
• Less white blood cells and platelets . Warn your doctor for infections that do not pass, sore throat, blisters in the mouth, bruises or nose bleeds.
• Hypersensitivity to this medication. This can be seen from a skin rash with bumps and itching. Consult your doctor.
  Furthermore, a swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat can occur. You can be very stuffy .
  In very rare cases a severe skin condition can develop with blistering. The blisters mainly develop on the lips and on the mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals.
  In these cases, you should immediately call a doctor or go to the First Aid Service.
  If you are hypersensitive to pregabalin, you should not use it. Pass this on to the pharmacist. The pharmacy team can then ensure that you do not get this medication again.

Consult your doctor if you suffer too much from one of the above mentioned side effects or if you experience other side effects that you are worried about.

lyrica Interactions

Since pregabalin is essentially eliminated unchanged in the urine, it is only very weakly metabolized in humans (less than 2% of the dose is found in the urine as metabolites). it does not inhibit the metabolism of drugs in vitro and does not bind to plasma proteins; it is unlikely to induce or undergo pharmacokinetic interactions.

In vivo studies and population pharmacokinetic analysis

• Therefore, no clinically significant pharmacokinetic interaction was observed in in vivostudies between pregabalin and phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, lamotrigine, gabapentin, lorazepam, oxycodone or ethanol. Population pharmacokinetic analyzes showed that oral antidiabetic agents, diuretics, insulin, phenobarbital, tiagabine and topiramate had no clinically significant effect on pregabalin clearance.

Oral contraceptives, norethisterone and / or ethinyl estradiol

• Co-administration of pregabalin with oral contraceptives such as norethisterone and / or ethinyl estradiol does not influence the steady state pharmacokinetic parameters of any of these substances.

Drugs affecting the central nervous system

• Pregabalin may potentiate the effects of ethanol and lorazepam. In controlled clinical trials, multiple oral doses of pregabalin concomitantly with oxycodone, lorazepam or ethanol did not result in clinically significant effects on respiratory function.
• In the post-marketing experience, reports of respiratory failure and coma have been reported in patients taking pregabalin and other central nervous system (CNS) depressant drugs.
•  The effect of pregabalin seems to add to that of oxycodone on impaired overall cognitive and motor function.

Interactions and elderly

• No specific pharmacodynamic interaction studies were conducted in the elderly volunteers. Interaction studies have only been performed in adults.

Lyrica Capsules Warnings and Precautions

Diabetic patients

• In line with current clinical practice, hypoglycemic therapy may need to be adjusted in some diabetic patients with pregabalin weight gain.

Hypersensitivity reactions

• Notifications of hypersensitivity reactions, including cases of Quincke’s edema, have been reported after marketing. The occurrence of symptoms of Quincke’s edema such as swelling of the face, perioral swelling or upper airways, requires the immediate discontinuation of pregabalin.

Dizziness, drowsiness, unconsciousness, confusion and impaired mental function

• Treatment with pregabalin has been associated with dizziness and somnolence, which may increase the occurrence of accidental injury (falls) in the elderly population. After the marketing, the following notifications have been reported: loss of consciousness, confusion and impairment of mental function. Patients should be advised to be cautious until they are accustomed to the potential effects of the drug.

Effects on vision

• In controlled clinical trials, a greater proportion of pregabalin-treated patients than placebo-treated patients reported blurred vision, which in most cases disappeared despite continued treatment. In ophthalmologic studies, the incidence of visual acuity and visual field changes was greater in patients in the pregabalin group than in the placebo group; the incidence of fundus abnormalities was higher with placebo (see section 5.1 ).
• In the post-marketing experience, there were also reports of visual adverse events that included loss of vision, blurred vision, or other changes in visual acuity, most of which were transient. Stopping pregabalin may lead to the disappearance of this visual symptomatology or its improvement.

Renal failure

• Cases of renal failure have been reported and discontinuation of treatment has shown reversibility of this adverse effect in some cases.

Suppression of concomitant antiepileptic drugs

• There is insufficient evidence to suppress concomitant antiepileptic drugs for monotherapy when seizure control is achieved with pregabalin in combination.

Withdrawal symptoms

• After discontinuation of either short-term or long-term treatment with pregabalin, withdrawal symptoms have been observed in some patients. The following events have been reported: insomnia, headache, nausea, anxiety, diarrhea, flu syndrome, nervousness, depression, pain, convulsions, hyperhidrosis, and dizziness, suggesting physical dependence. The patient must be informed at the beginning of treatment.
• Convulsions including status epilepticus and grand mal conditions may occur during or shortly after discontinuation of pregabalin.
• With respect to discontinuation of long-term pregabalin therapy, evidence suggests that the incidence and severity of withdrawal symptoms may be dose-dependent.

Congestive heart failure

• Reports of congestive heart failure have been reported post marketing in some patients treated with pregabalin.
• These effects are mainly observed during treatment with pregabalin for an indication of neuropathic pain in elderly patients whose cardiovascular function is impaired. Pregabalin should be used with caution in these patients. This side effect may disappear after stopping pregabalin.

Treatment of central neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury

• In the treatment of central neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury, the incidence of adverse effects in general, adverse effects on the central nervous system and drowsiness in particular has been increased.
• This can be attributed to an additive effect due to concomitant medications (eg antispastics) required for this type of condition. This must be taken into account when prescribing pregabalin for this condition.

Suicidal ideation and behavior

• Suicidal ideation and behavior has been reported in patients treated with antiepileptic agents in several indications. A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of antiepileptic drugs also showed a slightly increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. The mechanism of this risk is not known and the available data do not exclude the possibility of a higher risk for pregabalin.
• Patients should therefore be monitored for signs of suicidal ideation and behavior, and appropriate treatment should be considered.
• Therefore, patients (and caregivers of these patients) should be advised to seek medical advice if signs of suicidal ideation and behavior appear.

Slow transit of the gastrointestinal tract

• Notifications of adverse effects related to slower lower gastrointestinal tract transit (eg intestinal obstruction, paralytic ileus, constipation) have been reported postmarketing when pregabalin is administered in combination with drugs that may result in constipation such as opioid analgesics. When pregabalin is used in combination with opioids, measures to prevent constipation should be considered (especially for women and the elderly).

Misuse, drug abuse or addiction

• Cases of misuse, drug abuse and dependence have been reported. Caution should be taken in patients with a history of substance abuse.
• The symptoms of misuse, abuse or dependence on pregabalin should be monitored in these patients (tolerance development, dose increase, drug-seeking behavior has been reported).

encephalopathy

• Cases of encephalopathy have been reported, mainly in patients with antecedents that may promote encephalopathy.

Lactose intolerance

• Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules contains lactose monohydrate. This medicine should not be used in patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Drive and use machines

• Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules may have minor or moderate influence on the ability to drive and use machines. Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules may induce dizziness and drowsiness and may therefore affect the ability to drive or use machines.
•  Patients are advised not to drive, use complex machines or undertake other potentially hazardous activities until they have assessed the potential impact of this medication on their ability to perform these activities.

Pregnancy/ Breastfeeding / Fertility

Lyrica IN Pregnancy

• There are no sufficiently relevant data on the use of pregabalin in pregnant women.
• Studies in animals have shown reproductive toxicity ( see Preclinical Safety ).
•  The potential risk in clinic is not known.
• Lyrica (Pregabalin) Capsules should not be used during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary (if the benefits to the mother clearly outweigh the potential risks to the fetus).

Lyrica IN Breastfeeding

• Pregabalin is excreted in breast milk ( see Pharmacokinetics ).
• The effect of pregabalin on newborns / infants is not known. The decision to discontinue breastfeeding or discontinue treatment with pregabalin should be made with due regard to the benefit of breastfeeding for the child in terms of the benefit of treatment for the woman. 

Lyrica IN Fertility

• No clinical data are available on the effects of pregabalin on fertility in women.
• In a clinical trial evaluating the effect of pregabalin on sperm motility, healthy male subjects were exposed to a dose of 600 mg / day. No effect on sperm motility was observed after 3 months of treatment.
• A fertility study in female rats showed deleterious effects on reproduction. Fertility studies in male rats have shown deleterious effects on reproduction and development. The clinical relevance of these data is not known ( see Preclinical Safety ).

What should I do if I miss a dose?

It is important to take this medicine consistently. If you have forgotten a dose, take the forgotten dose as soon as possible.

Never take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. You can possibly shift the next dose. Ask your doctor for advice.

What happens if I overdose from Lyrica ?

• During marketing, the most common side effects reported with overdosage with pregabalin were drowsiness, confusion, agitation, and nervousness. Seizures have also been reported.
• Cases of coma have been reported on rare occasions.
• The treatment of an overdose with pregabalin is symptomatic and a hemodialysis can be carried out if necessary ( cf Posology and Method of administration: table 1 ).

What is  Forms and Composition?

25 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 25” on the lower part, white capsule):  Boxes of 56 and 84, in blister packs. 50 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 50” on the lower part, marked with a black band, white capsule):   Box of 84, in blister packs. 75 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 75” on the lower part, white and orange capsule):   Box of 56, in blister packs. 100 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 100” on the lower part on the orange capsule):

Box of 84, in blister packs.

150 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 150” on the lower part, white capsule):

•  Box of 56, in blister packs.

200 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 200” on the lower part, light orange capsule):

•  Box of 84, in blister packs.

300 mg capsule (marked in black with “Pfizer” on the upper part and “PGN 300” on the lower part, white and orange capsule):

• Box of 56, in blister packs.

Hospital models (all assays):

• Boxes of 100 × 1, in pre-cut blister packs for unit delivery.

NOT’s

Edrug-online contains comprehensive and detailed information about drugs available in the medical field, and is divided into four sections:

general information:

• Includes a general description of the drug, its use, brand names, FAQs, and relevant news and articles

Additional information:

• General explanation about dealing with the medicine: how to take the medicine, the doses and times of it, the start and duration of its effectiveness, the recommended diet during the period of taking the medicine, the method of storage and storage, recommendations in cases for forgetting the dose and instructions to stop taking the drug and take additional doses.

Special warnings:

• For pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, boys and drivers, and use before surgery.

Side effects:

• It treats possible side effects and drug interactions that require attention and its effect on continuous use.
• The information contained in this medicine is based on medical literature, but it is not a substitute for consulting a doctor.