What we don’t know can often hurt us when it comes to prescriptions. The same goes for Lyrica, a potent painkiller and anti-anxiety drug previously thought to be non-addictive and completely safe for use. Abuse of Lyrica and other similar drugs often begins with a false sense of security around its safety that arises because of a limited understanding of its effects. Under this false pretense, millions of people kept using this medication, eventually developing an addiction.
Now classified as a schedule five drug, everyone knows its potential for abuse and addiction. Lyrica can cause physical dependence and addiction, including during prescribed use. Dependence means withdrawal can occur after stopping or reducing the dose; it does not inevitably lead to addiction, which involves impaired control and continued use despite harm.
Knowing the risks that accompany Lyrica use, the common symptoms of addiction and the available treatment options to overcome this issue is critical to saving yourself from long-term deterioration.
Lyrica or pregabalin is a prescription painkiller used to manage chronic pain disorders, such as neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. It works by interrupting pain signals sent to the brain to offer pain relief. Additionally, the medication also helps in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and epilepsy. Lyrica became a more commonly prescribed drug amidst the global opioid epidemic as experts thought it to be a safer and less addictive painkiller. However, over time, the rate of Lyrica addiction has been rising across the world and even leading to mortalities and promoting suicidal behaviors. This has prompted healthcare professionals to raise awareness regarding recognizing Lyrica addiction in time and seeking treatment for it.
Following are some of the most common symptoms of Lyrica addiction:
- Taking Lyrica regularly in ways that have not been prescribed by a doctor, such as using it without a prescription, in higher doses, or more frequently than needed
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that you previously used to enjoy
- Developing signs of Lyrica tolerance, such as the need to take progressively increasing amounts of this drug to experience the same effects
- Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Mood swings
- Showing hostility or irritability when not under Lyrica’s influence
- Memory loss
- Changes in personal hygiene routines, sleep patterns, or commitment to daily obligations like school or work
If you or someone you love is showing the possible signs of Lyrica addiction, it is important to seek help right away. A professional can guide you about how to best support yourself or your loved one in entering treatment.
While Lyrica addiction can hit anyone, some people are at a higher risk than others. These include:
People with legal prescriptions
A lot of people who are using Lyrica with a legal prescription, such as for anxiety, convulsions, epilepsy, and insomnia, may get hooked on it and start abusing it.
Prisoners
Lyrica addiction is particularly prevalent in prisoners who trade it for other commodities, like cigarettes. These individuals commonly use Lyrica to overcome their mental health issues or briefly reduce their stress levels.
People with a history of substance abuse
Research has shown that people with a past history of substance abuse are more likely to attain Lyrica addiction. For them, any substance with even the slightest euphoric properties can trigger addiction.
People with mental health issues
Lyrica or pregabalin helps treat anxiety and insomnia, two common issues that almost every person with a mental health disorder face. Such people are more likely: to abuse Lyrica for self-medication.
Lyrica withdrawal symptoms are incredibly uncomfortable and similar to those that occur during withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines. The severity of these symptoms and duration depends on the frequency and longevity of Lyrica use. There is no reliable one- or two-week recovery timetable. Symptoms and the pace of dose reduction vary with treatment history, health, and individual response.
Withdrawal may follow a dose reduction or stopping, and can be severe or prolonged. Do not stop pregabalin abruptly; agree a gradual, symptom-led reduction with the prescriber. Seizures need emergency care. Suicidal thoughts need urgent assessment, and immediate danger or inability to stay safe requires emergency help. Some common Lyrica withdrawal symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Agitation
- Mood changes
- Depression
- Confusion
- Anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Diarrhea
- Strong cravings for Lyrica
- Increased heart rate
- Insomnia
Every addiction rehab has its processes and procedures, and what is applicable for one may not apply to another. In general, an individual who enters rehab receives a full psychological and physical assessment, following which a formal addiction treatment program commences. Treatment may include supported withdrawal when appropriate, together with care for addiction or other clinical needs. Withdrawal management is not simply drug clearance and does not by itself treat addiction.
During Lyrica detox, most people undergo withdrawal along with its uncomfortable symptoms. Clinicians should plan gradual dose reductions and adjust them to symptoms, while reviewing pain, anxiety, epilepsy, and other treatment needs. The setting and monitoring depend on individual risks; residential detox is not required for everyone.
The medicines discussed below are not a standard pregabalin withdrawal regimen. Any additional medication requires an individual clinical assessment of benefits, harms, and interactions:
Clonidine
Clonidine is not an established routine treatment for pregabalin withdrawal. Any off-label use requires specialist assessment and monitoring.
Dexmedetomidine
Dexmedetomidine is a sedative requiring continuous monitoring because it can lower blood pressure and heart rate. It is not a routine next step after clonidine for pregabalin withdrawal.
Sleeping Aids
Insomnia is one of the most common withdrawal side effects of Lyrica. Treatment should be individualized; trazodone or another sedating medicine should not be assumed to be a routine or risk-free withdrawal treatment.
Miscellaneous
Other medicines may be appropriate for a separately assessed symptom or condition, but there is no universal combination of medicines for pregabalin withdrawal.
Following detoxification, most people enter formal treatment to overcome the psychological aspect of their Lyrica addiction. Such treatment may take place in any one or both of the following levels.
Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient programs typically continue for one to three months and include a holistic and conventional treatment plan that involves regular therapy, comprehensive fitness and diet plans, and more. This program requires clients to stay on-site in specified accommodations where they can recover peacefully and securely among other people with similar issues. The staff members are available for help and support round the clock and adopt a non-judgmental and compassionate approach to encourage healing. Once an inpatient treatment program concludes, many people transition into outpatient treatment, a lesser-intensive treatment program.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment also takes place on-site but differs from inpatient programs as it does not restrict the clients from leaving their homes and residing inside the rehab. These programs are less-intensive and more flexible to accommodate people with real-life obligations and duties, like childcare and hectic jobs. The appropriate setting depends on medical and psychiatric risks, substance use, available support, and the person’s treatment needs; a clinician should assess these together.
After the completion of formal rehabilitation treatment, most treatment centers offer aftercare services for up to one year to maintain long-term sobriety and recovery.
