Posted 7/19/2015 3:42 PM (GMT -5)
I went off it cold turkey after it caused me to stop breathing one morning. I'd had a lesser experience the previous day, only couldn't breathe for a few seconds. The second time it went on until I was blacking out and my husband didn't even notice I was weakly waving my arm at him. When you can't breathe you can't talk, not even a squeak.
Not a nice way to get off, but the pain only lasted a few days. I was at something like 1200, maybe more, had been on it a few months. It was quite a while ago. The drug hadn't started helping with any of my nerve pain issues, mostly fibromyalgia and pinched spinal nerves at that time.
I tried Lyrica after that and stopped after only a few weeks because I was gaining a half pound a day, and it wasn't water. I had an awful time getting that weight off. I stopped that one flat too, and there was a minor miserableness for a few days also.
If you've been on something for a long time at a high dose it can be hard to get off. It's best to always follow your doctor's directions.
My most successful diet was just cutting out bread and anything else with wheat. Eating a little protein in the morning is part of the trick. Skipping breakfast is the worst thing to do. Next worst is eating a piece of toast. I lost 50 lbs of baby fat over a year and a half, 20 years after the baby. If I'd known what the fat was going to do to my health I would have done it sooner.
Best wishes!