Questions about pregabalin for nerve pain.
A bit of background information here: I am physical therapist, and enjoyer of weight lifting. I’m April, I was training regularly and tried a new lift, which caused me to have lower back pain and nerve pain down my left leg. I tried resolving this on my own, and with the help of colleagues.
I’m always overdoing it with my activity levels, and I will be the first to admit, I’m a terrible patient. By trying to overcorrect the issue, I caused myself to have symptoms down both legs. Fast forward a bit, and I got an MRI which showed tiny paracentral protrusions at L5-S1. I met with a pain management specialist who is associated with a great spine surgeon in the area. The good news and bad news is that because my protrusions are so tiny, they are not big enough to do injections or surgery. I was offered lyrica to trial.
I have been back and forth my doctor about this. She wanted to start me at 75mg twice a day. She was even ok with me using it for “spot dosing” it on nights when the symptoms are really bad. I was considering taking nightly, as it seems to have positive effects through out my work day, but I’m also nervous taking it daily. I am on an antidepressant and anxiety medication, and I saw that a side effect is suicidal ideation, which I have had on other medications in the past.
Honestly, my mental health has taken a major hit, as simple daily activities can cause me to flare. I’m not as active as I used to be. I know my injury is the best case scenario for a highly active lifter, but it’s so frustrating and isolating because the only real solution is time. If I do any sort of activity, like standing and walking too long, it can make things flare up.
I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? And if so, were you able to work out and get back into lifting? How long did it take for you to wean off? I appreciate any and all insights.