Lyrica and Alcohol

Lyrica

Lyrica and alcohol in more than very moderated quantities is best avoided to reduce the additive Lyrica side effects of the two drugs.

Lyrica, trade name for pregablin, is an anticonvulsant drug used mainly to manage neuropathic pain from conditions where nerve injury or toxicity is a major component of the painful condition. Lyrica is often effective in diabeti peripheral neuropathy, trigeminal neuroabia, post herpetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia. Sometimes Lyrica is also used alone or in combination with outer anticonvulsant for seizure control in epilepsy. Some of the side effects of Lyrica and alcohol are similar, including confusion, disequilibrium, and a sense of drunkenness. These side effects can be additive, so that when a person is on a dose of Lyrica that they can tolerate alone, these types of adverse effects may be noted with relatively small quantities of alcohol ingestion.

Lyrica side effects can include diplopia, euphoria, poor short term memory, increased appetite, peripheral edema, dryness of mouth and irritability. Constipation is very frequent as side effect of Lyrica. Much less commonly Lyrica may cause dysuria, urinary incontinence, hallucinations, agitation and parasthesias. Use of Lyrica and alcohol may make evaluation of these symptoms more difficult to understand.

In general it is best to avoid Lyrica and alcohol in combination, and if you do choose to drink while taking Lyrica you should keep the quantity to a bare minimum.