Have you ever told your doctor about a side effect you experienced and heard that the drug doesn’t do that? Plenty of people have become extremely frustrated by that message. One reader tried to tell her physicians about a frightening episode like a sleepwalking attack, though they did not seem to take her report seriously.
Pregabalin and a Sleepwalking Attack:
Q. I was prescribed pregabalin (Lyrica) for fibromyalgia. It did not relieve my pain. Worse, it made me narcoleptic, more or less.
I was standing at the kitchen sink, actively washing dishes, and BAM! I was instantly asleep and dreaming while still in motion. Another time I was walking down the hallway carrying a basket of folded laundry to a bedroom when I had this sort of instant sleepwalking attack.
I shook myself awake both times, alarmed at what had happened. There was no forewarning other than feeling a bit tired.
I told the doctor that Lyrica had not worked and the side effects it caused. He was skeptical.
I find all too often, even otherwise great doctors seem to rely on info from drug reps. I wish they would check drug studies to see what the potential side effects can be.
Lyrica as a Cause of a Terrifying Sleepwalking Attack:
A. The prescribing information for Lyrica lists “sleep disorder” as a rare side effect. There is no explicit reference to narcolepsy in the medical literature about pregabalin. Such a sudden sleepwalking attack during the day could be quite dangerous. Thank you for letting us know about your experience.
If you have had an unexpected side effect that was not acknowledged by your prescriber, please tell us about it below.
