Nursing Teaching on How to Use Lyrica

Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on how to take Lyrica as follows:

1. Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your doctor. Take the medication dose for the duration prescribed without fail.
2. Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
3. Lyrica can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
4. Lyrica can induce some dizziness and result in sleep. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication.
5. When taking lyrica as an oral liquid/suspension, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing.
6. If you are prescribed lyrica capsule, swallow the capsule as a whole and do not cut or crush the capsule. Cutting or crushing the capsule can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and compromised therapeutic effects. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole capsule, report to your doctor on this issue for any suggestion.
7. Lyrica can take some time to fairly adjust to your body and build appropriate therapeutic levels in the blood, before any relief with nerve pain, discomfort, and seizure control is experienced. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
8. Lyrica only prevents the seizures from happening and controls the neuropathy, by reducing the rapid firing of the nerves. But, lyrica does not fix the actual condition causing the seizures or the neuropathy. Continue taking lyrica as ordered, even if you experience relief from the symptoms. As the activity of various chemical neurotransmitters in the brain has to be finely regulated to help relieve the excitation and control the seizure activity or the symptoms of nerve pain and experience feelings of well-being, the dose of lyrica could be finely regulated, in order to accomplish this goal.
9. Your physician could change the dose of lyrica, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of frequent dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
10. Lyrica carries a potential for abuse. Do not share your lyrica with any family and friends. Keep a regular track of the number of pills left in your pillbox, to prevent a chance for abuse.
11. Notify your doctor of any continuing episodes of seizures, worsening nerve pain and discomfort, or continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
12. Sudden discontinuation of lyrica intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, deterioration of symptoms of mood disorders, exacerbation of nerve pain, and relapse of the seizure activity. Discontinuing the medication should be gradual and only on your physician’s recommendation.
13. If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.