Pregabalin - Waiting For Lift Off

[snowgoose]

Hi Rob,
Berocca etc have habit of going through your digestive system quickly
so dont worry . I found I needed to sip mine rather than gulp as usual .
Vit B may change colour of your urine more yellow . no worry it is just excess being excreted I have been reassured .
Stay with it if you can ..apologise if you know this already .
take care
snow x

[robinbrum]

Thanks snowgoose, the odd symptoms disappeared within about half an hour but after that I felt calmer and much less irritable than I have of late. I might just be having one of my odd good days though.
I hope all your different elixirs and cures are having the desired effect
Forgot to say as well as vitb and c, magnesium, berocca I am also on Asda Wellman which I believe contains ginseng and pumpkin seed oil but also has all the other requisite vitamins...I don't know if you can OD on vitamins, I mean lot unless you take them in industrial quantities???

[hanshan]

Hi Lauz lea,

I'm glad to hear that things are going better. Daytime sleepiness from the mirtazapine should decrease, particularly if you increase the dose (sounds counter-intuitive, I know).

Although it's usually classed with the SSRIs, mirtazapine actually acts as an antihistamine at lower doses (hence the drowsiness). At higher doses, it affects serotonin and noradrenaline, giving it both a calming and a boosting effect, so it's really like three drugs in one. Also it targets a different range of serotonin receptors, so its serotonin effects are different from other SSRIs. In particular, it doesn't target the serotonin receptors that cause most of the side effects of SSRIs.

Despite what the doc said, I think the low dose antihistamine effect acts quite quickly, hence causing sleepiness almost immediately.

Keep smiling.

Hanshan

---------- Post added at 17:40 ---------- Previous post was at 17:22 ----------

Hi Robin,

It's sounding good if you're feeling better. It might mean that the pregabalin is having an effect. Nausea isn't high on the list of possible side effects - dizziness is the highest at 38%, but it does go in time. At least it shows that you're taking enough to have an effect.

I find pregabalin works best by blocking negative thoughts. For me, it's not a mood enhancer as such, but it helps me to get on with my life. I hope it can do something like this for you.

Hanshan

[robinbrum]

Managed to see my GP (after a wait of almost 2 weeks)who has increased my dose from 100mg to 150mg a day. If there is no improvement after 7 days I am to increase the dose to 200mg a day. Then I'm to go back and see the GP to review it. Pretty much what I expected but at least this particular GP did not mention that old chestnut, cost...that was a refreshing change from the doctor I had seen before.
Still baby steps but I'm keeping my fingers crossed I will feel some benefit soon.

[Iain53]

Hi Rob,

Glad to hear you've made some progress with the Dr. Are you starting to feel any benefit yet ?

Its been a while since my last post... Well i've been a bit up and down recently, but the deepest low was not really that bad. To be honest, Im so sensitive to the feelings of anxiety these days, that even normal levels are enough to cause a small blip. Being anxious about getting more anxious appears to be a curse that ill never escape.

Having said that, things are generally much better since starting on pregab. Ive even started standing up to my bosses, which is a new one (risky?) for me!

Im still taking 150 in the evening and 75 in the morning. I was taking the evening dose with dinner, but ive discovered in the past couple of days that taking it later in the evening leads to a much better morning.

No side effects to speak of, except for the rather annoying sexual one. Everything appears to work, but it takes ages, and isnt particularly satisfying. I only hope that if/when i reduce the sertraline that this will improve (im assuming there is a cumulative effect from both drugs).

Cheers,

Iain

[tommy67]

Hi I am new here , but have been taking pregabalin for about 10 days now . I have suffered from panic anxiety attacks for years I am 50. I have been on seroxat prozac and short term diazepam and nothing seems to have worked like this . It is absolutely amazing . I have attended numerous Cognitive counseling programmes been assessed by clinical psychologists
I take 50mg three times a day .



I do get a bit dreamy and light headed and a bit forgetful . I forgot my bank pin number for the cash machine oops . . I need to write things down when I go to the shops . I went deliberately for milk but totally forgot that when I got to the shops .
I feel a wee bit slowed down and I have not tried to drive I would not feel safe but I can live with this .
I do not get the pain the depression I used to suffer . I used to spend nights lying on the sofa contemplating suicide . It was real pain and really dark .I could not live with it anymore the panic the anxiety .
I phoned the NHS 24 Psychiatric Nurses who when things got real bad would arrange a short term diazepam prescription . Diazepam just dulled me and made me feel depressed.
I really wanted to commit suicide but I could not do that to my kids who live with my ex wife nor did I want to upset my parents who are in their late 70`s . I was in turmoil pregabalin has been wow wonderful .

My main problem is that I have not worked for 14 months . Previously for 25 years I worked as social worker criminal justice supervising long term prisoners on release from custody .It was very very stressful and demanding .


With support from my GP and line manager I have been referred for ill health retirement with a local government health scheme . The independent medical examiners will not recommend ill health retirement until a report is completed by an Independent Psychiatrist . That is being arranged . I really need a yes decision as I could not go back to front line work full time as it is so stressful and demanding . If I say I am feeling better on pregabalin I am scared in case they send me back . I still worry but do not get that terrible anxiety . I know I would need pregabalin for ever to go back . but I am scared it would affect my judgment etc That is my worry now .
I do have to make decisions that could be challenged in court etc .
This is the best I have felt for years I feel I can go out now don’t feel that anxiety that pain the depressionbut I can’t face work as i am scared it would bringback the anxiety

[robinbrum]

Hi Iain, as you say things are generally better for since you started Pregabalin and that's good to hear. You're bound to get the odd bad day, we all do. As for the sexual thing I remember being like that on different drugs in the past. As I recall you certainly have more "staying power" but yes it does take a long time to get the job done!!
There's a lot to be said for being single and celibate...although probably not a great deal!
tommy67 Well that's quite a story...I'm really glad you have had such a positive response to the Pregabalin...and more than a little envious. I have recently been upped to the same dose as you but it hasn't made any difference to my mood, which in fact is as low as it has been in recent weeks. I recognise only the negative symptoms you have mentioned, particularly tiredness and a little slowing down of my mental faculties too. I am also worried about driving as my work requires me to be on the road a fair bit.
Your job is a huge responsibility and by the sound of it played a big part in causing your anxiety and depression. What you also have to bear in mind is that it's still very early days with the Pregabalin and you have to give it longer to see what its long term effects will be. Best of luck with that anyway.
I still live in hope but I'm beginning to fear that I will soon be back to the drawing board as far as the medication goes.

[tommy67]

Hi Iain, as you say things are generally better for since you started Pregabalin and that's good to hear. You're bound to get the odd bad day, we all do. As for the sexual thing I remember being like that on different drugs in the past. As I recall you certainly have more "staying power" but yes it does take a long time to get the job done!!
There's a lot to be said for being single and celibate...although probably not a great deal!
tommy67 Well that's quite a story...I'm really glad you have had such a positive response to the Pregabalin...and more than a little envious. I have recently been upped to the same dose as you but it hasn't made any difference to my mood, which in fact is as low as it has been in recent weeks. I recognise only the negative symptoms you have mentioned, particularly tiredness and a little slowing down of my mental faculties too. I am also worried about driving as my work requires me to be on the road a fair bit.
Your job is a huge responsibility and by the sound of it played a big part in causing your anxiety and depression. What you also have to bear in mind is that it's still very early days with the Pregabalin and you have to give it longer to see what its long term effects will be. Best of luck with that anyway.
I still live in hope but I'm beginning to fear that I will soon be back to the drawing board as far as the medication goes.

Feel for you really hope you can find something to help . Pregabalin has been a saviour for me

[hanshan]

Hi Robin,

It seems that there is a group of people who get a strong positive response from pregabalin, often at a low dose and within a few days. This seems to be the case for Tommy and me.

From what I have read of the research literature, there are other people who can be helped by pregabalin, but their response is not so strong, and they need a stronger dose, within the range of 200 - 450 mg per day. It is this group that I believe doctors are underprescribing, perhaps because the doctors have heard of the responses of the first group and think they are indicative of the whole.

Hanshan

[robinbrum]

Thanks Hanshan - your knowledge is much appreciated. When I next see my GP if he shows any reluctance to increase the dose I might just quote him some of your invaluable stats.
As of Friday I will be increasing the dose to 200mg as 150mg has so far made no difference to how I'm feeling. I'm seeing the doc in a fortnight and we'll take it from there.
Still hopeful