Last week I saw my GP to review my medication. It was decided to increase my dose of pregabalin to 600mg daily – the highest dose that can be given for anxiety. I can't really say for sure that it's still working for me anymore. The issue is clouded by the fact that I have been very depressed lately and there's been a great deal of stress due to unavoidable circumstances. I know the medication is still “working” because I still feel “spaced out” at times and my heart doesn't race like it normally does when I am really stressed. But I feel like it is only masking things and I am every bit as anxious in my head as I was before I started taking pregabalin.


I told my GP about my concerns and she was sympathetic. However she was not in favour of giving me duloxetine as well as pregabalin - “It is not something we would normally do” were her words. She advised me to carry on witb the increased dose for at least a couple of more months before reviewing the situation. Again, this illustrates the inconsistencies in different GPs in different practices, some of whom approve the use of pregabalin in conjunction with an anti-depressant and others who seem to think it goes against established practice. It strikes me none of them really knows what they are doing and this does worry me a little.

Anyway, I don't really feel any enhanced effects from 600mg except perhaps enhanced tiredness and foggy thinking...I have really struggled to write this post whereas before I was writing two or three times a week. I think I have already made my decision and that it is likely I will be tapering off pregabalin in the coming weeks and months. I realise that the true root of my problem is endogenous depression which often results in chronic levels of stress and anxiety...in other words the pregabalin has been treating the symptoms of my depression rather than the cause, ie depleted levels of serotonin in the brain. At least that's my theory, others may disagree.

For those of you who have really benefitted from the use of pregabalin, I am very happy for you and I hope it continues to help you. I will be very interested to see how people are getting on in six to twelve months time and beyond that.

I just wanted to bring you up to date with my situation. I feel my days with pregabalin are numbered but we shall see. Sadly, it hasn't been any kind of wonder drug for me but I don't know if such a thing really exists.