Starting Pregabalin as an addon to Mirtazapine

[Mindprison]

Hi everyone, had a look through the sub-category and have seen some who reacted well and others who didn't. Just looking for some more people's experiences and advice.

I've had anxiety a long time, about 7 or 8 years. I was on Escitalopram for 4 months at the beginning but was switched to Citalopram due to costs I think. I stayed on Citalopram until July last year where I was switched to Mirtazapine. The dose for the Mirt has gone up and down a few times but right now i'm at 30mg taken at night.

Most of my problems come from health anxiety. Constantly worrying i've got something that'll kill me. Taking medication that could cause something that could kill me. The list goes on! The fear has sort of spread to the medication i'm currently taking and also adding other medication on top of it.

I've seen a psychiatrist and i'm not due to see her for another 2 months. We discussed my problems at length including me not taking buspirone that was prescribed to me because I was scared of the side effects. Prescribed me Pregabalin and told me not to read the side effects because i'll just worry.

Now i'm at the stage where I have the Pregabalin but i'm too scared to actually take them. My anxiety is at the worst point it's been in a long time yet i'm too scared to take something that could actually help me. I don't even know if it's the fact that I don't like taking more than one thing at a time or if it's the side effects that scare me. It's getting to the point where I don't like being alone when I take a new medication/dosage incase something happens.

I suppose I have a few questions that i'd be grateful to have answers to:

-I know Pregabalin is supposed to be really effective for GAD, how do you think it'll help someone with HA and slight fear of medication?

- Does anyone have any tips for getting over this initial fear of taking them?

- What should I expect in terms of side effects along with the Mirtazapine specifically?

Thanks for reading and sorry for the waffle!

[hanshan]

Hi Mindprison,

This is something of a "thing" of mine to stress, but very, very often people with anxiety approach taking a new medication with heightened anxiety. Once they they take the new medication, they often feel increased anxiety or even a panic attack.

This is the anxiety doing the talking, not the new medication. Understanding this can help with taking a new medication.

Take the new medication - pregabalin. You may get a surge of anxiety due to taking a new med, but it will pass. It works well for generalised anxiety, and may well help with health anxiety.

I take pregabalin with mirtazapine, and the two work well together.

[Mindprison]

Hi Hanshan, i've noticed yourself and smilingalbert give some good advice about pregabalin so I appreciate you taking the time to reply!

You're definitely right about that, anxiety over taking new meds is one of the bigger hurdles i'm facing about taking it. There's something extremely frustrating about getting a medication that could be of great help to you only to be scared of taking it incase you're one of the unlucky ones it doesn't agree with.

Think I just need to accept that i've been on so many different meds already and none of them have killed me yet, so what makes this one any different?

I'm due to go away to visit family this weekend, perhaps i'll start taking them then to ease that kind of "What if something happens?" anxiety i've been having, since i'll be surrounded by people who can help. Hopefully any start up effects I might get will pass by the time the trip is over too.

Thank you very much for the reply Hanshan, feeling better about taking it now I'll post back once I start just incase anyone is interested in my experience.

[Panicer]

Hi Mindprison

I'm now in exactly the same boat. I've just been to the Psychiatrist and although my GP had recommended starting to take fluoxetine again along with Mirtazapine the Psychiatrist has prescribed Pregabalin as the add on and has said to forget the Fluoxetine. So I've just been to pick them up and I'm sitting looking at the packet thinking will I won't I?? How about we start off a diary together and see how we get on with them? I was thinking of starting tomorrow as I'm on my own tonight and would prefer someone to be around just in case (see I'm irrationally scared too )

[Mindprison]

Hi Panicer

Just replied to the mirtazapine thread! Was just saying how funny it is we're both on Pregabalin, our psychiatrists must be telepathic

That's a good idea! I'm hoping I don't back out and just go for it, I hate having anxiety because it just makes you overthink everything. Once i've started taking them i'll start a diary about the experience.

Hope you get on well with them ,fingers crossed!

[Panicer]

Hi Mindprison

Maybe the manufacturer of Pregabalin has a Buy One Get One Free offer on for Psychiatrists this month

Yes I'm scared of taking them as well. It's stupid I know they're meant to help not make us worse but who knows how our anxiety wracked brains work?

I thought if we started on the same day we'd be able to keep each other updated and hopefully motivated, a problem shared is a problem halved and all that

[Mindprison]

Good plan, i'll hopefully be starting them tomorrow and if wifi permits i'll try and start one If the connection is bad i'll start one as soon as i'm back with a sort of backlog.

I know what you mean, scared to take them despite them possibly being the solution to the problem, thanks brain! It's so easy to say "Oh just take these, don't read the side effects they don't matter and try not to overthink it too much." That just triggers my brain to go "...don't read the side effects? How come? Are they bad? Better have a look!"

[Panicer]

I know what you mean, scared to take them despite them possibly being the solution to the problem, thanks brain! It's so easy to say "Oh just take these, don't read the side effects they don't matter and try not to overthink it too much." That just triggers my brain to go "...don't read the side effects? How come? Are they bad? Better have a look!"

LOL It's as if I'd written that myself OK tomorrow's D-Day then, or should that be P-Day

[Mindprison]

A fitting analogy considering I feel constantly at war with anxiety

Tomorrow it is then! Good luck!

[hanshan]

Good luck, guys.