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ANG3LIC
08-06-12, 01:43
hi can anyone tell me if pregabalin gives you same /simular feelings/effects as valium [diazepam etc ]... ???????? thanks

nomorepanic
08-06-12, 01:45
No I don't think so

neowallace
08-06-12, 13:39
Hi ANG3LIC

I am on 300mg just now of Pregabalin....I think it is working...I don't think it works like diazepam though....although I was told by shrink it works on the GABA receptor in the brain like diazepam......

Steven:)

rockydog
08-06-12, 14:23
Hi im on a very low dose but have had no side affects from pregablin and im very sensitive to medication x

eight days a week
08-06-12, 14:43
They work on similar receptors in the brain, but the effects are quite different. From memory:

Gaba A - diazepam

Gaba B - pregabalin, gabapentin, baclofen, alcohol

Other things work on Gaba if you're out of balance there - I think glutamate, theanine, niacin (all of which you can supplement) among others. But don't take my word for it, research it yourself :)

joy
08-06-12, 14:58
It doesnt work like valium etc as it takes several days to work. Sdaly it upset me andcauses extreme dizziness and feeling drunk, couldnt walk or talk straight so it had to be reduced.Doesnt happen to everyone tho and works well so worth a try

Joy

hanshan
09-06-12, 08:08
Hi all

Despite the name, pregabalin doesn't affect GABA receptors, and doesn't work in the same way as benzodiazepines (Valium, etc).

"Pregabalin binds potently to the α2-δ subunit of calcium channels, resulting in a reduction in the release of several neurotransmitters, including glutamate, noradrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, and substance P."

That's a quote from a journal article on the web. Translated into understandable English, it means pregabalin slows down the release of excitatory neurotransmitters, which has a calming effect. It acts before the synapse, whereas benzodiazepines act after the synapse.

dan1234
09-06-12, 18:09
Hi all

Despite the name, pregabalin doesn't affect GABA receptors, and doesn't work in the same way as benzodiazepines (Valium, etc).

"Pregabalin binds potently to the α2-δ subunit of calcium channels, resulting in a reduction in the release of several neurotransmitters, including glutamate, noradrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, and substance P."

That's a quote from a journal article on the web. Translated into understandable English, it means pregabalin slows down the release of excitatory neurotransmitters, which has a calming effect. It acts before the synapse, whereas benzodiazepines act after the synapse.

Wikipedia has failed you. :roflmao:

hanshan
10-06-12, 08:24
The quote doesn’t come from Wikipedia. However, substantially the same information is reported in the current Wikipedia article on pregabalin.

The main point is that although both benzodiazepines and pregabalin reduce the activity of neurotransmitters, they do so in different ways. This means that the experience of taking benzodiazepines and pregabalin will probably differ.

dan1234
10-06-12, 12:34
Pregabalin does affect GABA.....

Who told you it doesn't?

hanshan
11-06-12, 00:19
Hi Dan

A typical example would be:

Elinor Ben-Menachem - Pregabalin Pharmacology and Its Relevance to Clinical Practice - Epilepsia -Volume 45, Issue Supplement s6, pages 13–18, August 2004 - Article first published online: 17 AUG 2004

“Pregabalin has no effect on GABAergic mechanisms
Evidence suggests that pregabalin, although structurally related to GABA, is not functionally related, and as such does not act via the GABAergic system. Pregabalin itself is inactive at GABAA, GABAB, and benzodiazepine receptors, and is not converted metabolically into GABA or a GABA agonist (5–7). In addition, clinically effective concentrations of pregabalin have no effect on GABA uptake or degradation. Furthermore, experiments conducted in the rat forebrain and in the rat optic nerve demonstrate that pregabalin does not elevate GABA levels acutely in these tissues (15).

A non-GABAergic mechanism of action for pregabalin could have important clinical implications. First, it is possible that a drug that influences brain excitability by a different mechanism may be effective in patients who are resistant to existing AEDs with a more traditional mechanism involving GABAergic transmission. Second, lack of interaction with GABAergic systems, particularly its failure to elevate GABA levels in the optic nerve, may explain why pregabalin exhibits no retinal or optic nerve toxicity (16)”.

I have seen the following information on secondary sites such as Drugs Forum, but I can't find any journal articles that back it up, so I have to regard it as suspect:

“Pregabalin increases the activity of the glutamic acid decarboxylase enzyme; which converts glutamate into GABA, so GABA concentrations increase. Continued application of pregabalin use increases the concentration of GABA transporter proteins, which increases the rate of GABA transport.”

hanshan
12-06-12, 03:17
I managed to find some information concerning pregabalin's possible role assisting in the formation of GABA (see above post).

Pharmacology and mechanism of action of pregabalin: The calcium channel 2—(alpha2—delta) subunit as a target for antiepileptic drug discovery
Charles P. Taylor, Timothy Angelotti, Eric Fauman

Epilepsy Research (2007) 73, 137—150

"The initial chemical synthetic work that led to the discovery of pregabalin was based on the concept of altering inhibitory synaptic activity in brain by interacting with GABA synthetic enzymes in brain such as glutamic acid decarboxylase, the primary GABA synthetic enzyme. Although pregabalin and gabapentin both were reported to augment the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase in vitro (Silverman et al., 1991), this occurred only at millimolar concentrations not achievable in vivo. A later rat brain microdialysis study showed that the maximum pregabalin drug concentration in rat brain after anticonvulsant doses was 10—50 _M, far below concentrations reported to activate enzyme activity (Feng et al., 2001)."

It would appear that it was an early in vitro finding that has not been replicated in vivo. It is also inconsistent with current research.

ANG3LIC
12-06-12, 19:12
god im lost sorry.. fab replies but dnt understand i was told preg feels same as valium but without bein addictive??? is this true??? xxx

hanshan
13-06-12, 00:46
Hi Ang3lic,

Sorry about all the science, but Dan was wanting information about how it works.

I'd say pregabalin doesn't feel exactly the same as Valium, but has similar effects. Two differences are that it's not as fast acting and that it mainly works on lower levels of anxiety. If you suffer full-on panic attacks, then a fast-acting benzodiazepine will work better, but if you suffer low to medium levels of anxiety every day, then pregabalin is worth a try. It can be combined with an antidepressant like mirtazapine or duloxetine. It doesn't work for everyone, and usually has side effects for the first few weeks.

It's not addictive, so doctors can put you on a long-term maintenance dose, like an antidepressant, which is an advantage it has over benzodiazepines.

Hanshan