View Full Version : First day taking Pregabalin
Hi, i've just been prescribed Pregabalin by my doctor as I have severe anxiety and drive myself mad when thinking about things in the past, present and future. I'm just an anxious person overall, low confidence and self-esteem, always have been.
I've been working part-time for over a year now and don't want to get out of my comfort zone and find a full time job. I keep putting it off as i hate change.
I told my doctor all this yesterday and he said he can't give me beta blockers as i have asthma so its not recommended.
so he prescribed me with Pregabalin - 75mg in morning, 75mg in night. I also take 30mg Mirtazapine for depression and 0.5mg Pizotifen daily.
I took the first dose of Pregabalin last night. Before taking it, I read about it online and so many people said it made them tired, groggy, spaced out etc on the first day and i also read that it's not the same as anti-depressants and it works quickly.
But i didn't feel any side effects. I slept well and was fine this morning. I took another dose of the Pregablin 75mg and so far i feel the same as i did yesterday - still quite anxious.
When I first took Mirtazapine, I remember feeling like a zombie, and quite restless, it did knock me out and made me tired during the day.
So i was just wondering if anyone else here took Pregabalin and didn't feel any difference at first but after a while felt an improvement?
Sorry for long post
To save you trawling through my long diary post, it took me 4-5 weeks, having built up to 600mg (the max dose) before I felt an obvious and stable change.
During those 4 weeks I was very up and down, some days I felt great, others awful, but I never considered coming off them because there were no major negative side effects for me.
I also take Mirtazapine, 15mg.
Those people who say it works straight away might be getting the "mild euphoria" side effect that's common with the drug.
The official literature that comes with the drug states that it takes 4 weeks to make a difference and I can vouch that was true for me.
You may have good days in the meantime though.
For me, it doesn't stop the worries, it just makes them much easier to deal with or dismiss as unimportant, because it reduces my physical reactions to stress.
What I mean is the worries don't get hold of me and give me cold sweats, flushes, nausea and churning stomach. Or if this happens in response to some stresses it subsides quickly.
It's no magic bullet, but it's the best drug I've been on. It doesn't take the worries away, it just makes you strong enough to cope (in my experience).
Hello
Dont worry if you dont experience any side effects...we are all different and you may just be one of the lucky ones not to experience anything...I didnt have too much in the way of side effects either...i also take mirtazipine but only 7.5mg. I take 50mg of pregabalin in the morning and 50mg at night with my mirtazipine.
I suffered from GAD and would feel awful at times...it has really helped me with all of this. It is not a miracle cure (though for me the best I have ever had) and there are times when I still suffer anxiety but believe me it is nothing like it used to be!!
We are all different though and re-act in different ways...but I really hope it helps you as it has me.
Keep posting and good luck!!
Jo.x
Thanks for your input :) Much appreciated. Will keep taking the medication and post updates soon
It's my third day taking this medication and i have a sore throat and a cold. I'm not sure if it's a side effect or it's just a coincidence that i happen to get a cold as soon as i started taking the Pregabalin.
No real changes to how i feel as of yet. Still feel anxious on and off like i did before i started taking it. Would like to experience the mild euphoria side effect that some people have got when taking this medication. Hope to feel some change soon
Yeah, the mild euphoria was nice, only lasted a few hours though :)
It wasn't a "wow, isn't life great£ feeling, just a clear head, light heart and a huge reduction in anxiety, making me feel physically and mentally lighter.
It freaked my wife out, TBH, she found my hyper-cheerfulness a little disturbing.
You're not missing anything major.
As for your cold symptoms that sounds like a coincidence to me.
Yeah, the mild euphoria was nice, only lasted a few hours though :)
It wasn't a "wow, isn't life great£ feeling, just a clear head, light heart and a huge reduction in anxiety, making me feel physically and mentally lighter.
It freaked my wife out, TBH, she found my hyper-cheerfulness a little disturbing.
You're not missing anything major.
As for your cold symptoms that sounds like a coincidence to me.
thanks yeah i think the cold is a coincidence too. lol i'd like to get the euphoria side effect just to freak my workmates out esp my manager.
This morning, i suddenly thought of something negative in my past which made me feel anxious. Then about a second later, the anxiety died down and i felt calm again. Now i'm not sure if its because of the pregabalin or it's placebo in that i really want the medication to work and made myself feel that way (if that makes sense lol)
This afternoon, i started feeling quite anxious again, just keep thinking of past experiences and making myself all stressed/anxious. Still early days though..
Smallie
Whether the Pregabalin or just placebo, it makes no difference if you get the desired effect.
However, I got so anxious today over something small, yet a short time later it all fell away and the thing that triggered it just became small and in perspective again.
It took me 4 weeks to feel that effect, or at least to recognise it, so maybe you're responding quickly.
In fact I read from an NHS site that you should feel some improvement within 2 weeks, but full effect after about 4.
There seems to be conflicting info on how long it takes to kick in because it's only been licensed for GAD for 6 years and most GPs won't prescribed it due to it's ridiculous cost compared to SSRIs.
My GP had never prescribed it for GAD before, only nerve pain, so I'm his Guinea Pig :)
Hi Mark and anyone else who can answer these questions for me, do you know roughly how much Pregabalin costs? I didn't know it was expensive until i read about it on this message board.
I think my anxiety is reducing in a subtle way since i've been on this medication. I will go back to the doctor in about 6 weeks time and if by then i haven't noticed a improvement, i will ask him to increase the dose.
i'm just curious to know how much Pregabalin costs because i'm a little worried my doctor may hesitate to increase my dose or may quickly take me off this medication as soon as i start to feel a bit better because it's so expensive
Smallie
If you're on twice a day the cost is the same, regardless of dose.
For example:
75mg twice a day
300mg twice a day
Both cost the same amount to the NHS Trust / practice.
It's over £60 a month for me to have 300mg twice a day.
I would assume if you are already on them, and gaining some benefit, they shouldn't baulk at the price as it doesn't go up.
The only way it would do is if you were prescribed it to take 3 times a day, which would be over £90 a month.
To put it in perspective fluoxetine costs less than £2 a month because it's no longer under patent.
---------- Post added at 20:41 ---------- Previous post was at 19:57 ----------
By the way, I got my cost info from this NHS Prescribing Guidance (for Greater Manchester in 2010, but costs are no doubt still similar).
It's a PDF.
http://www.bolton.nhs.uk/Library/your_career/Service_Specifications/MMGUID05%20Pregabalin%20for%20generalised%20anxiet y%20disorder.pdf
Hi Mark,
Thanks for posting the guidance information on prescribing pregabalin under the NHS. It's a fascinating insight into how different health systems organise things.
In Australia, if a drug is approved by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for a particular condition, the patient pays a maximum of around $35 a month to the pharmacy and the government pays the balance to the pharmacy - the doctor isn't involved and isn't under government pressure to prescribe cheaper drugs (as far as I know). If the patient is a pensioner or other low income earner, then the monthly cost to them drops to about $5. If the drug is generic and low cost, that low cost is passed on to the patient (ie the cost is less than $35 per month), which may influence doctors whose patients want to save money.
On the other hand, if a drug is not approved for a particular condition by the PBS in Australia, the patient has to foot the entire bill. Pregabalin is not PBS approved for anxiety, so if a doctor prescribes it off-label for anxiety, the patient has to pay about $150 for a month's supply at 600 mg a day. I was happy to pay this because it made a big difference to me, and I thought - hey, people happily pay close to five dollars for an espresso coffee hit every day - but I'm sure it would influence many people.
(One Aussie dollar = 0.66 UK pounds)
Hi hanshan
That's really given me food for thought.
I doubt I'd have even considered pregabalin if I'd had to pay more than I do for it.
Our costs are limited to £7.65 per prescription (although all workers in the UK pay National Insurance Contributions from their wage to help fund the NHS - although everyone benefits, even those that don't pay NI Contributions).
I actually have a pre-pay certificate (it's £104 per year and that pays for as many prescriptions as you need in that time - cost effective when you're on 3 drugs or more).
You've told me your system in Australia, and in the US I believe they have an insurance system which dictates the drugs they get - whatever the insurance company will pay out for - so we don't always get the drug that suits us best, we may never even get to find out what that is.
Fortunately you were able to and are happy (or at least able :)) to pay.
Hi Mark,
I think the pregabalin helped me not to worry about how much it was costing me :) .
It's fortunate that pregabalin is licensed for anxiety in the EU, as it doesn't seem to be so elsewhere. It does mean that doctors are more willing to consider its use off-label in countries outside the EU - but only for patients willing and able to pay the full cost.
The cost I quoted is for 600 mg a day, but it would drop proportionately if less was taken, eg around a quarter the cost for 150 mg a day. That would bring the cost down to around $1.25 per day.
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I've just done a bit of research on the Australian PBS website. The monthly cost of PBS subsidised medication has gone up to $36 per month for one medication - around $432 or 285 UK pounds for one year for one medication. If people in Britain can pay 104 pounds per year for all prescriptions, then even with one medication, they're well ahead.
There is a safety net in Australia - if a household's annual expenditure on medications reaches $1,390 or about 917 UK pounds, then the monthly cost of any further prescriptions drops to $5.90. Note that this is the same for a single person or a family.
spottitchsam
05-03-13, 21:13
Smallie
If you're on twice a day the cost is the same, regardless of dose.
For example:
75mg twice a day
300mg twice a day
Both cost the same amount to the NHS Trust / practice.
It's over £60 a month for me to have 300mg twice a day.
I would assume if you are already on them, and gaining some benefit, they shouldn't baulk at the price as it doesn't go up.
The only way it would do is if you were prescribed it to take 3 times a day, which would be over £90 a month.
To put it in perspective fluoxetine costs less than £2 a month because it's no longer under patent.
---------- Post added at 20:41 ---------- Previous post was at 19:57 ----------
By the way, I got my cost info from this NHS Prescribing Guidance (for Greater Manchester in 2010, but costs are no doubt still similar).
It's a PDF.
http://www.bolton.nhs.uk/Library/your_career/Service_Specifications/MMGUID05%20Pregabalin%20for%20generalised%20anxiet y%20disorder.pdf
Hi I started taking the pregabalin last week.the gp told me that the pill cost £1 for a 25mg.I'm taking 2 a day but I do not pay for prescriptions has I'm over 60 years old.
Hi I started taking the pregabalin last week.the gp told me that the pill cost £1 for a 25mg.I'm taking 2 a day but I do not pay for prescriptions has I'm over 60 years old.
2 a day over 30 days is £60 so he's spot on about the cost.
I hope they help you as they have me (although I have the odd few bad days).
Mark
hi everyone
i've been taking Pregabalin 75mg twice a day for 7 weeks now and to be honest haven't really noticed much of a difference. My anxiety is pretty much still the same although there have been times when i worry or feel anxious and then quite immediately the anxiety just diminishes and becomes insignificant. Not sure if that is down to the Pregabalin on not
I have a doctor's appointment next Tuesday and am thinking of asking him to increase the dose. I feel quite anxious about doing this incase he says No.
Has anyone here asked their doctor to increase the dose of this medication and if so, did your doctor simply agree?
Yes, my Doctor agreed straight away.
In fact he told me to go up the dosages every 7 days without needing to see him.
So I went from 150 to 300, then 450 and finally to 600 over a 3 week period.
However, I'm wanting to try dropping to 400 as I read it has the same or better effects as 600, but the side effects may be slightly less.
By the way, pregabalin twice a day costs the surgery the same regardless of dose (ie 2x75mg costs the same as 2x300mg) so they shouldn't refuse to up your dosage on cost reasons.
thanks Mark. that made me feel better about asking the doctor on Tuesday
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