Took my first pregabalin! How long does it take to work??

[Hanbr]

I did it.. I was so nervous but I took my first 75mg last night! Made me feel a bit drunk but my boyfriend looked after me :) I am just wondering (as my doctor is away ) as it has a short half life should I be taking it in the morning and night or just at night?
Tbh I can't see much difference ATM with my anxiety..wondered if anyone could tell me how long it took to work? However, for 7 years I have not felt "right" and 24/7 not felt real.. So if I do start to feel normal I won't know as I don't know what that is haha!
I'd also like to say thanks to you guys on here for giving me support:)

[hanshan]

Hi Hanbr,

Pregabalin can make you feel better within a few hours of your first dose, or it can take up to four weeks or so. It probably depends on things like the way your brain is genetically arranged, and also where you're at at the moment (spoken like the expert I'm absolutely not, except that I've been taking it for the past two and a half years).

Another thing is that it doesn't work for everyone. Also, other people find that it's working, but they have to stop because of side effects.

Regular dosing two or three times a day due to the short half life is probably most important when first starting pregabalin, or when moving to a different dosage. After that, even with the short half life, a base level builds up in the body independent of when doses are taken.

Good luck with pregabalin, and I hope it works for you as it has for me.

[SarahH]

Hi Hanbr,

Welcome to pregabalin. The prescription box should have the dosage on the front telling you how often and how much to take. If not call the pharmacist you got it from and ask them to look at the prescription to see what the Dr wrote.

Good luck with the pregab. It has worked wonders for me. If you read my thread "Pregabalin...at last" I describe my experience of the drug over the last two months. As Hanshan says it works differently for different people at different doses. I was put on a pretty high dose quite quickly but now have few side effects so it is worth persevering, give it a good go!

Sarah

[Mark13]

Hi hanbr

I started on 75mg twice a day - as you say, it has a short half-life, so that it supposed to be he minimum, some GPs prescribe it for 3 times a day.

I felt some side effects initially, some of them quite pleasant, but also drunken feeling and double vision, but I found spacing the doses at least 11 hours apart alleviated this.

It took about 4 weeks for me to feel the full consistent benefit.

Good luck with the drug, hope it works for you.