View Full Version : Pregabalin Weight Gain
Hi I have finally managed to get my doctor to prescribe me Pregabalin from Escitralopram. Although it will be reviewed in a month as apparently its very expensive. Not withstanding the fact I have paid NI for ages :lac: This has followed a very worrying trend of me drinking excessively for a few months which culminated in me missing work through being hungover. Also dabbeling in benzos as the anxiety about sleep was just getting horrific. Anyway... the above behaviours have led to me putting on about a stone which considering I was at 21% body fat (high for a male) before this is a little worrying. i finally decided if I was so anxious then the Escitalopram must be working any more. I took Mirtazapine for sleep before but I put on a lot of weight on that and I couldnt shift it even though I was dieting. Some of it came off when I came off it but it has come back on now. Will this be as bad?
I finally found a private therapist who has helped people in the past that have severe anxiety about insomnia so with some luck I may not be on medication in the future. Plus she want me to get up an hour earlier and do some exercise so that may balance it out perhaps?
Nobody? I had two doses yesterday and felt very relaxed feeling. No extra hunger at all. Didnt feel the didn't feel the need to chuck back alcohol and Slept great. Woke around 7 and took my morning dose. Ended up falling asleep:whistles: might have to be careful with that :winks:So far so good
Dazzlar,
On this drug NO alcohol!! Plus as I am sure you already know alcohol is a stimulant, therefore causes anxiety.
Pregabalin is NOT an antidepressant.
You dont say what dose pregabalin you are on.
Good luck
Thanks for the reply Sarah.
Whoops. I guess its the anti anxiety affect of alcohol that has caused me to drink it to help me me sleep. Im not drinking again though on it. I'm on 3x50mg at the moment. Just for this month as the docs probably will not re prescribe it..
---------- Post added at 10:51 ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 ----------
I know Pregabalin is only for anxiety I have never had depression, just obsessive thoughts, insomnia and anxiety :shrug:
Dazzlar,
It should work for you then:)
To be honest I do think some of this insomnia which is brought on by my excessive obsession with sleep and trying to get the amount I think is normal may be linked to PTSD. From a pretty horrific period when I was a child.
The insomnia is my main issue at the moment as it affects my work. I was using Pot for a while for sleep but that has become pretty ineffective but combined with alcohol knocks me out. Although if I push it too far it wrecks the following day. Recently dabbled in Benzos but I'm trying to come off them now.
Thanks for your support :yesyes:
In reply to your other post in your thread I have used Zopiclone and found it awesome to be fair. I'm surprised you havent built up a bad tolerance to them :huh:
Ha ha Dazzlar.....I did!!
My story is on the post "pregabalin...at last". Last Xmas I was taking 18mgs a night to sleep!!! Yes my GP knew about it. I have been on them for 13yrs..............I have now reduced to 7.5mgs and have been told I have a Sleep Disorder. I basically have problems dropping off to sleep as I am frightened I will die in my sleep........................I also have PTSD.......hence the pregabalin.
Sarah
Yeah its awesome knowing that you will go to bed and be asleep within 30 mins ha ha
I used to wake really early though although I was fine during the day which leads me to believe I need less sleep than I think.
Nice one on dropping the dosage so much!! :) Some willpower you have.
I never went over 7.5mg myself as its bad enough relying on what I do to sleep, but I can see why they are so addictive.
:)Yep...when I was first given Zopliclone they were the new wonderdrug sleeping tablet (1999).........................it's only later that the addictive stuff came about. To be fair I have always had difficulty sleeping (my mother is an insomniac too). My mind wont switch off and then I get the dreaded Restless Legs!!!!!
I have now been diagnosed with a sleep disorder..............but thats the least of my worries:doh::roflmao:
Hopefully one day they'll find a drug suitable for long term use.
Mirtazpine seemed to be amazing at first but that put a stone on me and eventually stopped working.
I'm seeing a therapist specifically for my insomnia, she seems to think I maybe 'one of those lucky ones who only needs 5 hours sleep' :wacko:
It feels a bit like a benzo to me, I dont know if its the drug but I found myself reminiscing a lot today (good memories mainly) feels nice :D
So far only two days in I am happy.
If it continues I hope they let me keep taking it :shrug:
I hope you get through your issues and I'm glad Pregabalin seems to be helping you :hugs:
Oh Dazzlar....the memories thing!!!! Yes that is exactly what happened to me when I first took pregabalin...........very strange....remembering things from my childhood long forgotten........but I cant remember what I ate for breakfast:)
Its mad. I quite liked it to be honest. Slept great again but the sedating aspect of it seems to have gone. No weight gain as of yet. Long may it continue. Back at at boxing training so hopefully I can can lose a bit as well
Hi Dazzlar,
It's possible to stay the same weight or even lose weight while taking pregabalin. You do need to give extra attention to diet and exercise, but weight-gain is not an automatic given.
Thanks hanshan,
I guess im just hoping its not like Mirtazpine.
I put a lot of weight on that despite watching my diet and going jogging before breakfast.
I put weight on with citalpram but once I started dieting and boxing I dropped 20lbs in 6 months. I was was devastated when I put it all back on with Mirtazpine
I think it's a bit more subtle than mirtazapine, but the weight gain thing is still there. If you are new to pregabalin, the main thing (if it works - it doesn't for everyone) is to get used to feeling okay for the first time in a while. Then you need to work out what dosage is right for you and deal with possible side effects like weight gain. Good luck with it. I have some side effects (mostly coordination) but I wouldn't be without it.
Thats good to hear as long as I can lose weight even if it is slowly I'll be very happy.
The Mirt put me up from 84kg to 90kg.
I managed to get back to that but since my sleep got messed up and I started messing about drinking i'm up to 91. My target was to get back to 79kg which I was whilst i was boxing but to be fair I do a lot of weight training now.
But yeah I will concentrate on getting well again I have cut back so much on the alcohol already thanks to the Lyrica and I've only been on it a few days.
With me reading the real effects dont set in till a week or two after I am very optimistic.
As long as I can get in the gym and stick to my morning routine I should be good
I'm taking both mirtazapine and pregabalin, but can lose weight as long as I count calories. If I don't, the weight starts going back on. This is what's worked for me - everyone has to find what's right for them.
I completely agree.
The only thing that worked on Mirt was no carb diets but I found them impossible to stick to.
Not having a great time with anxiety today. Although I did get stupidly drunk on Saturday and made a complete fool of myself:blush:
Alcohol = stimulant = anxiety:doh:
I know. It was a party and I like parties.
One thing I am particularly worried about is the impression I got from the doctors is that the cost will prevent me from staying on it. What would be a decent alternative? I dont think ssris work for me anymore. I liked Mirtazpine but it made me fat and eventually stopped working.
If it is working for you then cost should not come into it!!!
There is nothing that works like pregabalin. It is expensive because it is new and Lyrica have the license still. Your GP will want you to stay on something that works for you.
...and why would you want to change it if it is working for you.....I dont understand:huh:
I dont want to change. I want to see how it goes and so far its been very good. I wont really know properly I guess until Ive fully tapered of Escitalopram. But the lady I saw said that she couldnt see the doctor allowing me to stay on it due to cost.... Even though I pay NI every month.
I think a part of it is because i have changed meds that many times which I think annoys them.
Thanks for posting :yesyes:
If you have the money, it's possible to pay for the prescription in full yourself. It's not so unbelievably expensive - about 93 Australian dollars for 56 x 300 mg capsules (four weeks at 600 mg per day). That's around 55 UK pounds for four weeks or two pounds a day (cheaper at lower doses - but check as prices may be different in the UK). To me if it works, it's worth it. I had to pay the full price as it was not subsidised in Australia for GAD. Now that I am in Japan, I think I pay the full price but get some money back through my work health insurance.
Hi hanshan,
I did consider this and still am. It was £80 for a months worth at 150mg a day id probably like to go up a little. The effects seem to have worn of a little. Problem is I am already paying to see a private therapist so I dont think I'll be able to to afford it.
80 UK pounds a month for 150 mg per day of Lyrica sounds like daylight robbery to me.
A quick check of the internet gives online sites in Australia that sell Lyrica 56 capsules x 75 mg (ie one month at 150 mg per day) for 43 Australian dollars or around 25 UK pounds per month (compared to 80 UK pounds per month). These aren't dodgy sites - they sell branded products and must comply with regulations regarding prescriptions.
If you can get your UK prescription recognised in Australia, I'd say buy from there. It will save a lot of money
Given that it's the same company, Pfizer, marketing pregabalin worldwide, I can only speculate as to why the base cost is higher in the UK. My speculation is that the level of subsidy is higher in the EU, leading to greater demand, and higher revenue for Pfizer. In Australia, where pregabalin has not been subsidised by the government and people have to pay the full price out of their own pockets, then Pfizer doesn't charge as much, so as to increase demand. Does that make sense? Big pharma ... sucks.
Yeah, you tend to get ripped off in the UK.
I had a massive anxiety attack last night so I guess we'll have too see how things go.
Thanks for the advice, that is definitely something I hadn't thought of though.
---------- Post added at 13:50 ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 ----------
Anyway I can change the thread title? I'll do this as a diary and general questions. As I'm supposed to be doing a diary with my therapist but that's more of a sleep diary.
My thoughts are ...........you will not have to pay for this as your GP will prescribe it.......why would he/she be any different to the rest of the country where it is regularly prescribed for GAD !!
Maybe she was just covering here own back. She's only a nurse but I try and see her as she is a lot more understanding than the other GPs I have seen.
I am probably worrying over nothing.... as usual.
Dazzler..........I am gonna say it....................Yes ! you are worrying too much:D Now stop it and get on with your recovery. If she is the nurse you are right she is covering her back. If it works (and remember you can go up the doses to get the maximum effect) then no Dr would take it away from you!!!:D
Yeah I have a month to see how it goes. I had a bit of a rough day yesterday but I feel back on track today. I will try and keep everyone updated :D
Now I just need to stick to my sleep schedule :whistles:
---------- Post added at 17:53 ---------- Previous post was at 17:42 ----------
OLh and I am going to weigh myself for the first time. Was 91kg last week. Way up and not happy but that was before the Pregabalin.
Yesterday I felt extremely relaxed later in the day. Had a great nights sleep and managed to get up at my newly scheduled wake time, It's like this stuff makes the quality of your sleep deeper. Had a pretty graphic nightmare though which disturbed me a little :roflmao:
Well my weight is up. I am not blaming the Pregabalin as I have been drinking far too much and I think that has what has caused it. Averaging a bottle of wine a night. Trying to taper off benzos as well I'm hoping the pregabalin is enough to get me through all this. Feel really bad today. Got a low alcohol wine for tonight. Hope this is the start of me stopping daily drinking :weep:
Dazzler,
I hope pregabalin helps you through this:)
S
Thank you for the kind words. I need to get this under control.
I hope so too
Well I managed to cut down slightly.
One unit less than the night before :blush: so 8 units.
Got the drinkaware tracker so will be OK with that I guess.
Might make an appointment to see a doctor and see if they can either extend my diazi script (unlikely) or something else.
Anxiety :yesyes:
Hi Dazzlar,
I hope you can get the alcohol under control. In terms of weight, a bottle of full-strength wine is about 500-600 kcal, which may help with motivation.
Best of luck with it, and with the anxiety.
I had a lower strength alcohol last night.
8% as opposed to 13% Sleep was a bit iffy but not too bad although I did take more Diazempan 25mg as opposed to the usual 10mg :doh: which I am also running out off.
Maybe the jump down in alcohol content was too much?
---------- Post added at 12:42 ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 ----------
I'm starting to think that maybe 3x50mg a day of Pregabalin is not enough?
I wonder if my docs will put the dosage up at my review. Although it seemed to work at first and relax me those effects seem to be wearing off.
Update from yesterday.
Still not feeling too great although I have been tracking my alcohol consumption with drink aware and have gone from 10 units to 7.2 over the weekend. Still getting big anxiety attacks around 9pm as i Know bed time approaches. Seeing my private therapist tomorrow so hopefully she'll be able to help me with that.
Hi Dazzlar,
Hang in there. It's good you have got the alcohol down to 7.2 units.
Pregabalin can be increased to 400-600 mg per day, which may be helpful. Increases past that will probably have no further effect.
Good luck with it.
Hi Hanshan,
That obviously depends on the doctors and whether they think its worth it trying it being so expensive. I am going to ask for them to double the dose and give me another month to see if that works.
Insomnia is my main problem which is all psychological. My anxiety was bad if I am only on Mirtazapine but nowhere near as bad as most people on here.
I did try Trazodone but it did nothing but I think it was because I just stopped the Mirt from 30mgs. So the withdrawals probably did that. As I ended up crying in the morning and I very, very, rarely cry and I never cry for no reason :roflmao:
So if they refuse I am going to kick up a stink. Failing that I'll try and SNRI with Trazodone....
---------- Post added at 09:10 ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 ----------
And yes I am a pessimist
Good luck with it.
Why is Lyrica so expensive? Is it because it is a rare cancer drug that costs thousands of pounds to manufacture just a few doses? No, it's because Pfizer holds the patent until 2018 and it's going to milk it for all it's worth until then.
If you have to pay full price, it's worth looking around for trusted suppliers in other first-world countries, as prices can be arbitrarily set to match local conditions. Be careful, however. There is no generic pregabalin. It is all branded Lyrica and it all comes from Pfizer. Offers of generic pregabalin from other manufacturers are fake.
Gabapentin is the low budget, scruffy younger brother of pregabalin. It costs less, has more side-effects, and is less effective, but a cost-conscious doctor may be more willing to prescribe it.
Cheers man. I dont think its helping too much at this dose. So im a bit stuck.
But I'll give it till I see the doc. The good thing is ive noticed no side and as I've reduced the Cipralex dosage me sex drive has come back. Im single but its good too feel a bit more.like a man again haha I dont think Gabapentin is licensed for gad here.
Big pharma are scum.
Dazzlar I see your pessimism is in "overdrive" again:). There is NO reason for your GP to stop prescribing this drug!!!
I know Sarah its more if they will give me an increased dosage, as I still feel anxious as hell. I'm hoping so without going into too much detail I feel 'more like a man' since I have stopped the SSRI :blush:
Problem is nothing seems to work as well as my first time on Citalopram:mad:
How are you doing anyway?
Hi Dazzler,
Did not have the problem myself:D and yes I know what you mean!
There is no reason why they wont up the dose......you really do have to stop worrying. A Dr would not take away a drug that is helping and any good Dr will look up what the "theraputic dose" is and the advice is 400-600mgs a day for GAD sufferers.
Yes I know what you mean about "previous" drugs working well. I too was on Citalopram for 11 years and it worked really well for me. I came off Cit after having a couple of years feeling so well that I thought I did not need it anymore. Whan I went back on it I could not tolerate it!!! However, I have realised that this is the past and I cannot change what has happened. So now I look forward with pregabalin.....I know i sound a bit "preachy" but its works!:D
The woman I see is only a nurse practitioner the guy she wants me too see is a doctor and apparently 'knows his stuff and is very sympathetic' I see her because my experience with some of the other doctors has been.. well... less than enjoyable. So yeah regardless I do think it will be beneficial :yesyes:
---------- Post added at 21:10 ---------- Previous post was at 21:04 ----------
Ohh and I have put on a kilo but that can be attributed to the drink. Quite easily
A Kilo!!! That's nothing.......I have put on a stone since packing in the fags 7 weeks ago!!:shrug:
I'm already over weight for my size. I ballooned up to 91kg when I had a GF (feeling comfartable etc) When we split up I started boxing again (odd for someone with GAD I know) dropped to 79kg six pack the works and a bout of insomnia had me on Mirtazapine back to 88kg. Came off that got to 85kg although was and still am weight training then I had my insomnia marathon started drinking and I'm at 92kg :weep: at 5'11 so around 25% BF, not good.
I know whine, whine whine. Back to boxing I go.
If it keeps up though I wont be staying on it. I'm far too vain:blush:
Nice one on quitting the fags. I dont smoke ciggarettes but I have seen the hell my friend goes through every time he attempts to quit.
Pat on the back for that :hugs:
Hi Dazzlar,
I did a quick calculation on your BMI (body mass index). It's about 28.4 which is a bit into the overweight range, but not so far you can't get back. I've been fighting my way down and am just touching 25. The desirable range is 18-25.
BMI isn't everything, but it's one measure. Another is your natural waist measurement (around navel). This should definitely be below 100 cm (39.5 in) for European men, and some authorities recommend below 94 cm (37 in). I'm at 100 cm and my goal is to get below 94 cm.
I say all this because I find having some specific goals helps to keep me on track (and I am taking both mirtazapine and pregabalin).
I dont bother with bmi as it doesnt take muscle mass into consideration. My waist at the naval is bang on 39. So health wise im probably ok. Aesthetic wise though, im not happy. I figure when I cut out midweek drinking, which is my main goal it'll drop off. We should keep each other updated for motivation. As far trackong food are you using myfitnesspal? Its superb!
---------- Post added at 12:09 ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 ----------
Slight concern.... I have noticed I have become more forgetful and clumsy than normal, it has been noticed at work. Is this a side effect or could it be SSRI discontinuation?
Ha ha ha...I love you guys!!!! BMI......waistline measurements...you're worse than us women:D.
Yes Dazzlar I'm sorry to say it but forgetfulness and clumsiness are side effects of pregabalin....with time that should ease a bit though.
Sarah
I know:blush: vain guys.
I hope so my boss as already had a pop at me about it :mad:
Do you mind me asking what you do and if your bosses know what is going on with your at the moment health wise? It's just you should not be treated badly or victimised for being ill!!!:mad:
They know I struggle with insomnia. But otherwise no. To be honest my main goal is to stop self medicating for insomnia and then I should be able to get the anxiety under control with cbt. If they knew the full extent of my 'self medication' they'd probably not be too understanding
---------- Post added at 16:35 ---------- Previous post was at 16:30 ----------
Sarah, have you ever tried Trazodone?
No I have not tried Trazadone....................gonna stick with pregabalin for now:)
I tried it a while back when I quit Mirt cold turkey surprisingly it didnt work :doh:
Might ask if I can add it to Pregabalin.
Dazzlar....gonna say this....why cant you just give pregabalin a chance!!!!!! Get off the booze which is adding to your anxiety/insomnia and let the pregabalin work:D
I am trying I have cut down and I wont be seeing the doc for another couple of weeks.
So it will definitely get its chance
Definitely dont think I'm giving up on Pregabalin but I think its a good idea to have options open.
I havent had a bad nights sleep since i have been drinking daily, which is what's worried me :wacko:
Yeah, I I just the anxiety I get at night killing and so far Pregabalin has only done that for a couple of days.
I loved the sleep Mirt gave me but I couldnt stand looking like Mitchellin man and it eventually stopped working
Thanks for the thoughts and I hope you can continue on your path of recovery
The thing is if you are thinking of "other options" it can have a bit of a negative effect mentally..........be positive about pregabalin and it may just work for you:D
This is a succinct point. I am excellent at research....
Not always a great think when you're an anxious and analytical person.
My therapist says its because my mind is not exercised enough during the day I become destructive.
She described it as having a dog that's left locked up and not exercising...
It'll trash your house.
WebMD has a lot to answer for :roflmao:
I'm a bit vain, but it's mostly the health thing. The Australian Government has a campaign to get men's waistlines under 94 cm (37 in) as over that you are at risk of lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I really don't want either of those.
As Dazzlar pointed out, BMI doesn't distinguish between muscle mass and fat, so if you are a heavily muscled man, your BMI can be quite high and you are still okay. I'm the reverse. My build growing up was tall and skinny, and I stayed that way well into my 30s. Because of my low muscle mass, I really need to be down at the bottom of the BMI range.
It's interesting that I read a comment from the head of Weight Watchers in Australia. I think he said that it was hard to get men to join a weight-loss program, but when they did, they treated it like going to war. They saw it as a contest or a computer game, and liked getting a winning score.
As for me, I don't have any computer apps, but I do try to crunch the numbers on how much I eat every day. In kilojoules, if it's in the 7,000 range, I'm cheering, 8,000 and I'm quietly happy, 9,000 is so-so, and 10,000+ is game over for that particular day. But there's always another day.
Same here hanshan. Extremely vain and being a single 28 year old man you you need too be. I've just measured my waist and I haven't eaten and its 38 inches. Do you have an android phone? If so get myfitnesd pal. Its free and so easy to use! My mate did slimming world with his girlfriend and got extremely competitive. He was asking me how boxer's lose so much weight before weigh-ins. So I explained it's water weight they dont eat or drink 24 hours before and he started doing it haha
Hello Dazzlar,
Being part of the approaching-ancient generation, my phone is an old-fashioned not-so-smart phone, which is like an old telephone, only mobile.
As for water weight, it goes back on as quickly as it came off. I think you know this, as my understanding is that boxers quickly bulk back up after their weigh-in (I'm no expert in this, so please correct me if I am wrong).
It does, but he was doing it to save face at weigh in day haha. Thats how competitive he got about it.
I'm all for a bit of competition, but the water-loss approach is self-defeating, as it leads to ongoing struggles to maintain the weight loss through every weigh-in.
Weight loss is a real loss of body fat that persists over weeks and months, not a temporary water loss that can be pushed down over two days or so, but quickly returns.
I I completely agree. Ive put weight on this past two weeka but my waist has stayed the same?Water weight? Anxiety has still been pretty bad :-(
The main thing is to conquer the anxiety, the weight comes next.
Good luck with it.
Thank you, I am still getting these damn anxiety attacks that are causing me too drink :mad: I have cut down but still not enough.
So annoyed at myself for letting myself get into this situation
Best thing is to describe the problem as clearly as possible, so people can suggest solutions.
Hi Hanshan, my issue is sleep which is caused by my excessive worry about sleep. Basically my anxiety has become fixated on sleep. My newest solution has been to drink to knock myself out. I went to see the doctor today as my Pregabalin has ran out and had a chat and she suggested Mirtazapine which helped greatly in the past but did nothing for my daytime anxiety and piled the weight on, alnthough nothing like what drinking every day has. So she suggested Amitriptyline. So I agreed to try that she said its better than Mirt for anxiety and not as bad for the weight gain. So my Pregabalin journey has come to an end... Thoughts?
Good luck to you and Sarah as well
Pregabalin can be combined with a SSRI/SNRI/NaSSA etc as its action is different. If one drug alone (ie without alcohol) does not work for you, you may be able to find the combination that helps with sleep and relieves anxiety.
I started taking mirtazapine years ago at a particularly difficult time. At my worst, I was waking a dozen times or more each night with severe jolts of anxiety. Mirtazapine helped fix that, but didn't do much for my daytime anxiety.
A couple of years ago I started pregabalin, which works well for my daytime anxiety, so I'm taking both. Actually, now that things have settled, I may be able to reduce or discontinue either one or both, but I'm happy to keep going along as I am for the moment, as long as I can keep finding a doctor who will continue to prescribe them.
Good luck, and I hope the new medication helps you to sleep.
Thanks Hanshan, the doc refused to prescribe it with anything else.
Since sleep is my main cause of anxiety I took the sleepy drug. I still have some Escitalpram so I will continue on a very low dose of that. Had a good sleep last night but I was wide awake from watching the boxing :roflmao: so I was surprised. Ended up sleeping in which is very unlike me, so far so good. Feel wiped out today. Mirt was good for me but it stopped working and like you said it did nothing for me other than knocking me out.
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