Has anyone experienced long term benefits of pregablin

[fretty freda]

Hello here I am again ! I find it frightening to see I have been posting on this website every year for 10 years now !! I have recovered in between, still life goes so fast !

My question ; I started pregablin 25mg x2 per day increased to 50mgx2 per day then tonight increased to 100mg .

I have read a lot of poor reports on this medication . The main issue being withdrawal and the initial benefits of the drug being short term and the need to constantly chase the effects by increasing doses .

When I took my first dose of 25mg I noticed I felt normal for the first time in many months ...the initial feeling did not last.However, I do not know if it continued to work , my only reflection is I was more anxious when I stopped it for a few days . I do not know if it was due to stopping pregablin or starting adhd med at same time .

I went back on 25mg x2 per day and again after first pill felt normal .

The same thing happened with the first pill of each increase.

My concern is does this drug actually continue to work ?As I am not prepared to continue with a drug and be hooked on it or on the other hand have I not reached an effective dose yet ?

Now I am on 100mg I want the benefit to continue . Its the only medication that has ever helped my anxiety except propranol I have tried the majority of SSRI and diazapan .

Has any one taken this medication and had benefits for longer than a couple of days weeks and so on , I am looking for people who have had significant benefits longer term and at what dose ?

Is it worth it ?

Many thanks in advance

[akb]

Hi FF

The jury is still out on this one. I am on 150 and its done nothing. I was on 200. I wanted to increase to 400 but doc refused.

You are going to get conflicthwmg opinions here so I leave it to the experts

Sorry if this wasnt much help!

[hanshan]

Hi Fretty Freda - I've been taking pregabalin since 2010, so about seven years, and it's been great for me, the best thing ever. I have to say that I was 58 when I first started taking it and I had been suffering from anxiety related illnesses pretty much all my life - first stint in a psych hospital at age 17, meds, years with a psychiatrist, the lot. Somehow I managed to study and eventually settle into an outwardly successful job, but inside I was hiding a dark, unhappy person.

Finally, at age 63, I feel normal (!), and a lot of that is due to pregabalin. I take the maximum dose, 600 mg, but I don't feel the need to increase that, nor has it ever stopped working. I do think when you start taking it, some initial tolerance develops, so you do need to increase the dose at first. However, most people find a steady dose that suits them that they don't need to increase. It's a good sign that the initial dose worked for you - it doesn't work for everybody. Good luck, and hopefully you will find a steady dose that continues to work for you.

[fretty freda]

Many Thanks for you response . Im pleased to hear you doing so well . Its amazing when people finally find a solution . Finding a medication that works is a massive task and a struggle . Any more experiences with pregablin anyone please

[Utah49er]

This has been exactly my experience with pregabalin so far. Felt great after 1st dose of 75mgs, totally normal, such a relief I actually broke down and cried (which as a 34 YO man I NEVER do haha). Started taking 75mgs twice a day, took an edge off after each dose, but effects seemed to lessen. Then went up to 75 mgs 3 times a day, now on 150mgs 3 times a day. When I started 150mgs 3 times a day, I thought I had my anxiety solved. I slept til my alarm for the 1st time in 4 months since this anxiety episode started. Felt little to no anxiety, until about an hour or two before it was time for the next dose. Today is my 3rd day on 150mgs 3 times, and I feel like I am kind of going backwards. So like you, not sure what to do. I am no longer on a low dose, and I am still far from feeling back to my normal self. Just wanted to let you know, I totally understand how you feel, and would also appreciate any insight or opinions from people who have taken this drug, and maybe had a similar experience.

[Cherryade]

I have been taking 150mgs a day for about 8 months and after the first 3 weeks it has been fine. I am going through a pretty bad patch at the moment and I am still coping. So its working for me so far.

[akb]

The problem with evaluating the efficacity of Lyrica came out in a similar discussion a few weeks ago.

It transpired that the most enthusiastic advocates of this drug were not only on the highest dose, but combining it with an antidepressants, typically mirtazapine.

Lyrica has not been approved in Oz, apparently because it is not deemed effective.

The scores on drug.com for any drug is typically 75% or more because those it doesn't work for don't vote.

I'm now trying to come off Lyrica but finding it difficult.

But at the end of the day, some drugs work for some and not for others.

The only thing that does seem to help with anxiety for anyone is acceptance using mindfulness techniques. This takes time and patience and is fraught with setbacks.

[akb]

A better question to ask may be, who has experienced benefits using pregabalin and nothing else?

and what are you doing besides medication to help yourself

[Utah49er]

A better question to ask may be, who has experienced benefits using pregabalin and nothing else?

and what are you doing besides medication to help yourself

From just looking at this forum, it would appear "skymaid" and "SarahH" experienced a full remission from pretty bad GAD and a little OCD with nothing but pregabalin and some mindfulness based CBT.

[akb]

Hi Utah

I can relate to your struggles. Its horrible.

I just wonder whether you're fuelling your anxiety by. comparing with others too much. PDU has extensive knowledge of meds and I use him a lot, but even he would probably admit he is not infallible, same as any psych doc.

Meds work differently for different people as we all know.

If you can find a distraction it would help. Outdoor exercise. swimming is great. The. yoga and mindfulness. Every time you do it, you will knock a fraction of anxiety off.

I'm sure you'll be OK. Try and live as much as you can in the present.

Akbar

[Utah49er]

I totally agree, I am sure I am fueling it and looking for success stories has become a bit of an obsession. I need to quit looking for answers and love life, but that is easier said than done when you feel so terrible, it switched overnight, and you just can't get any relief for a long time. I have a great CBT therapist and I have been running a lot, ran 14 miles last Sunday, just because I had the time and could. Kind of a conundrum, I am trying to accept the anxiety and try to not fixate on "if I am getting better," but then I am taking Pregabalin and Paxil to make it go away and get better. Hard for me to reconcile the two, I am supposed to ignore whether I am feeling better or not, all the while paying attention to see if Paxil is "kicking in" and will work for me. Sorry for the rant, and I very much appreciate your post!

[akb]

Hi there

You're doing the best you can which is all you can do. Many of us are or have been in the same situation as you and can understand completely what you're going through.

As for me, well, my medications aren't working at all and I'm in a Kafka esque situation without access to a doctor, so I'm going the natural route. Eventually I want to start a new AD so will be in your situation.

You'll be fine. Just switch off that fight mechanism. Of course easier said than done.

akb

[mary jane]

I took Lyrica in 2014 for nerve pain and it was a magic pill, I would build a shrine for it if I could and make it my new God (no offence) ... it also made me feel really really happy in the first week, second week my skin went numb (you could no longer tickle me), nerve pain disappeared...I even had surgery on it and had NO POSTOPERATIVE PAIN AT ALL ...
It worked on my anxiety too but only for the first 3 4 months...after 8 months I weaned off because I had the feeling it caused problems swallowing somehow..but it may have been rebound anxiety..
Withdrawal was hell and my entire body hurt, fatigued, felt off.

Would I still take it ?
YES, especially since my nerve pain has relapsed for no apparent reason