Can't stand side effects any more

[Montyzoo]

Hi

Been on preg for maybe 4 weeks now gradually increased to 450 which I've been on for a week. The only way this has helped me is that I'm calmer. But I'm gaining weight, still getting bad attacks of muscle aches lasting days, and my resting heart rate is up approx 10 bpm to 78 which I'm really unhappy with. Seriously thinking I've had enough of this experiment. Feel quite upset. Any advice please?

---------- Post added at 07:51 ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 ----------

I'm so upset about it I think I'm going to start reducing the dosage though I've read it's really hard to phase it out (is just a few weeks on preg still hard to phase out?)

[hanshan]

Hi Montyzoo - Are you taking pregabalin for anxiety? If so, you say it is making you calmer so it is probably doing you some good.

As for the side effects, they do decrease over time. You can control weight by being a bit more vigilant. I don't know about the heart rate and I'm not sure that pregabalin is a treatment for muscle pains. Heat treatment or a lotion may be better.

All in all, if you've only been taking it for four weeks and one week at 450 mg per day, it might be worth persisting for a while. Nevertheless, if you decide to stop, you haven't been taking it for long, so there shouldn't be any major difficulty. Some people can stop cold turkey without problems, but a short taper down is recommended.

[dondi]

Hi Monty

If you decide to reduce you shouldn't get withdrawal effects since you have only been on it a short time.

I would suggest cutting straight down to 300 for one week then 150 for another. If that goes well, then to 100 and from there 25 per week. As you may have read, I was up to 450 for over a year and had no difficulties taper ing till I hit 50.

[snowghost57]

Wow that's a lot of drug. Have you tried CBT therapy for anxiety? Only side effect is getting better!

[hanshan]

The milligram content of a medication isn't an automatic measure of its potency. 450 mg is just under half a gram, about one tenth of a level teaspoon. One paracetamol/acetaminophen tablet in Australia is 500 mg, and people can take up to eight tablets in 24 hours, ie 4,000 mg in 24 hours.