Just started on pregabalin, my choice...

[stucun]

Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster lol...

Suffered from panic attacks and general anxiety for 2 years now, it seems stress at work broke me (i'm a lab tech in a microbiology lab of a busy childrens hospital) :( I was on 10mg of escitalopram for a while (didn't work) and 80mg propranolol bd. Now i'm on 30mg of Mirtazapine (excellent drug, apart from weight gain, but cant speak highly enough of how much this has helped me) which has taken all my panic attacks away, so now i'm just left with general anxiety which is a pain..

So i went to mp gp and asked to try pregabalin 75mg bd (twice a day)... Well what an amusing day i've had lol, a mix of spaced out stoned feeling and a wee bit of nausea thrown in for good measure. From what i've read here taking them on an empty stomach (which i did) seems to potentiate stronger side effects.. Is that the consensus from people?

I'll stick them out and see what happens!! I hope they dont last long, cant be off work much more and i ride a motorbike as a daily commute so cant be all spaced out on it!

Stuart

[Belfry1973]

Good luck to you and I hope you are successful! I've been on them 6 months now and still get the occasional side effect, mainly the dry mouth the benefits far outway them.
But, I've come to the opinion that they may not be enough on their own, what they've done for me is allow me to look at whats been making me stressed and anxious and allow me to deal with it through counselling instead of trying to ignore it!

And yes, I think the consensus of everybody is that they should be taken on a full stomach, and 6 months later this is still true!

[JT69]

Hi Stuart,

I take 200mg of pregabalin (100 in the morning and 100mg at night), I also currently take 15mg of mirtazipine. The pregabalin have helped me enormously with General anxiety....so pleased I was reccommended them. The side effects you describe are common and will disappear. Good luck with them.

Jo.xx

[stucun]

Hi, just a quick update, 4 days in and no real side effects, bit woozy in the head just now but thats because i thought i'd try a couple of beers.. Taking them with food definitely helps... On the plus side, i know these should reach full therapeutic levels after a week but i can honestly say the feelings of anxiety i've been having constantly, the past few weeks especially, have disappeared, or at least i think they have... Strange feeling, i don't really feel anything except a bit hyper sometimes and the rest of the time... well, its not anxious put it that way! :)

Stuart

[Belfry1973]

Be aware though, or maybe this is just me, that the effects can be up and down in the first few weeks, even months. I would think its going great side effects gone, then boom, back again!
For the first few weeks I felt fab and did everything I wanted, then one morning woke up feeling exactly as I did the day before I started them.
So dont be surprised if this does happen, dont get down about it, this is just the medication settling in, it also happens if you have the dose changed. Persist and it'll work all the time, it took a fair few weeks for mine to settle in properly.

Bel
X

[stucun]

Hey Bel, i never expect too much from medicines too soon, for example the cipralex i was on never really did much at all, but on the plus side i never had any side effects apart from some headaches for the first week... Then the mirtazapine, knocked me out for 2 days then thats me fine, no side effects, even on dose changes but it did work, people seen a change in me and i slowly noticed them take all the panic attacks away... Now this pregabalin, one week in and i've noticed a big change in my anxiety very quickly, esp. doing things i would avoid (big social occasions/large gatherings etc) and i have had zero side effects, apart from more then normal flatulence (it is listed as a side effect, im not trying to lower the tone lol) I have never really suffered side effects from any medicines (lucky me..) but i will keep what you've said in mind and not get complacent etc!

Keep fighting the good fight people!

Stuart