mini survey

[ems43]

Hi there

I am considering starting pregablin as my pdoc recommeneded it and really I do think it is my anxiety causig my depression. Am also on mitrazpine.

I just wondered if you kind people woul do me a favour and fill ina mini survey about your experiences of it. I had a look for user ratings on google but many people who filled this in were using it for back pain etc, not GAD.

So.... I wondered

overall- what would you score it out of 10 on how effective has been for you?

what was your main presenting anxiety symptom, eg, panic, intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts, weird thoughts or all of the above?

what has been your experience of the side effects?

AS YOU can see, I am highly anxious about starting it and just wanted to get soem feedback. Many thanks, ems x

[Belfry1973]

9/10 but had it with counselling.

Had anxiety, some agrophobia, panic attacks, weird weird thoughts, most of the symptoms actually!

Side effects were annoying to begin with, dry mouth, strange whooshing feeling in my head, forgetting certain words or saying them wrong. I still have the dry mouth after 4 months.
Benefits have far outweighed the side effects though, they were annoying but not unbearable.

I think if you read about most peoples experiences they are all positive. One tip! Take them on a full stomach!

Good Luck!

Bel

[ems43]

Thanks Bel, I know most people are scared of starting new meds I think just because they are an anti-epliepsy med it is worrying me more. I go through stages of thinking, right i have read so many positive reviews/ something needs to change etc I will give them a try... then i get really scared and think oh god what am i doing to my brain?? Hopefully i will have the balls to agree to start them on Friday. thansk for your support xx

[Belfry1973]

Aaah, are you worried about them giving you epilepsy? That really is going to happen! I've had epilepsy for over 20years now, and became much more anxious after having a seizure this year. So a two pronged approach was tried with Pregabalin for both things, and so far they have improved both!

Believe me, no one with epilepsy would take a drug is they thought it was going to give the more seizures, we just wouldnt take that risk. Honestly, this drug is not going to induce epileptic seizures in you at all!

[ems43]

Thanks bel, no i wasn't really too worried about that ( suprisingly!) ... i think i just worry that if they are used for eplilepsy they must be pretty strong and powerful meds... as i am writing this i am realising the stupidity of these fears as i antidepressents are also very powerful meds and i take these! x

[Belfry1973]

Not all AEDS are strong and powerful, some are like Sodium Valproate and Lamictal which can both be used for bi-polar disorder, but pregabalin is used for pain, GAD and Epilepsy. People rarely use pregabalin on its own but use it alongside another AED

[JT69]

Hi Ems,


I have been taking pregabalin since June....if you look back at my thread Scared to take pregabalin that may help you.

It has really helped me and though I still have "blips" they are much more manageable since taking pregabalin.

I take 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night...I also still take 15mg of mirtazipine and am currently in a dilema wether to come off it or not...dont know how I will be just taking the pregabalin....even though I dont think the mirtazipine is helping me much any more apart from sleep as been on 15mg for some weeks now.

Let me know how you get on. I just felt a bit dizzy when first taking it but nothing too much to worry about.

Good luck.
Jo.xx

[ems43]

thanks Jo- i just had a look at your old post and definetly reflects how I'm thinking right now. I guess I just need to bite the bullet... hope you are doing well xx

[ems43]

well i saw the psychiatrist this morn, who i actually really rate , and thought i should give the mirt a go for a bit longer then if things don't settle down to try pregablin. He said that his experience is that people with very chronic anxiety, that rarely abates, respond best to it. In some ways i think i do fall under that category ( had it for over 15 years) but then again I have had periods of coping quite well. Don't know why but jsut feel a bit down about it now, hada really rough couple of days of what i presume are panic attacks ( though last about 4 hours) on top of constant high anxiety. My period is due next week and I know I am always worse around this time but maybe I should have been more assertive with him and asked to try anyway. I just want my life back, want ot get back to work, am so tired of this ruining everything. So moan over, maybe I will ask to see him earlier than 4 weeks and review then x

[VivreSaVie]

Hi there. I've found pregabalin absolutely incredible. I have panic disorder, really bad anticipatory anxiety, panic attacks etc etc, and pregabalin has done wonders for me. I started on 75mg twice a day, and am now on 100mg twice a day. Apart from feeling quite stoned and dizzy for a day or so when I started taking them (and again when I went up in dose) I have had absolutely no side effects whatsoever.

I was so paranoid and anxious about taking them as well to begin with, but I did some CBT on myself (what's the worse that can happen, you can always stop taking them, you have nothing to lose, you can cope with side effects if they happen etc etc etc) and just took a deep breath and gobbled one down. Now I'm pretty much back to normal, and thanking God for the life-saver that is pregabalin!

PS. I'm also on citalopram 20mg too, if this helps...

[ems43]

oh thats great, how long have you been on them for? x

[belvederebabe]

Thanks bel, no i wasn't really too worried about that ( suprisingly!) ... i think i just worry that if they are used for eplilepsy they must be pretty strong and powerful meds... as i am writing this i am realising the stupidity of these fears as i antidepressents are also very powerful meds and i take these! x


I totally agree, I have had epilepsy and been on another epilepsy medication called tegretol, I have recently been put on Pregabalin to help my anxiety and Fibro...

You have no worries about them giving you epilepsy what so ever.