Newcomer to Pregabalin seeking some insight

Hi all!

I’m very new to Pregabalin, took my first dose tonight actually, and would like to reach out for a bit of support and to ask a couple of questions :) I’ve been started on 75mg a night which will go up to 2x75mg, in two weeks time.

I’ve felt wary about this drug :unsure: a sentiment I’ve seen expressed by others in other threads. I have ongoing issues with anxiety (along with depression and ADHD) which I would very much like to find an effective treatment for, as the SNRIs didn’t really help me much this time around.

I have in the last 6 months really stepped up my fitness and I do feel this has had some positive impact on my mood and self-esteem. Looking forward, I have a dissertation for my master’s degree to complete in the coming months. I guess I’m kind of worried about side effects, because it would suck if I started piling on weight when my fitness has helped me to take some pride in myself. Additionally, the idea of cognitive side effects is not appealing to me. I need my cognitive faculties for my MA - and my various diagnoses have already done such a number on my memory and my ability to string sentences together in front of other people. I had to present on my research recently and the task of speaking coherently in front of a room full of people was incredibly daunting!!! I also work part-time, and interacting with colleagues can be, well, hard sometimes. So yeah, big on the social anxiety, problems with focusing on my work, and so desperately wanting to avoid being unable to think clearly about my topic and having a harder time communicating with others.

And of course, I have internet access, so naturally I have read horror stories. The more balanced accounts on here, and the positive ones, have honestly been so encouraging.

I was wondering if anyone knows much about the prevalence of cognitive side effects? Has anyone managed to avoid these completely? Any ADHD folk around who have tried this medication - experiences? (I can’t tolerate ADHD meds, unfortunately :frown: so I can't rely on stimulant medication to counteract any grogginess or loss of focus)

I was also wondering about stopping the medication if I need to. I can see that this drug has the potential to be a difficult one to taper off. If I did experience significant weight gain and cognitive issues, would these be resolved as soon as I’ve tapered off? Looking for a bit of reassurance, I suppose, that any side effects I experience are reversible whenever I choose to stop (which I know probably sounds like a silly worry to have…)

Thanks!!
B.

I started taking Pregabalin almost two years ago now. I am on 75mg twice a day. It has made a huge difference to my life and although I still get anxious occasionally, it always passes.
I found that any side effects disappeared after 2-3 weeks. I think I went through the leaflet and counted 15 different side effects I had but they were all minor (dry mouth, dizzy, cough etc). My thinking abilities were not affected at all.
Please don't try and talk yourself off the drug until you see whether it will help you or not. Be positive and keep an open mind. Worry about coming off it when or if this ever happens. Give it a good couple of months and please remember that it can be very beneficial even at lower doses like 150mg.

Hi Blakesaysno

The issue i find being on 600Mg per day is loss of short term memory. Words just do not come out, names of colleagues who I have worked with for years but this is rare - maybe only a few incidents a week.

I also find that I wet the bed Oops! maybe 6 times or so in the last 5 years. I put this down to the pregabalin as i am still in my 30's.

But I hold down a position where I speak openly and present the odd presentation but it is always on the subject matter that I know well. yes , very anxious but i get through it. the Pregabalin helps in these situations rather than hinder me.



I would like to taper down the medication. I have thought about this for a while now but I think it will be really hard to come off. I once stupidly did not take any pregabalin I think for maybe 36 hours and went for a drive and stopped at a service station. I remember a door closing and it was like a gun going off to me. I got some fright, everywhere I turned loud noises. I remember feeling my eyelashes touch just below my eyebrows and thinking what is that. they obviously touch here all the time but the pregabalin blocks this feeling out. So i imagine blocks every other feeling out as well but I suppose this is how it works and has got me through some many tough recent years.

Keep exercising. I wish you all the best.

Thanks both!

Cherryade, I definitely won't let my reservations stop me from at least giving this a go. I think you're right, keeping an open mind about it and not planning expecting the worst to happen is important!

Max_dose thanks for the insight into how it's affected you, that withdrawal experience sounds a bit unpleasant. If you want to taper down I hope you manage it, I've read another user on here describing their experience tapering off it successfully, so it can be done!

My first day on it yesterday felt weird. I wasn't expecting to be able to feel the effects of a medication I'd taken the night before all through the day, but feel it I did! It kind of felt like being drunk, which made for an interesting day at work. But there was undeniably a calming effect, and I was pleased about that. I haven't felt the effects of it quite so strongly today, I must admit, but I do feel that my anxiety has still been reduced. As I haven't immediately been afflicted with memory loss or the inability to recall vocab I'm going to proceed with cautious optimism, I guess?!

hi blake im on pregabalin, i take 300mg each night before bed

i did feel something taking the pregabalin when i first started out (a little drunk feeling like you describe), i didnt start on 300mg but worked up slowly to that

anyway i dont get any sort of feeling taking it now but it works really well for stopping anxiety (i dont get any anxiety at all now, literally none)

i have not experienced any problems with memory loss myself, in fact quite the opposite. now that my mind is clearer again and not filled with depression and anxiety (i take 150mg venlafaxine each day along with the 300mg pregabalin at night), i have been learning some new things, mathematics to be more specific, it is something i wanted to learn for a long time but i always had poor concentration and poor memory. amazingly now i am learning it really well and remembering it really well, so if you do hear stories about pregabalin causing memory loss, then rest assured that doesnt apply to everyone, and for me it has turned out to be quite the opposite. my memory is fine, better than ever :)

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Originally Posted by sun43

hi blake im on pregabalin, i take 300mg each night before bed

i did something taking the pregabalin when i first started out (a little drunk feeling like you describe), i didnt start on 300mg but worked up slowly to that

anyway i dont get any sort of feeling taking it now but it works really well for stopping anxiety (i dont get any anxiety at all now, literally none)

i have not experienced any problems with memory loss myself, in fact quite the opposite. now that my mind is clearer again and not filled with depression and anxiety (i take 150mg venlafaxine each day along with the 300mg pregabalin at night), i have been learning some new things, mathematics to be more specific, it is something i wanted to learn for a long time but i always had poor concentration and poor memory. amazingly now i am learning it really well and remembering it really well, so if you do hear stories about pregabalin causing memory loss, then rest assured that doesnt apply to everyone, and for me it has turned out to be quite the opposite. my memory is fine, better than ever :)

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Excellent news, Sun. Always good to read positive stories about meds, amidst the usual doom and gloom of "increased anxiety" and waiting for them to "work" :D

Sun thanks for the insight into how you've been finding it :D great to read a positive experience! At the moment being thirsty pretty much constantly is the main side effect I'm dealing with, and if that's what I've picked out of the lucky dip for this medication then believe me I am fiiiine with that. I would've taken worse...
Although I must say 75g isn't really doing much for my anxiety at this stage. Not feeling quite so scared of taking the increase in dose next week any more!

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Originally Posted by BlakeSaysNo

Sun thanks for the insight into how you've been finding it :D great to read a positive experience! At the moment being thirsty pretty much constantly is the main side effect I'm dealing with, and if that's what I've picked out of the lucky dip for this medication then believe me I am fiiiine with that. I would've taken worse...
Although I must say 75g isn't really doing much for my anxiety at this stage. Not feeling quite so scared of taking the increase in dose next week any more!

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Good news you haven't had any major side effects. I do think you need to increase to at least 150mg for full benefits of med, but go at your own pace and good luck :shades: