Bloated, swollen abdomen

[BobbyDog]

I have been taking Pregabalin for just over a week now, my dose was increased a couple of days ago to 300mg, most side effects are minimal, exept that I have a swollen abdomen, my tummy is really bloated, I feel as though I have eaten a three course meal all the time and feel really uncomfortable, is this normal anyone please help?

[BobbyDog]

I have been taking Pregabalin for just over a week now, my dose was increased a couple of days ago to 300mg, most side effects are minimal, exept that I have a swollen abdomen, my tummy is really bloated, I feel as though I have eaten a three course meal all the time and feel really uncomfortable, is this normal anyone please help?

Someone please reply to me..........
This bloated feeling is making me hyperventilate, cannot cope with the full feeling I have in my stomach.

[suzy-sue]

HI Bobby ..SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects of pregabalin are dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, edema (accumulation of fluid), blurred vision, weight gain, .......If it doesnt settle down have a word with your Gp .Most side effects do settle once you have got used to the drug and new dose ..Try not to worry and cut down on salt intake as this also causes edema .White bread and carbs cause wind and this too causes bloating due to a build up of Gas .Try to avoid and see if theres any improvement Use the Brown varieties ..T/c Sue x

[BobbyDog]

HI Bobby ..SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects of pregabalin are dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, edema (accumulation of fluid), blurred vision, weight gain, .......If it doesnt settle down have a word with your Gp .Most side effects do settle once you have got used to the drug and new dose ..Try not to worry and cut down on salt intake as this also causes edema .White bread and carbs cause wind and this too causes bloating due to a build up of Gas .Try to avoid and see if theres any improvement Use the Brown varieties ..T/c Sue x

Thank you so much!

[hanshan]

Bloating is not usually associated with pregabalin.

If it's your first week, you might still have stress or anxiety issues affecting your eating patterns or your body's response. Hopefully, this will settle in a few days as the pregabalin starts to have an effect.

[neowallace]

Hi BobbyDog

I am taking 450mg just now. I have a large hiatus hernia anyway but have noticed a lot more tummy problems. I have put about a stone in weight on and also have been feeling really bloated. I am now having to really watch what I am eating and this is hard for someone like me who loves food. I am seeing shrink on Thursday thinking about reducing or stopping. So I would agree it is a side effect certainly for me. Hope you are feeling better. Try double action gaviscon liquid it is expensive but does help.

Take care
Steven

[Charlie Maneh]

It kind of annoys me to read some of these comments that say "Stomach bloating isn't normally associated with Pregabalin because when people say that , I know they're just going by the pretty vague list of side effects found on the leaflet which comes with the capsules. Those leaflets hardly ever include the real side effects that people have to endure. They leave out all the nasty stuff usually. Especially when it comes to withdrawals.

Anyway, what I wanted to say was......yes bloated belly is associated with Pregabalin because I too have it, badly. My stomach is bloated out like I'm pregnant most of the time, and I'm a man. It's like it's filled up to the max with air. It's ridiculous. It started happening about a month after I started taking it and went up to 600mg a day. Its so bad now that I'm considering trying to come off the Pregabalin, which is a real shame as it does good things for me too. Also, I googled "Bloated belly from Lyrica" and found that there were many results for forums where people are all complaining of the same thing. So yes, it is associated with Lyrica. I can't fit into most of trousers/jeans these days. Weight gain and extreme bloated belly.

[hanshan]

Hello Charlie,

Sorry to hear about your problems while taking pregabalin. I agree that the list of potential side effects that comes with most medications is not very helpful, mostly because so many conditions are listed, and the list usually only relates to people in the start-up phase of the medication. That means long-term effects like weight gain may get under-reported. Also, there is no list of withdrawal effects. Another difficulty is that if a patient says something like "I felt like I was drunk and couldn't stand up straight", it will be duly recorded as "dizziness" and "lack of coordination". If a patient complains about "bloating", it may be recorded as "dyspepsia" (I'm not sure about that).

Nevertheless.... one website that combines reports of side effects from different sources (eHealthMe) says "On Nov, 25, 2014: 64,323 people reported to have side effects when taking Lyrica. Among them, 5 people (0.01%) have Abdominal Bloating".

[Avasmummy_x]

I've been on pregabablin 3weeks and its funny you should say this ive had really bad bloating the past week and don't know why x

[hanshan]

One possible explanation is that these medications affect the balance of the gut bacteria. These digest otherwise indigestible things like fibre, but produce gas in the process. Gas may be appearing in unexpected parts of the digestive system, giving a feeling of bloating.

Also, as Christmas approaches, for those lucky enough, more and richer food is put out to welcome people, which again the digestive system is not used to dealing with.