Starting in a week.... I think?!!!

[ewood79]

Hey guys,

After being on 20mg of Escitaloprom for the last 8 months after coming off a high dose if its older version Citalopram my shrink is going to introduce a night dose of 75mg Lyrica.

Going to use this in combination with Lexapro and see how we go.... Might just be the little top up I need instead of having a Valium every now and then and to reduce the risk of getting dependent on the Valium.

Any thoughts of what to expect would be great.....

Cheers

Jarrod

[BobbyDog]

It sounds like a fantastic idea to me. If you are only taking 75mg, the side effects should be minimal and it will probably help you sleep. The Pregabalin has reduced the severity of my panic attacks enough for me to think about resuming a semi "normal" life again.

[ewood79]

It's used off label here and my shrinks is Austrian..... She is trained there and here in Australia..... She says its been used in the European Union for over 10 years for Anxiety....

I'm anxious about introducing it but it the positives out way the negatives for me!

She says dosage etc is something made up by the pharmaceutical company the more people take the more money they make.... Her patients only take the 75mg dose at night and this seems to be fine..... I'm wondering how I will feel etc with the one dose at night and if it would still be in my system during the day...

How long have you been on it and what dose? What were your side effects etc....

Cheers

[JT69]

Hi ewood,

Best decision I ever made going onto this medication...I take 50mg twice daily along with 7.5mg of mirtazipine and it totally changed my life around...no more general anxiety...I used to suffer most of the time and especially when I first woke up and would take hours for it to go...I now just have very slight anxiety on waking but as soon as I am up and about it has all gone.

Very little in the way of side effects too!!

Hope it goes well.

Jo.x

[ewood79]

Thanks for the reply Jo!

I'm glad it's been good for you

X

[hanshan]

Hi Jarrod,

Good luck with pregabalin - it's been a life-changer for me, and I wish it had been around years ago.

I have a job in Japan now, but I understand pregabalin is still not approved for anxiety by the PBS (Australian government Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for those not from Australia), meaning you have to pay the full cost of the medicine. This may be partly behind your doctor's prescribing a low dose. The good news is that if it is going to work at all, it usually is apparent with a low dose. Even if you have to up the dose a bit, it's still not much more than what people happily pay for a daily caffeine hit from their local barista!

[ewood79]

Thanks for the reply and you are right it's not covered here on the PBS and its used off label for anxiety.

My shrink is Austrian so she has known about it for years and can't believe how taboo it is when mentioned for anxiety especially when it has such good reviews.

I just have to grow some balls to start it up!!!!! I guess using it with the lexapro will just top me up a little as the last couple of months I have had to have a Valium every now an then... 4 in the last 2 months....

I'm hoping its the thing along with my counselling that will rid this ******* illness once and for all!

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 21:09 ----------

Tell me Hanshan what side effects did you have if any and what do you feel in regards to the benefit etc...... The 3 or 4 patients she has on it at the moment are only on the 75mg dose at night and are all doing super well.....

[hanshan]

My side effects were (1) somewhat dizzy, light-headed feeling for a week or two, (2) dry mouth, (3) sometimes a bit uncoordinated when walking. All of those were temporary and are now completely gone. Unfortunately, it can knock sexual performance back a few notches or completely for some people - you'll find that on another thread. If that happens to you, you'll soon know about it, but the only way to find out is to try the drug.

All in all, it cleared up years of persistent anxiety almost overnight, and for me it's worth the temporary side effects. What's even better is that it doesn't make me feel either high or sedated, just normal. I'm not entirely anxiety-free, but it's at a level I can deal with.

Don't be concerned about giving pregabalin a try - 75 mg is a fairly low dose, so side effects should be minimal, if at all.

[ewood79]

Ok I appreciate your replies! I've been googling all the possible side affects and I'm freaking out a bit but I'm sure there the same warnings for lexapro and Valium and every other drug we take?!!

[hanshan]

Aspirin (intestinal bleeding) and paracetamol (liver damage) have very serious potential side effects in overdose, yet they are freely sold in supermarkets in Australia. Medicines like pregabalin are actually safer than aspirin in this respect.

Have no fear taking pregabalin. Any side effects are likely to be temporary, and will quickly subside if you feel the need to stop the medication.