anyone else taking pregabalin? don't seem to be a popular med

[Kayla-Marie]

??

[Mark13]

Well as you know, I am. There are a few more folk on Pregabalin, who you'll see posted in my diary thread. It's not a popular med because it's still patented and therefore expensive. It costs over £60 a month to the GP's practice, whereas fluoxetine costs them about £1 a month because it's generic.

[Kayla-Marie]

ahh thats why my gp was reluctant to prescribe it then!! thanks mark x

[Mark13]

There's also the fact that it started as an anti-epileptic seizure drug, was then used for nerve pain, and was only licenced for anxiety treatment in 2006, so many GPs aren't aware it can be used for anxiety so are reluctant to try it.

My own GP had only ever prescribed it for nerve pain but was good enough to look it up, then prescribe it.

[ricardo]

Mark,

over here pregablin is called lyrica and as you rightly say it was originally prescribed as an anti epileptic drug .
Having tried so many different SSRI drugs, which I am intolerent to mainly because of urine retention, my doctor urged me to take Lyrica (which can be bought over the counter at a fraction of the cost in the UK) but it had no effect for me except a huge amount of weight gain.

I have major stress in my life at the moment and apart from 2 x 40mg Propranolol and trankamazin 2mg which is very addictive I have not been offered any other drugs.

[Mark13]

Ricardo

Yeah, it's Lyrica here too but I've got used to just using generic names.

TBH I'm suffering now with these, I had a few days last week when I felt they were helping, but since Saturday, my anxiety is high. They do seem to be helping my visual perception though, things seems sharper at times and my head clearer.

I started on Propranolol yesterday too (a day after feeling bad on Lyrica) and that's made me a little dizzy and foggy headed, but I've been on it before with no problems.

Anxiety still high though and I'm supposed to be going back to work on Thursday

[Kayla-Marie]

sorry to hear your not doing so good now mark :( can i just ask what is lyrica/pregabalin supposed to help with the most? general anxiety or a panic attack?

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 21:07 ----------

do you have the derealization/depersonlization at all?

[Ats666]

These tablets were helping me, but my anxiety has become worse lately, now I've just read a thread saying that pregabalin causes heart problems. I am now panicking. Has anyone else read this as I don't want to just come off them, but I'm now scared to take them

[Kayla-Marie]

surely drs would'nt prescribe them for any ailment if they cause heart problems....

[Mark13]

[QUOTE=Ats666;1099254now I've just read a thread saying that pregabalin causes heart problems.[/QUOTE]
Don't believe everything you read. Check the official and scholarly literature not hearsay.

Heart failure is very rare due to this drug and the vast majority of these rare cases are elderly people with existing advanced heart disease.