Best way to reduce Pregabalin dosage

[msw]

I am taking 100mg Pregabalin three times a day and am looking to reduce my dose.

I was wondering if it was better to keep taking the 100mg in the evening and reduce the afternoon dose or the other way around or is it different for different people ?

I am not looking to stop taking it altogether but just to reduce the amount I take.

[BobbyDog]

I have tried this my self unsuccessfully on many occasions, I would do it very slowly. If you are only reducing by 100mg you may not have any problems though, whether you miss the lunch time or evening I am not sure, perhaps you could take your morning dose later and take another about tea time. When I reduced my dose I found it hard to get to sleep at night.

[Mark13]

Welcome to the forum msw.

If it were me, I'd cut out the afternoon dose.

I was on pregabalin for 4 months, 300mg morning and evening.

It worked fine for me at the time, although the drug has a short half-life I found taking my doses 10-12 hours apart was fine, there was no increase in anxiety between times.

[hanshan]

Can I ask why you want to reduce your dose? Have you discussed this with your doctor?

[SarahH]

I have just reduced my dose from 400 to 300 a day. I did this because I did not want to be so spaced out. For a few days I felt a little bit more anxiety BUT it was a different feeling so I knew it was withdrawal symptoms. For the last 3 days I have felt much better. Very little anxiety and far less spaced out.

I now take 200 in the morning and 100 late afternoon.

Having said that I will increase the dose if things get bad again.

Good luck

[msw]

Thanks for the replies. I have been on the 50mg 3 times a day since Jan 2012, I went up to 100mg 3 times a day in about July 2012.

Recently I have been sufferring from a lot of fatigue and thought it would be worthwhile to reduce to a lower dose to see how I feel. I have discussed this with my doctor and I am expecting to see a psychatrist in about two months..

I am also trying to increase the amount of exercise I do while I am reducing my dose.

I like the idea of modifying to two doses a day. I might try that out.

[SarahH]

HI just to warn you.....I have put my dose back up to the 400 a day as I found my "breakthrough" anxiety was breaking through too much. I was using valium on a daily basis. Although a small dose I put the pregabalin back up 5 days ago and have not had to use valium in those 5 days. I am putting up being a bit spacey at times in the day as the anxiety has 99% gone on this dose.

Just a tip.....

Sarah

[purgatory]

Hi I'm reducing my pregabalin at the moment I was on 125mg three times a day but over 3 weeks I have reduced it to 100mg three times a day.

Next week I will reduce to 100 twice a day and one dose of 75mg for a 2 week period and then reduce again.

My doctor has said becasue I have been on them for 21months now I must do it slow bit so far no withdrawal symptoms just noticing some pain returning in my face (was put on to treat nerve pain and anxiety) but I can live with the pain.


So coming off the should be done in small reductions

[msw]

I have been on the 200mg dose (from 300mg) now for a couple of weeks.

The most notable changes I have noticed is that I have been constipated and also I partially-feinted on the train (which only had standing room when I joined) on the way to work earlier this week. (i.e. I didn't blank out)

I am not sure that my anxiety has got any worse in the past two weeks, so that is good. So am going to carry on with this.

[hanshan]

It's good to see that the 200 mg (total taken twice a day) is working for you.

Please note that many symptoms occur independently of any drug we are taking. We can't automatically say that a symptom is caused by a new drug, just because taking the new drug and the symptom come close together.

Best to think about whether it's helping your anxiety.