Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Pregabalin and anxiety

  1. #1

    Question Pregabalin and anxiety

    Hi everyone,
    I'm new here and not sure if this is the right place to post this, so please forgive me if I am posting in totally the wrong place. I have read some threads about the use of pregabalin for anxiety but still have some questions of my own. I would appreciate your advice.
    I have been on pregabalin since March of this year and although I have had brief respites in my anxiety, it is still in full force most days. My psychiatrist has wanted to up my dosage many times but I resisted until last week when he suggested very strongly that I should up my dose to 450mg (150mg x 3). I have done this but am anxious about this.

    I have for many weeks experienced a hot feeling in my chest and tingling down my arms. I wake in the morning, sweating and with a heat type rash on my abdomen (both wear off when I am up)
    Could this be due to the pregabalin or is this anxiety?
    Or is it that I have become used to the previous dose of pregabalin and it doesn't work any more?

    Does anyone find that they urinate less on Pregabalin. I do significantly in the afternoon but my legs and arms do not swell up.

    Sometimes, I just find myself a little detached from what is going on around me, almost like I am not really there. I feel like I am watching life go on but am not really part of it. Could that be pregabalin or is it anxiety?

    I could go on forever with questions but will stop there for now. My doctor and psychiatrist keep telling me it is my anxiety but I don't seem to be able to accept that and blame every unusual sensation I experience on the medication I am taking. I also take 30mg Mirtazapine at night.

    Sorry to go on but I would appreciate any thoughts on this,
    Many thanks.

  2. #2
    SarahH's Avatar
    SarahH is offline Most Naughty-ish Member Ever
    Country:
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    1,688

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    I take 400mgs a day which I am told is the theraputic dose for anxiety. Depersonalisation is a side effect of pregabalin, and one that during the early days of taking I suffered from. Sometimes I still get moments of detachment even now. But it passes within a couple of hours.
    I dont know about the hot feeling in your chest and tingling but if your Dr has checked you out then perhaps it is anxiety related.....our minds can do strange things!!!

    I ma happy to put up with side effects if it kills the anxiety, which is does for 90% of the time for me.

    Hope thats helps.

    Sarah

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    26

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Quote Originally Posted by allotmentgirl View Post
    Hi everyone,
    I'm new here and not sure if this is the right place to post this, so please forgive me if I am posting in totally the wrong place. I have read some threads about the use of pregabalin for anxiety but still have some questions of my own. I would appreciate your advice.
    I have been on pregabalin since March of this year and although I have had brief respites in my anxiety, it is still in full force most days. My psychiatrist has wanted to up my dosage many times but I resisted until last week when he suggested very strongly that I should up my dose to 450mg (150mg x 3). I have done this but am anxious about this.

    I have for many weeks experienced a hot feeling in my chest and tingling down my arms. I wake in the morning, sweating and with a heat type rash on my abdomen (both wear off when I am up)
    Could this be due to the pregabalin or is this anxiety?
    Or is it that I have become used to the previous dose of pregabalin and it doesn't work any more?

    Does anyone find that they urinate less on Pregabalin. I do significantly in the afternoon but my legs and arms do not swell up.

    Sometimes, I just find myself a little detached from what is going on around me, almost like I am not really there. I feel like I am watching life go on but am not really part of it. Could that be pregabalin or is it anxiety?

    I could go on forever with questions but will stop there for now. My doctor and psychiatrist keep telling me it is my anxiety but I don't seem to be able to accept that and blame every unusual sensation I experience on the medication I am taking. I also take 30mg Mirtazapine at night.

    Sorry to go on but I would appreciate any thoughts on this,
    Many thanks.
    I too am on Pregabalin; have been since August this year. At first it was amazing, and I mean amazing. I was talking to everyone like they were my best friend and I was in the best mood imaginable.

    Then tolerance kicked in...

    This was a bummer. I was upped to the max dosage of 600mg a few weeks ago and have felt nothing, no effect. If anything my anxiety has become worse. I therefore highly advice you to be vigilant and watch how you go with Lyrica (PREGABALIN).

    Oh yeah, the detached feeling. I have this whilst on Pregabalin, it's like I'm not all there, or I'm in a dream. Horrible. At first it didn't do this at the lower dosage, but struck with a vengeance at 600mg!

    I'm goign to stick to 600 for another month, but If i notice deterioration then I'll definitely stop the medication. Why could this not be a consistent positive effect, just like when I first started the med? It really annoys me.

    Buy yeah, there's my story. In short Pregabalin's a Honey moon at first, then a nightmare.

  4. #4

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Thanks for your reply Cmack. You have confirmed what I was already very concerned about. I have tried very hard to make my psychiatrist accept that tolerance has crept in but unfortunately he will not accept that this could be happening and believes it is just my anxiety getting worse.
    I have been on a number of medications during the last year all of which seem to have had adverse effects.
    I have come to the conclusion I am a complete nutcase or very sensitive! I know which one I believe but unfortunately no one else seems to think the same thing!!
    Is pregabalin the only medication you have tried for anxiety?
    Thank you for taking time to reply to my post and good luck in your journey

  5. #5

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Thanks for taking time to reply, Sarah,
    As I am new to the forum, I have managed to post this inadvertently in a number of places and Cmack has also replied, elswhere.
    He, like me seems to think there might be some sort of tolerance issues with Pregabalin, where after a relatively short period of time the positive effects wear off.
    Have you found this to be the case with you?
    Do you mind if I ask how long you have been on that dose and how soon did you experience relief from your anxiety?
    I have been taking 450mg now for 4 days and apart from a relatively good day on day 2, I still feel anxious, most of the time.
    It doesn't help that I am freaked out by any unusual body sensations which I attribute immediately to side effects of the drug. This morning when I blew my nose there was blood on the tissue (not a nose bleed) but fresh blood. This doesn't normally happen and I am now in a panic about that!!
    May I ask what side effects you experience but are able to cope with?
    Many thanks again, for taking time to reply.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    3,621

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    __________________
    positive-mental-health.blogspot.co.uk <<< My Blog Site. Please visit, have a browse and leave feedback

    ERB 14/01/2016 Forever missed, forever in our hearts, my baby angel girl

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    471

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Hi allotment girl

    I've been taking pregabalin for a few months now and it has definitely reduced my anxiety even though I'm on a low dose. The issue of tolerance does concern me though. Looking through posts by other pregabalin users there are done that have been on it for years and it is still working and then others who seem to hit tolerance quite early on.

    As my doctor is always saying to me, we are all different and react to medications differently. I guess we just have to take the medication and see how our bodies handle it. Don't be put off by tolerance stories-it might not happen to you and if it does happen to you might be in a position to deal with your anxiety without medication anyway.

    The way I look at medication is that I don't want it to take away my anxiety completely. I want it just to take the edge off enough so I can properly use other methods such as CBT and mindfulness, I will then not need to be on medication forever. If tolerance does happen to me then I hope that I am able to deal with the anxiety without the medication anyway so I'm trying not to worry about it too much.

    Xx
    __________________
    Kelly xXx

    If you can't handle me at my worst then you don't deserve me at my best.

  8. #8

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Thank you Rennie1989;a very helpful link.
    I have also been finding my way around the site more successfully thanks to the moderators advice.
    I dived straight in without fully understanding how things worked and posted in the wrong places.
    Unfortunately, when you are anxious, it's hard to take everything in so the helpful pointers have been invaluable.

  9. #9

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Thanks for your kind words Kelly. Glad that the pregabalin is working for you.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    2,934

    Re: Pregabalin and anxiety

    Everyone is different, but I have been taking pregabalin for around three years now without any tolerance issues. Throughout the past three years it has been a godsend to me, after dealing with anxiety-related issues that stretch back to the 1960s.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. pregabalin and anxiety
    By cappuccinomad in forum Medication
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 28-07-13, 23:24
  2. Pregabalin has anybody tried or on it for Anxiety
    By strat61 in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 23-12-12, 15:29
  3. Pregabalin for anxiety???
    By karenp in forum Pregabalin / Lyrica
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-11-12, 12:17
  4. Pregabalin for anxiety - NHS guidelines
    By robinbrum in forum Medication
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 16-12-11, 09:07
  5. health anxiety and pregabalin
    By everglades in forum Pregabalin / Lyrica
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-05-11, 14:26

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •