Should I give up on this medication?

[Catherine84]

Hi there,

I have been taking Pregabalin now since late Feburary for my severe anxiety (I've been on 450mg daily for about the last month, as smaller doses failed). I have tried two antidepressants (Prozac and Citalopram), both of which had very intolerable side effects. I felt like I was losing my mind and people close to me said how they completely changed my personality. I felt better after stopping the Citalopram, and was fairly stable for a few months, but a succession of stressful events (focused around bereavement and potentially losing my job), I turned to alcohol as a way of coping. With hindsight, this was far from the right thing to do, but I was petrified to try a third antidepressant, with the risk of my anxiety becoming unbearable. Fast forward another few months, and a rehab stay later in order to come off the alcohol, and I was allowed to try Pregabalin, in the hope that it would make my symptoms more bearable where antidepressants had failed.

I have now been nearly 6 months without a drink, and I'm finding that a struggle in itself, without what I suspect are the side effects that this medication is giving me. This time last year, I was a healthy weight of 8 and a half stone (I'm 5ft 3), I'm now heading towards 10 and a half stone. I had thought that quitting drinking would have the opposite effect, as alcohol is full of calories, after all. I'm also suffering from an extremely low mood, and recently self harmed again after a long period last year of not doing this (the first time I self harmed, I was on the Citalopram). I spend a lot of my time crying, feel like there is no escape any more, and as though my life is extremely bleak. I have tried everything to keep myself busy, and I go for walks frequently - I even tried to use this as a way of dragging my mood out of the hole it had sunk into, but nothing seems to be working any more. I have always suffered from low self esteem, and having an overweight BMI for the first time in my life isn't helping matters. I almost wonder what the point is in trying to regulate my diet any more, which is of course a slippery slope and yet another health problem to deal with.

These side effects are nowhere near as bad as the ones I had on the antidepressants. My anxiety has not got significantly worse, yet I feel like it is not significantly better. I just don't know where to turn any more - if I go back to the doctor, I will probably be put on yet another antidepressant, and I really don't want to go down this route. I feel like I have run out of options :(.

[bernie1977]

Hi Catherine,

I have no experience of pregabalin so I hope someone who has responds to you.

I totally understand where you are coming from with bad reactions to SSRI meds Prozac & citalopram as I've been there myself and it was hell. I'd definitely go back and see your GP and ask if there's any other antidepressant that may be suitable that's not from the SSRI/SNRI group. Your GP needs to know how bad you're feeling so hopefully you'll get some help.

Please go and see your doctor

[SarahH]

Weight gain is a side effect of pregabalin I am afraid. The top dose is 600mgs so your GP may suggest going up to that before giving up on this drug. Good luck

sarah

[hanshan]

Hi Catherine,

First, congratulations at staying off the alcohol - I think you know it's not the answer.

Although pregabalin is linked with weight gain, my take is that it's more likely due to our brain's processing of cues for hunger and satiety. If you think about it, it's wonderful that this system works at all, otherwise we'd either forget to eat and starve away to nothing, or keep eating until we exploded.

My belief is that watching what you eat will work if you do things like keep a daily food diary, especially if you record calories, etc. This has worked for me (pregabalin for the last three years - 20 pounds off since September 2012).

As for mood, pregabalin works best for anxiety, not depression. Although you have had a bad time with SSRIs, you may want to talk to your doctor about adding a medication (they're not all SSRIs) to pregabalin which lifts mood. Good luck!

[Clerk]

Hi all please can you help me. I have suffered with gad and health anxiety for some time now but it recently spiralled out of control and I am in my 5th week of taking prozac. After I bad couple of weeks I know I am not depressed as I am able to function - going to work, house work etc, but it still have terrible health anxiety. Because my health anxiety is still bad I am worried that there is something seriously wrong with me as the prozac doesn't seem to be kicking in? I am on a waiting list for cbt - any words of comfort/wisdom please

[hanshan]

Hi Clerk,

You've ended up in a part of the board devoted to people taking pregabalin (though it may be helpful for your GAD).

You may want to post in the Health Anxiety or Prozac sections.

I can only give the advice everyone gives for health anxiety - stay away from Dr Google!

[Emphyrio]

Hi Clerk,

The medication usually kicks in around 4-6 weeks, though because Prozac has such a long half-life it takes a while to reach steady state in the body. So you're looking at 8-12 weeks before it really kicks in. You should give it 12 weeks before you either increase the dose or call it a day.

Of course, you can also just stop taking it now before it makes any long-lasting changes to the brain and try and focus on your issues using other methods? I personally believe that SSRIs caused some of my current issues - and as a result I'm having to take another 2 meds to manage the agitation/akathisia I have developed. Not trying to scare you - but there are some people for whom antidepressants caused problems in the long run. The majority of people seem to manage fine coming off/changing them - I just happened to be one of the minority.

[teej]

I personally believe that SSRIs caused some of my current issues - and as a result I'm having to take another 2 meds to manage the agitation/akathisia I have developed.

Agreed.

I've found I've got a fairly immediate relief from the Pregabalin. I was in a bad place when I started taking it and within an hour or so I was feeling a bit better. I've just been bumped up to 450mg. I do think it needs some time to build up in your system though.

I take 150mg an hour before I wake up on an empty stomach which ensures I can get up and get myself out and about. I then take another 150mg around lunchtime - sometimes before or after eating and then I'm planning sticking another 150mg in around mid-afternoon.

I'm then taking 7.5mg (yes... still) of Mirtazapine before bedtime.

I was terrified to start taking this drug but I don't think I really had any other option.