Should I get my hopes up over pregabalin?

[Anxious_100]

I'm starting pregabalin in 4 or 5 days and just wondering how good it actually is? I've tried it briefly in the past, but had trouble stopping previous medication to make way for pregabalin and never got past the starting (low) dose of pregagablin.

What's the ideal therapeutic dose for anxiety and what should I expect to feel with this? can it help people do things they have not been able to manage in the past due to anxiety? is pregabalin more effective than SSRI's with tackling anxiety? a few questions I know, would be keen for positive feedback.

I realise a lot has to come from the person to overcome anxiety, was hoping this medicine will help me along to make these changes. I'm incredibly anxious when outside in public on my own and really hope this works.

[hanshan]

Hello Anxious_100,

It's okay to have lots of questions when starting a new medication. I hope I can answer some of them.

Pregabalin can be really good when it works - probably not so much for panic attacks, but for low level anxiety. It doesn't work for everyone - you just have to try it and see.

For some people it works almost immediately, for others it takes a couple of weeks. Again, some people notice a positive effect with a small dose, but others need a higher dose. Generally, around 400 mg per day is regarded as the therapeutic dose where you should notice an effect if one is going to happen, but many people need less.

If it's working, ideally you shouldn't feel anything, except no or less anxiety. For me, it's made life much easier, and helped in social situations where I would have been anxious before. For me, it's been better than SSRIs, but I still take it in conjunction with mirtazapine, an antidepressant.

Good luck with pregabalin, and feel free to post any more questions or just to let people know how you are going with it.