My Pregabalin & Anxiety mini story!!

[Mark13]

Some people report a patchy working/not-working period when they first start taking it, particularly if they are in the process of increasing the dose to the maximum.

That describes me at the moment. On day 26 now, but only day 2 of max dosage. Really quite agitated / anxious today, but have had many good hours and days over the past 26.

I'm hoping it'll help, although I'm not quite as confident as I once was about that.

[Utopia247]

Lisa thanks for your truth it is much appreciated. I have tried so many different drugs to try and help me with my panic attacks but to no avail . I'm 40 yrs of age and can't even do my shopping with out being panic stricken . I'm so tired of being an anxious person. I've tried everything I can think of , self development corses conseling . Prescription drugs the only one that worked was diazepam for a few weeks then my gp stopped them. Please Lisa if you don't mind can you give me info on where I can get prescribed pregabapentin as like others it works . I can put up with feeling drunk for a while as my anxiety is torture . Thanks once again for your story. Kind regards. Ken . Ps please get back to me if you can

[hanshan]

Hi Ken,

There are two separate, related, medications - gabapentin and pregabalin. Pregabalin is the one most commonly prescribed today. It's licensed for Generalized Anxiety in the UK, and needs to be prescribed by a doctor.

As said above, it's effective for generalised anxiety. It's probably not as effective for panic attacks, but it may make a dent if you suffer general anxiety as well. It can be taken long-term (unlike benzodiazepines like diazepam) and combined with an antidepressant (which may also help with panic).

Talk with your doctor about the possibility of taking it, and good luck.

[nonny]

hiya i know this thread is a few months old ,but its the best one ive found so far,im into week 5 of Pregabalin 150mg twice a day ,its reduced my servere anxiety from 24/7 ,to a few times a day ,but when i actiually try to face one of my fears its comes back full flow ,so with my excellent avoidence skills and Pregabalin im currently still alive at the present
My question is i keep reading its addictive and you need to be taken off it ,so what sort of time scale could this be ,obviously with my anxiety still lurking in the background im now worried ill just be back to square one !!!

[hanshan]

I don't know where you read that pregabalin is addictive and you need to be taken off it.

Pregabalin is not addictive in the sense that it has abuse potential. Occasionally there is an initial mild euphoria, but it doesn't last. After that, it's just like any other medication that works for some people but not for others, along with the usual range of side effects.

Since it is a preventative but not a cure, it may need to be taken long-term, but that doesn't make it addictive.

[Mark13]

I agree with hanshan, I find no evidence that pregabalin is addictive.

I came off it in 4 days with no withdrawal effects so there's certainly no chemical addiction.

By the way, I wouldn't advise the above, best to drop slowly from any med, but I know what I can risk as I've taken many drugs for anxiety.

While I was on it I used to forget to take it sometimes, and I felt no craving for it - although the anxiety returned quickly.

[nonny]

thanks for the answers ,guess in someways i should be gratefull to be new to this being over 50 ,cant imagine a 13 year plus hell of anxiety ,a few months has been enough to send me to hell ,just hope im on my way back

[hanshan]

Hello Nonny,

Hang in there. If you are over 50 and reasonably new to anxiety, then very likely one day you will be fine not need medication. In the meantime, you should be able to continue with pregabalin until things settle. Then, you'll be able to face those anxiety demons without it provoking anxiety.

Take care.

[Smallie]

I just read through this thread found it interesting and good to know others taking same medication as me and their experiences.

I have been taking Mirtazapine 30mg for a year now. Been great for depression but not so much for anxiety so doctor prescribed me with Pregabalin this February. Initially he put me on a low dose of 150mg daily then a month later I asked him to increase the dose which he did to 300mg daily.

After being on this dose for about 3-4 months, I didn't feel much of an improvement. I wasn't sure as some days I felt it did work and some days I felt it didn't

As its quite hard to get an appointment to see my doctor, I wrote a small note when requesting a repeat prescription asking if its possible to increase the dose of Pregabalin to 400mg daily.

My doctor wrote a note back saying "the maximum dose of Pregabalin is 300mg daily which you're already on" so therefore he didn't increase the dose

I looked through this forum and have noticed that a few people here are in fact on 450mg-600mg daily.

I did actually up the dose myself last month and took 450-600mg daily, I think there was an improvement. I know medications aren't miracle cures but I think it did slightly help. However, by doing that, I used up all my medication quickly and and got the worst withdrawal effects as a result of running out and not taking any Pregabalin for 4 days!! horrid anxious feeling, no appetite and feeling sick.


so i'm thinking of making an appointment and asking my doctor in person to increase the dose and saying that the maximum dose is actually 600mg. I just hate doing it as I saw my doctor so many times this year as haven't been well and feel like i'm being a pain. And also worry that my doctor may refuse and i'll feel embarrassed.

I shouldn't over analyse too much I know. just hate anxiety

[hanshan]

So sorry your experiment suddenly caused you to be without medication.

It gives me no pleasure to say it, but your doctor is wrong about the maximum dose being 300 mg per day. It's 600 mg per day. Even that needs to be adjusted according to how people respond. But that doesn't automatically mean the higher dose will be effective.

Nevertheless, my only advice would be to do a web search for pregabalin dosage, print it out, and take it in to show it to your doctor. If you are hounded out of the room, get another doctor. There are reasonable people out there.