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[CrispyChick]

Interesting. Thanks joziel.

[Mariab]

Hi, i have been taking a low dose of pregabalin for over a year for anxiety...it got me out of a tight spot and although I'm steady on it...it can be as Joziel mentioned very hard to come off and they do cause weight gain which for me isn't a problem and also contribute to brain fog..I was prescribed this privately, my gp says they spending alot of time trying to get people of it ...due to it's addictiveness..I also am on 30 mg of citalopram which has helped the most, I am also sensative to meds and found this one the easiest to endure ..it did take a good 9 months to work for me.  I unfortunately could not find anything non medical thay worked for me.

[CLKD]

GPs are fixed on withdrawal !   If something works why is there a need to stop taking it?  Would a GP suggest that a diabetic stop medication because there 'might' be problems?

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

When I was prescribed Pregabalin I was given a very low dose of 25 mg twice daily. I was told this would be for two weeks to see if I tolerated it. I felt okay so the dose was increased to 50 mg twice daily and I have been on this regime for a few weeks. I was also told that if needed I could take an extra 50 mg if necessary but I shouldn't increase beyond this without seeing my Dr. Apparently all these doses are very low and many people are taking much more. I think the Dr said that I can stop taking them if I want to and addiction etc wasn't mentioned but that may be because I have only just started and my dose is still low.

Btw I  read somewhere that 300mg capsules have a street value and that they are called 'Buds' because the capsules have a red stripe similar to a can of Budweiser. I have now idea if all that is true or just rumour.

So far I feel okay taking Pregabalin. I haven't noticed any adverse effects, though it is early days.

I also take 150 mg of Venlafaxine which was given to me years ago when I first asked for HRT. As I recall the initial dose was 37. 5 mg twice daily but as I moved through the menopause my Dr occasionally increased the amount and I didn't really query it until I reached my present dose and I refused to go any higher. Bizarrely it seems that for Venlafaxine, 150 mg is also considered a low dose! I wish now that I had tried  HRT on its own rather than taking both at the same time. I think it would have been easier to identify the effects of the AD and HRT had I done this.
I am aware that coming off Venlafaxine can be difficult and I really didn't want to add more drugs into the mix but I promised myself that I would be open minded and try everything.

I will update the forum regarding my Pregabalin experience.


I hope this is helpful ladies and I wish you all well.

K.

[flo69]

I'm no medic Crispychick, but I'd say if you have a functional neurological disorder and an appointment with a psych doctor then you've a good chance of getting pregabalin.

It's one of those drugs that is a cure all, seems to do everything to cure me anyway, but it has a bad reputation now among medics because of one particular property, it completely takes away the agony of opioid withdrawal, therefore is popular with heroin users. 

I believe that is why it was made a controlled substance, the authorities didn't want to inadvertently help people they despise.

(BTW that's at the higher doses of 300mg "buds", in my outreach work I know a guy who was taking 50 to 60 of the 300mg a day, that's an addiction, and his kidney function was at 25% when he landed in hospital)

So long as they don't think you are a secret junkie, you should be fine.

[CrispyChick]

Thanks. But I don't share your optimism flo.

For 'functional' neurological stuff - unfortunately it's advised against:

More recently the UK body recommending treatment for chronic primary pain specifically advised against prescribing these for new patients with chronic pain syndromes which cant be diagnosed on scans or tests like fibromyalgia 

[Mariab]

Ah interesting..that's probably why I was only offered it privately then...
Gp before didn't use it as an option...

[joziel]

I was offered it by a doctor who specialised in sleep issues and who thought my sleep issues were due to iron deficiency. As well as referring me for an iron infusion (didn't help), he then wanted to prescribe this.

My symptoms were heart beating hard and fast at night, hypnic jerks every time I started to fall asleep, and inner tremors which felt like the bed was moving. I actually picked up the prescription and still have it, but never took a dose after doing research online. Glad I didn't either, as I am so much better with optimal estrogen now.

[CrispyChick]

Ok joziel, talk to me about trazodone. I just re read my neurologist's letter and it's one he suggests - although mirtropazine is his first suggestion.

How, you need to bare in mind that I was comotosed after only 4 days on 100mg utrogestan. I am so so sensitive.

I also hate the drowsy feeling.

Why Trazodone???

[CrispyChick]

And Emmia - the mirtropazine. I know we've chatted before, and it took you a while to get on it.

But - did it make your anxiety and depression worse to start with???

This escitalopram has been hell. I'm nearly 9 weeks in on an increased dose and I'm more depressed and aggitated than I started. I don't mind waiting for things to work, but going through extreme increase in symptoms is too much. 

[CrispyChick]

Pregabalin (Lyrica) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland for generalised anxiety disorder in adults.

Gutted.

[joziel]

I take 50mg trazodone at night, if I can't sleep. After about 30mins to 1hr, I will usually be able to sleep but it's hard to tell if that's because of a sedative effect or a 'calming' effect which then enables me to relax and sleep. (See symptoms above which are very cortisol-y.) I was told I could increase to 100mg if needed, but I didn't notice that to be any better/worse for sleep.

I don't take it regularly, I just take it when I need it. It's not on my repeats, I have to request it. (Confession - my dogs actually take it before a vet visit, to calm them - and I MIGHT POSSIBLY have raided their supply  )

As for side effects, the only thing I've noticed is a dry mouth whilst I'm sleeping. Which I think is common with a lot of anti-depressants. Some people say they feel a bit brain-fog-gy the next day, but I haven't noticed that.

You can always give it a go and see, since it's non-addictive and doesn't need to be taken every day it should be easy enough to stop if it's not doing anything or sedating you. (It might need several consecutive days to build up before the anti-anxiety effects kick in properly - so give it a week, I'd say.) And if you're not told when to take it, take it at night, just in case it relaxes you...