GP has just prescribed 2 x 25mg Pregabalin for GAD - I've also just started CBT but have had awful physical as well as psychological symptoms of anxiety over the last week and not able to take anything in re therapy, even a simple mindfulness exercise
Ended up at GP in despair at not sleeping and constant anxiety and got low dose Zopiclone for sleeping and low dose diazepam for the anxiety to take as and when needed. She was really positive about Pregabalin as a short-medium term med based on conferences and good response from another patient, but I'm really conflicted about whether to start it
I've never taken meds before and my health anxiety has gone into overdrive about side effects, having obviously gone and read up too much about this
On one hand I want to try it to see if it lessens anxiety enough to get the most out of CBT
On the other hand I'm worried about side effects - both the scary ones like blurred vision, possibility of seizures, dizziness, etc but also the ones like weight gain, water retention, constipation. I've worked really hard to get to a weight I'm happy with over the last few years, though watching what I eat and exercising and it would be tough and hard on my self esteem to deal with significant weight gain as well as the anxiety. And then there's concern about the withdrawal process if I don't get on with taking it
I know 2 x 2mg is a low dose and I guess less likely to result in either benefits or significant side effects but I'd love to hear about any experiences and especially any advice about side effects/weight gain/effectiveness at low doses