Pregabalin for anxiety and depression help

[Treetops12]

Wondering if anyone has success stories using pregabalin for severe anxiety and depression?

Was weight gain an issue?

It worked very well but weight gain was an issue unfortunately. I also felt very sleepy during the day.

@Novita Did it increase your appetite? Im currently on olanzapine which makes me very hungry.

What dose were you on?

I could do with feeling tired any time of the day. I feel constantly wired.

Did it lift you mood too?

I was on pregabalin for severe anxiety twelve years ago and it really calmed me down. Don’t know if it helped with the depression but I was on an antidepressant too which seemed to help with that side of things. I was then in a position to really benefit from counselling. I didn’t find I put on weight particularly with pregabalin but I was careful with what I ate and exercised a lot once it had kicked in and I started to feel better. It really helped me and I was on it for about two years but I must warn you it was extremely difficult to come off it. When I first went on to it I was told it wasn’t addictive but I realise now it wasn’t the case. I had to come off it way more slowly than the antidepressant. But in terms of helping me with my terrible anxiety it was really helpful. I hope you manage to find something to help you and wanted to say there is light at the tunnel.

@Donutface2 thanks for your reply
I'm really glad it helped you.

Can i ask, what was withdrawal like? What kind of symptoms did you experience? And how long did it actually take?

Were you on a high dose? Sorry, so many questions! X

Must admit my memory is a bit hazy of the time but the withdrawal was quite difficult. Felt a bit jittery and dizzy and just generally rough like I was going down with something. Each time I lowered the dose I would feel rough for about a week. I came off them much slower than the psychiatrist suggested. I’ve just looked up my records to see what dose I was on and at my worst I was on 150mg morning and then again at night. I can see later on I used to get 50 mg then 25mg capsules so I think I used to reduce the dose by 25mg and stay on that for two or three weeks to allow my body time to adjust. That way I didn’t feel so bad. It’s such a conundrum isn’t it weighing up whether to take medication or not? I was very unwell by the time I took them and I still agonised over whether to take them.

@Novita did you feel really whacked when you first took it? I've taken a small dose today and I'm just out of it. Had to have my mum warch the kids and i passed out this afternoon. Does it wear off a bit? Don't think I can take them if this continues!

@Donutface2 did you feel very drugged at firsf when you took them? I've just started on a low dose. Hasn't don't anytbing for anxiety really, yet. But I feel drunk and couldn't look after my kids today. Hoping this wears off.
How long did it take to help with your anxiety? X

I didn’t feel particularly drugged when I first took them but I had been extremely unwell and was in a terrible physical state anyway dizziness wise etc. They worked quite quickly for me and I’d say I felt calmer on them after about two weeks but they didn’t stop the anxiety completely, just got me to a level where I could benefit from therapy. I hope you feel better soon and please know that life will get easier as you are taking steps to deal with it (whether you stay on the drugs or not).