Pregablin? Meds for anxiety?

[MainlyAnxious]

Hi. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with extreme anxiety? I'm on mirtazapine currently, but it's just not tackling the underlying anxiety. Can't touch ssris - they ramp up the anxiety tenfold. I have read about pregablin, but not sure gp can prescribe? Are there any other options? I literally can't function, can't sleep.

Decades ago I tried venlafaxine and it made me incredibly nauseous, but back then I was presenting with more depression than anxiety, so it may be worth another go? My worry is that gp won't prescribe pregablin and I have no hope that I'll be referred to psychiatrist.

Your struggles sound similar to mine, it's shit isn't it. My gp , although good, told me a while back he'd exhausted all options so maybe it's the end of the line for me in terms of meds. Unless he can refer me on

You wouldn’t want pregabalin without trying an antidepressant first. They have a very high street value.

Problem is, I've tried all the antidepressants. I'm on mirtazaoine, the only one I can tolerate but it's not helping the anxiety!

Im going to see a private psychiatrist soon. Expensive but can’t out a price in mental health. Think it will be about 360 for initial appointment. Then 200 for following-up. Don’t care if I have to put it in a credit card!x

I think that's a plan. I'm in no position to pay unfortunately, but if I could I would.

I was on it for 15 years, in the end I was on 300mg, 150mg morning and 150mg pm. Psychiatrist wanted me off it as said it causes more problems than it solves and that it wasn’t as great as they initially thought it would be, as they have apparently discovered it can cause mood instability etc. I agreed and they took me off it over a 3 week period and to be honest I haven’t felt right since! Been off it for a month now. I’d say it was a good drug for me, def helped my anxiety
I’d like to go back on it but my psychiatrist won’t let me I think - I don’t like him much 😡

DH has tried both Pregablin and gabapentin for severe back pain. Made little to no difference to the pain but he was very ‘sedated” so might be worth a try. To begin with it made him really dozy so not great if you need to drive. He ended up on a high dose and had no trouble stopping, but as I said it didn't help his pain enough to make the spaced out feeling worth it. It was like living with a stoner, no good for him as he has a job that needs concentration.
I think it’s worth a try, everyone seems to react so differently to it.

Gosh, I don't want to be stoned, but unfortunately I think right now I'd take that over crippling anxiety. Interesting how people have had such different experiences. I can't go on like this so praying my gp will at least consider it. Not holding out much hope to get the go ahead as I know it's a controlled substance. There seems to be lots of different antidepressants available, but so little to help acute anxiety. I've got propranolol which is great to stop the tremors but doesn't have any affect on my thoughts.

How rubbish that they took you off something that helped. Hope they reconsider

Yeah it sucks - and im
literally going through a divorce and moving house so im in a
Massively stressful situation so timing is really bad!

I’m on pregablin for nerve pain due to a neurological illness, but it’s also been fantastic for my GAD. I also take amytriptaline and escitalopram and am currently almost symptom free from my anxiety! It was prescribed initially by my neurologist, as it’s a controlled drug and has a street value. It also helps my pain which lessens my anxiety too!

Yup it's really shit. Am really sorry you are struggling so much. Hope your GP can offer some help. In my case things really spiralled out of control when I hit peri menopause (although have been on ssris since I was 15) so worth considering that too if you haven't and are in the right age bracket.

I was on it short term along with setraline and quetiapine (and large dose of promethazine for sleep) and it was brilliant. Unfortunately I can’t remember the dose or how long I was on it but I had no problems stopping. It was the final tweak to my medication that allowed me to calm down and start recovering.

I was on sertraline alone for a while and then moved to venlafaxine which suits me much better. I would consider my anxiety levels to be normal now.

I hope you able to see a psychiatrist but whatever happens, I highly recommend Claire Weekes’ work on anxiety.

Yes, you've hit the nail on the head with peri! I've struggled with depression all my life, but some ten years ago things moved to a whole new level when I started peri and my sleep went to crap and I started experiencing panic attacks and daily anxiety. I started mirtazapine a couple of years back and it's helped somewhat, but the anxiety has been spiralling again and is now intolerable. I'm really frightened I'm going to have another breakdown tbh.

You sound so similar to me in that I held it together until menopause arrived and everything got worse!!
I have got a few pregablin that a friend gave me as I wanted to try before paying for a psychiatrist. They do work to an extent but I think I need to change my worrying habit and thinking patterns too.
I also need to start exercising or something.
Apparently cannabis gummies can be very good, if you know where to get hold of them. Im working on it x

Do you wake up and start ruminating? I do. It’s the fear of breaking down and not being able to handle my emotions that frightens me. I think if I could stop worrying about worrying I would feel better!
im seeing a local counsellor who is very understanding but I can’t sided everyday with her. Try to sit out in the sun today it’s supposed to help.
If you feel very bad maybe look at venlefaxin x

We do sound very similar. Yes, I worry about losing it and having a panic attack in public. But I'm also just fearful of absolutely everything - making a mistake, saying the wrong thing, behaving in a weird way...and then I get in a spiral of thinking this is me for life and worry about what that means for my future. I can't get any solid sleep so that makes things hundred times worse, and once I wake, my head is just full of anxious thoughts. That all then leads to depression. I'm trapped in a cycle. I hope you find some answer by going private. It seems unlikely that the nhs mental health services will we me - from what I can gather they only see people with extreme m/ h, but then what classes as extreme any more? I'm certainly not functioning, most days I can't make it beyond my front door.

The nhs talking therapy is accessible to anyone who suffers with anxiety or depression. I self-referred online and am in a waiting list . CBT didn’t work for me so Ive been offered DIT dynamic interpersonal therapy, because I have insecurities which cause my anxiety.
You definitely can self-refer for therapy and don’t need to be in a serious mental health crisis.
Have you got the messaging facility? You can message me if you like for more info.

I’m so sorry you are going through this op, I remember those feelings well and am constantly fearful they will come back. Meno made my anxiety 100 times worse, it was awful. The problem is what helps is so individual I think, and it can take a while to get the right blend of meds. A sympathetic doctor, or MH nurse, is worth their weight in gold. I’m on Sertraline now which after the first 3 weeks of absolute hell, has been a life saver for me. A friend took pregab and it didn’t help, caused her to eat herself out of house and home, and was a nightmare to get off. Are you sure you can’t get too see a psychiatrist somehow? It sounds like things have escalated to the point where you need that.

Thank you for your kind words. I think I've been in denial really, thinking others have it worse than me and that I just need to cope with it and eventually it will get better. But it's not. I have a gp appointment booked for a week so will fall on my sword and beg for help. Meno definitely part and parcel of it. Sertraline made me so poorly, didn't get even an hour sleep and ended up hallucinating and feeling like I needed to tear my skin off. I seem to have a paradoxical reaction to all sssris. Tried anti psychotic too for a while, but I must be the only person who didn't get any sleep on them and would just feel even more tired during the day.

Op, can I ask how the antipsychotic made you feel? I might consider this if I don’t feel better soon. Which one was it?

They're worth a try if your desperate. I was on quitipine (?) 25mg x 3 a day. They honestly made me feel just fuzzy headed and didn't help sleep or anxiety. I couldn't function in the day with the tiredness. Only time I take them now, is when I have a day when I have absolutely nothing on and my thoughts are out of control. Then I can just lie in the sofa.

I was on a large dose of pregabalin (300mg twice daily) when I broke multiple ribs and collar bone and damaged the nerve in my shoulder. Loved it!! I was high as a kite.. obviously I was in hospital and not working or driving or responsible for kids..I had no trouble weaning myself down to the lowest dose (25mg twice daily) slowly after 6 weeks. (When I went back to work) I then remained on this dose. I lost the spaced out/high feeling and I was my normal self. I was never an anxious person. Unfortunately then I had to up the dose again because of another nerve problem 8 mths later. But again I successfully weaned myself off very slowly over 6 weeks. Coming completely off it eventually.
So I'm saying that I didn't find it too bad to come off it. I was only on it for about a year/15 mths tho..
And I can easily see how it would help anxiety..
I had no other side effects.
Good luck

That's really useful to hear. Obviously, don't want it for the high feeling, but the calming side of it would be really helpful. Glad to hear your on the mend now!