Pregabalin for Pain

[GothsNotMoths]

Hi all. Does anyone have any experience of Pregabalin for nerve pain/neuropathy? I did a search but most experiences seem to be related to mental health.

I do have anxiety and am on medication for that already, so a little nervous about taking something else that could jumble my mental health. But I'm also in so much pain that I'll do anything to stop it.

Would love to hear some stories!

I took it twice.. once when I broke multiple ribs/collar bone and trapped a nerve.
And 6mths later after horrendous head and neck pain...
On the highest dose I was high as a kite and apparently behaving oddly..! But gradually lowered the dose to an acceptable level for pain relief..
I weaned myself off it both times after 6 weeks.. gradually lowered the dose over 6 weeks..it wasn't hard for me.
Obviously the broken bones healed and I had extensive chiropractic treatment for my neck/head pain..
If I'm honest I would have loved to stay on it forever but knew it can be addictive...

My mother in law takes it for nerve pain and it makes a real difference to her quality of life. It's taken a while to find a dosage that suits her but she's doing pretty well on it now.

That sounds positive then. I was a bit worried that it would be difficult to come off of but sounds like it will be alright. I really hope it helps! I'm so sick of being in pain all the time.

I take it for peripheral neuropathy, a host of core compression due to spinal cysts, degenerative disc disease (diagnosed in teens, go me lol), osteoarthritis… tl;dr, it’s a bit of a clusterfudge.

I do have some pretty gnarly side effects though. Cognitive changes (like thinking with a brain made of lard), leg swelling, dissociation (I don’t drive thank goodness).

It’s a double edged sword for me. Whilst I can have some moderate neuropathic relief, it isn’t complete pain cover (at the highest dose).

I’ve been on it for over a decade now; I’m at the point where I have been cleared to only take it when needed (not recommended without medical advice, I was cleared to do so by my MDT) as the side effects were outweighing the benefits.

Other folk I know tolerate it well, others have gnarly side effects, for some it works like magic, you really don’t know until you try.

It may not seem like it, but it’s a useful part of my armoury to keep me able to keep living life.

FYI I also use amytriptaline & various opiates (synthetic and otherwise) and have been prescribed gabapentin & carbamazepine over the years. Pregabalin isn’t perfect for me, but it it helps.

I was on it for years. As others are saying, I would take the minimum amount possible that brings the pain to an acceptable level without turning you into a zombie.

I have been on it for six weeks or so for nerve pain. I was prescribed 75mg twice a day but only take one as I am on Amitriptyline as well and I didn't want to be any more exhausted than necessary as I have chronic fatigue. It has made the nerve pain bearable which means I can feel all my other pain more which isn't ideal but one out of two feeling better is a result.

I take it for nerve pain, I can’t take the full 600mg dosage but have settled on 400mg with amitriptalene at night. It’s also meant to be good for anxiety.

i found the first two to three weeks fairly hard going in terms of my body getting used to it (mainly struggling in the mornings because I was so tired) but the muzzy head and tiredness do pass

Thank you all. That is helpful. I might speak to my GP just to get a sense of how best to approach taking it and what to expect. Sounds like I need to be cautious

Oops. Name change fail lol.