Pregablin .Is it safe?

[jackiew116a]

Pregablin for nerve damage? My daughter has just been prescribed this for severe pain in her hands & wrists. She is 36 & a Graphic Designer. Has anyone else taken this?

[Hidden]

Hi jackiew116a

I have been on it 4 years now I am up to 900mgs a day but every body are not the same, it mite help one person and not the other person, how long has u daughter been on them for, some people will put weight on with that med that has not happened with me. At the end off the day if it is helping her get through the day then carry on taking them.

Best wishes Pete

[jackiew116a in reply to Hidden]

She only started taking it yesterday after lots of debate with her specialist & physio. She goes to the gym every day so l hope her weight will stay stable. Non of the other drugs she's been given over the last 4 months have made any difference so l think she thinks this is her last resort, the pain keeps her awake at night even with the hand splint. She's had so much time off as she can't use the computer she's now worried she'll lose her job. I have taken note of some of the alternatives people have told me about just in case it's not all it's cracked up to be. Jackiew

[fitzzy]

Hi jackie

bear in mind everyone is different .

but in my opinion no it is not safe I ended up with tunnel vision and very very bad memory loss -: ie .iI could not work my computer (amd I built mine) I had forgotten my childrens names (and I named them) and my partners name severe migraines and I had the shakes I even forgot how to write .and I was only on them for less tham 2 weeks . And coming off them I ended up with vertigo. Now I am on gabbapentin. They are much better and I have had no side effects at all and I do not normally get any side effects .

But jackie as I said at the begining everyone is different . And I hope your daughter gets better soon.

regards tony

[Poppy_Ann]

Hi Jackiew,

I have been taking these for over two years along with many other pain medications since I have been taking Pregablin which I was put on to replace Gabapentin which I had a bad side effect from but on Pregablin it reduced the amount of pain I feel but like many others on this drug I gained weight even though I reduced my food intake down to 1200 calories a day I did not notice any other side effects so I believe they are working OK for me or at least they are not giving me anything to complain about.

good luck to your daughter finding something that helps control the amount of pain she has (nothing removes all of your pain)

Regards Poppy Ann.

[jackiew116a in reply to Poppy_Ann]

Thanks for your reply. Her dr said it would only be for 3 weeks so l'm hoping she'll be ok. The pain is so bad that it keeps her a wake at night so she's desperate for relief. Some people have had awful side affects l just hope she'll be free of the pain & then come of it. I had 2 ops for Carpul Tunnel so l know how it feels but she is only 37 & l was 45 then 56. She has a lot of working life left so has to find a solution. Hope you feel better soon. Jackiew

[Poppy_Ann in reply to jackiew116a]

Hi again, for me except for the weight gain it has been good I was on Gabapentin but that put me in bed for almost 3 months but this has not really affected me that much but I cannot say how much pain relief it gives as I am on several others all the time my best is Dihydrocodeine 120mg and I cannot do without that one for when I am bad I just drink Oramorph liquid which I save for if I have to go out it gives quite good results but if you take it to often the results get less and less for increasing the dose so best thing is to limit how often I use it.

I have forgot what it is like to have a nights sleep if I am lucky I can get 3 or 4 hours if not then I get the odd 20 minutes a couple of times a night but it has been so long now that it seams normal to me it does give me a lot of time to read which can cost a lot some months as when I have a bad patch I get through a book a night to pass the time, I read with a Kindle from Amazon and I just prop it up on a teddy bear and when I want the next page I just have to touch the screen with a finger as I cannot hold a book for long and turning the page over on a real book I need two hands so the Kindle works out great if you get to the end of a book than a couple of clicks on the Kindle and the next book is ready to read much better than having to wait until you can get out to the book shop and hope they have the next one in and not have to order it for you.

looks like I have rabbited on to long again.

regards Poppy Ann.

[pete1961]

I have been on pregablin for over a year and have had no problems .like all medication it affects different people differently .stick to the correct dose and take it at the same time each day I wish your daughter well and hope it helps Pete

[Alexann]

Hi, my doctor gave me this, I looked it up and decided it wasn't for me I didnt

like the soun of the side effects, I know everyone is different. I saw another Dr.

who didn't agree with this drug it seems to be the One to prescribe at the moment.

I also read a lot of other people's comments on patient.co.uk I think it's best to

look into other options as well as this drug is really better for neuro problems.

Hope this helps.

[jackiew116a in reply to Alexann]

I looked it up too but when l raised my concerns she said the dr had said it used to be used for epilepsy & they were the ones who had most of the side effects. He said he'll only put her on it for 3 weeks & a low dosage. I've made a note of other alternatives just in case. I'm so far away so l don't see her to notice any difference so l'll have to leave that to her boyfriend who currently is in agony with a herniated disc after falling off his bike. Lets hope they don't put him on it too. Thanks Jackie

[Alexann in reply to jackiew116a]

Hi, hope they both get sorted, it does seem the popular drug

at the moment. Regards Ann

[Lorry80]

Hi Jackie,

As below, I too have been on Pregablin, for a year now, having previously been on Gabapentin for 2 yrs. I have found very few if no issues with this medication following on from severe memory loss on Gabapentin and that the medication stopped minimising the pain that I Was in.

Your daughter should keep a small diary to monitor pain levels and once she has been taking them long enough to understand any positive or negative side effects, can stop keep in the diary (as this can be a negative enforcement of a pain).

Nerve pain is a strange thing and as also mentioned below medication affects different people in different ways as just pain, it's just about being sensible and monitoring how are you medication effective and raising those concerns if necessary to the GP.

[jackiew116a in reply to Lorry80]

Thank you so much for you advise. I'll suggest the diary. Her physio is going to monitor her reactions. Hopefully the pain will subside & she can avoid the op. I'v made a note of some of the alternatives just in case. Thanks again.

[CWG2210]

I know people say bad things about Pregablin but after gabapentin didn't do it, along with other pains meds, morphine, codeine, amitriptyline, naproxen etc I have a good mix which the pain clinic specialist allows me to self regulate within reason as its my pain so I have control. I do try to have days and even weeks without some of them as a teacher in need.Focus very early in the morning. When I first started on recommended dose, I sat watching the TV a few mornings move from one side of the room to the other. Not good with a 27 mile drive to work! Guess I stayed at home that morning.

I am on the liquid pregablin, very very expensive almost £100 a bottle to the docs but they find it is worth it does the relief I get and also I try not to have it all the time.

I am trying to remove the need for codeine before morphine (I know sounds strange but true re pain clinic advice)

Hope your daughter feels relief sooner rather than later and keep at it and keep smiling!!!

[jackiew116a in reply to CWG2210]

Thanks for that. The dr said they would try it on a low dose for 3 weeks & monitor her. Her hands are important for her job as you can imagine. I've had 2 ops for Carpul tunnel so l know how painful it is. She's trying to avoid the op by relieving the pressure on the nerve. I've taken a note of some of the alternative pain killers. Hope you feel some relief soon & get back to normal.

[SteviG]

Hi Jackie,

I have been on pregablin along with other med's for 5 years for nerve pain in my leg and knee I take two strength's, 150mg x 1 in a morning and 100mg x 2 in the evening.

I am all kinds of med's and have a disability due to a medical blunder.But that's another story. As regards to the Pregablin I have had no problem in taking that.I don't seem to have any side effect's from them, I take Co- Codamol 500/30, they give a light headed feeling.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Regards.

SteviG

[jackiew116a in reply to SteviG]

Thanks for all the response. My daughter has spoken to her dr & physio & they seem to think it's safe if taken for only a short time. They have said they'll monitor her so l'm just hoping it will solve her pain, apparently it's stronger than all the others available. As she lives in London & l'm in the West Mids l can't keep an eye on her reaction to it.

[Copper283]

Hi

I'm 44 and I was taking pregabalin for nerve damage in my leg but had to stop after 4 months due to severe side effects and weight gain. I'm now on 90mg of Duloxetine which is much better as an alternative. Hope it works out for her.

[Clycat]

All of the nerve pain meds have side effects to some extent. I suggest you keep a close eye on your daughter over the next few months as you may notice things that she doesn't. If the side effcets are very bad or don't improve to negligable after 6 weeks make sure she sees the doc for a review.

There are several other drugs that help with nerve pain and the pentin family did not work for me but nortriptyline does help a lot and there are other options too.

The other thing I would add is that most of the drugs take a while to work effectively as they build up in your system and it can be 4 weeks before you feel the full effect of the daily dose. In my first week I didn't think the pills were helping at all but I just had to be more patient (not my best quality)!

Good Luck

[nodmeister]

It could be a while until she finds out if they suit her or not. I went on them twice, unfortunately although they suited me I just kept putting weight on so I had to stop them. I see someone mentioned Gabapentin and how well they suit them. well take the two pain killers and swap round her experiences and they are mine regarding G.P.

You will find something that suits you but just remember to allow them time to kick in. I wish you luck.

[shanat19]

I am prescribed 300mg Pregabalin per day due to constant pain following a haemhorragic stroke in 2002. Doctors tell me it is thalamic pain - meaning that even though various areas of my body are in pain, there isn't actually anything wrong there, and the problem is in the brain. Pregabalin is prescribed in low doses for thalamic pain. I have to say, I have not noticed any reduction in pain. However, when I try stopping the Pregabalin, my pain increases, so logically the Pregabalin must be doing something. I just haven't noticed anything.

[sianr]

Hi Jackiew116a pregabalin along with all medications have side effects some people do well with the medications and some don't, initially with these type of meds have initial side effects like tiredness dry mouth headache it does get better . I'm sure your daughter will try these meds and see if they are effective to help with her pain it can take a few weeks for the meds to get in to her system properly. If the meds are ineffective she can contact her GP and try others on the market.

[cyprus96]

I had it but it made me very sick so I went back on gabapentin. I hope your daughter gets on with it an it helps

[elesia]

I'm suffering with nerve endings on my spine, the Dr have tried every single thing possible,from morphine liquid, morphine tablets morphine patches tramadol,ibuprofen gel, paracetamol and ibuprofen tables but noting seems to work, I did try the pregablin for a few weeks but I was unable to stay steady on my feet and I had blurred mission throughout the day and I was still having severe pain, I did baught a tens machine from Lloyds pharmacy but it was cheap and didn't work either, just lasweek I order another tens machine from Amazon site, it's the Make ACCURATE-TENS,Iv bin using it and it seams to ease the pain when it is in use but after I take it off the pain just emerged again, I have bin suffering with this pain for 6 years and it's wearing me out, I was a marathon runner 9 Times and now I can hardly walk due to psin, the physio is now referring me to pain management group where I'll be seeing a physiotherapist occupational therapy psychiatrist and pain management therapy,this is my last resort, wouldn't wish this pain on my worst enemy if I had on.

[triciaj]

Hi jackiew, I have been on pregabalin for six years, my pain was so bad i was house bound for over a year, like others have said we all respond differently to medications.

so my advise to you is for your daughter to give pregabalin a try, it works for me, when i have a really bad day (and i do quite often) i up my dose (i am allowed to) and within twenty minuets i feel the difference and it does take that desperate feeling away but i do feel a little disorientated . I am afraid there is no miracle cure for severe nerve pain

but the pain clinic does help to cope with it, hope your daughter gets sorted . tricia

[jackiew116a in reply to triciaj]

Thanks for replying, My daughter started it on Saturday so l'm hoping for some good news (pain wise). I had the operation on both hands 8 yrs apart & have been more or less ok since, but I think her doctor is trying to avoid that. London is very different to the West Midlands. Hope you find some relief to your pain soon. Jackie