Hello I am fairly new here. I have been coping with long term pain, but recently the pain in my back and right hip has increased. (I am 67 yeard old and have various health problems). I am waiting for an appointment with our local Spine and Back pain clinic for more investigations. Had a course of physiotherapy which didn't make a lot of difference.
My GP has started me on pregablin twice a day to see if that helps the nerve pain. (I already take cocodamol four times a day). It seems to have made only a little difference after one week. I am not sure if I should continue with it - it makes me quite sleepy - or go back to him and ask for the dose to be increased or just stop it. The potential side effects do concern me.
Any one any experience of using pregabalin?
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strongmouse
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Hi there, I take pregabilin which is ok , I used to take gabberpentin which is similar but everyone are different in how it affects us , there are always side effects on any pain relief unfortunately.
I take Lyrica (pregablin) 150mg x 2 per day. It forms just part of my pain management . For me, it works very well but for others it can be a disaster! We are all different and react differently to drugs so I’d give it a bit longer than a couple of weeks as your body may need to get used to it.
Unfortunately, with chronic pain there is no miracle drug, we just have to try what is prescribed for us, sometimes it works and sometimes you need to move on to something else.
Maybe your GP could refer you to a pain clinic to get some further help.
It would be a very good idea to go back to your GP to discuss it with him. You might need a increase of dose, or it might not be the right drug for you. At low doses only 1 person out of 14 will get a benefit, but it is more like one in 6 for higher doses, so it is important to look at the dose and the person. No everyone responds to drugs in the same way.
It also might be worth giving it a little more time for your body to adjust. Again, some people might take more time for their body to adjust than others. I know my son took 2 weeks with Amitriptyline, every time they increased the dose.
I’ve taken pregabalin now for 10 years...150 mgs twice a day...I think when you start all drugs for pain take a bit of getting used to...and can make you feel very tired. They work for me very well as part of quite a string of other meds.Give them a try...if not it’s back to the GP as everyone is individual.
I have tried many drugs for my peripheral neuropathy and find I get most relief from pregabalin'.Been taking this for several years 100mg twice daily.Takes a couple of weeks to work,Good luck.Check with Dr.about varying dose strength
If you are looking for more information, Pain Concern produced a leaflet on Pregabalin and Gabapentin, which you can read at painconcern.org.uk/gabapent....
But, as ever, if you are still uncertain about how it is affecting you then your GP should still be the first port of call.
Lower back pain and hip pain are usually found together, caused by essentially the same muscles. I was a gymnast for 9 years and I'm paying the price. I have had lower back and R-hip pain for the last 50 years, and as one gets older and the muscles get weaker the pain is more prevalent.
After 28 years of seeing chiropractors, in 2008, I started using "Trigger Point Therapy". Trigger points develop when muscles get fatigued (weak) and form a "knot" in the affected muscle that pulls on its tendons, pulling the bones out of their normal healthy positions and causing pain. This pain is sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as arthritis and even fibromyalgia and is the main cause of gout pain (I know, I have gout).
The muscles typically involved with hip pain are the pectineus, adductors-longus, adductors-brevis, and tensor fasciae lathe muscles. The glutius-medius and glutius-minimus muscles typically causes lower back (sacroiliac) pain also contribute to hip pain. To remove the trigger points in these muscles you need to get the "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, 3rd addition" to show you where to find these trigger points and deal with them. This can be found on line or at the following link:
This therapy has resolved my lower back and hip problems when applied multiple times daily until the pain is gone. Unfortunately, due to unhealthy daily habits, these trigger points come back and need to be removed, but once you know what to do it is resolved quickly.
I have also found that taking 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate; 600 mg of sodium) in a glass of water daily has cleaned out my gouty joints making them suppler and less painful. It takes 3-6 months of this to clean them out.
Hi there, I take pregabalin and have done for a while. It does help with my nerve pain, does not take it away but makes it more bearable. The sleepiness takes a few weeks to wear off. I take 450mg a day but sometimes an extra 100 at night as I was advised by my pain specialist. I take 50mg of Tramadol at night too. Sometimes it takes a while for your body to get used to the drug before you see improvements. Cocodamol did nothing for me at all.
Hi. I've not taken any major medications for my back, leg and hip pain. We determined that it was muscular in nature so I was treated with Dry Needling (kind of like acupuncture but covered by Medicare). The results have been nothing short of a miracle for me. I'm not 100% but I'm certainly miles better than I was 6 months ago. Combined with exercises to strengthen my muscles and extend my range of motion, I'm getting around much better than I have in over a year.
I am 63, retired, now have time to work with my DDD of 30 years. Recently bought nice double bulb massager (Amazon), and as I am mass back I am learning as I cross the spine at certain levels and on nerve next to spine I am feel where down by butt and hip the nerves route. I let the mass sit on the nerve next to spine and feel nerve jumping and eventually settle. Big help to me along with Tennis Ball mounted on 1 in dial and ice pack wraps. I also take Belbuca (Fda no more morphine). I use the strips and now at 450 mg. Better than I thought. Anything else you want to know about my theories, let me know. Lots of tricks.
Many thanks for the helpful replies. I am waiting for an appointment for the pain clinic and I hope that might help to identify if the pain - or some of it - is from the spine. It seems to be a combination of muscle and spine / nerve. I think I will stick with the pregablalin and maybe talk to doctor about increasing the dose. I am reluctant to do so but when it impacts on your daily life, especially when it is already limited, as mine is, then it is necessary to manage. I have mild osteoporosis and spondylitis of the cervical spine already aswell as ME / CFS.
I tried the tennis ball (recommended by physio) and boy did that set the pain off! I have been tested for fibromyalgia a few years ago but was told that I didn't have enough 'trigger points' for a diagnosis! Yes I take sleep medication too and I'm beginning to feel like a dormouse going into hibernation. Richard I wasn't surre what DDD is?
Good to hear that some of you have found various treatments which work. Thanks.
Hi ya, I was given that and stopped taking it after ONE pill. Apart from feeling very tipsy and giggling on the sofa for three hours. It's the coughing fit instantly that put me off. I take tramadol and it helps. But it all depends on what your doing? Anything to do with your back you have to rest it. Look into yoga (just for the stretching) but you have to rest. 😉
I've taken pregabalin and gabapentin and had no reduction in pain from either. However I have heard people talk about how great it is and I've also heard people say how awful it was. I think that you do need to discuss this with your doctor and then you need to make up your mind about you and your own body.
Many thanks. I've decided that although it helps the pain after two weeks I am feeling so dozy I might as well hibernate for the winter! Trying to make an appointment with my GP to discuss. The Spine Clinic wrote to me to say I am on the waiting list and it will be 14 - 17 weeks before I get an appointment... guess it isn't urgent then. Actually it isn't, it's just that the pain is limiting what I can do and has been getting worse.
I guees I'll see what other magic medicine the GP has in their medicine box.
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