Pregabalin

[dodo1]

Hi, I am new at this, could anyone tell me whether they have ever been prescribed pregabalin to help with PMR pain. I am having trouble getting from 6mg to 5.1/2 even going the long way.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It's all very well saying "I'm new at this"!!!! How long have you been on pred, what was your starting dose and have you had problems before? What do you mean by "the long way"?

When you are diagnosed with PMR and given pred they start you on a dose that works for almost everyone - it is almost certainly far higher than you need. Then you are to reduce to the lowest dose that controls your symptoms acceptably. That doesn't mean you are aiming for zero from the outset. It is "normal" to take up to 18 months (or even longer) to get from a starting dose of 15mg to 5mg or so. These are facts that it appears that many doctors either don't know or ignore.

It may well be that 6mg is the dose that controls your symptoms for the moment. PMR is just the name for the symptoms - they are due to an underlying autoimmune disorder that affects the blood vessels and causes a vasculitis. As long as that is active you will need some medication. It can last for a couple of years - or it can last longer. I have had PMR for 10 years, I have only recently got below 5mg. It doesn't necessarily burn out in a couple of years - if you are lucky it does. It may not.

Tell us more - we can then tell you more.

But in the meantime: pregabalin isn't a normal medication for PMR. It is for nerve pain, is often used for fibromyalgia. PMR and fibromyalgia are totally different illnesses and usually what works for one doesn't work for the other. It may help you but it will be because you have something other than PMR - did your doctor suggest that?

[iforget]

I had Lyrica (the other name for pregabalin) for neuropathic pain unrelated to PMR...but would be interested to hear if/how it works for PMR pain