Pregabolin

[Bean49]

After having augmentation with ropinorole I started with 900mg gabapentin last October. The gabapentin, however, has stopped working and I have been advised to take pregabolin. The advice from my doctor is to reduce the gabapentin by 300mg each week for 3 weeks, go 2 days with nothing then take 50mg pregabolin each week as needed, up to 150 mg. Would you think this seemed a good thing to try?

[Hidden]

I don't think it's a good thing to try.

Switching from one to the other is OK, but you can switch from gabapentin to an equivalent dose of pregabalin overnight.

This is not recommended for anybody taking them for epilepsy but there is at least one article that says it's OK for RLS.

Otherwise, whilst you're winding down one and building up the other your RLS will get worse. In addition whilst you're winding down gabapentin you may get withdrawal effects. Since the two act in more or less the same way, I can't see the logic in doing that.

It is worth trying pregabalin, it is more potent and more consistent than gabapentin.

900mg gabapentin is roughly equivalent to 150mg pregabalin.

You could take one last dose of 900mg one night then 150mg the next night.

Since it's your doc that's issuing the prescriptions, I guess you'd have to persuade them of this.

[Joolsg]

Very cruel and unnecessary. Pregabalin is the same class of drugs as gabapentin so you can make a direct switch. I did and others have done so.

I think you should speak to your GP and suggest an equivalent dose switch and point out you'll get non stop RLS, no sleep AND you'll suffer withdrawal from the gabapentin.

[Bean49 in reply to Joolsg]

Thank you for your advice. After two bad nights of reduction on 600mg gabapentin I decided to just switch over to 150mg pregabolin and so far have had 3 night's sleep in my own bed. Brilliant!

[Joolsg in reply to Bean49]

Fantastic. I really hope it continues.

[WideBody]

Gabapentin was inconsistent for me, I was taking 1200-1500mg a day. Almost every two hours. I went to 300mg pregabalin overnight and happy I did.

The Gabapentin is still in the cupboard, I guess I was afraid the pregabalin wouldn’t work.

[Bean49 in reply to WideBody]

Thanks, going ok so far.....