Pregablin

[Whymelord]

Hi ,can I please get some information regarding Pregablin. I've been taking 75mgs every night for some months.A few weeks ago I began having heart palpations,its happened a few times since and feels very scary.I have read the possible side effects and this seems to be one of them,has anyone else experienced this,I'm going to talk to my gp as I'm concerned. I would appreciate any feedback thankyou.

[SueJohnson]

Definitely talk to your doctor. If it is decided you need to come off it, do so very slowly or you will have withdrawal effects. If you do so slowly enough you won't have any.

[Whymelord in reply to SueJohnson]

Oh thankyou SueJohnson for you prompt reply

[Whymelord in reply to SueJohnson]

Sorry I sent that reply too quick.as I've only been taking the smaller dose I'm hoping I will manage coming off it reasonably easy but I will do what you suggest and report back when I speak to my doctor.

[LotteM]

I can't advise you on the heart palpitations on pregabalin. I think Sue is right and you should consult your doctor. I had heart palpitations that didn't settle on 100mg tramadol (but not on 50mg). It was a reason to reduce to 50mg again and eventually switch to another treatment.

[Whymelord in reply to LotteM]

Thankyou LotteM for replying, seems like everything that we are prescribed for this horrible syndrome can cause yet more suffering, I'm glad you have found something that helps.

[LotteM in reply to Whymelord]

I agree, Whymelord. It is about finding the right balance, which can be far from easy.

[Joolsg]

Are you still on half the 0.088 pramipexole pill? Pramipexole withdrawal can be linked to heart palpitations and anxiety so it may not be the pregabalin that's causing them. Especially as you've been on pregabalin for some months.

[Whymelord in reply to Joolsg]

Hi Joolsg,sorry for not replying sooner but I have the Flu and am just starting to feel better. I take half of a 0.18mg Pramipexole about 3 or 4 times a week,along with 75mgs of Pregablin a night.I am trying to stop the Pramipexole as I don't find the Pregablin enough and don't want to increase the dose if I can help it.I have just read some recent comments regarding Palpitations, I too get the pulse in my ears and suspect some medication is the cause.I am intending to talk to my GP soon as I'm over this flu.may I wish you and all on this forum a very Happy New year.

[Joolsg in reply to Whymelord]

I hope you recover fully. Your GP can arrange an ECG and a 24 hour halter test to check on the palpitations. Happy New Year.

[Munroist]

I didn’t have heart palpitations on 300mg pregabalin a day, but obviously coming off it will help identify whether it’s the cause for you. I came off it slowly, mainly because I was worried about how I’d feel about increased neuropathic pain and anxiety and I had no problems. I dropped 75mg per day at a time and had at least two weeks at each new dose to assess the difference, in some cases a couple of months.

[Hidden]

Hi, Whymelord, Sorry to hear of your difficulties. In case you haven't yet spoken with your doctor, I would like to share my pregabalin experienceS.

I was prescribed pregabalin on two separate instances: once by a now former "sleep-expert" neurologist; and most recently by my new General Practice physician, whose Rx was endorsed by my new neurologist (subject to minor tweaks).

To cut to the chase: my now former "sleep-expert" neurologist prescribed a starter dose of 75 mg, quickly titrated up to 150 mg, then to 300 mg. When he then suggested that we bump up to 600 mg per day, I said: Enough!

Separate and apart from the fact that pregabalin then was counterindicated for a person such as myself because I already had "augemented" on pramipexole and then was experiencing DAWS following its abrupt discontinuance, even the initial starter dose of 75 mg was too much for me. Later consultation with literature suggests that in some instances (in my case, being older than 65 years), a starter dose should be only 50 mg, and then slowly titrated upwards.

What happened following my initial intake of 75 mg pregabalin? Not only did it not help relieve my RLS, but I incurred: Loss of balance; blurred vision; proclivity toward accidents; and other side-effects. I still feel the 3" scar left under my chin as a result of an "accident" that left me bleeding profusely after shaving with a straight razor. Though I do not recall "heart palpatations" per se, I did note that my pulse rate went from about 60 BPM to over 90 BPM. In the absence of any comment from my former "sleep expert" neurologist, I attributed the rapid heartbeat (pulse) to other causes.

Fast forward to my second go round: DAWS is behind me. I visited a new GP several weeks ago. She re-prescribed pregabalin, this time with an appropriate starter dose of 50 mg per day. It was titrated to 100 mg after one week, and then to the current 150 mg. Except for dry mouth, I didn't experience the side effects earlier encountered,

Yesterday, I visited my new neurologist. She asked me questions about both my prior and current experiences with pregabalin: Any blurred vision? Any loss of balance? Etc. My answers differed, depending upon which experience was under discussion. She tweaked the dosing timetable, but otherwise endorsed the pregabalin Rx of the GP. At this time, both felt that 150 mg is sufficient, subject to revisiting as/if circumstances require.

I do not know your age nor whether your intial dose was 50 mg and then titrated to 75 mg or something else altogether. But if your experience is anything like mine, it might be worthwhile to discuss with your doctor changes to both the dose and dosing schedule

Be well.