pregabalin

[Hoochybaby]

does anyone find that pregabalin causes among others balance problems and dizziness? Since increasing my dosage to 200 mg my problem has got worse sometimes when I walk down the street people must think I’m drunk!! I stagger from side to side! Other problems are increased weight I’ve mentioned this to my gp but don’t get answers my other problems are insomnia brought on by my severe rls I’m 83 and not got much fight left in me sorry to be such an old moaner

[Moonwalker1967]

I am on Pregabalin 75 mg and my body has got used to it and am increasing to 100 mg. On boxing day I had a bad fall. I am 55 years old and this rarely happens. I had a bad night before and was tired plus having that horrible muscular pain after a bad night didn't help! Not as steady on my bike neither. I totally agree with you re. losing balance etc. I am only taking Pregabalin as the neurologist @ Sheffield hospital prescribed it and without medication no sleep. Without sleep no work. It's a hard life!

[Hoochybaby in reply to Moonwalker1967]

thanks for the reply I too am under a neurologist at Sheffield I’ve never seen f to f But I’m on 200 mg pregabalin taken at night with a beta blocker Bisoprolol my balance has got progressively worse I used to be so fit and active before my rls took over my life?

[Hidden]

Hi, Hoochybaby, sorry to hear of your troubles. I too experienced balance issues when first prescribed pregabalin for RLS. The first go-round, the "sleep expert" neurologist prescribed too strong an initial dose, and lest his initial incompetence be found to be inadvertent, doubled-down by titrating upwards the initial dose much too hastily. Initial side effects included not only balance issues, but proclivity towards accidents, somnolence (tendency toward falling asleep), blurred vision, and dry mouth. In time, most subsided--though dry mouth persisted.

Second go round (about a year later), my new GP began at a lower initial starting dose, titrated upwards much more slowly. With exception of somnolence and dry mouth, initial side effects were minimal or non-existent. GP referred me to a new neurologist, the latter of whom endorsed conservative regimen of GP, and tweaked to adjust timing of doses. With exception of extreme dry mouth, all other side effects now are largely gone.

Be well.

[Hidden]

Are you taking it just in the evening, or daytime too?

I am taking 250mg pregabalin and i experience slight balance issues 4 to 5 hours after taking it. It appears that the older one is, the more it seems to affect balance

[janiemc]

Hi. I'm 63, and am on 300mg Pregabalin per day - taken across the day in 100mg doses - and was started very slowly on it. Started at 50mg per day and then worked upwards over 4-5 weeks. Whilst I've noticed that I stumble a bit, balance has never been my strong point. I do Pilates, to help with my core strength and balance anyway, which may be helping. If you're finding that balance is an issue, but Pregabalin is helping you, maybe try an activity that helps with your core strength?

[SueJohnson]

You might want to try switching to gabapentin. Although they are basically the same drug except you need to divide the doses, and the side effects are basically the same, some people find that the side effects that bother them on one don't bother them on the other. Multiply the pregabalin amount by 6 to get the correct dose which would be 1200 mg. Take 600 mg 1 to 2 hours before bedtime and since you need more than 600 mg take the second 600 mg 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you take magnesium don't take it within 3 hours of the gabapentin as it reduces the absorption of the gabapentin.

[martino]

I am taking 600mg of Pregabelin and wobble! I had to stop my morning walk for a paper as I was sometimes a bit unsteady. I was on Gabapentin but switched to Pregabelin using the approach Sue has mentioned. Weight has been a factor as well but I do keep on top of this.