Pregabalin Side Effects

[Ced60]

does anyone suffer from Oedema from Pregbalin use - my knees have swollen massively since starting this drug ?

[Amrob]

This is a known side effect. I don't personally but have read of others on this forum who have experienced it.

[SueJohnson]

Yes - I have it. 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. If you need more than 600 mg take the extra 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you need more than 1200 mg, take the extra 6 hours before bedtime. If you take magnesium don't take it within 3 hours of the gabapentin as it reduces the absorption of the gabapentin.

[Whymelord]

Hi,yes I have upped my dose of Pregabalin recently and now my ankles and lower legs have started to swell,I'm now on 150mg which isn't really easing my RLS but I do not want to take a higher dose,my gp is talking about putting me on Ropinirole which I understand is similar to Pramipexole which I've just recently weaned off,I'm going round in circles with meds,good luck to you.

[SueJohnson in reply to Whymelord]

I don't remember so this may be a duplicate. 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. If you need more than 600 mg take the extra 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you need more than 1200 mg, take the extra 6 hours before bedtime. If you take magnesium don't take it within 3 hours of the gabapentin as it reduces the absorption of the gabapentin.

[LanaCSR]

Yep, it made my ankles, feet, toes swell really bad and caused weight gain because of it, which is unfortunate because it was really helping my RLS. So I had to stop taking it. *sigh*

[Fingerandus]

hi yes i do my feet are so swollen.. i weened myself off lyrica and my feet had gone down nicely then because of RLS and trying get off pramipexole i took 75 mg for three nights my feet and stomach are so bloated and it hurts so much to walk so all the lyrica has gone in the chemists bin and wind my goodness its terrible, thing is its taking so long to get slim feet again..

[Chelle1981uk]

my mum is taking gabapentin and was on 300mg three times a day - her ankles got extremely swollen and she’d cry with the pain. She’s now back on 100mg a day and the swelling is subsiding.

[SueJohnson in reply to Chelle1981uk]

She might want to try pregabalin. Although they are basically the same drug 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. Divide the gabapentin amount by 6 to get the correct dose. If she takes magnesium she shouldn' t take it within 3 hours of the pregabalin. If she takes calcium she shouldn' t take it within 2 hours.

[SueJohnson in reply to Chelle1981uk]

Has she had her ferritin checked? Improving ones ferritin to 100 or more helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their symptoms. When she sees her doctor, she should ask for a full iron panel. She should stop taking any iron supplements 48 hours before the test and fast after midnight. She should have her test in the morning. When she gets the results, she should ask for her ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. If her ferritin is less than 100 or her transferrin saturation is not between 20 and 45 post back here and we can give her some advice.

[Chelle1981uk in reply to SueJohnson]

thanks Sue - yes her ferritin levels have been checked and are fine. My auntie who is a nurse actually mentioned magnesium to my dad last night so we are going to get some of that. The swelling seems to be subsiding now she’s on a lower dosage but the pain in her ankle is still there and often keeps her awake at night. Thank you for your reply to this; most helpful!