Pregabalin timing

[bluffpt]

Hi, having switched now from Gabapentin to Pregabalin (and originally Ropinirole) I am on 150mg/day. So far this (relatively low doseage) seems to be benficial. At my request, the GP asked neurologist at what time of day/evening I should take it. The reply was about 3hrs prior to symptoms.

Tricky thing is, i'm not sure when symptoms would typially start, but my guess would be about 2-4hrs after falling asleep.

My question is, I'm taking the 150 about 2hrs before i go to bed, which seems ok. But should I take it in 2 doses, say 75mg 4hrs before i goto bed and then another 75mg 2 hrs before??

I know that Gabapentin should poss be split into 2 or more doses.

Incidentally, just like Gabapentin, I have absolutely no drowsiness ... which is annoying as I often only get 5 or so hrs sleep a night.

Many thanks

Nick

[SueJohnson]

First off it should be 2 hours before symptoms as the peak plasma level is 1 to 2 hours before symptoms. If the 150 mg taken at bedtime works I wouldn't change it. If it doesn't I would increase it since 150 is still a low dose. You can always try taking 75 mg 2 hours before bedtime and then 75 mg at bedtime.

[Joolsg]

Pregabalin is more easily absorbed and most people take it in one dose.However, when I was on 25mg Oxycontin and 150mg pregabalin, I used to get breakthrough RLS every evening between 8 and 10pm and at least twice at night.

So, I split the pregabalin dose and took 75mg around 8pm and 75 mg just before I went to bed to 'extend' the cover.

As long as you take it in the evening, you can split the dose and see how you get on. There are no hard and fast rules with pregabalin. Trial and error. See what works best for you.

[Hidden]

I take mine approx 4 hours before I sleep and it lasts throughout the night, provided I'm taking enough. I have been on it so long now, the sedative effects take a long time to kick in. It seems to have a cumulative effect as I rarely get RLS unless I eat something that is a major trigger. I can't see that there is any compelling reason to split the dose.

[Deesee]

I recently switched from 1800 mg of gabapentin split into three doses of 600 mg , at 7:00, 9:00, and 11:00 p.m. When starting Pregabalin, Dr. Winkelman said I didn’t need to split the Pregabalin as I did the gabapentin. I take 400 mg at 7:00 p.m. and that works. I sometimes have mild breakthrough symptoms that go away after a few minutes, like maybe just going to the bathroom. I feel like 90% better and don’t feel sleep deprived anymore. You don’t need to spread out the Pregabalin dose. Low ferritin affects me big time, so I keep a close watch on that.

[bluffpt]

Many thanks for all your replies - it's very helpful.