Pregabalin

[Keith1231]

Its me again. Okay, I have not taken any Pregabalin for 3 days now ( I know, I'm so impatient ) because of balance issues. I am getting very little sleep, I guess that's to be expected however, I have cold sores on my inner bottom lip, itchy dry sore eyes and feeling feverish, are these withdrawal symptoms and if so what can I do about them or will they go away over time. Thank you.

[amrob123]

Pregabalin withdrawal comes with many unusual symptoms. It should never be stopped cold turkey, except on competent medical advice. Those who know say it should be tapered by no more than 10% each month. How long were you on it for and at what dose?

[Keith1231 in reply to amrob123]

I have been on Pregabalin since December 23. Initial dose 150mg then up to 275mg but had balance and weight gain issues so I've been trying ever since to come off it. I was advised by my GP not to split capsules and titrate. Three days without any so hopefully I am over the worst.

[Joolsg in reply to Keith1231]

I've just seen this. Your GP is really not helpful. I cut my pregabalin capsules and split the powder into quarters to reduce down.

[amrob123]

Insomnia and increased restless legs are a commonly reported withdrawal symptom.People also experience delayed withdrawal symptoms, especially when the reduction has been rapid.I see you have been on it since December 2023. It is often suggested that people do a water titration to mitigate withdrawal symptoms.

I'm reducing down also, from a max of 300mg. I have added in dipyridamole 100mg and that is helping somewhat.

Edited to add: I also take GABA supplement which also helps with sleep. Strictly speaking one shouldn't take it when withdrawing from pregabalin, as the brain is working hard to balance GABA/glutamate and adding GABA supplement into the mix doesn't help with that. But I figure that I need sleep and GABA supplement is better than pregabalin!

[VanillaOatMilk]

Keith1231, can you tell me more about your balance issues? How soon did they start after starting pregab? Is it constant or come and go? Other?

To the group: I’ve been on pregabalin since August 2022. Got up to 125mg by spring 2023 and have stayed there. It has done a great job for me, immensely reducing nighttime leg pains and improving my sleep. I’ve been experiencing mild but constant dizziness and very mild balance issues starting July 2023, so after I had been on pregab for almost a year. It’s now been almost another year, I’ve had 3 different sets of eye glass lenses prescribed by a Neuro-Optometrist and also am a patient with the National Dizzy and Balance Center. None of the eye glasses helped (some made it worse) and I’ve successfully hit and exceeded all the benchmark tests at Dizzy Center, yet the dizziness sensation persists and has had even slightly intensified over this time period.

Initially I dismissed the idea of pregab as a possible cause of dizziness since these symptoms didn’t appear until after a year of being on pregab. I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone might have. Thank you.

[Keith1231 in reply to VanillaOatMilk]

AFTER MY INTIAL DOSE OF 150MG i FELT THAT i STILL WASNT SLEEPING THAT WELL EVEN THOUGH MY rls HAD GONE. aT THIS STAGE i DIDNT HAVE DIZZYINESS/balance issues . Sorry for caps lock. I can only type with one hand so I have to look at the keyboard. To continue: As I increased to 275mg to help with my sleep I felt dizzy/unbalance, not sure at which dosage. I made a decision to with draw completely. My last dose was 4 days ago. Dizziness/balance is still there but only when I walk. At one stage I felt nauseous but that's gone. I had a stroke 5 years ago so this has been a worry. I am going back to see my GP next week for help.

[amrob123 in reply to VanillaOatMilk]

Balance problems/ dizziness are an extremely common side effect of Lyrica. Side effects can develop after you have been on the medication for some time. This has been my experience and that of many other pregabalin users. Take a look at tge Lyrica Survivors Facebook group. It's an eye opener for sure.

[Keith1231 in reply to amrob123]

I tried FB Lyrica Survivors all I get are warnings about the sale of drugs and it kicks me out. Dose the balance come back when Pregabalin is out of your system?

[amrob123 in reply to Keith1231]

That's interesting. I haven't had that experience. Here's the group I have joined:facebook.com/groups/LyricaS...

I'm still on 175mg pregabalin so can't answer personally, but people say balance corrects once off it. It can take time however. Vision problems from pregabalin are a big concern for me.

[Keith1231 in reply to amrob123]

Thanks

[VanillaOatMilk in reply to amrob123]

Thank you for the link!

[SueJohnson in reply to VanillaOatMilk]

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, even in a multivitamin, don't take it within 3 hours of the gabapentin as it reduces the absorption of the gabapentin. If you take calcium don't take it within 2 hours for the same reason.

However I would be more concerned about your vision problems.

If you decide to come off it, do so very slowly 25 mg every couple of weeks for pregabalin and 100 to 200 mg every couple of weeks for gabapentin.

[Keith1231 in reply to SueJohnson]

I have wet Macular diseases in my right eye and have injections every six weeks. This was diagnosed 12 months so way before Pregabalin. Thanks for your advice.

[Keith1231 in reply to SueJohnson]

I ment to say, I stopped taking pregabalin 6 days ago. I got down to 25mg per day. Still not sleeping that well and don't feel that brilliant during the day but I think I am over the worst?