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pregabalin or anxiety making me stupid? brain not working

Posted , 13 users are following.

Annonymouss
Annonymouss

so i'm on 450mg of pregabalin as i suffer with very severe disabling GAD 

i have become stupid, my mind doesn't work properly, i can't focus, i can't read, i can't structure sentances properly i can't think of the right words to use, i struggle to keep up with and understand text and conversations, i can't work out simple equations, my brain just doesn't work properly anymore

my dr says it's just my anxiety, mind being everywhere and all

but i've never been like this before. only when in stressful, anxious and overwhelming situations, i'm now like this constantly

i know pregabalin can effect your consentration

is this anxiety or the pregabalin ??

1 like, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • Sneakypete
    Sneakypete Annonymouss

    Posted

    This could easily be the side effects of pregabalin. I was on it for almost 10 years before it turned on me. I've seen a lot of people also reporting simiar symptoms and its famous for creating brain fog. Hopefully you haven't been on it too long as it can be very difficult to stop. Good luck.

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss Sneakypete

      Posted

      thank you so much! jesus 10 years! i've "luckily" only been on it for about 9 months and i have managed to get my psychologist to decrease my dose to 400mg (despite my gp being adoment it's my anxiety!) but i have deffinately noticed an improvement!

  • Alwaysalone
    Alwaysalone Annonymouss

    Posted

    Hi Annonymouss.

    I would say pregabalin.

    I had the same thibg when i was on it.

    It can cause a lot of problems and is not the drug people think it to be.

    As Sneakypete said, it can be difficult to stop and can cause withdrawal symptoms so i hope they can find you something different to use instead.

    I hope all works out for you.

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss Alwaysalone

      Posted

      thank you! looks like it definitely was the pregabalin as my dose has been reduced slightly and my brain functionality is improving! 
    • Alwaysalone
      Alwaysalone Annonymouss

      Posted

      That is good to hear!

      I'm so glad you're feeling better already!

      Doctors don't realise how bad pregabalin actually is and the damage it can do.

      Thank you for that good news. Hopefully things will now be much better for you and this can be the start to a better year with less to none of this med.

      Take care

  • frances57106
    frances57106 Annonymouss

    Posted

    It's prob the pregabalin x i feel the same xxx on 600 mg daily xx

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss frances57106

      Posted

      i've managed to get my dose reduced and it's definitely helped! are you able to do the same? best of luck x

  • steven12310
    steven12310 Annonymouss

    Posted

    Honestly I would say its an increase in your GAD not the pregabalin but you havent said how long you have been on it or what dose you started at. To get the best information from others on this site you really need to try and give as much detail as you can to avoid getting wrong information.

    For me I would go back to the doctors and ask to be prescribed a different drug and only then will you know for sure if it was the Pregabalin.

  • shoosh1965
    shoosh1965 Annonymouss

    Posted

    Hello there,, I am so sorry to hear what you suffer from but I think that you are on a very high dose of pregabalin, if you could reduce it gradually to less that 450m I am sure you will feel better, consult that with your doctor and even if he does not agree just reduce it gradually, he should have started with lower dose and see the results but to put you on a very high dose is unfair,,,let me know what happens and hope you get better,, you are not alone, so be safe,,,

    Love & Light,,,

    Shoosh

    • Annonymouss
      Annonymouss shoosh1965

      Posted

      thank you !  i have managed to get my psychologist to decrease my dose to 400mg (despite my gp being adoment it's my anxiety!) but i have deffinately noticed an improvement so looks like it's definitely the pregabalin

      thanks again!

    • Sneakypete
      Sneakypete Annonymouss

      Posted

      FWIW, I've read hundreds of patient threads on pregabalin and most difficulties seem to start above 300mg per day. It will be hellish but if you could get below that number you'll likely be safer over the long run. But I hate to say this but the people who seem to have the worst time coming off this drug are those being treated for GAD. Your anxiety can go through the reef while in withdrawal. Wish I had a better suggestion for you but it seems all anxiety meds have a very nasty downside. Consider looking up Lyrica Survivors on Facebook and joining. A lot of scary stories on there but at least you can gain a full patient perspective on what this drug can do. The good news is that everybody seems to recover eventually but for some, it can take many months to get through. Good luck. 

  • janet74449
    janet74449 Annonymouss

    Posted

    Hi  My husband is going through literally hell since starting this tablet at the beg. of Oct 2016. Was only on it for 6 weeks and was off by 21st Nov but effects still exist and he seems to be getting worse sad  His voice started to go whilst he was on Venflaxine (aug-Sept) but taken off cold turkey as GP thought he'd had a stroke - all scans clear. Voice is now non existant. Then started on Pregabalin and legs started to go and more or less in a wheelchair fulltime now. So so worried and due to see a private Neurologist on Monday but dreading what he's going to say sad   Two evil drugs !

    • Alwaysalone
      Alwaysalone janet74449

      Posted

      I'm sorry to hear of your husband, Janet, and hope they find a quick solution to help him.

      Pregabalin is a horrible drug and i am still having effects from it since refusing to take it any more in 2014.

      I wish you both the best, and your husband a speedy recovery.

    • janet74449
      janet74449 Alwaysalone

      Posted

      Thanks ALwaysalone  and hope you get some relief from it soon. Did you know theres a group on facebook - Lyrica Surviviors - abs fantastic !
    • Alwaysalone
      Alwaysalone janet74449

      Posted

      Thank you for your wishes.

      I have known about the facebook site for a while now but i don't do facebook.

      After i began to get ill i started to research pregabalin and came across so many things -bad things - about it. I learnt that it should not be prescribed to anyone because of the long-term problems that bodies cannot repair and i learnt of all the many, many people still suffering long after having the strength to refuse the toxin the doctors get paid to prescribe.

      I do hope you and your husband find a much better alternative and he no longer has to suffer from this "medication" they think is a wonder drug.

      Take care and all the best.

    • janet74449
      janet74449 Alwaysalone

      Posted

      May just be worth opening an a/c (perhaps under a false name ?) just to use that site . Take caresmile

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