Pregabalin for anxiety with depression
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi all,
I have depression with GAD and my psych has suggested adding pregabalin to my SSRI (sertraline).
I can see that pregabalin can be helpful for anxiety but I am worried about how it will affect my depression.
The main issue I struggle with is tiredness / lack of energy and I am worried that pregabalin will make this worse rather than better.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks, Ed
0 likes, 22 replies
paul1066 Guest
Edited
Hi Ed,
I have had depression and acute anxiety since December last year. I had a panic attack one evening and it just never stopped. Was very anxious and scared and literally couldn't function all day and night. I went to GP who increased the Venlafaxine I was on to 225mg and some diazapam for the anxiety. The diazapam helped but would wear off after sever hours.
This was going on until March when I decided that I had enough and needed to take proper action. My GP referred me to Mental Health team at Aintree hospital where I have been seeing (Telephone call now due to covid crisis )a wonderful Psychologist who helped me get assessed by a consultant at Clock View in walton. I have been taking Pregabalin 75mg twice a day alongside my normal Venlafaxine dose. Within days my anxiety has greatly reduced and I can function and sleep and not be the nervous wreck that I was. it takes a few weeks for the pregabalin to kick in properly and after 2 weeks I will increase to three 75 mg a day.
Read the reviews on Pregabalin, they are mainly for epilepsy, nerve pain and also anxiety.
They have changed my life around. There are potential side effects like dry mouth or sweating but so far I have had none. Hope this helps
Guest paul1066
Posted
Thanks Paul, that's very helpful. Best wishes, Ed
elizabeth112 Guest
Posted
I've been taking Pregabalin for 3 years. Initially, it seemed helpful, but the improvements wore off and so every time my psych saw me, he increased my dose. I was finally on 175mg twice daily, and my anxiety was as bad, if not worse, than when I started on it. During those 3 years, almost all my teeth have rotted, from the gums up, and my new dentist, who's had experience with Pregabalin herself, happened to say that the severely dry mouth I have, plus chronic sinustis (also worsening over those 3 years) are known causes of peridontitis- this is why I've lost most of my teeth and will need dentures! - and can also cause chronic sinusitis, due to dry nasal passages. I saw my psych. yesterday via Skype, told him this and he immediately decided (though up to now he's been so keen on Pregabalin as a wonder drug, despite my ongoing/increasing anxiety issues) to take me off Pregabalin, reducing my dose over a fairly short time, and substitute an anti-depressant also used for anxiety issues. I'm telling you this, because that dry mouth can cause serious problems, and also because pregabalin isn't, in my opinion, the magic pill I was led to believe it would be. Just a warning, take from it what you will. Take care!
Guest elizabeth112
Edited
Thanks for the information Elizabeth. I haven't started taking Pregabalin myself but am considering my options. I have heard elsewhere that some people require regular dose increases which does concern me. That is worrying about the effects of dry mouth and I haven't come across those issues before. Thanks for sharing. Ed
elizabeth112 Guest
Posted
Hopefully, the warning will be helpful.I started off at 50mg twice daily, then steadily increased each time my anxiety issues returned (on a fairly regular basis!) until I was finally taking 175mg twice daily. I think the addictive properties of this drug are just as bad, if not worse, than those of benzodiazepines, in that one quickly develops "tolerance" issues and needs more and more to get the same effect! Although psychiatrists baulk at prescribing benzodiazepines long term, for obvious reasons, sadly, they don't appear to have the same reluctance about this drug. Seems bizarre/irrational to me!
jordan68172 elizabeth112
Posted
Hey guys, I know people who have been on Pregabalin for anxiety for years with no tolerance issues, they have been on the same dose whether that's a low dose of 150mg a day to 600mg a day. It has given them there lives back. If you are sufffering & have tried antidepressants & want to give the Benzo's a miss & it works for you ( doesn't work for everyone of course )no harm in giving it a try.