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Pregablin withdrawal

Posted , 5 users are following.

fanta550
fanta550

I have been on 300mg a day for about a year for stomach pain. I managed to successfully cut it down to 25mg a day and the Dr told me to come off them all together as they are causing me really bad heart palpitations. I have had those since taking them but never said as I thought it was a side effect and would disappear after time. 

I've been off them for 3nights. I feel like I'm dying. 

Waking up hot and cold, legs feel weak,  sickness, diarreah, aching  everywhere, can't eat because it will eventually come back up have lost a ridiculous amount of weight. 

Will this ever stop I really don't think it's going to I'm crying so much as I write this. I called the Dr and he said he can't do anything for me and just need to stick it out. 

I actually feel like my body is dying

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • jessie2150
    jessie2150 fanta550

    Posted

    Hi fanta - Sounds like you're really having a bad time, I'm sorry to hear that.

    I am sure others here will be able to help, but have you thought about easing off the last 25mg instead of just stopping suddenly?

    I think they also come in 5 mg dose too, and perhaps using those to really slowly ease them down till you stop?

    I was on the same dose as you for a year or so but am off them now.

    I did it really gradually but it it has taken 4 months or so and has been very difficult with all the symptoms you list.

    This is all I can suggest, try to get some 5 mg.   It isn't easy stopping them and it will take some time. x 

    • fanta550
      fanta550 jessie2150

      Posted

      Getting down to 25mg was easy for me but the drs said I need to stop the 25mg because of the heart palpitations, they are terrible. They have calmed down since I have not had any pills since Friday night.

      But everything else is terrible.

      The only way to describe it is to say that my body feels like it's dying.

      I have also got yellow diahreah which has come on this morning so I went back on to the drs and they think I also have the nurovirus along with ask the other problems I have right now.

  • michelle99524
    michelle99524 fanta550

    Posted

    Hi there - i really feel for you i am currently cutting down gradually form 600mg a day because i know i have to get off this drug and stay off it. I had no idea how addictive it was when i was prescribed it. Anytime i have run out or when i tried to cut down myself before i thought i was dying - the first time i ran out and forgot to order them over a bank holiday weekend i was in no way prepared for how bad it would be and was actually treated for food poisoning at the time because i was so ill. It wasnt until i ran out again that i made the connection and when i did it floored me - i had absolutley no idea how bad the withdrawals could be from a pill thats supposed to be "safe". My advice would be to get some sachets from the chemist because if the runny bottom is as bad as mine was then you need to keep hydrated and replace the electrolytes you loose when you have bad diarrhoea can make you feel an awful lot worse. I dont think you have norovirus i honestly think your sysmptoms are just like mine and i have had them a few times now. The rest of it i think will just take time although i agree with Jessie that they should have tried to get you down a bit further before taking you off completely but i dont know if they come any smaller than 25mg. Try ginger for he nausea and even if you are being sick try to get some rehydration sachets down you. I wish you all the luck in the world and will be thinking about you - i know i have this to come. Sometimes wish the docs and pharma companies could see videos of us at our worst to show them what their tablet can do. I know it helps lots and lots of people but it should be prescibed with extreme caution and people made acutely aware of the pros and cons of this drug. Please let us know how you are doing. X
    • fanta550
      fanta550 michelle99524

      Posted

      When I called up this morning luckily I had the same Dr as I always do.

      He said he was not happy to give me any more because the palpitations were so bad and was worried about it. That's the only thing that has stopped since I took my last one.

      Seems to think that the yellow stool indicates an infection. As never heard of withdrawal stools being yellow.

      I agree there should be a warning label about these tablets because I think they are dangerous.

  • michelle99524
    michelle99524 fanta550

    Posted

    Your doc sounds good at least he understands what you are oing through- it could well be an infection - i just know i had he yellow runs when i came off them too. Its obvious your doctor is more worried about the heart as he should be, so it sounds as if you may just have to hang in there. I hope you feel better soon and keep us posted of how you are coping with the withdrawal. The other thing that i noticed was that my body didnt seem to be able to control my temperature very well - i would be absolutely freezing cold and shivering quite violently and five minutes later i wanted every door and window in the house open because i was so hot. The fatique was bad too - in fact everything you have posted about is the same as i felt and i am not looking forward to going there again but i really want to get off these too -  i'm sure you can do it and dont be afraid to make a nuisance of yourself with the doctor as although he cant give you pregablin there are other things available if it all gets too much.
    • jessie2150
      jessie2150 michelle99524

      Posted

      Fanta and Michelle - You have given really good advice michelle - getting off these is really dreadful.

      I eventually went to my GP because I just seemed to have a constant tummy bug with all the associated symptoms.   I realise now it was withdrawal symptoms, but it lasted over 3 months.

      With the sickness and nausea (constant) I'd wake in the morning thinking I couldn't keep living like this, really, really difficult to get through the day.  Like you michelle my body temperature was completely out of synch.

      If it is of any support fanta, my body finally seems to be adjusting, since I stopped in March.  Been a very difficult time, emotionally as well as physically I wish I'd never got on them.

      Doctors can only go by the reported side-effects and Pregabalin is still a reasonably new drug, and also if you haven't been through it, it is hard to understand.  

      As michelle says, your GP should be able to give you something for the symptoms you are suffering.

      My very best wishes to you. x

    • michelle99524
      michelle99524 jessie2150

      Posted

      Hi Jessie, i was wondering how much you were on and how you came off the pregablin and at what doses you were able to tolerate. I need to come off them but i have a full time job in a small company and i cant take any time off - it sounds like the hardest part is when you stop taking any at all that the withdrawals really kick in and your not the first person that has said that it was around three months before they finally started to fell more like themselves again. Also did you put any weight on when you were on it and has it come off now you are clear of it?
    • jessie2150
      jessie2150 michelle99524

      Posted

      Hi michelle.   I was on 300 mg a day for over a year (my GP kindly said I could have a higher does if I wanted it !!)

      Yes, I put on weight, permanently very bloated abdomen, very wobbly on my feet, confused and poor memory were the effects that bothered me most.

      My GP said I could stop 75 mg immediately and that is when I started to feel ill.   I took it very slowly after that by dropping 25mg every 10 days,  

      Never thinking it was w/s  bloated abdomen which never improved, so much wind and diarhhea frequently during the day plus nausea after food and either too hot or too cold, plus this awful depression, so I saw another GP who immediately sent me for various investigative tests to rule out any disease - all these symptoms were so unusual for me you see.

      I remember taking my final 25 mg at the beginning of April, and only now, mid -July do I think it has finally cleared from my system as 

      I am suffering very badly with the pain for which Pregabalin was originally prescribed, but honestly I'd rather that than all the side effects on and off Pregabalin.

      Sorry to grumble, just wnted to let you know how I managed it.

      @ fanta, I hope you start to get an improvement soon but do see your GP again with all the problems.

      @ michelle.  You mustn't take my experience as common, it may be completely different for you - but I would advise a very slow withdrawal if at all poss.

      xx

       

    • michelle99524
      michelle99524 jessie2150

      Posted

      Thanks Jessie - i have had these withdrawals myself any time i have forgotten to put my repeat prescriptipns in and the withdrawals were so bad the first time i was treated for food poisoning! It wasnt until the second time i made the connection that it was the pregabalin. I had the worst stomach upsets contstant nausea, diarrhoea and the inability to regulate my body remperature was a real problem too. So having experienced these before i kinda know what is in front of me. I did read of a guy who when it came down to getting off the last 25mg (he couldnt get any smaller tablets) removed some of the contents of the capsule- a little more each week until he really was down to the last grain. He said that after more than six attempts to come off and just not being able to get off that last 25mg and deal with the side effects - that this was the easiest and safest way as he wanted to avoid the depression that hat hit him hard every other time. Anyway he says he id doing really well off it and all though his body still had to make some adjustments (like getting his bowels back working properly and dealing with night sweats). I personally think that this tablet should come in at least 5mg to allow people to wean off safely but as they think according to their info that comes with you drug - you should be able to come off over a week! I mean i cant imagine the state i would be in if i came off of 600mg a day in a week - i think that is actually very dangerous advice especially if you have other health problems or mental health issues and after doing a bit of diggiing around the increase in the amount of this being prescibed is unbelievable a 56% increase in just one year. I know this helps loads of people and thats a good thing but they are not entirely sure how the drug works in the brain and thats a bad thing so is the fact that people are not told how bad the side effects can be - i have a job that requires accuracy and i have had to slow down because my brain does not work the way it used to. Things that would take me half an hour now take two hours and whereas i used to be highly organised i know have to write everything down or it just goes my memory is so bad. I have forgotton things i would never had before (my mum and stepdads silver wedding anniversary for one) and i can be half way through a conversation and i can see the word i am looking for but its just out of reach and i cant get it. I am angry and fraustrated that i am in this position and cant do anuthing about it except take my time and get off them and then just hope that all my memory and other problems sort themselves out.

      So sorry for the rant guys - just a bit scared, and honestly Jessie i think you will find that the withdrawals you experienced are more common than we would like to think.

      Thanks for listening guys - again sorry for the rant!!

  • fanta550
    fanta550

    Posted

    Thanks so much for all your replies.

    It's been so hard, yesterday being the worst.

    I'm glad I don't have to go to work while going through this it has killed me (I'm on ESA for other illnesses)

    When I was on 300mg a day I asked the Dr for some 25mgs so I cut 25mg out every 2weeks and I cut that out from the morning dose so 125mg in the morning and then 150 at night time. Until the whole morning dose was gone and then started cutting the night dose down.

    This worked for me until the other day when I had to cut out the 25mg completely.

    I've read of people doing 25mg every other day for a few weeks then every other 2days for a few weeks and then 25mg every other 3days .. This seems successful with most people. That's what I was going to do until I had to come off cold turkey for the last 25mg.

    I hope that will help you

    • michelle99524
      michelle99524 fanta550

      Posted

      HI Fanta, thanks for that i had just asked Jessie how she got right down to a tolerable level and how quicklyso thanks for that info. Its sooo good you that you have the time off to work on yourself - thats my biggest worry is work, and the awful w/ds as well. I'm sure everyday wil feel a wee bit better than the last and i really hope they ease up soon for you.

      And please dont forget to get your doctor in to help, there are other things available even short term that can help with the worst bits.

      All the best fanta and just let us know if we can do anything to help - somethimes just having someone to talk to or spout off to when its really getting on top of you can help enormously. x

  • fanta550
    fanta550

    Posted

    So I called up the doctors this morning asking about my stool sample results - they came back normal no action.

    So do you think that the yellow poo is from the withdrawal. I have the doctor calling me at 5pm today to discuss this.

    I feel a little better I had managed to eat some plain mashed potatoes and some plain rice.

    I've lost over a stone since this has happened. I really hope that the yellow poo is from withdrawal and nothing serious.

    I think my depression is getting worse because I can't leave the house. There is no way I would probably end up having an accident in public.

    I'm trying to keep myself busy by doing things around the house but its hard, I'm hot and cold still, my legs ache. Watching the telly is hard because I seem to have noise sensitivity.

    Oh this seems like its going to be a lot of fun over the next few weeks.

  • Magrid
    Magrid fanta550

    Posted

    Hi I am just starting Pregablin for chronic pain. I had increased it to 50mgs at night and 25mgs in the morning and was doing fine. Then I increased it to 50mgs at night and 50mgs in the morning. I feel terrible and have been having really bad thoughts,terrible nausea,bloated tummy, gained 5lb, can't sleep and mood swings. I don't know what to do as I'm due to go on a long holiday soon and wanted something to help with the pain but don't want these side effects. I'm meant to be increasing to 75mgs am and again pm. Why are you coming off them? How are you doing now?
    • fanta550
      fanta550 Magrid

      Posted

      They honestly made me feel like a different person. I was moody and violent, snapping at everything. Was having heart palpitations which is the main reason for coming off them.

      If they are making you feel that bad I think you should call the drs to discuss it.

      Even though I feel terrible right now I feel like a better person for being off them. The side effects outweighed the good (they didn't help me for pain at all)

      Roughly how long have you been on then ?

  • Magrid
    Magrid fanta550

    Posted

    I've been on them for about 3 weeks. The first couple of weeks were great and I had less pain. I did get headaches and dizzy but it was preferable to the pain. Then I started getting mood swings and irritable. My daughter said I've been snappy and my partner said I'm a different person. I keep forgetting things. Last night was the worse I was up all night feeling really sick. I have also been having depressing thoughts. I've put on 5lb . I think I'm going to have to stop them and go back to amitryptiline. I haven't found an effective pain killer. I tried tramadol and it made me too spaced out. I've had to give up work and am trying to get some sort of life together. These tabs are affecting my positivity . I just want to cry. That's not like me
    • fanta550
      fanta550 Magrid

      Posted

      Yeah they made me feel exactly the same. I was also on amitriptyline which helped a little.

      If you feel it is too much for you to handle definitely get on the phone to a Dr.

      I wouldn't take these again they are vile tablets absolutely vile.

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