1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Pregabalin

trying to get the doctor to put me on pregabalin

Posted , 7 users are following.

bluematt
bluematt

Hi all,im new to this so please bare with me. ive suffered from extreme anxiety for as long as i can remember.my father and oldest brother both took there own lives when i was younger so I gues it runs in the family.about ten years ago I did a stupid thing and got involved with heroin,it took all the feelings of dread and doom i felt away.i was using for ten years untill i sought help and went on to methadone.At one point i was on 120ml a day but over the last year have reduced to 20ml a day.I'd been on citalapram for about 8 yrs which was pointless as it did nothing for me.ive recentley been put on mitazipam which is just as useless.A friend of mine who is on pregabalin gave me a cpl of weeks worth 150 ml twice daily and I couldnt believe the difference it made.It was like some one had woken me from a bad dream.The thing is when ever i visit the doctor's they just see drug missuse and dismiss me as trying it on.Ive an appointment at 5 this evening and want to ask to be put on pregabalin but am worried I will just get the same results. 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • rosemary62797
    rosemary62797 bluematt

    Posted

    be very caeful of pregabalin, good for some not for others, I am addicted after only 28x25mg caps over 21 days, struggling to get off , its a killer to me,   I found an article about it being the new recreational drug  scottish prisons at £1. a pop why anyone would want to take this and suffer all the side effects and withdrawal is beyond me, nver taken anything illegal, but think  this is the nearest,  I have hallucinations, shakes sweatig , everything related to illegals. 
  • geoff80186
    geoff80186 bluematt

    Posted

    just to say that unlike rosemary I was prescribed pregabalin by a very senior psychiatrist for anxiety and I have have been feeling so much relaxed since. He assured me it is not addictive and widely prescribed for anxiety with  excellent results for most people. Definitely worth a try.

    good luck.

  • zaphod
    zaphod bluematt

    Posted

    This drug is well known as being used by Heroin addicts to help with withdrawals, so this is possibly effecting your GP`s decision on whether or not to give it to you. But, any doctor would more than likely give you this drug as an alternative to Benzodiazapines. Try (tactfully) to mention this, but I don`t think Pregabalin is licensed for Anxiety. I hope you manage to find an answer to your problems, as I know how crippling Anxiety can be. Unfortunately, GP`s don`t usually treat it with the seriousness it desrves.

    All the best

    Paddy

  • e63238
    e63238 bluematt

    Posted

    Hi Matt. Harrowing life story but self-administering Pregabalin without talking to your doctor when you are on other medications is really not advisable.  There all all sort of interactions and complication.  Also your starting dose is massive.  I have generalised anxiety disorder and I was started off on 25 mg twice a day and it made a huge difference without even having to increase the dose.  The medication gets gradually increased to an optimum level but wacking your brain with a 300 mg dose as soon as you start and without medical supervision may also be the reason why your doctor will be reluctant to give it to you in the first place.  The second reason why your doctor may not prescribe it is that Pregabaline is very expensive.  It was given to me by a psychiatrist for my condition and it does help a lot with anxiety but you struggle to get in through the NHS because of cost.  Also, it is not a wonder drug.  It did not work for me at all because it made me so depressed that I preferred to go back to anxiety.  If you read other blogs you will find that many other people have a list of severe complaints.  Like all mind altering drugs it works for some and not for others.  However, if you really want it and your doctor refuses to give it to you, then you may want to ask to be referred to a psychiatrist who may better understand your situation.  All the best.
  • shaun13480
    shaun13480 bluematt

    Posted

    Hi Bluematt,

    Hope you managed to get sorted at the doctors I was also addicted to a substance which was a prescpition med called dihydrocodeine and it was also a nightmare to get off I sarted talking this for fibromyalgia but after a year or so I was takeing up 16 * 30mg tables a day the doctors new I was addicted but the called it dependent,

    Then one day when i was at doctors for a reveiew a new doctor sugested I try pregabalin and soon as I took this med I felt great and it stopped the craving for dihydrocodeine but now I gess I am hooked on pregabalin   

       

  • tina1966
    tina1966 bluematt

    Posted

    Hi bluematt you must feel at the end of your tether I too take Lyrica well did for the last six months or so was fab for anxiety for me and ocd not fantastic for pain levels kept increasing but it let me sleep so was happy on it apart from its made me put on loads if weight I struggle with stopped taking this around 10 days ago because of this so now im back to the high pain and no sleeping whilst waiting to see my gp everyone said after i wouldn't just be able to stop it but i have no problems so not sure about addiction but I know a lot of people feel they are addicted i would just tell your GP what you told us and see if they suggest something I hope it goes well for you let us know please Tina x
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.