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Weaning off Pregablin - Anyone happy yo share their experience?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Chappie1001
Chappie1001

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would be happy to share their experience of weaning off Pregablin?

I currently take 50mg morning, 50mg lunchtime & 150mg night time. I was initially prescribed the medication for anxiety. I also take mirtazapine 15mg (reduced from 45mg) beta blockers which I plan to come off last and fluoxetine 40mg which i plan to stay on indefinitely - all meds other than fluoxetine were prescribed by my GP as they beleived I had GAD however when nothing was working apart from the mirtazapine for the depression I was experiencing I paid privately to see a Psychiatrist who diagnosed with OCD and prescribed Fluoxetine. So I am now faced with joys of coming off mirtazapine and pregablin. Ive managed to come down from mirtazapine 45mg to 15mg which I'm happy to stay on until I'm off the pregablin.

On thursday I started to drop the 50mg lunchtime dose which I plan on doing for 2 weeks until I drop another 50mg for 2 weeks and I plan on sticking to this schedule until I'm off them completely.

Can anyone offer any advice on what I can expect with regards to withdrawal side effects please?? My doctors tell me there'll be little if any and I do trust their judgement however I trust the experiences of people who have taken this medication more! 😃

Many thanks

Therese

1 like, 20 replies

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  • charlie40922
    charlie40922 Chappie1001

    Posted

    Hello. I was on 225 mg of pregablin a day. I've got down to 100 mg a day and tbh it's been a massive struggle. I've had rebound anxiety, shakes, dizzyness, and a few other things aswel as a massive headache. That was only dropping by 25mg every week or two aswel. Hope your experience is better then mine

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 charlie40922

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your reply, I'm determined to come off them & understand it won't be easy! Good luck to you on your journey, really hope it gets better for you! 😃

  • matts4912
    matts4912 Chappie1001

    Posted

    If you are predisposed to depression, make sure you go VERY slowly as this had quite a profound effect on my depression.

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 matts4912

      Posted

      Hi, thank you for your response & advice. Thankfully my depression along with OCD is controlled by the Flouxetine & Mirtazapine (the horrendous bout of depression was a product of coming off sertaline that had kept my OCD in check for 10 years). I plan on taking months to come off the pregablin and hopefully combined with exercise & meditation I find the process not too bothersome! Thanks again for your response 😃

    • matts4912
      matts4912 Chappie1001

      Posted

      Very wise Chappie. Exercise and meditation should be right there at the top of the list. Sounds like you know your way forward and getting other's experiences as a form of research is also a good idea, and for that I wish you well.

      God Bless

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 matts4912

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your lovely reply & kindness. Wishing every success in your journey 😃 God bless x

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 matts4912

      Posted

      Hi Matts4912,

      Hope you don't mind me messaging.

      I've got down to 100mg from 250mg, reducing by 50mg every 2 weeks. I'm really struggling with recent drop, mood quite low & intense bouts of anxiety - did you experience similar to this whilst you were tapering & did it pass over time?

      I don't see my gp until 19th december & really don't want to go back to last dose as I desperately want to come off them.

      Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

      Many thanks 😃

  • changejobs
    changejobs Chappie1001

    Posted

    can i ask how did you reduce the mirtazapine? what was you time line on that?

    i appreciate that info.

    thank you

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 changejobs

      Posted

      Hi there - Thank you for your reply. I did it very very slowly under the advice of my GP and Psychiatrist. The best advice I can give you is to speak to your doctor. Wishing you the very best & good luck on your journey 😃

  • NIMIUMVINI
    NIMIUMVINI Chappie1001

    Posted

    I have taken pregablin for several years now, for peripheral neuropathy. It works great, nothing more to say except I missed a few tablets, actually I was away for a weekend and forgot to take them with me. I thought no problem if I'm a little sore not to worry.

    What happened was not nice, I became very gloomy, I feel that depressed is too strong a word. I kept an eye on my medication and noticed that whenever I missed a dose I had this gloomyness. I feel that recommendation of pregablin for your situation is very clearly nothing like mine.

    I only mention that if as I am, addicted to pregablin then anyone wanting to come off them should be aware of this addictiveness and do not stop taking them 'cold turkey', gradually reduce the intake over several months.

    I was taking 225mg AM and 150mg PM. I have now started to reduce the AM down to 150mg and intend to take this over the next twelve months to zero. I am unhappy about any addictiveness of any drug. I emphasise that this is my situation solely and is not meant as a guide.

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 NIMIUMVINI

      Posted

      Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to reply and for your advice! I really do appreciate it. Good luck on your journey 😃

  • tempest1
    tempest1 Chappie1001

    Posted

    hi, i dropped down in 25 mg doses every two weeks. you can get it in 25 mg. i was on 300 mg a day in two 150 mg doses. i dropped with hardly any side effects. a little morning anxiety which i got used too.

  • NIMIUMVINI
    NIMIUMVINI Chappie1001

    Posted

    Hi,

    you seem to be very well under control. I would only mention that I would not reduce my dosage so quickly. I have reduced my pregabalin dosage from 225mg to 150mg and Im now two months on the reduced dose. I was prescribed the medication for peripheral neuropathy. I was concerned about side effects of pregabalin. I am in a few weeks going to reduce this dose to either 100mg or 75mg, I may wait until after Christmas as I don't want anything spoiling the season.

    BW

    • Chappie1001
      Chappie1001 NIMIUMVINI

      Posted

      Hi, thank you for your reply. I think I'm going to try and stick this dose reduction out, I've managed just over a week now so really hoping it starts to get better over the next few days. When i see my GP on the 19th I'm definitely going to ask for the 25mg capsules and plan on taking it a lot slower from now in and like you I don't think i'll attempt at reducing again until after christmas. Thanks again!

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