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
Hi, Ed, I also suffer from severe Generalized anxiety and Panic Disorder, and have a history of major Depression. I just joined this forum because I have been advised by a new psychiatrist that I need to taper off Pregabalin as it can cause pre-existing Depression to get worse over time, and I wanted to find out about others' experiences of this drug. I have been taking Pregabalin for 2 years (currently on 150mg twice daily) and initially it "seemed" to be helping with my anxiety but for the past several months I've been getting more and more anxious and obsessing over things, also smoking a LOT more than I used to, in an effort to calm myself down, and my mind feels like it's racing at 100mph. Also, since late Nov. last year, I've been having episodes of depression and get weepy over small things. As my last episode of Major Depression was back in 2007, long before I started Pregabalin. I don't know whether there is a link with Pregabalin, but I've had no major life events happening that should have caused the Depression to re-start at this point. I consulted the new Psych. because I was beginning to wonder whether the increased Anxiety symptoms meant the Pregabalin has stopped working, and if so, how else might it be treated, but his comments about Pregabalin leading to Depression have added even more to my concerns with this drug.
p.s.-sorry, Ed, I didn't answer your question about tiredness with pregabalin. No, in my case, the reverse. Mty energy levels were fine- although of late, due to Anxiety increases, I've been hypermanic and have insomnia, so be wary of Pregabalin affecting your sleep patterns, as in my case, it caused disrupted sleep, although on the patient info. leaflet, Somnolence-sleepiness- was indicated!
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your experiences, it is really helpful. Is your psych mobbing you on to a different medication? Are you on anything else other than pregabalin? How long did the pregabalin take to "work" initially? Is it something you can take as and when needed or do you need to take it regularly? Sorry for all the questions! Thanks again, Ed
Hi, Ed and sorry not to have replied sooner. I have been very unwell, as I had contracted a severe U.T.I. which led to me experiencing a rather frightening seizure. Never had previously experienced a seizure for any reason, it came as something of a shock for both myself and partner but fortunately the infection is now under control and hopefully I will soon be feeling a bit better. Such life events, for those of us already victims of severe anxiety, are definitely something one could well do without! Anyway, enough of my wittering. To answer your questions: Well, until very recently-23rd Dec. - had been taking Duloxetine 90mg once daily, in addition to Pregabalin. This was prescribed by my consultant as an add-on to Pregabalin to treat my underlying Depression, and I'd been taking it for approx. nine months and my Depression seemed somewhat improved. However, in the weeks before Xmas, my Anxiety worsened considerably, I became hypermanic and had severe insomnia, and periodically had a pounding heart (which I later discovered meant my heart rhythms had become irregular).When I described my symptoms to my Doc. he took fright, suspecting I was developing Serotonin Syndrome (which can prove fatal) and told me to stop Duloxetine immediately which I did, thereafter experiencing severe withdrawal effects for about 3 weeks. (Duloxetine really should to be tapered slowly to make withdrawal easier as it is addictive- as is Pregabalin, unfortunately, of which a little more later!) Anyway, I now hope I'm over the worst of withdrawal, but do warn you of the serious dangers of Polypharmacy with both SNRI and SSRI drugs, as the dangers of Serotonin Syndrome are very real and highly possible, so make sure your doctor knows what he is doing when prescribing more than one drug and its possible consequences-negative as well as beneficial!
The final point I'd like to make to you, as someone starting taking Pregabalin, is DID YOU KNOW that Pregabalin is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE , and the withdrawal process is, apparently (according to a doctor to whom we recently spoke whose wife has gone through it) horrendous, as bad as that undergone by heroin addicts?! My psychiatrist never told me about that when prescribing this drug- it was entirely focused on the possible benefits of taking it. I am personally particularly alarmed as I am beginning to think that Pregablin is not having quite as positive an effect on my Anxiety as I had initially thought, and had been considering switching to another medication!
Anyhow I hope my long post answers some of your points and raises some red flags, but do ask if you want to know more.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for getting back to me, really appreciated. Sorry to hear about your UTI, that sounds like a horrendous experience, I hope you get better soon!
You’re not the first person to warn me about Pregabalin and I have done some research myself which also makes it sound pretty bad... I’ll see if my psych will recommends something else.
Thanks so much for your advice. I hope you finds something that works well for you!
I know someone who went off Pregabalin & did so slowly, only dropping 25mg of a dose every 2 weeks & hardly had any withdrawals, the key is to do it small & slowly. Same with most medication you take on a daily basis.
Hi, Ed. I hope so too.I'm worried my diagnosis may end up as being "Treatment Resistant G.A. D." and nothing suitable is available to help me with it! I would really appreciate it if you will please come back here and tell me which alternative drug(s) your psych. recommends instead of Pregabalin, even if you eventually decide to take Pregabalin. Also if you do decide to take Pregabalin, it would be very interesting to read about your experience of taking the medication-positive and negative. I find that it's very difficult to access fellow patient experiences of various psych. medications online, and I think they are very valuable for those of us taking or considering taking medications. Good luck with your research.
Hi, Jordan, Thank you, that sounds very heartening to know. As the person to whom we spoke is a GP, I assume his wife did a very slow withdrawal and still got heroin withdrawal- like symptoms, but as it was only a brief conversation (during time I was having Duloxetine Withdrawal symptoms and had to call in out of hours doctor)so I cannot be certain that is the case. Maybe different people will have different experiences of withdrawal, too.
Thanks Jordan, that’s good to know! i was told the withdrawal from Venlafaxine was bad burry in my experience it was fine. Mirtazapine was harder.
Thanks Elizabeth.
There are loads of options for treating anxiety, so I wouldn’t rule our finding something that works until you’ve tried everything!
I will try and remember to come and update everyone but if I forget please feel free to send me a message.
Good luck!
ED
hi Ed have you decided what youre going to do? i have also been given pregabalin to try with citalopram but am nervous about it
Not yet, I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on Monday and will report back. At the moment I am not keen but will see if he can convince me.
Hi, Ed, Will do.
Glad to read that, Jordan. If I decide to stop Pregabalin I will make sure that it is done as slowly as possible.
I'm looking forward to finding out what he says about possible options, and your decision.
Yes Elizabeth, when you decide to come off, drop down in 25mg every 2 weeks. You can get Pregabalin prescribed in 25mg capsules. Just listen to your body & you will know how slow to go.
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
Thanks Paul, that's very helpful. Best wishes, Ed
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!