experiences with Pregabalin anyone?

evabuk

The pain specialist I've just seen has recommended this drug to me for my back pain, which I'm currently taking MST for. He doesn't think it's appropriate for me to take morphine long term, and heaven knows, I'm not keen on the idea either.

BUT I have read some dreadful things about Pregabalin/Lyrica - that it can be addictive, have side effects, and be just as difficult to get off of as diazepam, which I'm already tapering to get rid of.

Quite frankly, the thought of taking it terrifies me, because it sounds like substituting one evil for another.

I've read a few members here mention they take this med, and would love to hear of their personal experiences while I try to make my mind up about what to do.

thanks,
Eva

woodbon

Hi, I'm sorry, but I don't have any experience of this drug, but I'm sure someone who can help you will be along soon! Sue

vonski

Hi Eva

I haven't taken pregabalin but may have to after my next appointment. I know Skezier does and she wouldn't be without it, when she's feeling better I'm sure she will talk to you about it.

Love
Vonski x

evabuk

thanks, Sue and vonski...keep 'em coming - I'm seeing GP tomorrow and need to have made up my mind!

thanks,
eva

skezier

Hi Eva,

I have been on them over a year now and was on morphine before and the difference between the 2 is huge for me. They are so good they gave me a whole chunk of my life back.

There are some horrendous side effects listed but you may not get any. I have had the hallucinations and the nightmares, the euphoria (liked that one ) and the anxiety but at the mo they don't seem to be doing anything except maybe pushing my bp up a bit.

Maybe take one at night and see how bad they effect you? The effects are transient but their pain removal seems as good today as it was 15 months ago and I really would fight to the death t keep mine. Good luck Cris x

evabuk

skezier wrote:

Hi Eva,

I have been on them over a year now and was on morphine before and the difference between the 2 is huge for me. They are so good they gave me a whole chunk of my life back.

There are some horrendous side effects listed but you may not get any. I have had the hallucinations and the nightmares, the euphoria (liked that one ) and the anxiety but at the mo they don't seem to be doing anything except maybe pushing my bp up a bit.

Maybe take one at night and see how bad they effect you? The effects are transient but their pain removal seems as good today as it was 15 months ago and I really would fight to the death t keep mine. Good luck Cris x

thanks for that. may I ask what doseage of morphine you were on before, was it MST or normal, and what doseage of the pregab you are on?

did it take long for you to feel any difference, and did you reduce your morphine gradually, substituting the pregab, or just switch over all at once?

sorry to ask to many questions, quite frankly my own GP seems pretty ignorant about medications, and I want to inform myself as much as possible before making a decision.

thanks,
eva

skezier

Hi Eva,

It was ordinary morphine but i can't remember the dosage it was 3x a day though and didn't really do much for the pain. It made me very sick and I just stopped it though I was told to do it gradually.

The pregabalin were fairly instant. I am meant to be on 600 but seem to do ok on 3x 75 twice a day. I think thats around 425? Anyway they have been amazing for me and before them I was struggling and the 1st year I took them I even managed to shear the sheep with out too much pain. This year cus I have problems on the full dose I had a bit more trouble with the shearing but they are incredibly good at knocking out nerve pain. x

evabuk

skezier wrote:

Hi Eva,

It was ordinary morphine but i can't remember the dosage it was 3x a day though and didn't really do much for the pain. It made me very sick and I just stopped it though I was told to do it gradually.

The pregabalin were fairly instant. I am meant to be on 600 but seem to do ok on 3x 75 twice a day. I think thats around 425? Anyway they have been amazing for me and before them I was struggling and the 1st year I took them I even managed to shear the sheep with out too much pain. This year cus I have problems on the full dose I had a bit more trouble with the shearing but they are incredibly good at knocking out nerve pain. x

thanks, again, for the swift reply.
Do you have RA or OA?
Mine is OA and they seem to be unable to decide where exactly the pain is coming from, which I guess is why he's suggesting pregab.

skezier

Hi Eva,

Oh I am not brave I promise you . I got oa and pa and the pregabalin is for the nerve damage in my spine and neck and its very good. I think you have some round L5 S1? It should honestly help with that and if as good as it is for me half to 3/4 the pain. Cris x

eckstardeluxe

Hi Eva, like Skezier, I am also on mines for the nerve damage caused by my OA and my discs being worn out so I have bone to bone contact.


I am on Gabapentin but Skezier has been recommending Pregabalin to me for a while now, I have defo kept this in mind should I need to change. Right now I'm on max dose Gabapentin but again like Skezier I'd fight to the death to keep these. They do have side effects but you will find they are slight compared to the good they do.

I only hear good things about Pregabalin. Good luck

evabuk

skezier wrote:

Hi Eva,

Oh I am not brave I promise you . I got oa and pa and the pregabalin is for the nerve damage in my spine and neck and its very good. I think you have some round L5 S1? It should honestly help with that and if as good as it is for me half to 3/4 the pain. Cris x

thanks again, for that...what is pa? I'm not familiar with all the terms on here yet...

hope today goes/went OK
Evax

skezier

Hi Eva,

Its (I think) called Psoriatic arthritis, its an inflammatory one and they use the same drugs as with ra. Mine isn't what the pregabalin was given for that was the oa but it is helping keep the new one more comfortable as well

I think you honestly should try these tablets but I understand the worry over the stated side effects but a lot of people don't have any and well I really would like Eck fight to the death to keep mine (Hey Alex do you think we could form a nerve blocking army ) I found the very first one the most effective and was amazed at just how much of my pain is sorted with them.

Not a good week but now over for possibly 4 months Hey is your injection any more effective now? Cris x

evabuk

eckstardeluxe wrote:

. They do have side effects but you will find they are slight compared to the good they do.

I only hear good things about Pregabalin. Good luck

thanks for the response...what side effects have you experienced?

I've read that, among other things, they make you constipated.....and we all know where I stand with that!!!

eva

evabuk

skezier wrote:

Hi Eva,

Its (I think) called Psoriatic arthritis, its an inflammatory one and they use the same drugs as with ra. Mine isn't what the pregabalin was given for that was the oa but it is helping keep the new one more comfortable as well

I think you honestly should try these tablets but I understand the worry over the stated side effects but a lot of people don't have any and well I really would like Eck fight to the death to keep mine (Hey Alex do you think we could form a nerve blocking army ) I found the very first one the most effective and was amazed at just how much of my pain is sorted with them.

Not a good week but now over for possibly 4 months Hey is your injection any more effective now? Cris x

first of all, I do hope you're feeling better after the awful week you've had and that the benefits will be worth the suffering you've been through.

It does sound as though your actual physical damage (and that of many of the others who have replied to me here) is much worse than mine...if you compare extent of deterioration and such.

In fact, all the specialists I've seen are very surprised at the amount of pain I'm experiencing given the actual damage they can see on the imaging studies. Yes, I've got disc degeneration in the L4/5 disc, but it's not entirely gone, and facet joint arthritis at L4/5 and L5/S1...but not THAT bad.

Yet I'm already on a high dose of diazepam (for other reasons) which I'm tapering, plus the MST, and now they want to add pregabalin, while I slowly come off the morphine.

The reasons I'm hesitating so much is that one a benzo forum I belong to (pretty much like this one, only for people coming off benzodiazepines) there are a lot of people who have had problems with lyrica when it's combined with long term use of benzos - which is my case.

hope all that makes some sense - just wanted to explain why I'm being so paranoid about all this!

anyway, I do hope you're better today Cris, and thanks agaiin for your prompt reponses.

love
Eva

eckstardeluxe

evabuk wrote:

eckstardeluxe wrote:

. They do have side effects but you will find they are slight compared to the good they do.

I only hear good things about Pregabalin. Good luck

thanks for the response...what side effects have you experienced?

I've read that, among other things, they make you constipated.....and we all know where I stand with that!!!

eva

Hi, mines is Gabapentin not Pregabalin but Cris suggested changing.

With the Gabapentin I get sweats, especially at night. Exhaustion and fatigue, facial twitches, a dry mouth and if I forget a dose, intense nerve pain, problems with my vision and insomnelence. But if you knew how bad my sciatica was before being put on these. I am a tough cookie given my lifelong experiences with Hospitals etc but actually asked them to take my leg off at one point it was so bad, I'd suffer any side effects over that pain again, I was crawling on the floor, my hubby said I sounded like a dog howling in pain and he just was so shocked as he had seen me in 10 hours of back labour (with arthritis, but not knowing) with no drugs just moaning about the other induced women causing such a fuss!

Gabapentin are the opposite re bowel movements though, can't seem to stop, except in work when the mental block happens

joyful164

eckstardeluxe wrote:

Hi Eva, like Skezier, I am also on mines for the nerve damage caused by my OA and my discs being worn out so I have bone to bone contact.


I am on Gabapentin but Skezier has been recommending Pregabalin to me for a while now, I have defo kept this in mind should I need to change. Right now I'm on max dose Gabapentin but again like Skezier I'd fight to the death to keep these. They do have side effects but you will find they are slight compared to the good they do.

I only hear good things about Pregabalin. Good luck

I agree with you here. It has been great for me and find it much better than Gabapentin. It seems to be working - my blood tests are a little betteer too

joy

evabuk

[quote="joyful164[/quote]


I agree with you here. It has been great for me and find it much better than Gabapentin. It seems to be working - my blood tests are a little betteer too

joy[/quote]

thanks for the reply, joy, is it ra or oa that you have?

thanks,
eva