Pregabalin aka Lyrica

[item0]

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Pregabalin

Is there anyway one could get this medication prescribed in the US for GAD? It appears that it's not approved for GAD in the US but I was wondering if there's any way to get an exception.

I'm already on Gabapentin, which appears to be a cousin of this medication.

The way Pregabalin is described in this wikipedia page on anxiolytics, you'd think it's a wonder drug. It says it works better than benzos but is nonaddictive and has very mild, if any side effects.

[larkspur]

Doctors write off-label prescriptions all the time, so it's not generally hard to get Lyrica or something similar prescribed for anxiety. The only stumbling block may be if your insurance requires prior authorization for Lyrica, it may not approve the PA for the off-label use. I would doubt if it was subject to PA, though.

[jt07]

I don't think that you would have any problem getting a pdoc to prescribe this for anxiety. As larkspur said, doctors prescribe meds off-label all the time. You doc would probably be grateful if you asked for this rather than a benzo. Be aware that it is expensive so you should make sure that it is covered by your insurance.

[notfred]

There is no generic for Lyrica so it is going to be expensive, as jt07 says. There is some potential for abuse as it is Schedule 5.

[item0]

thanks guys that was very helpful. I'm going to ask my doctor about starting it (and hopefully stopping other meds).