Lyrica/Pregabalin - Anyone tried this?!

[cloudmonger]

I know absolutely nothing about Lyrica/Pregabalin. (you'll see on my sig I've taken quite a few different classes of meds). It appears to be an Anti-convulsant but good for Anxiety?

For some reason, my pdoc mentioned she might consider this in my last appt with her (i've had poor effects or minimal benefit from SSRIs, SNRIs and A/Ps). I will be increasing my dose of Lamictal (to 150mg) because it is not working well enough to control my depression/anxiety/distress symptoms. Symptoms increase in the evening, especially under stress/situational change right now.

I'm experiencing a bit of an adjustment disorder at the moment. She also thinks my mood pattern may be more PMDD-related (instead of the up/downs of Bipolar) She is still trying to find the right diagnoses.

Has anyone been on Lyrica? Did it help with Depression AND Anxiety without super sedating effects? Are there side effects (like weight gain, sexual dysfunction) that happened for you?  I am a bit concerned being on 2 Anticonvulsants (the decreased white cell blood count/immunity thing)...I have no history of seizure/pain issues. I also do NOT have major anxiety or GAD. I will be using Atarax PRN at night to reduce stress/anxiety/tension before bedtime.

[cloudmonger]

Per Wikipedia - sounds pretty promising:

The World Federation of Biological Psychiatry recommends pregabalin as one of several first line agents for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, but recommends other agents such as SSRIs as first line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.^[32]It appears to have anxiolytic effects similar to benzodiazepines with less risk of dependence.^[33][34]

The effects of pregabalin appear after 1 week of use and is similar in effectiveness to lorazepam, alprazolam, and venlafaxine, but pregabalin has demonstrated superiority by producing more consistent therapeutic effects for psychosomatic anxiety symptoms.^[35] Long-term trials have shown continued effectiveness without the development of tolerance, and, in addition, unlike benzodiazepines, it has a beneficial effect on sleep and sleep architecture, characterized by the enhancement of slow-wave sleep.^[35] It produces less severe cognitive and psychomotor impairment compared to those drugs; it also has a low potential for abuse and dependence and may be preferred over the benzodiazepines for these reasons.^[35][36]

[CantEven]

I had major spinal surgery years ago for congenital spinal stenosis. There was severe nerve pain for a few months before and up to a year after the surgery. I took Lyrica for this time and don't need it anymore.

I can tell you that I was cool as a cucumber, and I know it was the Lyrica and not the pain meds because I only needed pain meds for about a month after the surgery, but needed/kept taking Lyrica for a year. I wasn't sedated, just very chill in a normal good way.

Never had any side effects of any sort as far as I can remember. 

[cloudmonger]

1 hour ago, CantEven said:

I had major spinal surgery years ago for congenital spinal stenosis. There was severe nerve pain for a few months before and up to a year after the surgery. I took Lyrica for this time and don't need it anymore.

I can tell you that I was cool as a cucumber, and I know it was the Lyrica and not the pain meds because I only needed pain meds for about a month after the surgery, but needed/kept taking Lyrica for a year. I wasn't sedated, just very chill in a normal good way.

Never had any side effects of any sort as far as I can remember. 

Is there a reason that you went off of it? When I read the drug info online, it seems like all the patient reviews are for people with pain disorders or Fibromyalgia...which I don't have a problem with.

Many of the reviews (out of 500) said it caused immediate weight gain, fatigue and even made people suicidal & depressed (people that had never experienced any mood disorder whatsoever)....

I know I should take online reviews with a grain of salt, but these are terrible side effects that I'm really concerned about....especially because my main issue is depression/low energy and I don't want to take any meds that make me gain weight.

[notloki]

Some report it makes them loopy or slur their words, others do not have trouble with this.

[CantEven]

I went off of it because my nerves healed, the pain diminished until it stopped and I didn't need to take Lyrica anymore since I wasn't in pain. I never needed it for any psych issues. 

Whenever people are in clinical trials, they have to report ALL symptoms. If you are allergic to cats and pet a cat and have a reaction then you even have to report that as a side effect. If someone hits you crossing the street, then they record that as a death even though it was coincidental. So don't let the side effects list scare you before you give it a shot. Out of all possible side effects for any drug you might just get one and it may just last two weeks then go away.  For example, my heartburn med gave me joint pain in my hands for a week or so then it stopped. Weird! All effective drugs have potential side effects, even aspirin. 

I never had a single side effect and I was on the highest dose for a year, so don't be afraid. As far as the weight gain side effect, it's water-retention. It's not fat. I think the most common side effect is swelling of hands/feet, and I never experienced that either. Actually (from what I remember) I lost like 20 pounds after the surgery. I guess I felt too crappy to eat much. If you do retain some water, then you could take some Diurex. 

There was that warning about telling your doctor if you ever want kids if you're a male..... but I don't ever want kids and was only on it for a year anyway (if I ever change my mind), so I'm not concerned. 

Edited January 14, 2017 by CantEven