Exclusive: Prescriptions rising for anxiety drug linked to 1 in 10 drug deaths in England
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- Опубліковано 4 гру 2022
- Pregabalin is a prescription drug used to treat epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety.
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It's regarded by the authorities as an effective treatment, but it can also cause dependency, addiction, and puts people at higher risk of overdosing on other substances - the reasons why it became more tightly regulated in 2019.
Yet figures obtained by Channel 4 News show that, since then, the number of patients being prescribed Pregabalin has risen significantly in England, and so too has the number of fatalities it's linked to.
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This is the only medication that has ever helped calm my anxiety and other PTSD symptoms. I've gotta say, its a miracle drug in terms of effectivness but i am addicted and the withdrawals are disgusting. Without it, i can't eat, i cant sleep, i cant get up and move because of the nausea, im bathing 3-4 times a day because of the sweating and the stomach cramps are unreal.
This is the kind of drug that was marketed perfectly. Everybody loves it until your doctor cuts you off.
I’m so sorry for what you are experiencing and I wish you a speedy recovery. I recently started to take 75mg daily, and it’s already helped improve my pain and sleep issues, but now I’m wondering if I should come off it. Do you think 75mg is a high dose that could lead to issues for me? I’d be very interested to know your thoughts as someone who is experiencing withdrawal symptoms
i hate this drug
@@happychest239 don't we all bro
@@g.m.3054 thank you 🙂 I still haven't come off them. I'm on them for psychiatric reasons, not pain relief so I'm prescribed a much higher dose (600mg) and my psychiatrist won't allow me to stop my medication
Honestly, I believe that if they're really helping you then take them for a bit. Maybe your experience will be much better than mine as a lot of people say that they never had any issues, even when coming off the meds.
Just make sure your doctor listens to you and helps you come off them. Taper down instead of stopping abruptly. The smallest dose of these meds, I believe, is 25mg. So you have plenty of room to bring yourself down. I don't think that coming off a dose that low will bring you much discomfort but they can still be very addictive, regardless of your dose. Just be careful.
If you find yourself taking these meds, even if you're not in pain, then that's your que to stop.
I hope you have a good experience with these and I hope your pain doesn't last too long 🖤
@@g.m.3054 75mg isnt very much, you should be able to taper off savely
Back in 2011, I had a massive TBI / stroke / brain hemorrhage which should have killed me on the spot, I'm still battling the effects of this life-changing event.
The TBI caused me to have nasty epileptic seizures on a regular basis and I also indirectly developed type 2 diabetes.
I was prescribed a high dose of Sodium Valproate and was also weaned onto a high dose of Pregabalin, this drug combination worked so well that in 2016, I became seizure free and after a DVLA medical examination, I was returned my driving license and was able to drive again.
There has always been a warning on my Pregabalin box in capital letters saying "DO NOT STOP TAKING THIS MEDICINE" so I always knew that it is some dodgy stuff.
But with that said, I also know that Pregabalin is a minor miracle for me when taken properly.
Without it, I would be suffering constant seizures and be house-bound for my own safety.
Indeed. Sadly the positive effect of such drugs on people gets overlooked so easily. The report wasn't bad, it was quite factual but I just fear this is going to descend into a type of reefer madness. I say factual but the programme was still implicating pregabalin in most of these deaths.
It looks like opioids or alcohol were involved in most of them and those two drugs barely got a mention. They also didn't make it clear whether many of the people dying were using the drug recreationally or medicinally. This is problematic as they're saying prescribing is the problem.
@@Talkathon408 I hate all these reports. Because they almost always lead to medication that people truly need being withdrawn as doctors won’t prescribe it because of the political climate. In the USA this has lead to a rash of suicides and people going to the black market because the pain relief they need is suddenly stopped.
@@Talkathon408 I think the issue is that drugs like Pregabalin often get prescribed for minor issues that do not need medication strong as this. I am all for it being available for those who need it such as OP here. But prescribing it as pain medication to someone with a broken leg even though the consequences can be frightening is criminal. Doctors in the nhs do this way too often. Masking the symptoms with pain killers without looking for the actual reason. A friend of mine went to her GP because she had severe menstrual cramps and instead of sending her to a gynaecologist they simply prescribed her morphine. MORPHINE!! And did not even bother to find out what was wrong with her.
@@bear.b I agree but as the Irish Doctor said it's being dished out for patients who simply cannot get help from the nhs or are on long waiting lists for diagnosis or such like, I count myself amongst the waiting people (3 years now) I was first given a benzo and then pregabalin for as of yet diagnosed issues but my GP never once said don't take both etc, there is no monitoring as to any negative side effects at all!
It says that on it cause all gaba drugs can make you seize if you cold turkey always have to taper or use a benzo like diazepam or librium
I was on pregabalin for nerve pain after 2 back surgeries- one year apart. It helped with the nerve pain, but caused terrible brain fog. A nurse in the hospital after first surgery, spoke with me saying that because of my advanced age, she felt I should wean off it.
I also spoke to a few Rn’s - and my daughter that is an Rn. Then, I spoke with my pharmacist, and he agreed. It took only a week to wean off with no noticeable discomfort. Thank God!
I remember this being described as non addictive.
Me too
Like oxycontin :) "Dopesick" is about that, very similar to lyrica
There's no such thing as a free lunch
I don't find it addictive I use it when I want for 5 years 😊
@@patricianoll1229 I'm pleased for you
The comparison with Heroin is missleading because opioids like Heroin are often involved in these accidental deaths. Pregabalin increases the effects of opioids, making them more potent and therefore more dangerous. I've took Pregabalin for years and I didn't find it difficult to stop but that's just my personal experience - I had my issues with other drugs. I think it's way over the top to call Pregabalin "extremely addictive" - there are always deeper psychological problems behind every drug addiction and it's naive (but very understandable and human) if you hope that you just can take a pill to get rid of unwanted emotions, swallowing it for some years without adressing the underlying issues, steadily increasing the dose and then wondering why you can't tolerare the state of being without the drug. I've struggled with drug addictions for many years in my life, so I know what I'm talking about. You can't quit drugs with the same quick fix approach that made you addicted to them in the first place.
My friend was prescribed this and each time his prescription runs out and he's waiting for more, he goes into hellish withdrawal, sweating and unable to function. It was clear to see, the withdrawals for him were as bad or worse than heroin withdrawal. (I know what heroin withdrawal looks like.) I also have another friend who tried to come off it who described the same, including the sensations of things crawling inside bones. This drug is worse than heroin, you are very lucky.
It's very clear you don't have any clue what you're talking about. You're just arrogant. This drug is definitely worse than heroin and a lot harder to stop. With heroin there are lots of alternative medications that can be used to ease heroin withdrawals, there is no such thing for pregab withdrawal. Count yourself lucky that you had a good experience with it
I used pregabalin to get off heroin once. Surprisingly very effective. I stayed on pregabalin for two weeks once I stopped the heroin and the pregabalin stopped 90 percent of the withdrawals.
@@benhall2235 Oh yeah you're 100% correct. Pregablin works AMAZING for withdrawing off most medications. I don't know why it isn't used more often for this kind of treatment. It's fantastic
Thankyou I agree. I’ve been on pregabalin for 6 months, never took more than my prescribed dose and it’s changed my life for the better. My ex boyfriend was a heroin addict and I saved his life four times. It’s not even comparable
I am Canadian. I am a senior. I have nerve pain from damage from type one diabetes. I was given pregbalin for the pain. I was started on 4 tablets per day. I went down to one because they make me dizzy. They keep the pain at bay so I can get to sleep at night. I am so sorry to hear that these things are happening to others.
Yes, it's good for night. Too high a dosage will mess up your balance. I personally wouldn't call it dizzy, but you could easily fall.
It is the only effective way to somewhat control my nerve pain too. Type 2. I also have shortened tendons.
what strength do you take a day please? I take 3x 75mg for a slipped disc
I was just prescribed this last week by my spine doctor. I feel like they make me loopy. I don't like it but it helps with pain in lower back
My mum was prescribed this after she had a stroke for pain. She wasn't consistent taking it but I'd always know when she did as the next day her confusion level would increase and slurred speech returned. I got her to stop taking it once I noticed especially since she wasn't getting any relief.
*"The very culture we live in denies that there's truth, makes people hungry, hurts people, leaves them isolated, therefore empty, therefore wanting satisfaction from the outside, therefore addicted, and then it creates all these products, and all these activities, and all these cultural diversions to fill the very emptiness that it creates. And then they say 'that selfishness is the nature of human beings'. And there's the complete circle of the ideology."* _Dr Gabor Mate_
I took those for many yrs for chronic pain 400mg twice a day. I weaned off because i felt like being drunk all the time. It wasn't an addiction problem tho because i sure don't miss them. The pain didn't go away but i feel better without them.
I'm from Belfast, and lost my kid brother to this junk. He was 27 had a bad car accident and seriously hurt his foot. Our GP recommend this for the pain and fast fwd 2 years he lost his home, gf, daughter and would have done anything for another tablet. We begged or gp to stop the prescription as did my bro , he wouldnt. I sat numerous times with him in A&E while he begged them to section him to get him off it they didn't.
A few months later we lost him to this stuff before that he became a shadow of him self and was like a walking zombie on this gear. That week alone he was no 5 that died to this shite.
Our GPs should be held to account for what they are giving out. And the health service need to set up a rehab here in NI.
To many family have lost loved ones to this and the trauma afterwards Never leaves ever. Familys do all they can't to try to survive this stuff but they are not equipped on how to deal with addition.
If your on this stuff get off it. I know it may help but it's a very very addictive drug and really should be last option. I rather take the pain than this stuff and I know first hand what that means.
Im so sorry for your loss 💖
@Roger Mellie sorry what, I can't blame a gp for handing out highly addictive prescriptions then not monitoring there effects on there clients and even when with clearly addiction has set in they refuse to cut or change the drug when it's clear that is having a damaging effect on the patient. Are you for real ???
@Roger Mellie honesty I value your opinion and it has merit. Simply thou that's all it is....an opinion. I prey you never have to experience what I and many other families here in NI had to experience with this drug and how it totally destroyed our loved ones in front off our eyes. Slowly destroying there lives , taking there jobs, homes, family and turning them in to junkies that would Rob steal and borrow anything of value to only get another tablet. Then finally it took what lives they had left. The family left behind had no answer just pain and regret and wonder as to how a family gp could prescribe something so damaging to there sons and daughters.
And bear in mind nearly every family I've spoken to visited there GP begging them to cease the prescription, taper them off it and give something else. Some did but almost didn't. There is a reason why this has now been classed as it is in NI.
So yes I agree big pharma have a lot to answer for but so do GP's they are writing the prescription and just moving on , not reviewing it , not assessing it. That's not okay. It's killing I repeat killing kids and that's after it destroys there lives.
Sorry to hear of your loss mate. Do you happen to know how many mg per day he would take? I'm prescribed 150mg per day myself to treat chronic nerve pain and it would be good to know for my own sake. Cheers
@@pissiole5654 he started in 150 and by the end he was double that and god knows what else he was talking or buying to try to feed the craving. The problem is it's so easy purchased on the streets now days. Selling for £10 a strip to teens here in NI.
My grandma was prescribed this. When she moved house she got a new GP and he nearly had a heart attack when he saw how much she was being prescribed by her former GP. Thankfully she managed to ween off it.
Fantastic doctor, however they are hard to find.
I was on 900 mg this time last year I just can't seem to get off this last 100 x
@@clarkypinklady ur just going to have to do a very slow taper it will take 6 months to 1 years. The end will be the hardest just because it'll take a long time by going down 5 or 10mg
@@clarkypinkladyI’d say stick to the hundred meanwhile especially if you have a job , getting off it completely I bet the withdrawals will be terrible and won’t let you work at all
@@BigSmokeGTA6 it took about a year amd a half but im not on anything anymore just deal with the pain
this is what happens when weed is illegal
I was on Lyrica for 15 years for nerve pain. 3 1/2 years was diagnosed with early stage Parkinsons based on Parkinsonism symptoms. I decided last June that since I had PD and taking an MOAB to tapering off. Well I finished my last dose in mid January 2023, have had my health deteriorate for many reasons. Most important to remember is that I got worse because the Lyrica caused the Parkinsonism symptoms because as soon as it was removed, I continued to have severe withdrawal symptoms that were ignored by my neurologist and primary doctors here in the USA. Long story short, I have lost over 24 lbs since starting withdrawal last year, found put after DAT Scan I NEVER HAD PARKINSONS. I have developed high blood pressure, POTS, malabsortion issue( which has yet to be disgnosed), but have lost 24 lbs with no apparent medical condition but up until 4/6/23 did my GI consider looking at fecal studies funding the malabsortion issue. During this entire nightmare, because it gets really ugly when you have slowly tapered off one dose lower each month until the last dose at 25, January 2023. I was on 300 mgs 2xdaily for Fibromyalgia for 8 of the last years otherwise I was on 225mgs 2xdaily from the start as it was increased every 2 weeks until I got relief. Anyway when I hit 75mgs 2x day in November through April was a living mightmare and Lyrica is the crappy gift that keeps on giving. Anyway I had just been told I had an anxiety disorder I didn't know about because Lyrica masked it, and my anxiety is what is the cause of my extreme weight lossWHAT?? I have been working with my nutritionist during this time and even adter adding an additional 1700 calories a day and still cannot maintain weight. I am not depressed I am pissed..All I did was ask to be put on something that wasn't an opiod and in 2007 was introduced to Lyrica and never questioned until last year why I was still on it. If I hadn't I would have been put on more Parkinsons medication...just use this as an example for all of us to stop thinking what they prescrib is for our benefit or their's?? Godspeed and thank you Ireland for seeing how dangerous this drug is. My neurologist and our NIH state clearly no one knows how or why it works it just does 😮
My experience has been positive taking it for PTSD and anxiety it has given me a calmness I've never experienced with other drugs.
I am taking it for anxity i
It was never meant to be used for anxiety
I take it for nerve pain and it really helps, but if i miss a dose i feel it. I no im addicted
Me too x
Mee too
I was on pregabalin and tramadol for nerve damage in my legs for three years due to a combination of side effects from cancer treatment and came off both at the same time and suffered the most horrendous few weeks of withdrawal. Withdrawal from tramadol is bad enough on its own but with the pregabalin it was way worse, 2 simultaneous withdrawals but you need to dig so deep to get away from them, they became a crutch and the first thing i reached for in the morning. My heart goes out to anyone struggling in withdrawal 🙏
When you say dig so deep to get away, what do you mean, exactly?
I was heavily addicted to both and while still on tramadol, i am about 5 weeks without pregabalin. The worst thing was insomnia but the physical symptoms weren't too bad. The psychological effects however.. i cant describe it. I just feel like i am in a bubble and constantly feel frustrated and out of sync. Feel like i am disconnected and cant seem to find joy or do normal things i use to
@@ChrisBrown-pz2gu he means you have to work so hard to find some feeling of comfort. Sounds stupid but for me video games just about helped me get through.
@@davidmildon3278 ok, thank you, dave
Same thing with antidepressants and antipsychotics.
Was on pregabalin at what I learned was way over the recommended dose for years for RA/fibromyalgia. Memory was becoming abysmal and I felt I was going a bit mad. Absolutely awful side effects when I came off the tablets due to pregnancy. Not sure if I'll ever go back on it, despite how good a pain reliever it is!
it's simply not worth it Nat, you've done yourself the best favour.
I've got RA since 2018 and was on a powerful drug for it, the name escapes me at the time of writing this. I came off the drug 9 months ago and have learnt to eat foods that don't cause inflammation, exercise at my limits and using only paracetamol if I need it. I still get flare ups, but they're nowhere near as severe as before. Takes time to get the results, but it's worth it. All the best on your journey in life.
I see you said you stopped it when you found out you were pregnant. I see a lot of side effects due to being on the medication while pregnant. Is that true? I’ve been on the medication since last year of October I found out I’m 10 weeks pregnant and I was told by a doctor that I should think about other options
@@Thefam3 pregabalin has a risk of causing congenital defects in children so it's highly recommend you come off during pregnancy. Some medications are safe but many are not as the tiny embryo receives everything you do at the same dose!
Was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 8 years ago and put on a total of 600mg of pregabalin per day. I’ve finally tapered it down to 150mg daily. What’s weird is I’ve been having severe memory issues too. A couple of years ago I saw a psychiatrist and it was diagnosed as dissociative amnesia, but I had no idea it may be the pregabalin causing it.
Best of luck with your own health and raising your child. Stay strong ❤️🩹
And the UK still won't legalise weed...
Medical cannabis is attainable on prescription. Check out eg. Sapphire Medical Clinics.
Cannabis like pregabalin is legal for medicinal use in the UK, both being controlled drugs although cannabis is very rarely prescribed on the NHS.
Exactly my friend.....They havnt got it worked out how they can make money off it the weed yet but there making plenty off Perscriptions and pregabs
@Talkathon408 You are right. You can get medical cannabis but you have to pay £150+ per month if you can pay privately.
yeah bc weed damages mental health on the long term
Due to arson I became homeless for a number of years.
The amount of people sleeping rough and buying pregabalin from others was incredible.
People prescribed the drug were selling it to these people.
Doctors were being hoodwinked by unscrupulous patients , who then sell it on fo about £10 a strip.
They would take them with alcohol and other drugs and become near zombies , with many overdosing and even dying.
I did my best to keep away from them........
Doctors, including consultant psycatrists, are prescribing this, without warning patients of possible side effects.
If there are patients pushing doctors to prescribe this: it's a tiny minority.
@Roger Mellie I'll sort you out.
@Roger Mellie What you up to? Havnt seen you on the telly lately?
@@stephenwalker2924cannn u sort me out m8
Hey jaywalker are you still running across the road in front of cars to see if you can make it? Why do we do the same things and expect different results
We need to move away from medicalising and pathologising distress. People need non medical interventions. We need far more social prescribing
Medical interventions are based on empirical evidence. Social prescribing is not.
@@circularisnotthis4316 that is not always the case. The evidence for SSRIs is lacking and the claim that depression is from a chemical imbalance is false. Depression can always be traced in the difficulties in one's life
@@Samuel-bg7xo Absolutely Wrong,that’s just your opinion and to come out with a statement like that shows how uneducated you are
Are you a doctor ?
It’s part nature and part nurture
Some people are born with a mind/brain that doesn’t fit the bill of “Normality” and this is classified as an chemical imbalance in the brain
Therapy and other non medical treatments can help though
@@circularisnotthis4316 no its based on pharma profiting and bias research
@@Samuel-bg7xo what about depression induced by medications such as reserpine? If medication can induce chemical imbalances in the brain then other medications can also help. There’s something called double blind placebo controlled studies.
That's so strange, I took this for 5 years and managed to come off it so easily I barely noticed any struggles. Maybe I got lucky
I got off because it made me fat
Maybe a low dose?
It's not that hard to stop it .. I use it then I stop again am using it I use it for anxity
Nah im on off it all the time might feel a little down when aint gt none but otherwise no other side effects
my mom takes this for her Rheumatoid. She abruptly stopped it once back in 2019 and went into a psychosis where she saw people doing drugs in her home, called the cops, they came and put her in a hospital. As soon as she started taking it again back to normal. Stuff is scary. I wish she didn’t have to take ANYTHING. But if taken smart it helps her
Same with my Mum. Same with many of our Mums
I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Sounds nasty, there are very few case reports of such a reaction. I'm on it myself, I take 300mg a day for a while and were I to stop, the worst I'd experience is some sleep issues.
My Ed tried twice to stop and both times had to be sectioned... ended up in picu both times
It’s like anything that interacts powerfully with the peripheral nervous system. You take it as prescribed. You do NOT stop it just like that without consultation & you make sure your supply is always going to last through holidays & weekends.
I was a chemist, I had to retire with diabetic neuropathy. It’s the only thing that gives me a somewhat better outcome from the permanent nerve pain I suffer from. This piece is very unworthy of channel 4. It’s hyperbolic & sensationalist.
@@ig7568 thank you. You too. I mean it’s not as bad a hit piece as some outlets would have went for. But when the layman hears it they tune out the reasoned segments & go to the dire words like ( - it had me feeling like a zombie… ) or ( - I just want my life back.. ) 🤷🏻♂️
I feel really bad for people who accidentally get dependent on medication. I'm a former addict I did it to myself. I still pay the consequences but it's sad and unfair that this woman now has to take this medication or go through some kind of withdrawal process that could take years to taper down.
So clad I've found this video my doctor, or l say a stand in nurse( no doctors available in the UK ) has just put on these for nerve pain, nothing discussed, l asked if they were safe to take with heart med's, yes he said, and morphin l asked, yes he replied, it's unbelievable.
ive been addicted to pregabalin and prozac for 10 years, 450mg a day, doctors told me it was a miracle drug, so i agreed to take it, been addicted ever since
I was drug free 22 years then I was prescribed pregabalin for a bad knee and nerve damage, it sorts the pain but damn it gets you strung out again. I didn’t know anything about the drug at the time, it wasn’t on the list of dangerous drugs at the time and I’m pissed about this. Yet it’s supposed to be safer than morphine.BULLSHIT.
I'm 900mg a day 😢
It can cause muscle weakness? Just i prescribed before 4 to 5 months
took them for 3 years for severe arthritic pain, came off them in 2 weeks without any difficulty. doctor told me to reduce dosage slowly over two week.
aren't you lucky
what was your dosage? I came off it fairly easily too, but I was on a very low dose. 50mg
Yep, you was blessed! You took them correctly I guess and weaning off went well 😊👍🏼
When I developed Transverse Myelitis the doctors wanted to prescribe pregabalin but I refused. Working in community mental health in US I knew the dangers of pregabalin from seeing patients prescribed it as being not addictive. I saw many for whom it was their drug of choice. That was in 2016. Surely doctors can learn from other doctors.
I nearly lost my leg due to a Mbike Accident I take 2 300mg a day, tbh I never really thought it was a issue for me as it really really helped my nerve pain in my eyes I’d rather be on pregablin than a hardcore opioid like oxycodone, I am battling opioid addiction too but I’m nearly away from that life after Joining N/A it’s almost changed my life! I look for a drug free life I will get there one day anyone reading this battling addiction I feel & understand you! We will beat this disease! ‘I can’t but together we can’ ❤️
Hang in there with the meetings and steps. It will continue to be your lifeline. Good for you taking back your agency from the demon of addiction
Good on you m8
This and the benzo catastrophe needs to be understood more
This, benzo, opïoids... I wish we would resort to more holistic ways to cure pain and health issues and use these heavy medication only as last resort....
I know of someone who has been on this for years, they’ve been told it’s damaging their kidneys but saying you need to taper it off and then stop the drug isn’t an easy thing to do, the withdrawal effects sound horrendous
I took Venlafaxine for anxiety over 12 years at the lowest untherapeutic dose and couldn't go up or come off it. I took the capsule apart and counted the tiny grains to remove some at a time over 1 year. I still couldn't come off it due to cold turkey. I tried twice more.
6 months ago I tried again but with the assistance of Prozac but that gave me the most anxiety ever. So I had to cold turkey that too at the same time.
I just found out that I have ADHD that has got worse with perimenopause. I'm due to start methylphenidate soon and then try HRT.
Always research first before taking these medications, I trusted the psychiatrist all those years ago when they prescribed for what they thought was General Anxiety Disorder. I pretty much think it's all down to ADHD for me. Question everything.
I had severe anxiety and panic attacks due to perimenopause. Estrogen HRT completely solved this problem.
After almost 30 years I'm still on Venlafaxine XR 75mg. Tried to come off it sensibly (and also cold turkey - NEVER, EVER DO THAT) many times but each time $uicid*l thoughts appeared, ending in hospital for emergency psychiatric help. I've accepted I cannot come off it and feel better taking it, it is what it is and maybe it's chemicals in my brain, or lack of, which dictates the need 😕
@@user-ux7yg2ch6i I asked my GP for HRT but he said to titrate on Xaggitin for ADHD first due to 33 symptoms overlapping.
@@cd9400 I didn't want to cold turkey but I had no choice, it was 40mg or the lowest dose so my GP advised me to take Prozac to help...it didn't.
@@sansiveria578 He probably hasn't got a clue what he's talking about though. GPs tend to be useless with anything to do with menopause. r/menopause often has useful information.
I was given this by my gp to treat neck pain about 8 months ago. Im quite concerned and will be looking to come off these and find something different
I've seen the withdrawal cause sweating, sickness, horrible sensations of crawling within the limbs, severe anxiety. It can cause psychosis. I would advise you to get off it, please be careful.
Pregabalin was a complete nightmare for me. Coming off it gave me terrible suicidality and insomnia. Years later I still have to take a sleeping pill whereas before I was on Pregabalin I never had any issues with sleep.
I was prescribed Pregabalin. God, it messed me up.
Turned me into a complete jellyhead. I was always losing things.
I'd walk around my house unable to remember why i'd come into each room.
My neighbours would often knock on my door because I'd left it wide open and they thought something was wrong.
The weirdest side effect was feeling like I was standing at a 45 degree angle. I'd often fall into bushes etc.
I had to stop taking it.
Coming off was a nightmare.
I'll never touch it again.
@@paulfletcher3998im a bit concerned i may be facing some of the same issues. Ive been taking them for about 8months for neck pain. But i do find i am more forgetful, clumsy and i do think it affects my balance sometimes. I will be looking for an alternative way forward now i think
I read it causes major weight gain as well
@@zhuurst7149 i have noticeably put on weight in the time i have been on it & i have always been a person who found it nearly impossible to gain weight in the past
@@djn1856 sorry to hear you're having the same problems with Pregabalin.
I feel for you. For me the side effects weren't worth the benefits.
My doctor also put me on Gabapentin, a similar drug but I found similar problems.
I was taking Pregabalin for pain due to getting very badly burnt.
I'd been trying different drugs because I'd been taking morphine longterm and I was worried about side effects and addiction issues.
Over the years my doctor has tried me on so many different drugs. I'd start taking one, build up the dose, find I didn't get on with it and then reduce the drug, go through withdrawal and then on to the next.
I've found myself back on morphine because I'd run out of other options.
I have found cannabis a good option in the past but there's the legal and quality issues buying it on the blackmarket.
I did find a supply of CBD cannabis which is legal (I'm in the UK) and it's stronger than the CBD drops but as I've not been able to work since my accident the cost (£10 per gram) was to much to afford.
As the law about medical cannabis changed I've been thinking about trying a medical cannabis prescription and forgetting 'regular' medication.
As it's nearly impossible to get cannabis on the NHS I'd have to go private so again money is an issue but the price has come down massively in believe.
Cannabis should also help with my depression and ptsd.
It seems to be the best long term option. I just need to be sure I can afford it before going through the mental and physical pain of another detox.
Have you tried CBD? It might be worth a go. All the best.
If this doesn't convince you of how dark the pharmaceutical industry is I don't know what will
I refuse to ever take another anti depressant or anti physcotic ever again. They do more damage than good.
I have fibromyalgia so was prescribed pregabalin for pain and anxiety. I ran out over the bank holidays this year, I thought I was dying. If I run out of pregabalin panic sets in due to the withdrawal symtoms.
These made me pass out cold and upon awakening, I had permanently scared my eyebrow! I stopped taking pregablin and all my other medications and the detox was not fun, trust me I wanted to end my life! I need medication to treat my fibromyalgia but terrified of this outcome happening again!
Good luck with things!
Have you tried 5-HTP? It cannot be taken with other medications, because it is a natural remedy which hasn't been tested for interactions with medications.
@@user-ux7yg2ch6i you can't take 5-htp with meds that increase your serotonin levels. That's all.
What do you take now?I am going to ask my gp for Pregabalin (or Gabapentin or LDN)for my Fibro .
@@olivier5293 Incorrect. It has not been tested for interactions with other medications, and this is why people are warned not to take it with other medications.
I was prescribed this for nerve pain. It worked really well and I had no problems stopping....
How about now
Pregabalin has revolutionised my life with the constant agony I was in from nerve damage after surgery, I've also got a mood disorder that has been helped so much by the drug, I can now deal with people 😊
This should not be used for anxiety. I don't agree that it's addictive. Or at least "highly" addictive. I took it for a shoulder injury because I didn't want opioids. I halved the dosage as soon as I felt able, without telling my doctor, and eventually I stopped cold, and absolutely nothing bad happened. You should be aware that some people get very depressed on this medication. Don't take it if something else works for you. Also, it is certainly possible to overdose on this if you do combine it with opioids. So just don't.
This should definitely be used for anxiety. It's the only anti-anxiety medication that has worked for me, even clonazepam doesn't touch my anxiety and other PTSD symptoms.
I'm on 600mg a day and I tell you, the withdrawal from these are something vile.
Not agreeing it's addictive is not really constructive in this when it has become a point in an wide spread addiction and death problem.What's the point of the comment? Did Pregabalin write this?
I was on pregabalin for neuropathic pain. Fine at first but then it caused a three stone gain in weight. It also caused visual hallucinations, with me seeing lights racing across the room and people who were not there. My family said also that I was dulled down, I didn't know that at the time. As my weight was going up and up I weaned myself off them. BUT, it changed my brain chemistry completely causing food addictions especially carbs/sugar. This has grossly impacted my life and everyday I have to fight to not over eat every meal and especially carbs. If you understand the effect of glucose in the blood and insulin resistance ( where I am now even years later) you will know how serious this is. Diabetes is a death sentence and this is where I am now. The mental strength it requires not to give in to the altered brain chemistry is immense. It has ruined my life. In UK you can self report such side effects via the yellow card scheme. Just do internet search for it.
Pregabalin has helped me manage chronic nerve pain. I would be in a lot of pain without it. It does need to be taken as prescribed. As with a lot of medication there is risk of abuse.
My doctor told to think before taking this drug for burning legs because he says it's just a sticky plaster and eventually l would need more than the 25mg that he's recommended it's highly addictive and l would most likely put on weight and then there's a risk to my heart because I've got heart disease.
As someone prescribed this medication for anxiety, it's an absolute miracle drug, for calming panic attacks and severe generalized anxiety. That doesn't mean this drug isn't extremely addictive, I've been very addicted before as well as combining it with opioids, and it's very dangerous.
i've heard of this drug i didn't realise how addictive and potent it was
Its not
Me neither 😢
Worst withdrawal ive ever been through. I thought i was gonna die
You didn't. I think I'm going to die everyday from suicide without pregabalin 30 years of those thoughts. Why come off of it?
@@Steven-gl4cw i am not coming off mine, why?
If you have life long conditions and need to take medication for life from your Gp, if you get a new diagnosis of anything and your gp gives you a new prescription for life ask the pharmacy staff if they can add this to your main frame of repeat prescriptions. That way when you pick up repeat prescription sit will be included with your repeat prescription, and you avoid having to go back to collect your new drug.
This is why GP’s should make better medication decisions rather than the ones they are getting paid by the pharmaceutical companies to push.
Sometime the good results coincidentally happen to be from medications the doctor is getting paid to push. So it can be a false positive, if you like.
Gotta pay for that new sports car in the surgery carpark
Uk gps I don’t believe get kick backs from pharmaceuticals, they are not allowed to
@@marklasy6209 there is more than one way to skin a cat, politicians aren't meant to get them either but it's amazing how many give speeches for 100k.
Masking civil unrest with medication is a waste of time, when people can inherently feel their most sacred values being pulled out from under them.
This practice is debasing us all psychologically, in real time.
A lot of psychological problems come from the inability to act and rightly defend that which makes us human, when threat is imposed by external forces.
We are failing to protect our communities, our kids, the family unit and basic moral values which strengthen our bond as a collective.
The exchange is that of convenience & cowardice.
The results palpable.
I'm sure i'm not alone in saying that this inevitable outcome was foreshadowed by many well over a decade ago.
We let this happen, but we can still undo the damage now.
We need to come together, we need to rise above and condemn these socio-political cancers that pervade our moral collective.
Dissolve our boundaries; practice community, love & connection, whilst also detaching from divisive/ weaponized ideologies.
I have no doubt that in 50+ years, our history books will be able to illustrate the extent of psychological warfare that has been carried out by our governments during our lifetimes.
Let's give our future generations an ending to inspire & uplift their spirits, filling them with the strength they need to march on and preserve that which above all else NEEDS to be protected.
I strongly suspect that low level sound frequencies could be a much better source of pain relief and aid healing in many people. I hope more research is done on this.
You mean the same frequencies WHO has health warnings about?
No. I don't know if the right term is low level frequencies - I mean sound waves that could work on a micro level - like targeted on some cells to make them vibrate just enough to help them heal and not enough to do any damage to them or elsewhere. It''s just something I suspect can work and I don't really know how the correct terminology. I also fully accept that some frequencies can be damaging.@@BadGard
I was given pregablin after an big accident, it took me a while but i realised it wasnt any good for me, the worst part was to come... getting off it! The withdrawl symptoms are insane, like nothing ive ever experienced, if yiu ask my, probably similar to that of a heroine withdrawl in some respect.. an aweful time not just for me,.but for those around me.
Im sure it has its.purpose, but if you are given it, or are thinking of coming off it, do it carefully and under control, maybe ween off it... its brutal stuff
Has anyone here been on Gabapentin (1800 mg per day) for around a year and what happens when you try to come off of it ? I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me about your experience.
Been taking 2400mg of Gaba for 4 years now for severe neuropathy. It stems from a spinal chord injury I suffered while exercising. It's helped me tremendously as I'm not sure I'd be alive without it. The problem is it's highly addictive and worse yet, my body has built up a tolerance to it now after 4 years and I'm back to being in significant pain. My doctor is now recommending putting me on Lyrica to see if that helps, but I'm terrified to take it at this point after reading so many negative reviews and hearing so many horror stories regarding this drug. But, I'm not sure what else I can do at this point. It sucks. I feel trapped and I'm not sure what to do.
I was taking gabapentin 1200mg/day for around a year and a half and had no problem stopping it cold turkey. Sure, headaches, anxiety, pain, abdominal discomfort, and trouble sleeping...but compared to what is faced with benzos, as the alternative, it's a walk in the park. It's obviously worse if you're also psychologically addicted to it instead of just physically dependent upon it.
If I had to rank it, it'd be easier than quitting a pack a day of smokes. It wouldn't even make the list because that's how negligible it was in my case but everyone is different.
I hope you reached your goal, whatever it was! I'm leaving this for someone else who may also be wondering in the future.
Pregabalin is different but I hope people don't listen to those comparing coming off it to benzo and opiate withdrawals...they aren't even comparable.
Hi, my best friend started taking pregablin around a year ago. Since then she has suffered all sorts of health problems including terrible lower back pain, problems going to the toilet and many other pains. She got so ill that she thought she may have cancer and has been having many tests and scans done which eventually came back as possibly having inflammatory arthritis. She has been trying very hard to come off pregablin and has been off them now for almost 3 months but she is unable to eat or get out of bed and is in a very dark place which is probably part of the withdrawal from pregablin. Her most recent scan has come back completely clear with no sign of inflammation! This is only since she stopped pregablin! I really dont want her to go back on them as i do believe they were killing her but she's now in a very dark place and I'm hoping she will improve over time as the withdrawals cease 😢
😢
Awful drug I was put on this turned my world upside down badly
It's use is rising as we are all buying into the belief that emotions need to be medicalised.
I don’t think we are buying into it
It’s more dictated to us by the acceptable norms
If everyone lived in the countryside with no social media and lived of the land then fair enough but we don’t
I'm taking Pregablin off-label for severe restless leg syndrome. It was prescribed after lots of research and discussion with my GP trying to find the best solution. I weighed up the risks and benefits before agreeing to try it. I knew that this is a serious drug. I had awful mental health issues until I was about 40 and now anything that changes my mental state or affects my heartrate still makes me very anxious. There was a risk involved in taking it. But the RLS was making my life miserable, so I decided to carefully try it.
I didn't know people were taking it recreationally, and that surprises me. It's not a bit like opiates, although, maybe it is if you take a higher dose. You can't drink with Pregablin. I did once, by accident and found that out the hard way, forgot I'd had a drink and turn took a pill. That scared me off ever doing it again. I felt like my body was slowing down and forgetting to breathe. I can quite imagine that taking this with booze recreationally could kill you.
So far, the biggest risk for me is augmentation -- that my body gets used to the drug and it stops working or even makes my symptoms worse. The answer to that is a higher dose. I told my GP early on that I wouldn't be doing taking a higher dose than the one we eventually settled on.
My pills are the lowest dose and I take 1.5 of them as needed. One pill isn't enough but 50% more mostly does the trick. I open up a capsule and take out half of the powder. I'm that serious about keeping the dose as low as possible. If 1.5 pills doesn't work, I might on rare occasions take the other half, but I'd have to be really desperate.
I take it as little as I can but might have to take it two nights in a row if the RLS is really bad. After that, I resist it for a few nights fo prevent augmentation and addiction. Luckily, the effect sometimes lingers a bit and brings the RLS symptoms down to a more manageable level for a day or two. But not always. Sometimes it's worse than it ever was before. I sit it out. I coped with RLS for 28 years before now, so I know I can manage a day or two, especially when the cure is right there on the bedside table. The temptation is always there to take more and get relief, but the idea of what that could lead to scares me enough to stop me giving in.
My GP checks in with me regularly to make sure I'm still doing okay on Pregablin. So far, I don't notice any bad effects from not taking it for a few days. If I ever do, I know my GP will work with me to wean me off it. Unfortunately, there is not really another cure for me if I ever have to stop taking Pregablin. And RLS gets worse with age, never better. So I am very aware that, if I want to keep having temporary relief from the RLS for an hour or two here and there, I have to be very, very careful with how I take this drug so that I can stay on it for as long as possible.
I don't think any GP should put anyone on this drug without monitoring them. But I know how overstretched GPs are. I'm sure it happens. Knowing what I know about this drug and how careful you have to be with it, that's frightening.
"I can quite imagine that taking this with booze recreationally could kill you." In high doses, possibly. But if this was the case with prescribed doses, people would be dropping like flies. It does suppress the central nervous system to a degree, so it's a risk. But alcohol and opioids suppress it a lot more. Especially opioids which are quite easy to overdose and die from.
I think it's interesting how the programme talks about pregabalin being 'implicated' in deaths but never once talks about someone who died just from a pregabalin overdose.
Don't be scared of Pregabalin. Many people live with neurological conditions that are incurable but manageable. I do. You can take this drug safely for the rest of your life. The maximum dose is 600mg daily.
I've been on it for ages I just stopped taking it didn't have no problems at all.
What dose were you on, and for how long did you take it?
I was given these for sciatica.. I don’t know why, but I had a bad feeling about them, so I told my GP I tried to take them and they didn’t agree with me… thank goodness my instinct was right not to take them!
Been in Chronic Pain's for multiple reasons but am not on Pregabalin but its cousin Gabapentin & it really helps with the weird pains & muscle spasms however as with anything that can make you feel good people abuse & other people get up in arms about statistics & people who need are left behind.
Currently being weened off it for my fibromyalgia horrible stuff
I take it for anxiety when needed (75 or 150mg) and it helps... but its nothing better than benzos who have less side-effects. Only advantage over benzos is that tolerance drops to zero after 3 weeks of abstaining whereas benzos need years to reach baseline
Update? I suffer from very bad panic attacks and I was just prescribed pregabalin to reduce my benzo intake. Did it help with your anxiety long term?
This drug has been pushed on me so many times…..I gave in and took it and thankfully became so miserable my husband made me stop taking it before I was unable to stop taking it.
Miserable I feel fantastic on 300mg. Chilled happy loved up talkative floaty it's nice can see why it's addictive
I find quack doctors script it (and pregabs) just to get patients out of the doctors office when they can't really help any other way
I wonder what the death count are of people committing suicide due to inadequately treated pain
The doctor put me on Pregabalin, but it made me really uncomfortable. I just came off it after 6 months. This was after my neck broke, in December 2003, causing nerve damage, thankfully the surgeons were able to patch me up. I'm on opiate based painkillers which have made me a legalised junkie. At one point my GP had me on over 340mgs of morphine everyday. The consultant when mad stating that morphine should be capped at 200mgs per day. Just shows how some GP's gamble with patients lives. I've cut down to 60mgs per day.
that cap at 200mg. a day shows ignorance. when i was younger i was on methadone and substituted morphine i didn't feel 500 mgs. this doctor doesn't realize that people who have taken opiates for many years would need much more than 200 mgs. for any pain relief more likely 800-1200 mgs.
Well done it's difficult I know
I’m not in any pain, but I have suffered with social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety for almost 20 years…I’m able to function on the outside, work and family etc. I’m just an anxious wreck on the inside constantly. A psychiatrist is prescribing me pregabalin to start taking next week. I have to admit I am worried. But i guess it’s better than being afraid all the time and not having a good quality of life? I’m so unsure about this
It will not cure your pain but it will suppress it for 1 and a half day if you take 300 mg per day
Where ia the balance met though between helping people have a better quality of life to the perceived risk of danger?
I'm exactly the same 6 years ... its so hard to quit awful withdrawal
Always read about a medication prescribed to you. If it is said to be addictive do not take it! Be suspicious of doctors who prescribe adductive substances/medication, this is an easy income for him or her and will be a terrible experience for you. Any addiction is life threatening. Find another solution!!!
Pregabalin is intensely addictive. I was on it for just 4 weeks and when I tried to stop taking it I suffered agonising withdrawal symptoms.
No, the thing is you just need to be patient and taper slowly instead of trying to get off every fucking thing cold turkey
@@user-mi9rx2yt5hI didn’t go cold turkey. I experienced withdrawal symptoms when dropping down from 600mg/day to 500mg/day.
Just a small reduction resulted in very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
@@user-mi9rx2yt5hThanks … I am aware of that. And I tried that.
Used it for anxiety worked very well, never had any withdrawl
For how long did you take it, and at what dose were you on?
Gabapentin made me feel drunk, dizzy, nauseous, I gained weight & felt horrible. Pregabapentin helped with the nerve pain without all the side effects but not FDA approved for my condition so was taken off of it. After hearing this I’m ok with it! But still in the journey of pain relief due to multiple issues 😢
Have you tried Mobic/Meloxicam?
@@AbbySunshine473 been on it for years. I’m in pain management, almost always doing PT for a body part, I get different types of injections from steroids, blocks & even got 3 levels of nerves in my neck burned on the right side & currently jumping through hoops to get the left done. In the last 10 years I’ve been put on high amounts of non-opioids & opioids, along with muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, & anti-depressants. Im almost off the opioids now 👏🏻
still struggling with pain but always trying to move. I have to, I have a family, a son & im only having a midlife crises as I’m 40. I’m still here! Thank you for your suggestion❤️
the mobic does help tremendously!!!
I weaned myself off it, had some terrible insomnia for a while.
Its so nice to finally see some light shed on this pharmaceutical.
I'm on Pregabalin [for anxiety] and I ****Ing hate it!! One of these things this report gets wrong is that it's not physically addictive like nicotine or amphetamines, it's that the withdrawal is satanicly bad. Honestly, anxiety shoots though the roof, your jaw starts grinding like your teeth are made of centipedes (which you cannot stop!!) and finally you start twitching and having really deranged thoughts. It's the Devil in a capsule. 1 out of 10, do not get involved!!
Sound horrific. Sounds worse than meth withdrawal.
how long after you stopped did it take for the withdrawals to kick in?
@@thomasadamweston7510 24 hours or so
@@thomasadamweston7510 If I don't take a pill every 3-4 hours it all starts over again
@@SA-ff9uc ....I happen to know what meth withdrawal is like and while pregabalin is bad. Meth is like a whole other planet of bad.
Where can i get some?
Was prescribed pregabalin 8 years ago for the chronic pain from fibromyalgia. Was on up to 600mg of it for many years but finally brought it down to 150mg recently. I can’t go any lower, no matter how hard I try. It makes every minute feel excruciatingly long. Seen other comments mention it causing issues with memory too, which got so bad for me I had to see a psychiatrist. It was diagnosed as dissociative amnesia, but now I’m wondering if the pregabalin could be the cause.
Scary stuff. Stay strong everyone. I imagine most of us here have been affected by it one way or another.
Tapper down slowly, even if you drop 10mg every few months. Best of luck
I really hate scaremongering, I have been on pregabalin for anxiety for 6 months now and my life has changed for the better, I’ve never took more than my prescribed dose and I would say I am dependent but at the end of the day we are all dependent on a lot of things including oxygen and water 😂 I’ve dealt with a heroin addict and trust me it is not the same. Maybe in some peoples cases and that’s really bad but almost anything can be fatal. I think if someone is prescribed something then you shouldn’t put them off taking it especially when it can have serious side effects. Pregabalin has abled me to live my life again and get a job and stopped me having panic attacks every day, I have ptsd and anxiety (very physco somatic) and pregabalin has helped me so much, this is just really mid leading in my opinion. You can’t just focus on people with bad experiences
Also every medication isn’t going to be good for every singe person out there, I’ve had alot of medication that didn’t agree with me, I tried a lot of medication before I got around to trying pregabalin and some of the medication that didn’t work for me works wonders for others
I just started for anxiety. How long did it take you to see improvements?
@@AClown how much are you taking a day? Effects for anxiety can be pretty much instant until up to a week I’ve heard other people say on Reddit. For me it was pretty quick, I’d say for me I needed at least 200mg a day for it to work, I’m on 225mg a day
@@Wh4teverrrrrrrr starting with 150mg but being raised weekly up to 300mg if needed or unless I have bad side effects. Hopefully I see some improvement quickly without the side effects people are talking about
@@AClown side effects come with every medication I wouldn’t worry if you are taking it safely
I am on lyrica. I have m.s and it is used for nerve pain in aus. I did research the effects etc and saw that different countries use it for different reasons (antidepressant, nerve pain etc). I had to take this to subsidise my pain meds as here the government became super strict on how many meds I could have. My doctor said it can help in between but not to abuse it. I will say that if I don't have it for a few days, I do break out in a drug come down sweat. So guess I'm stuck with this
Try CBD oil in can help with symptoms alot
Just make sure to space cbd oil and medications 2 hours apart to avoid interactions, if slow release medications space 4 hours apart .
Drugs often have a long half life. When I came off I was told to taper. So you might need to get a doctor and a smaller dose and taper down (or look up half lives and cut pills - I've done that too)
@@tomwright9904 thanks Tom for the suggestion. I think it's good advice.
It would only take 12 hrs after missing a dose, and I would get severe withdrawal symptoms, which my doctor never believed. I am still living it daily, and my last dose was January 2023 25 mgs, 2xday from 300 2xday last June.
Yet weed is still illegal….
It's not illegal, just like pregabalin it's legal for medicinal use in the UK and a controlled drug. In fact I'd argue that although expensive, it's even easier for people to get hold of medicinally than pregabalin.
When used in medium to high doses(300mg+) it feels amazing. I’m a benzo addict. Pregabalin feels like benzos, opioids and dissociatives all in one capsule. It makes me very sociable, I feel very euphoric and “wavy”, music sounds amazing and everything feels better.
It fks u up more than anything else (I know, everyone knows ffs :(
Likewise ,agreed.
I took 200 mg with no tolerance and felt nothing at all
@@kansmansen8609 did you take Pregabalin or Gabapentin(some people sell Gabapentin as Pregabs because they’re similar but gabapentin does not have the same recreational effects) Also some people can have a naturally high tolerance to drugs(I’m the same with cocaine although I don’t take it). Plus 200mg is not a high dose by any means, some people take 1000+ mg. For me personally 300+ is good!!
I was given this in 2017 due to mental health issues. I’ll tell you exactly what it’s like.. being on speed or amphetamine 4hr highs where your buzzing off your head. It’s not safe it’s not right and it certainly doesn’t help for anxiety and depression. I told my gp my issues they suggested up my dosage when I refused they put me on Prozac instead this was all after being pumped with citalopram and Sertraline with only exacerbated my issues. After Prozac I decided enough was enough I left the nhs system and got self help via positive mindset training now 5 years on I’m practically fully cured and have gone from being homeless for 10 years to having my own business for 4 and making an massive success of my life finally! I cannot stress to people enough to try positive mindset training before trying medication.
What dose were you prescribed? It's a safe medication, prescribed to thousands of people generally without issue. A lot (although not all) of the problems associated with it have come from recreational use. You talk about it 'giving you a buzz' but the psychoactive nature of it is why it's prescribed for anxiety disorders. So whilst you may see that as negative, it's actually a positive for many people.
As someone who was a pharmacist for 18 years who had to retire due to neuropathic pain from diabetes. I have been been in this drug for 5 years now. I’ve never had a ‘buzz" from it. It can make you sleepy sooner than other medications. Apart from that it’s very safe. All drugs that ‘work’ are dangerous if misused, stopped abruptly or taken in conjunction with potentiators.
@Roger Mellie not in my experience it wasn’t bear in mind all drugs effect everyone e differently
Been on pregablin for over 20 years. Miss it for 2 days then 2nd day Anxiety is heightened. Control for Fibromyalgia along with Duloxitine, Amitriptyline, Paracetamol and Tramadole. Add in Metformin, Statins, Ramipril, Amlodipine. Where medical CBD can be used rather than the 1st 5.
Man, you must be rattling. I feel for you.
This was the hardest thing Iv ever been through. I quit cold turkey and thought I was going to die. It’s been 5 months 🎉 I feel much better but still think about it everyday 😢
Same
Why were you so reckless in quitting Cold Turkey? And then come on here and tell people about it ?! Utterly ridiculous
Doctors who prescribe this without warning patients of the possible side effects should be struck-off immediately.
All medications have side effects, some that barely get a mention in the media have much worse side effects than pregabalin and are used as alternatives, like quetiapine for example. Of course doctors should be diligent and warn patients of risks, taking into account the patient's medical history. Striking them off because they failed to mention the odd side effect is ridiculous.
@@Talkathon408 It is not the "odd side effect".
To suggest that it is:is ridiculous.
Doctors) including consultants) routinely prescribe this without ANY warnings.
@@Talkathon408 In a separate post, you acknowledge that it's addictive yet you defend prescriber not "mentioning" the "odd side effect".
If you are a medical professional: you should be struck-off.
@@fintonmainz7845 I'm not the one saying something as ludicrous as doctors being 'struck off immediately' something that would never happen anywhere in the world. And certainly not for routinely prescribing a medication.
Doctors of course should mention side effects when necessary. What you seem to be forgetting is that often the most important thing is that they look at person's medical history before they prescribe anything and make them aware of any potential issues. The list of side effects with most drugs is almost endless and here you are saying they should be struck off if they don't mention them.
Barely any doctor provides such information for any psychiatric medication, people are even warned against reading the leaflets with the medication. Informed consent is non existent. People are not aware of adverse side effects, withdrawal effects, and dependency. Prescribers are causing harm
Please be aware that pregabalin is pretty much exactly the same as benzos. You WILL get extreme dependence on it if u use it consistently for more than 2/3 weeks
pregabalin saved my life. nothing more to say.
P.S I'm the same. Gabapentin then in between I felt horrible. I needed that gaba - Lyrica. It's hard to get off.
I have fibromyalgia. A Dr prescribed pregabalin for pain. Dr gave me a script for 150mg 2x daily. I said how about a low dose to start with? Dr said no, start with 150mg. I took 1 capsule and I felt like I was off my face, I felt drunk, I was having quite violent muscle and limb jerks and head jerks. Well I took 1 capsule and never took anymore.
In saying this, I know if used correctly, it does help many people with fibromyalgia.
I can see how it could become addictive, especially if it makes people so sleepy like it did for me.
Now both my parents are on it and I personally don't agree they need to be on it.
Mum walks around like a zombie the next day after taking it, and Dad says he feels super happy all day when he takes it.
Both parents live in different states.
I know that in 2015 the street value for this was very low and the supply very high I witnessed people selling scripts I saw a friend had been given this by a dealer friend to "TRY" I told him no as a pharmacist and nurse. I am happy to see this is now a controlled substance when I looked at why the intake demand of this was so high in the individuals who take opioids heroin . I myself am going through cancer and am to frightened to take this drug it is something that makes heroin more potent. I am shocked at the this drug is freely being more available on the streets unlike morphine or heroin their is no substitute like methadone which shows how difficult it is to come off I am sorry to anyone taking this my friend is also suffers from epilepsy the ramifications could have been catastrophic.
I got put on this for hypermobility related joint and muscle pain a few years ago, nothing to do with my nerves, and it gave me such severe intrusive thoughts I had to stop driving until it had cleared my system as I would have hurt myself or someone else. I've experienced acute stress related psychosis in my teens and this drug was on a whole other level, it genuinely terrified me how quickly it came on and how bad it was. It isn't remotely similar to benzos either, they actually work. It has been responsible for many deaths in the US and Pfizer has been sued by a LOT of people (and lost) because of it and the near identical gabapentin, also made by Pfizer. You may recognise the company name for other more recent worldwide reasons too, that isn't a coincidence. They are notorious for this. Doctors don't do anything to warn patients of the very serious side effects of many medications, nor do pharmacists, because it makes them all money.
Sorry to hear of your pain. Doctors in the NHS do not personally gain anything from prescribing such medications, and in general would prefer non medicated therapies (is my understanding). You’re right, people with hyper mobility syndromes, such as E.Danlos, tend to have higher rates of psychiatric problems. Whether it’s cause or effect is an interesting discussion. Perhaps it’s the continual pain predisposing to mental health issues- but the personality disorder/anxiety diagnoses tends to be higher in female populations with musculoskeletal issues such as hypermobility syndromes. I am sorry your body (and mind) are causing you discomfort. I wish you all the best with your future and hope things are tolerable for you to continue a fulfilling life.
I hate this drug and given 🇦🇺govt ✔️whilst I ckukf not get a 5 my Oxycodone for acute pain . I felt like an experiment
I had weird thoughts
Slept 3 half hours
Wake , another 3half
Weird weird drug
I am on Clonazepam for anxiety and yes dependant but it is not likely to cause craziness , self harming like Gabapentin did to me
I was giving pregabs for pain I was suffering after an accident, I thought I was losing my mind, I always felt hungry , tired and miserable I had no motivation and it actually made my anxiety WORSE .. I don’t struggle with great anxiety issues just the normal but when taking the pregabs I felt WORSE , I kept thinking of the future and how I’d just end my life I am 42 now and I was actually planning in my head to take myself off and kill myself , I’ve got kids and I know I have a good life I couldn’t understand why I felt like just dying I would cry just sitting by myself every morning when I woke up .. my poor kids knowing something was off .. I couldn’t think of why I was feeling so bad .. until I stopped the pregabs .. I had been on them 8 weeks .. i felt at my lowest for a few days but I just quit cold turkey and I felt normal again I told my doctor how they made me feel .. he suggested trying MORE pills 🙄 .. I’d never take another pain killer like that ever again .. and it’s totally changed my view on anyone who suffers with addiction of any kind
@@jazzragu I'm in the UK. So if doctors in the NHS gain nothing from prescribing, why prescribe things off label and with no proven efficacy? As for psychiatric disorders and hypermobility syndromes, I'm not aware of any link nor did I elude to any. EDS/HSD etc don't always cause pain, let alone continual pain, and my acute psychiatric distress in my teens was related to a miscarriage. My connective tissue disorder didn't start causing pain until nearly 20 years later, and the subsequent intrusive thoughts were caused solely by the gabapentinoids. I do not have any psychiatric diagnoses, and certainly do not have a personality disorder. You'd do well not to spread misinformation, it doesn't help.
@@pearl3026 "try a higher dose" bizarrely seems to be quite a common response when suffering with dangerous side effects. I honestly have no idea what doctors are playing at most of the time.
I stopped taking this drug in my own one month ago. I was on it for Fibromyalgia. I decided to deal with the pain.
Lyrica helps me keep walking AND helps my anxiety. I take 150 mg 3 x a day.
It's almost like they make drugs that you are then dependant on for life
Chronic take of medication is lucrative. The best way to insure an income to the pharma industry ....
I was prescribed this in 2016 after suffering a badly broken leg following a motorcycle accident , hated the stuff turned me into a zombie and i had the same kind of withdrawal symptoms wasnt pleasant at all one of the worst experiences of my life
Coming off needs to be slow as fitting etc may happen I’m stopping mine next year asap
Jeez that’s one heck of a combo there
They are strong. I'd say 300mg pg has a similar effect to heroin plus alcohol from my experience. Why they hand them out like sweets to vulnerable people astounds me.
I've been on it for years for neuropathic pain and my experience has only been positive.
I’m on pregablin for pain and anxiety my anxiety is bad though we’re I was waking up in police cells and a danger to other ppl but since this taking this I got life back and mow normal and so peacefully
absolutely horrific drug, it nearly killed me
Can we all try to help these children of Yemeni who are literally starving to death. It is heartbreaking. There are: many campaigns running on You Tube. Please help if you can. We are to have a mind to give in gratitude to God.
Well I have been taking 600mg pregabalin for nuropathic pain for over15 years and I hope they dont take me off it as I'm severely disabled and in chronic pain and could not cope untill I was prescribed it .
Ive been on this for years for fibromyalgia along with amitrptyline. Very worried about this news.
Ive used it for 2 years..I use it -& I don't abuse it or take more than prescribed so this is rubbish. It happens when you take way to much.
Try going without for 10 days
Pregabalin helped my postherpetic neuralgia. I had lowest dose for month or two prescribed by my neurologist in Ukraine.
F knows why western doctors tend to put your on the highest dose straight away.
They don't. Very few people take the highest dose, 600mg, normally 300mg twice a day.
@@Talkathon408 mine I think was 75 mg twice per day..
@@saeeepia I started with 75mg twice a day, now on 150mg twice a day. It's only been 3 months, think I will ask to lower dose again.