Pregabalin

[Sunset Traveller]

Hi all,

For past 6 weeks, I have been suffering with extreme continuous pain waist down, never had this before. I am struggling to walk more than few minutes, struggle to stand for simple chores like making a brew, clearing the washing at the sink or having a quick shower. I was prescribed co-codamol for 3 weeks than tramadol for pain management, as well as a consultation with physio who suggested specific exercises to address the issue. Sadly, there has been little improvement, just more daily pain. Following yesterday's repeat session with the physio, i was informed the condition is caused by degenerative nerves and have now been prescribed Pregabalin starting tomorrow AM. Dreading this ....

Has anyone any experiences of this medication? This medication is commonly prescribed for epilepsy and anxiety, but is also prescribed for managing nerve pain.

 

[Docb]

Hi @Sunset Traveller and welcome to the forum. You should get some replies from members who take pregabalin for neuropathic pain and who have found benefit from it. My experience was that it gave little or no relief as did the normally recommended alternatives of gabapentin and amitriptyline.

I think you are in an area where a bit of experimentation is going to be needed to see if any of them work for you. Best thing is to go with it and keep things under review.

 

[Sunset Traveller]

Good morning Docb, appreciate your prompt response. I expect there will be many other members who are or have been in similar medical circs. I will give it time and realise it will not be instant result, but hoping it gives steady relief.

Thank you. Take care

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I’ve been on amitriptyline (turned me into a zombie) and now take Gabapentin, which seems to work pretty well. It’s likely to take a little while to get the right dose and you may get some side effects but give it a few weeks to see how it settles down. I take naproxen, paracetamol and the gabapentin and between them I can function but I still have some pain (fibromyalgia is the cause of mine). Keep badgering your doctors if you don’t get any relief. It may be that nothing solves it fully but that you can reduce the levels of discomfort enough to be able to function. It’s worth pushing for an OT assessment too so you can have help managing daily life. Have you had scans of your back etc? Ruling out any trapped nerves would be a priority IMO.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Sunset Traveller Sorry to hear of your pain problems.
I took Pregabalin for sciatica a 4 yrs ago. I was advised to first build up the dose and then when had no pain to slowly reduce the dose. I did that and had no side effects.
I'm a bit unusual since Opiate pain relief doesn't work for me - none of them that have been tried including morphine. The doctors at hospital when I had my 3x cardio bypass were surprised and at first didn't believe me. However one compensatory thing is that I'm told I have a higher pain threshold than most people.
Its possible that I don't have the brain receptors for them. Also I don't get an endorphin rush from exercise, which makes it mentally hard to do regular exercise since I get absolutely zero enjoyment from it and it is just a chore.

 

[nonethewiser]

Mrs been on drug for years gradually increasing dose, no side effects to report.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about the continuous pain @Sunset Traveller

Are you having scans / examinations etc to try to identify the nature and source of the pain?

Might help to know where it is stemming from, eg whether an anti-inflammatory or nerve signal suppressing type is likely to work better.

Opiates were the big hitters that worked when my wife was high on the 0-10 pain scale during cancer treatment.