Using pregabalin, gabapentin as sleep aids?
TL/DR
Pregabalin basically saved my life.---AS A SLEEP AID
I take 1200mg each night. My dose has never needed to be increased over this time. It worked the first night and it continues to allow me at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. (often 8 hours)
never felt any withdrawals upon cessation
I was molested as a boy, suffered a three year fugue,and from the age of 9 to 45, I was never able to sleep for more than 1-3 hours without being forced awake in a panicked flashback. I would need to have several day naps just to be able to function
I have never been a drinker but in college I would only have blackouts but not sleep from spring break silliness.
Tried with no benefit (or greater risk than benefit)
sleep clinics,anxiety clinics, benzos, z drugs, butabarbital (this rocks but is too fun for me to have around), and bushels of gabapentin. (Not in combination for clarity), meditation, sleep hygiene groups
At 35 , i finally felt i did not need to keep this shame inside and found a good psychiatrist/
EVERY SINGLE AVAILABLE pharmaceutical option was tried.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs)
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs)
- Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs)
- Seroquel,Trazadone, halperidol
- many had paradoxical agitation side effects for me
AND every anti-psychotic on the market was tried to no avail.
Finally. diagnosed with 'treatment resistant" depression and ptsd which is medical speak for we do not have any idea how to help you.
Anyway,I ended up working with a Neuropharmacologist. \ took ten tears though
thank you lord
I didn't even know this was as a job.
I think after undergrad and med school and internship, residency, a post doctoral fellowship then ,you
just need time throw a phd on top in your free time. seems like anyone could do it.
Pregabalin> Not a panacea, with much greater abuse potential than advertised by Pfizer but when not abused recreationally can be a phenomenal sleep aid/
ymmv, happy to elaborate if anyone has questions
I have read about devastating withdrawals and believe the stories but I take a two week break every year to re-assess it and to date have never had any withdrawal issues. flashbacks return immediately upon cessation however
I have an rx of 1200mg pregabalin/night and have been on this dose since 2013.
I have spent more time down pubmed rabbitholes reading studies on pregabalin than is probably healthy.
The only time it stopped working was when I was an ass, having read about all this euphoria people find at 600mg and tried a few daytime 3000mg experiments.
Yes,sir.
I had been sleeping through the reason this product has so much abuse potential
I tried this twice and never again as even though it made me feel good and high it wrecked my sleep pattern until my tolerance rebounded.
For me, not worth messing around with something that actually helps me.
So. I love pregabalin. for sleep
By getting quality rest ,I begin to work on my myriad other issues.
I know a lot about how this medication affects me.
If anyone has recent data on how pregabalin affects the different stages and quality of sleep (research post 2018
Id love a pm.....
Pregabalin has simply removed ALL dream recall and that's probably not ideal. Sure beats the alternative for me .ymmv
I have tons of literature to share no trade required lol
best to all
be safe and stay curious