Pregabalin and Gabapentin

[charbucks]

Hi all

Can i just ask, has anyone taken Pregabalin with Gabapentin? Whats it like? I take the highest dose of Pregabalin and have built up tolerance. Just wondered if anyone had taken Gabapentin and Pregabalin together and if it can make you feel that happiness and motivation that Pregabalin used to? Or anything else? I cant take opiates as im on Esprinor (from opiate issues). I m getting help and accept that i have issues! Any advice would be helpful, but please be kind! Thank you in advance!

 

[Azed]

I would say that since Pregabalin in my opinion is very similar in Gabapentin at least in the receptors that they affect. I wouldn't expect you to feel much of anything from the addition of Gabapentin to your Pregabalin regiment as Pregabalin is basically Gabapentin on steroids. I am unsure how tenable it would be for yourself, but the only way that I have found in order to get the magic back is to take a reduced dose of the Pregbalin for a shorter period of time or take a break from it for a little whiles and your body will eventually reset/reduce your tolerance to the compound.

P.S. I think you may have double posted this thread.

 

[charbucks]

I would say that since Pregabalin in my opinion is very similar in Gabapentin at least in the receptors that they affect. I wouldn't expect you to feel much of anything from the addition of Gabapentin to your Pregabalin regiment as Pregabalin is basically Gabapentin on steroids. I am unsure how tenable it would be for yourself, but the only way that I have found in order to get the magic back is to take a reduced dose of the Pregbalin for a shorter period of time or take a break from it for a little whiles and your body will eventually reset/reduce your tolerance to the compound.

P.S. I think you may have double posted this thread.

Thank you so much, thats great, i really appreciate it! Do you think then that if i took Gabapentin on top of pregabalin not much would happen? Ill have to reduce/have a few days off! Do you know the effect of diazepam on pregabalin because obviously thats a benzo but pregabalin often speeds me up but then gradually makes me really tired. I suffer really badly with anxiety and whilst i am getting to the route cause, i also really need something thats going to help me...not just sedate me! Thank you so much and apologies for the double post...im not sure how to delete!

 

[Azed]

Thank you so much, thats great, i really appreciate it! Do you think then that if i took Gabapentin on top of pregabalin not much would happen? Ill have to reduce/have a few days off! Do you know the effect of diazepam on pregabalin because obviously thats a benzo but pregabalin often speeds me up but then gradually makes me really tired. I suffer really badly with anxiety and whilst i am getting to the route cause, i also really need something thats going to help me...not just sedate me! Thank you so much and apologies for the double post...im not sure how to delete!

In regards to combining the gabapentin and pregabalin... I would predict the pregabalin to be more competitive at the same receptor sites as gabapentin, such as VGCCs (voltage-gated calcium channels) and other GABA receptors sites. Since both gabapentinoids target similar receptors I can only forsee that the pregabalin would overshadow the gabapentin's affects. So I wouldn't expect the gabapentin to really do much. I wouldn't recommend combining gabapentinoids with other sedatives such as benzos. Even though these two substances are in different chemical classes and don't exactly target the same receptor sites. They will certainly potentiate one another in terms of 1+1=3. Both pregabalin, gabapentin, and benzos are all sedatives. Combining sedatives can be very dangerous and result in fatal respiratory depression. So caution advised. If you have been taking these for a whiles now you most likely have a tolerance to gabaergics. And if you are attempting to switch from pregabalin to gabapentin there is likely going to be a a cross-tolerance between the two. Meaning that once you have a tolerance to one it's likely that you will have a tolerance to the other. I would recommend tapering any of the substances that you have mentioned above in order to avoid withdrawals and other unpleasant side-effects or adverse affects as you may be either physically or psychologically dependent.

What other methods or substances have you tried previously to treat your anxiety?

However, what is most important is to identify the cause of your anxiety. Every time you use a substance you are only simply pushing off your symptoms that your suffer from without resolving them.

In terms of anxiety, I have dealt with it extensively so if you would like to talk about it sometime I am here to listen.


Best of wishes!

 

[Keif' Richards]

You'll find no kindness here @charbucks

These two drugs are extremely similar. Pregabalin (Lyrica) is approximately six times the potency of Gabapentin. This would make 100mg Pregabalin = 600mg Gabapentin. Things can become complicated as Gabapentin is highly variable in bioavailability while Pregabalin is not. Assuming you haven't made any serious dietary changes recently, than this is not important.

The big issue here is your tolerance. Gabapentinoids, of which these both are, are notorious for their fast-acting tolerance/dependence. The tolerance to the psychological effects will occur before the physical effects. Most people, myself included will tell you that you have at most, a couple of weeks of good Gabapentinoid euphoria before you start getting hit with rapaciously diminishing returns (taking 50g Gabapentinoid in a single sitting for instance).

For you to have the experience you're looking for, you would have to severely cut back on your daily dosage for a couple of weeks. If you took 3 days off, on the fourth day, you'll have some euphoria etc., but the following day will be 50% as good and the following day you'll basically be right back where you started.

If you went cold turkey; no Gabapentinoids for 4-5 days, you could probably get a few days of euphoria. The main takeaway here is that it's extremely difficult to reclaim that feeling and when you do, it's fleeting at best. The honeymoon period with any drug is always going to be the best. You can never really revisit this time and attempting to do so is usually just a maddening exercise.

 

[brokedownpalace10]

I read a different article which I don't feel like chasing down which said that there was a problem with patients combining Gabapentin and Pregabalin since it would give them euphoria(??!!). The horror.
Anyway, I like combining the two (in low dose situations, anyway) and the sum seems greater than the parts. A little greater than the parts. It's kinda like one hits things the other does not.
Nice combo, but nothing to write home to mom about.

Is there a role for combined use of gabapentin and pregabalin in pain control? Too good to be true? - PubMed

Gabapentin (Neurontin ¹ ) and pregabalin (Lyrica ² ) are first- and second-generation α2δ ligands, respectively, and are both approved for use as adjunctive therapy in pain control. Although they do not bind to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors they have been...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[AngelsandFairiesarereal]

I read a different article which I don't feel like chasing down which said that there was a problem with patients combining Gabapentin and Pregabalin since it would give them euphoria(??!!). The horror.
Anyway, I like combining the two (in low dose situations, anyway) and the sum seems greater than the parts. A little greater than the parts. It's kinda like one hits things the other does not.
Nice combo, but nothing to write home to mom about.

Is there a role for combined use of gabapentin and pregabalin in pain control? Too good to be true? - PubMed

Gabapentin (Neurontin ¹ ) and pregabalin (Lyrica ² ) are first- and second-generation α2δ ligands, respectively, and are both approved for use as adjunctive therapy in pain control. Although they do not bind to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors they have been...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hey sorry if this is off topic kinda… but since you seem to have experience with both… do you think if a person didn’t like the way gabapentin felt, that there’s any chance that pregabalin would be different. I have chronic pain & tried gabapentin a while ago with hopes that it could help …. but really didn’t like how it felt. I’ve been wondering lately if I tried pregabalin if it would be better or I could tolerate it. Some stuff I read seems like they are similar but others say there are differences too. I figured I’d ask someone that has had experiences with both. I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t really answer since all our body chemistry’s are different

 

[brokedownpalace10]

Hey sorry if this is off topic kinda… but since you seem to have experience with both… do you think if a person didn’t like the way gabapentin felt, that there’s any chance that pregabalin would be different. I have chronic pain & tried gabapentin a while ago with hopes that it could help …. but really didn’t like how it felt. I’ve been wondering lately if I tried pregabalin if it would be better or I could tolerate it. Some stuff I read seems like they are similar but others say there are differences too. I figured I’d ask someone that has had experiences with both. I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t really answer since all our body chemistry’s are different

Maybe. They both can make you feel numb, but Pregabalin feels a little cleaner and more stimulating. Worth a shot anyway.

 

[JackARoe]

I agree with pregabalin being 6 times stronger than gabapentin. 300 mgs of pregabalin is my high end these days as is 1800 mgs of gabapetin. I am not sure in a taste test that I could tell the difference if I did not know. I personally like gabapentin better probably because of low tolerance and what I perceive as a gentler body high than pregabalin. But if I want to spin my head I reach for pregabalin. If I want to slightly spin my head and also have a calm body I use gabapentin.

I have been prescribed this since 2016. Never took daily or even close and I can confirm taking it once a week (or even twice) keeps the effects that I like in tact. i admit these days I usually only indulge twice a month. I also have a superstition that if I go too long without it the shoulder pain and sciatica I have been given it for will resurface. But honestly I am very happy I did not take this daily. It is much better as a utility drug.

Still waiting for that plant we will find in nature where a nice cup of tea made from it feels like gabapentin or pregabalin. I think all we have seen is synthetic gabapentinoids. But Nature will produce I am sure. I can't wait.

 

[Azed]

Hey sorry if this is off topic kinda… but since you seem to have experience with both… do you think if a person didn’t like the way gabapentin felt, that there’s any chance that pregabalin would be different. I have chronic pain & tried gabapentin a while ago with hopes that it could help …. but really didn’t like how it felt. I’ve been wondering lately if I tried pregabalin if it would be better or I could tolerate it. Some stuff I read seems like they are similar but others say there are differences too. I figured I’d ask someone that has had experiences with both. I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t really answer since all our body chemistry’s are different

I have used baclofen, gabapentin, pregabalin, and phenibut. Phenibut I find the most enjoyable. Pregabalin is great, but even if I take it early in the evening I will sleep straight through my alarms. For me baclofen doesn't work without combining it with another substance. When I first tried gabapentin it was phenomenal, but just as @Keif' Richards said don't expect those effects to last in the long run without tolerance breaks.

Best wishes!