I will say my usual. Gabapentinoids, including Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Pregabalin (Lyrica), even Phenibut are not the final solution to anything, but I consider them to be an extremely under-utilized and and effective medication for so many different issues. They are what you would call, "very safe" in a world of Benzodiazepines, Alcohol and Heroin.
I think it's effectivenes for treating both the mentally ill and/or addicts has gotten these drugs a lot of bad publicity. Addicts who take Pregabalin typically do well. It is a drug with many of the miracle-life qualities of Benzodiazepines without necessarily carrying with it all of the dangerous.
The primary downsides are that tolerance builds exponentially when experimenting. It can be kept in check by not misusing your medications and by trying your best to avoid the temptation to take more. Gabapentinoid scripts can go i n 5 days with little benefit by the fifth day, meanwhile, the guy taking his prescribed dosage consistently gets benefit and stability from that same hypothetical prescription.
They seem to contribute to increased "intoxication" when found in combination with other CNS depressants in ED's and elsewhere, but there has not yet been found a clear correlation between increased respiratory distress and these drugs, yet they are already being demonized as "one of the reasons" everyone is dying.
I believe they are able to do a lot of different things for a lot of different people. Alcoholics and recrovering Opioid addicts frequently report a feeling of, "what I felt like I had lost forever from my addiction, I got back. All of the 'just not right', the post-acute-withdrawal syndrome sympptoms are typically treated effectively, quickly and with very little concern required for safety reliability.
