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Mental Health Pregabalin vs Benzos for serious anxiety

O

onaga

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
50
Hi everyone i'm in a real dilemma here i hope you can help me in some way, i have extreme anxiety issues (GAD and SA) it basically controls my life and i'm so close to just giving up completely i've pretty much hit my limit.

I've tried every SSRI and SNRI, anti-psychotics and i've now been on pregabalin now for 3 weeks, i was very hopeful this medication would work as i heard it produced a similar effect to benzos which i was taking daily (on and off periods obviously due to tolerance build-up) for 10 years.

I'm currently on 450mg a day of pregabs and the only benefits i've noticed so far has been a slight improvement in my GAD and what i thought was IBS which must have just been anxiety induced has gone, but apart from that no others anxiety benefits at all.

The max prescribed dose is 600mg a day and being so close to that and not noticing any substantial improvements makes me feel that 150mg more can't possibly change much at all.

Benzos have been the only drug that have ever completely cured me of my anxiety, i've been off them altogether for 6 months now and i really don't want to go back to that cycle of tolerance build up then detox and so on but i can't see any alternative, is there anything out there thats comparable to benzos and can be taken reguarly or should i just put myself out my misery
 
Honestly, if your anxiety is that bad, i would advise adding a small amount of clonazepam or diazepam (or any long lasting benzo) to your pregabalin regimen. The addition of a SMALL amount of benzos to pregabalin wipes all of my anxiety out completely and keeps my tolerance to benzos low.
 
thanks for replying, headhigh and spider but won't even being on a low dose of clonazepam or diazepam eventually lead to tolerance going up though? also my doctor is aware of my past self medication with benzos and it took a lot of convincing even to get him to prescribe me pregabalin - the guy wanted to keep me on 150mg for over a month when the dose is meant to be upped every week, i had to just tell him straight i was going to increase it myself - he didnt seem very happy about me not doing what he wanted (power trip?) but agreed to it in the end.

He said outright he wouldnt prescribe me any kind of benzos also, due to my past. (do i have to be judged on that forever even when i am now clean and willing to take responsibly?)

I have been planning on changing doctors surgeries next week anyway in hope that i can find a GP that will be more open to prescribing other things do you think this is a good decision?

Spider im in the UK i found out about 600mg being the max prescribed dose from google searches, think i also read it somewhere in the bluelight megathread (my doctor also didn't challenge me when i talked about the 600mg maximum dose so i assume what i read is correct).
I was actually thinking of moving to Canada from the UK in a couple of years i hope my dose wouldnt be decreased down to 300mg if i did
Don't know whats wrong with me im pranging out now that your my doctor or someone that i know ughhhh
 
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If your GP is being that strict, absolutely change. Its your life, not theirs. I know its tough to be labeled as an addict or an abuser, but small dosages of benzos allow for tolerance to increase very slowly.
 
Kava can be taking daily without any tolerance or physical dependence issues. In fact, the effects usually get stronger when it's taken every day. It works great for some people and not at all for others, but it's definitely worth a shot. I personally find it to be comparable to a low dose diazepam. The real trick with kava, though, is doing a lot of research on where to buy it and how to make it. There are a lot of crappy products on the market, and it can be tricky to prepare.

Also, this wouldn't be ideal for anxiety and it still has tolerance issues, but you could try kratom. I think kratom would be way better to take long term than pregabalin or benzos.
 
Kava is a good tool for anxiety, but i would like to mention that kava most definitely has tolerance and dependency issues just like any other psychoactive chemical.

Kratom is my all time favourite, but youre right, it does very little for anxiety.
 
Benzos are much more reliable, but he already mentioned in his original post that he had taken them on and off for 10 years and did not want to take them again.
 
HeadHigh said:
Kava is a good tool for anxiety, but i would like to mention that kava most definitely has tolerance and dependency issues just like any other psychoactive chemical.

Kratom is my all time favourite, but youre right, it does very little for anxiety.
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I've seen few to no reports of people having tolerance and phyisical dependency issues with kava. In fact, most people have a reverse tolerance effect where the experience becomes more pronounced with regular use. The only time you might have physical dependence issues would be contaminated products or an extremely unusual reaction.
 
You're right about tolerance, i forgot about kava being one of those weird drugs with reverse tolerance. And its not likely that an addiction to kava will form, but all that i am saying is that, as with any psychoactive chemical, you can become dependent on it. People can literally become dependent on anything that helps them, and since kava is used to decrease anxiety, it can quite easily become a tool that people are dependent on.

Based on my own research, i have not seen any reports of kava addiction/withdrawal, but kava dependence has occurred in a few people. If i recall correctly, all of these people were using it to decrease anxiety, so this may be what makes the person more likely to become dependent on it.
 
HeadHigh said:
You're right about tolerance, i forgot about kava being one of those weird drugs with reverse tolerance. And its not likely that an addiction to kava will form, but all that i am saying is that, as with any psychoactive chemical, you can become dependent on it. People can literally become dependent on anything that helps them, and since kava is used to decrease anxiety, it can quite easily become a tool that people are dependent on.

Based on my own research, i have not seen any reports of kava addiction/withdrawal, but kava dependence has occurred in a few people. If i recall correctly, all of these people were using it to decrease anxiety, so this may be what makes the person more likely to become dependent on it.
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That's why I specified physical dependence. You can become psychologically dependent or even addicted to virtually anything you find pleasurable. IMO the lack of physical dependence makes it far less sinister than most any other anxiolytic drug.

Of course, things like CBT, meditation, sleep hygiene, etc. are much better treatments than any drug, but if those options fail, kava is better than either gabapentinoids or benzos if it works.
 
Completely agree. Im glad we were able to clear that up in a respectable manner. I apologize if anything was misconstrued.
 
I got to a point after taking 2mg clonazepam or 30mg diazepam where the meds were not keeping anxiety under control, so I opted to switch to pregabalin instead of increasing my benzo dose. 600mg per day worked fine for about 6 months but now just prevent me from withdrawing. In the periods when I have been between insurance or some screw up has happened, I have to pay $700 a month for the lyrica alone. I personally wish I didn't go down that route and am currently weening off (now at 300mg a day). The withdrawal is brutal and doctors, even psychs, are somehow often unaware of its severity.
 
can't believe it was that long ago i made this topic and i'm still in the same shit situation.

I changed my doctors in january and was referred to a place for psychiatric help, just had my assessment today and they just recommended CBT which i've done before didn't help with my problems atall... i have no idea how the fuck they expect someone with severe anxiety to put any of the shit they teach into practice...

I'm now on 300mg pregabalin a day, it is a godsend for GAD but it doesn't help SA at all...

I've made an appointment to see a GP tomorrow and i'm just going to say to them i need some type of benzo now, they can either prescribe me it, advise me on how often i can take it etc so i am using it safely and responsibly or they can refuse to prescribe it and i will just leave and buy some off the streets which increases risk and danger - entirely up to them... if they want to help me... if i buy them off the streets and fuck up its their conscience. I'm ready now to use benzos in a responsible and as needed way.

I have no idea how this approach will fare to be honest... would appreciate some advice from you guys on what i could do differently or if you think i should approach this in a different way... has anyone tried this approach with a GP before?

*edIt* i'm in the UK by the way... i know doctors are very strict in prescribing benzos here so maybe it will end up being a case of me having to keep seeing different doctors and joining different surgeries until i find a DR that cares enough to help me and isn't a benzophobe.
 
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I'm on Diazepam 10mg a day and pregabalin 75mg a day. Also on escitalopram and quetiapine. If I had the choice, I wouldn't be on bloody diazepam, but I really struggle when the dose is reduced. Have you tried pregabalin with an AD or AP? My mix is far from perfect but I seem to be having more good days than bad - walking 5 miles a day really helps too.

I would never suggest to anyone to use a benzodiazapine long term. 1 week max or once per week max. When you hit tolerance, they're fucking awful drugs.
 
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