I kept reading about pregabalin and recreational use so I've ordered some Indian generics. First 300mg were like a new variant of feeling drunk. Then some times later I should get it offered by my doc against social anxiety, he titrated me up from 75mg, this way it had no recreational properties at all, I barely felt a difference - it might have reduced anxiety a bit but nothing spectacular. Was on 600mg/d for some time, then titrated down without problems. Some time later I decided to give the leftovers a new recreational try - 900mg without tolerance. This remains to be one of my top 3 drug experiences ever, and I couldn't recreate it even long time after. Was like a dissociative, a stimulant and something unique at the same time. Disinhibiting as fuck.
Later I opted for pregabalin again, helped me to cut down on morphine but as before, no recreational properties even when I started on 600mg and went to 1.2g pretty quickly. Just gave me weird electrical zap feelings in the extremities which should be the foretaste to full on seizures when I did 1.6 or 1.8g because of no real effects.
This stuff is the single most rapid and lasting tolerance inducing agent I've ever met. Wonder if it really retains its therapeutic properties when staying at 600mg/d.
Also it has 3 mechanisms of activity: First the alpha2delta calcium channel antagonistic one which is most known. Then the induction of an enzyme which converts glutamate (the most abundant excitatory transmitter) to GABA (the inhibitory counterpart) thus being an indirect GABAergic and probably what causes withdrawal. And last but not least in high dosages a GLT-1 glutamate transporter antagonist which will be how it causes its stimulatory and possibly dissociative-like effects.
This raises the possibility that therapeutic (lower) dosages might be more withdrawal inducing than higher ones which will upregulate GLT-1. At least I didn't experience any withdrawal once tolerance was built.
