Gabapentinoids The Lyrica (Pregabalin) Mega Thread v 2.0

[Quickfixgrrl]

Once you find your baseline without wd's im strongly recommending smaller but continuous drops. E.g. if you ll be ok with 300mg a day (split in 2x150mg doses) start taking 5mg less a day instead of doing big drops. Dissolve 150mg in 75ml of warm water and using syringe take 2.5mg less from each dose (say 1.5ml less) every day. It takes 2-3 months but you dont have to suffer that much and you can hold it for a while.when needed.

You seem to be sensitive like myself so be careful with it, ct is not fun.

Thanks Voiceoffear ?

Today I had sweating and waves of nausea.. don't know if it's WDs or something else..

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

this is once substance that i have not actually come into contact with.....

Don't bother. The "high" is weird at best. Not to mention a delicate balance.. and stupidly addictive.
Too much, IMO, is not enjoyable or pleasant whatsoever; not enough is a waste of time. Get the right dose and you'll be chasing that.. but then you won't find it unless you abstain for days on end...

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I'm not up for this shit...
So I only took 450mgs yesterday and I had the worst sleep, I kept waking in pools of sweat, my entire body was just dripping.. the anxiety this morning was a cunt, to say the least.
I know I need to try again ? But have taken another huge dose today just to feel normal..
This is some fucked up shit...

Edit: I also broke 2 ribs during the week and am in fucking agony ?
Don't think this is the right time to withdraw.. but then, when will be?

 

[Voiceoffear]

Feel for you. I honestly do because there's nothing really that helps. Only time and patience. I was ready swap pregab and try phenibut instead but i wasn't really up for it when some1 said on reddit that 150mg pregab will be around 2.5g phenibut. Now at around 55mg i know it would be a stupid idea. Dont recommend alcohol during taper - it will make you depressed af next day for next few days. It may help with wd's during ct and Neo reported that he was drinking insane amount of booze - but there is no guarantee you ll be ok after a week or 2 drinking 24 beers a day.

Took me a month taper 100mg and remain functional but my doses were only 300mg max for a week. I am carrying on with taper and won't drink more than 1 or 2 beers on my days off.

 

[Squeaky]

Quickfixgrrl- listen to Voiceoffesr. I have tapered off Lyrica several times. You seem to be having the same problems he has had. The dissolve into warm water trick is excellent advice. Don’t get discouraged at the length of time . Get stable at a consistent daily dose and break it up into two or three doses per day.

 

[Voiceoffear]

Quickfixgrrl - how its going? Have you found a right, stable dose split in 1/2 am & pm?

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

Quickfixgrrl - how its going? Have you found a right, stable dose split in 1/2 am & pm?

Hi Voiceoffear, not yet ? I am waiting to see my doctor to get some Valium to help me through any withdrawals.

Can't wait to be rid of this shitty drug...

 

[Squeaky]

Hi Voiceoffear, not yet ? I am waiting to see my doctor to get some Valium to help me through any withdrawals.

Can't wait to be rid of this shitty drug...

You may do better going back and tapering slowly off Lyrica. It is a shitty drug, but the wds from Valium can be much worse. If you go the Valium route, you need to be conscious of the need to taper from that if you use it more than a week or so. Lyrica wds can last months, so using Valium may be setting you up for withdrawls from two shitty drugs. And Valium wds often equal seizures that can be fatal.

 

[Voiceoffear]

And benzo helps slightly with wd's. Just short term with anxiety and maybe with sleep but it won't help with other symptoms. Im finding coming off benzo (slow taper) easier than lyrica. Why? I think its not so depressive with suicidal thoughts, its not shooting dopamine receptors off, its not affecting gut's health badly. Just dont use benzos or use absolutely when you must but twice a week max. And try find your baseline, best start taper asap, theres no other route.

Benzos main mechanism of action is through gaba A and pregabalin is through VDCC. There is no cross tolerance but when pregabalin/lyrica can attenuate benzo wd's im afraid it doesnt work opposite way. There will be too much glutamate and other neurotransmitters storm that benzo wont stop.

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I've been off benzos since I started the Lyrica... and I was chewing through a fuckload monthly for almost 3 years straight. I would take them erratically, get my presription for 50 pills a month and take them within a week. I'd then be forced to go without for another week or so, usually get my hands on another 20 pills to see me through the remaining weeks until I was due for my next script..
I didn't experience any withdrawals.. Or, maybe I did, but couldn't tell, because of my ever prevalent anxiety/ depression. I was on a constant merry -go-round, getting nowhere.
During this time I was placed on other meds for my anxiety, Mirtazapine/Seroquel/Quetiapine and such... I quit them all pretty fast, because I hated the side effects, namely weight gain. Stupid, I know, but I would have been even more depressed had I gained weight...
That's when I came across Lyrica. I initially tried it solely to get buzzed, in combination with Oxy and Ritalin.. I'd take this combo sporadically, whenever I could, not really giving the actual drugs a second thought. Then I looked up Lyrica and read the studies on how it was being used to combat anxiety.. with really positive results.
So I actually went legit and had them prescribed, the dose being 150mg twice a day. I don't think I ever took the proper dose more than a few times.. I smashed through packets and loved feeling numb to everything. Fuck anxiety, no idea if I had it anymore or not.. I was too high to tell.
Now I'm here.. hating this. On one hand I want to get down to 300mgs per day as first suggested by my doctor.. because I'm scared of going back to living in a black hole inside of my head.. but on the other hand, I want to get off this drug entirely. But then what? ?

I'm getting my Valium in 2 days. I know full well that it's a weakness of mine and I'm replacing one thing with another. I'm telling myself that it's for the withdrawals and while they might help, I know I'm just afraid to face life without some sort of crutch, some sort of manufactured happy...
Which is shit.

 

[Voiceoffear]

I wish you good luck with benzos, they dont work on my symptomps. 2mg kpin can kill some anxiety for few hrs and give you another few hours sleep - but will not ease other wd's, especially from high doses. Thats why ppl tend to use kratom, ketamine whatever can help with depression, suicidal thoughts, ahedonia. But this is amplified to really bad point, i threw the towel on 75mg before after not getting better...10 days where i saw the dark side of darkness.

So went up and started titrating, still not fun, lower i get more wd's i feel but...benzos wont hit your dopamine receptors, wont alleviate depression. But through my own experience i agree - it was easier for me to kick benzodiazepines than lyrica. Need force myself out of bed everyday to go work, shopping, basic stuff. No joy, no happiness, no motivation. Its like this 6 weeks and counting. Still titrating....

Let us know please how you go doing Quickfixgrrl

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I wish you good luck with benzos, they dont work on my symptomps. 2mg kpin can kill some anxiety for few hrs and give you another few hours sleep - but will not ease other wd's, especially from high doses. Thats why ppl tend to use kratom, ketamine whatever can help with depression, suicidal thoughts, ahedonia. But this is amplified to really bad point, i threw the towel on 75mg before after not getting better...10 days where i saw the dark side of darkness.

So went up and started titrating, still not fun, lower i get more wd's i feel but...benzos wont hit your dopamine receptors, wont alleviate depression. But through my own experience i agree - it was easier for me to kick benzodiazepines than lyrica. Need force myself out of bed everyday to go work, shopping, basic stuff. No joy, no happiness, no motivation. Its like this 6 weeks and counting. Still titrating....

Let us know please how you go doing Quickfixgrrl

Thanks @Voiceoffear

I took 1,350mgs of Lyrica within 12 hours yesterday.
I am completely dependent on it.
I literally chewed them, just to taste the powder... I can't explain it ?
I love the "Lyrica jolts".. as I call them.. when I'm so intoxicated by it that I forget that I've actually taken them and my body/ muscles randomly jump..
I love the feeling of not being able to swallow.. another physical symptom I get.. It reminds me that the drug has flooded my system and I'm ok.. as long as I can feel SOMETHING other than my usual dread and anxiety..

Today I took 300 in the morning.. 150 midday and another 300 tonight...
An improvement, for me...

 

[Voiceoffear]

750 is still 150mg higher than max recommended dose. So after few days please try 600mg in two am & pm doses. This way you ll get time regime and blood concentration. Once you feel ok on 600 you can try a bigger drop, like 150mg. If it wont work - 75mg. Down to 150mg shouldnt be bad.

 

[Lucy20]

I tried to take one yesterday for pain because i won't touch opiates and the same manic reaction. Its weird, i take benzos and i thought it would be a bit similar but it feels like im on speed and i hate uppers.
Anyone else get that?

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I tried to take one yesterday for pain because i won't touch opiates and the same manic reaction. Its weird, i take benzos and i thought it would be a bit similar but it feels like im on speed and i hate uppers.
Anyone else get that?

It definitely has that speedy effect (also not a fan of uppers), especially when your tolerance is low. I found I did start to actually enjoy that weird buzz, it makes me feel way less inhibited, I feel more social and can dive right into my day and tackle stuff I'd previously had no motivation for.
I guess that's what kept me going back for more...

 

[Xorkoth]

Lyrica makes me quite manic, in a very nice way. It's like phenibut except phenibut also hits GABA-B receptors. Both of them make me super social and fearless. I don't have access to Lyrica and phenibut is less intoxicating anyway, but I take phenibut before I play shows (I'm in 2 bands) and it's very useful because I have no inhibitions and I get into the flow and play my best much more easily. I wish I hadn't abused it for years because I get a couple of rebound days now about 2 days after I take it, but it's worth it.

 

[Lucy20]

Lyrica makes me quite manic, in a very nice way. It's like phenibut except phenibut also hits GABA-B receptors. Both of them make me super social and fearless. I don't have access to Lyrica and phenibut is less intoxicating anyway, but I take phenibut before I play shows (I'm in 2 bands) and it's very useful because I have no inhibitions and I get into the flow and play my best much more easily. I wish I hadn't abused it for years because I get a couple of rebound days now about 2 days after I take it, but it's worth it.

I was starting to think it was just me having that reaction. I already have high anxiety so i can't handle that rushy feeling like I could before.
What do you play and what genre of music ?...if you don't mind me asking

 

[Xorkoth]

I play keys (electric paino and synthesizer), and both bands are not really genre-specific. My original band is all-instrumental and we call ourselves "progressive psychedelic space rock" for a genre. It's all original stuff that we write as a group. My newer band is a sort of amalgamation of rock, funk, and mountain folky stuff.

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

So I saw my doctor today to renew my prescriptions.. Lexapro, Valium and Lyrica.
Turns out my pharmacist had contacted him regarding my early and frequent turnover of scripts ?
Thank fuck I have a super amazing doctor who I've been seeing for years and I managed to explain that whilst I'd been "occasionally" upping my dose, I still needed needed more in order to taper and also Valium to help me through that..
I got them and fuck, couldn't wait to try the Valium again after months without.. sweet, familiar benzo it it ❤
Still planning to cut down on the pregabalin. I've only taken 300mgs today and remarkably feel fine! ?☺

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I also went in search of L theanine and lemon balm tea.. visited 2 drug stores and a health food store, none of which stocked them.
Anyhoo... 8 Valium under my tongue to help me sleep tonight ?

*Edit* ok... make that 16 now... I am, after all, Quick fix... ?