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Gabapentinoids The Lyrica (Pregabalin) Mega Thread v 2.0

I haven't been on here lately as I've finally awoken from my reckless binge.

I abused this drug terribly, along with alcohol and whatever else I could get my hands on for past few months.
The last few weeks I hit rock bottom. Nobody could get through to me and I didn't realise while I was "in it" that I was actually on a bender, a downward spiral. I was numbing myself and my brain wasn't in a state to process this at all.. I was living each day oblivious to exactly what I was doing because I was too drugged up to notice.
I lost TIME. My memory is patchy, vague and scattered. Conversations I had with people were brought up again and I have zero memory of them. I seriously don't know how I got through this.
Two ambulance rides, rushed to the ER during this time.
Fainting in a very public place, waking up in hospital.
Smashing my head open, 15 stitches along my brow and forehead.
A week ago I woke up stone cold sober and it finally hit me. What the fuck have I been doing? I immediately knew that I HAD to fix my life.
Anyway... I dramatically began a taper off of Lyrica and stopped drinking and abusing everything else. I've had the most horrific week of my life in withdrawal.. I begged to be admitted to a psych hospital. The suicidal ideation and nihilistic views of life/ death/ and reality hit hard. Depression and anxiety like I've never known before.

Long story short; I caught myself, just in time. I was heading for a brick wall, fast.
I'm only just coming out of this and still tapering.
This drug, if taken erratically and during a vulnerable time where you start abusing it daily, is a nightmare.
Withdrawals are fucked right up.

Just thought I'd check in and share.
 
I'm supposed to be cutting out my afternoon dose starting from today.. I am currently taking 150mg 3 times per day, morning/noon/ night. This is the most steady I've ever been with this drug. I planned on 450mg per day for a week, 300mg for 2 weeks and then going on just 150.
But I'm absolutely terrified. I have just come out of those withdrawals from excessively and erratic high daily doses. I'm extremely reluctant to go through it all again if I cut out the mid day dose... but at the same time I know that I need to taper down if I ever want to be rid of this.
I have valium and usually I'd have eaten through all of them within days. I'm doing very well in that regard, I have left them alone and will only use them for chronic anxiety if/when it hits. I also work in a field that requires me to be alert and Valium always make me drowsy; I work 5 days a week so starting another taper seems impossible ?
I've tried to get my hands on L theanine and have checked health food stores and pharmacies but it seems unavailable in my country.. the chemist actually said he'd never even heard of it ?
I guess I might drop 75mgs.. I'll have to open up the capsules and dissolve half in water.. is that how it's done?
 
. I have just come out of those withdrawals from excessively and erratic high daily doses.

I think you need to stabilise your daily intake before this will come even close to succeeding. If you have just 'recovered' from a withdrawal episode, I think its prudent to give yourself at least 2 weeks of taking the same amount each day at the same time before reducing it.

I'd also really suggest being cautious with the valium- there is definitely some cross tolerance and synergism between two despite having different MOAs. Using lots of valium will probably make your taper more difficult and risk protracting the withdrawal.

Pregabalin is easily the worst drug I've ever used. Though I gotta say, the terrible withdrawal has made me deeply question drug use in general so maybe it will turn out to be a good thing.
 
I didn't know that about the cross tolerance, thank you for that info. What about Ativan?
I'll keep up the 450mg for another week.
Absolutely agree with you regarding Pregabalin.. dark days ?
 
One challenge I've encountered is lacking the words to describe the withdrawal. Like, anxiety doesn't quite seem right- it's fucking there alright but there is that overlay of trippy weirdness and really odd thought loops and outright bafflement. During my last and worst high dose withdrawal, I could not figure out how a pair of fucking pants functioned- the material just felt like sandpaper, I had the impression of parts of my legs also being a little bit 'arm-like', there seemed to be way too many holes to put my feet through. Incredibly confusing and scary and this was just trying to get dressed. ?

didn't know that about the cross tolerance, thank you for that info. What about Ativan

The literature would say there is no cross tolerance between benzos and pregabalin because they don't bind to the same receptors but I do not think that is the whole story with Lyrica. So yeah, I think there is cross tolerance between Ativan and Lyrica.

Try and stay at 450 for longer if you can- when did this withdrawal clusterfuck that you're recovering from happen?
 
Quickfixgrrl, remember one important thing when reducing - lyrica has 6 hrs half life so at some point when you end up with one capsule you will very likely experience interdose wd's. So stick to 3x daily and do small cuts from one dose each time. You ll end up splitting capsule when you got low. In some countries the smallest capsule is 75mg, its waaay to high to try jump off without wd's and paws. For me its like jumping off 1-1.5mg ativan and hoping wd's wont be bad.

Since lyrica capsules contain fillers is hard to split powder in same doses. Thats why best method is disolve let say 150mg capsule in 150ml warm water and progress with drops using syringe. I ve been there, i tried fast taper, i tried jump off 75mg, total physical and mental mess. Slow water titration taper saved my ass and probably future. 10th day lyrica free, still low but not as bad as i was during taper.
 
Quick question i been of the pregabs for a while now jumped of had the worst mental wd . I got a couple of 300s if i do one today and one tommorow and just keep the pregabs for fri sat only 300 mg a day so a 5 day break inbetween can it still cause a wd
 
Generic Pregablin is available in the USA now.
FINALLY!!!! My copay went from $35 to $50, and then last month my insurance company f’d me and it went up to $70 for one month’s pills.
Generic means $10/ month for me.
YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Just wanted to share my experience with what was sold to me as 4 methyl pregablin. I am a big fan of gabapentoids and intentionally sought this one out. I have a like permanent tolerance for lyrica and I take it at about 2-3g per dose 2x month. The chemical is supposedly 2x 3x more potent then lyrica. I did an allergy test of 20mg and a further test of 200mg without issue. With a week of tolerance break in between I took 2g orally. My expectations were not high as I was not sure the substance was as advertised. Sure enough though 2 hours later I took a couple hits of a vape pen and began feeling the gabapentoid electric type energy creep up on me. Over the next hour or so this feeling increased and I had all the desired effects of pregablin (mainly that electric energy) and the mdma ish talkativeness and empathy. It felt very similar to pregablin and I am not 100% confident that it wasn't just that. It did seem to have a smoother overall effect especially with side effects. Normally if I was feeling this good off of lyrica I would get the uncontrollable twitches of my limbs which I was happy not get the energetic feeling also seemed much stronger. Imo I think it was 4 methyl pregablin and it proved to be a little more potent and smooth.
 
Been speaking to people that I know this week who have tried Lyrica.. not one of them enjoyed the effects. I'm the same, there's no euphoria anymore, just weird, out of yourself kind of speedy and restless.
I much prefer the combo of Lyrica, Endone and Ritalin, taken together. If you're looking for a nice, albeit "enjoyable fucked up" high, this combo is the best.
 
Been speaking to people that I know this week who have tried Lyrica.. not one of them enjoyed the effects. I'm the same, there's no euphoria anymore, just weird, out of yourself kind of speedy and restless.
I much prefer the combo of Lyrica, Endone and Ritalin, taken together. If you're looking for a nice, albeit "enjoyable fucked up" high, this combo is the best.
Im the same. Was prescribed lyricas with benzos for 4 years and after stopping daily using everytime I did them I got weird ass speedy anxiety and would often enter the psychosis zone when taking with benzos. I have had a lot of head injuries though, so that might have something to do with how drugs affect me.
 
I’m currently working on a nice and slow taper off 200mg daily Lyrica. I can feel the drop to 150 mg. It’s hard to explain, I just don’t feel right. And it hasn’t gone away after a couple of weeks. I can’t imagine cold turkey from 4 grams.
 
Lower you get more wd's you ll feel. Slow patient taper, suggesting even smaller drops (instead of 50mg and wait till you stabilise try cut 4-5mg ED or EOD). You may catch up quicker and wd's will be less intense.

I did a little mistake and after been clean for 4 weeks i used phenibut 500mg twice a week (sunday and thursday). Thought its safe. Nope. Dealing with like mild post-lyrica wd's- irritability, confusion, anxiety. Well, lesson learned.

How you doing @Quickfixgrrl ?
 
I think I have finally gotten off lyrica withdrawals. Took 10 weeks or something like that.
I can now again feel without lyrica like I did on lyrica.
Never taking this shit again even if Id fucking love to.
Dont ruin yourselves with this shit. The absolute worst thing you can do is stop this medication and then keep taking it from time to time imho!
 
Oh good to know, i was hoping use it sparingly for benzo paws one day but now i ll stay away from it. This is no medication, nothing really affected me so badly like this poison - memory, cognitive functions, no emotions, zombie mode.

I was doing better at 4 weeks off but had couple important social events so used just twice and only small phenibut doses but comedown hit me like lyrica wd's (i hope it won't last long).
 
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