Exaggerating?? This is hell. And yes, I am taking those doses, and yes, I know it's a waste of money and all that shit. I've been taking benzos and opioids for years, don't tell me I'm exaggerating.
I have to deal with opioid withdrawal tomorrow, along with pregabalin withdrawal. Don't tell me I'm exaggerating.
I for one feel your pain bro (Imma ramble for a bit but I will give u some recommendations further down as well).
I am also horribly addicted mainly to opiates and pregabalin. I am talking over a decade long addiction and I honestly find people that underestimate the withdrawal from pregabalin offensive and even dangerous. I have experienced withdrawal from a long pregabalin-only addiction before, I have experienced withdrawal from a long heroin, fentanyl, -name the opiate- addiction before. I have experienced withdrawal from a long alprazolam and diazepam addiction before as well and;
the pregabalin withdrawal is fuckin WAY worse than anything else I have experienced. And I ran out of new drugs to try a long time ago.. Opiate withdrawals are very bad. mentally as well but the main hell is the physical part. If you are withdrawing from a serious, several gram a day pregabalin habit, There is basically a CONSTANT panic + anxiety attack type feeling going on in your head and chest. I could NEVER imagine going through full pregabalin cold turkey withdrawal. When I tried, I was in the constant panic attack I mentioned (I know what a real one feels like) and my body was jolting randomly like I was being electrocuted. I could not move because every fucking nerve in my body was hurting. Not in the way opiate wd hurts, not less just very very different. I felt like I was going into psychosis because of the TOTAL inability to sleep and the constant SEVERE anxiety. My friend told me that the jolting was exactly what he was experiencing right before he suffered EP from lyrica wd so I could easily have gone into EP, choke and died. don't tell people to cold turkey.. ffs.
I have managed to get through opiate wd with very little "help". Its bad, "but it is possible", like someone said about the lyrica. I could NEVER and would never quit lyrica cold turkey. Its a totally different.. astronomically different animal. If I ever ran out and the shitty "doctors" in my country refused to help me I would 100% find the nearest fucking train track and wait for the express..". "lucky" for me I am able to buy several Hg's at once of pregabalin powder/crystals MUCH cheaper than the finished, expensive as fuck pharma product is sold for "on the streets" because I could never afford my addiction that way.
So, why I say it's dangerous to suggest anyone to quit pregabalin cold turkey is; because IT CAN be fuckin dangerous. Pregabalin differs VERY little from "benzos, alcohol and barbiturates" that certainly are not the only drugs that are dangerous to cold turkey on. A serious GHB withdrawal can also kill you, for example. The pregabalin high is actually very similar to GHB in higher dosages.
benzos, alcohol and barbiturates.. AND Pregabalin, GHB, gabapentin are all drugs that in some way or another have something to do with the GABA system. and they are all dangerous and they are all a real fucking bitch to wd from. Benzos are no different but pregabalin wd is basically like benzo wd on steroids with a side of heroin wd.
I have no personal evidence of pregabalin withdrawal actually killing anyone I know, personally (like I have with GHB) but my friend suffered his EP seizure while at the hospital where they were refusing to give him any treatment despite him begging for his life, telling them that he was dying. And as mentioned I have also been on the brink of possible death from this.
SO.
My friend. Not only is it not a "waste" to take benzos during your wd. you SHOULD use benzos during your wd. Diazepam and Clonazepam especially, because those two are frquently prescribed as "antiepileptics" (or whatever the fuck) and will help to keep you from suffering EP and possibly choke to death on your tongue. They obviously also help prevent the severe anxiety from turning into a full on panic attack. The hard part is not overdoing the benzos. You are detoxing after all, you will and u should feel like shit. only use the benzos when it gets really bad.. which will be, all the time honestly for a good little while. This is also a part that is different from heroin. The wd is much longer as well. with heroin I always feel like the main struggle is over after like 2 weeks. Its not over then but its generally down hill after two weeks, in a good way. When I was wd'ng from lyrica two weeks was just the beginning with no end in sight. I just could not do it. Like I said, i feel you and I am sorry you are going through this. There 100% is no other way to do it then tapering of SLOWLY. I dont remember exactly how my friend did it but it was something like lowering your current dosage by 10% every 3 weeks. or even longer, you will know if you lower it to much to soon because that panic attack knocks on your door as soon as you dont have enough pregabalin or benzos in your system. Like this; If u dont feel like shit you are taking to much. If you feel like you are about to die and your body jolts randomly, you are in the danger zone. Tramadol on the other hand is a very big no no because it LOWERS your threshold to EP. I am saying tramadol can kill you while in serious pregabalin wd. Sell your tramadol and buy benzos and or gabapentin. those two are your friends in this situation. I am not sure actually if gabapentin lowers or raises the ep threshold but I am thinking that it at the very least does not effect it at all. what I do know is Gabapentin and pregabalin are very similar drugs. Gabapentin is basically Lyricas weaker twin and works like a perfect substitute to pregabalin so you should be good. pregabalin has been confirmed to be 6x stronger than gabapentin so, dose accordingly (6:1).
As we are in the same boat basically, feel free to reach out. Ive been through this more than once.
I am currently trying to taper down my pregabalin and opiate usage. I was on mainly heroin/bupe and pregabalin along with every type of downer you can think of. I still am, minus the heroin which I managed to quit completely a while back by tapering my dosage and eventually replacing it with kratom. I buy a gram of heroin here and there very sporadically but I feel like I have that beast under control. My personal goal is not to quit doing drugs. My goal is, being able to live life without HAVING to do drugs all day every day. I want drugs to be enhancers of my life on occasion, not a requirement in order to get out of bed. I know this does might not be a popular opinion but I belive I can live life like that. I think the idea of "always in recovery" is a bad mindset to have. And sure, some people just naturally lack self control and for real cant smoke a joint or have a beer without spiraling into disaster in less than 24h. even after 20 years of sobriety. I am not looking down on those people but that is a type of personality that simply should not do drugs and never should have tried drugs.
I digress;
am currently working on tapering down the pregabalin and eventually the kratom. I am not in a hurry tho, taking my time because I have the privilege of not being drug tested at work and having a steady access to the drugs i need. Im not some drug kingpin, far from it. haven't sold a drug in my life, honestly.. its 2024, drugs are everywhere if you know where to look. and if someone has survived as long me doing this, one has not have to look far. It's a bless and a curse. I would have 100% commited suduko decades ago if it werent for illiegal drug use and that is just a fact. I owe my life to drugs and that is, just what it is. Anyway.
every time my tapering goes to shit is when I go to low to soon. my lyrica dosage at its highest was up to 5 grams, often more than 2-3 times a day. Right now, some days I feel fine with 300mg every 12h. some days are harder and I have to take more. I am kind of stuck at 300mg though I have tried taking 200mg and some days even 150mg but I can never stay there. Eventually (when the surplus pregabalin in my body wears of or something) that panicy feeling slowly creeps up and I have to go back to 300mg or add a bens/gabapentin. but I will not lie it has been a long road leading to where I am at right now. I assume your situation is not as bad when it comes to the amount and time youve been on your particular constellation of substances.
Regardless,
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I am a certified expert in feeling like shit due to detox or lack of drugs. And I am not "one of those people", who are into the whole 12 steps, AA, come to jesus .. stuff. not knocking on people who are, or if you are. But what I am saying is if you feel a need to talk or have questions I will try to help you, not try to recruit you or brainwash you. Im not saying everyone in AA does this but a good amount does. some people are damn near predatory on here I have noticed. Being in AA is an addiction/cope mechanism in itself and one should also regulate that usage. In my opinion.
Anyway, unlike some people I DO know what it feels like and you CAN get through it. It just takes some planning and a lot of determination.. and strong self control in order to not just become super addicted to the "helpers" instead. or even worse ADD more stuff to your addiction.
And my man (I assume you are a man), if you are not able to get a hold of the "helpers" or can't afford them, and your usage has been anywhere close to mine I order you to seek medical help. Because, again; it can definitely be dangerous, even if you are not at the point where it is dangerous physically. The evil fckin thoughts that can pop up when it is at its worst, are obviously dangerous. just as life threatening.
I am not trying to scare you or be dramatic. I just have first hand, second hand, fuckin ten hand worth of experience in precisely the situation you are in. One does not simply cold turkey from pregabalin. And one does certainly not simply cold turkey from pregabalin AND opiates at the same time

.
Oh and by the way. I am mad depressed along with a general anxiety disorder even when I am not tapering down. Sooo yeah, I told you to reach out if u want but I can't guarantee I will be logged in here when you do. Sometimes I am here everyday, sometimes I don't log in for months at a time. Make sure you have someone to call when shit gets bad, call the hospital if you have to.
and yeah, good luck man. I will end with this in case you are in a similar life situation as me as well:
TRUST me i know what it's like to not have a single milligram of need to live and it might seem like there is no way out of the tunnel. I honestly still feel like that sometimes but I realized I have people that depend on me. shit, at least A person would be devastated and all alone if checked out from this life and I could never leave them alone here with all the shit.. all the shit people and just all the overall..shit. This fact keeps me alive and i promise that there is something, probably many things that are similar in your case. It does not even have to people; if u dont have any in your life. when you are done with the worst part of the wd things will start to brighten up if only just a tiny bit, and you will thank yourself for not ending it. Life has a habit of putting its boot on the neck of people that are not happy to begin with. Dont give that motherfucker the pleasure of defeating you. Fuck that motherfucker, get through the wd and THEN begin your plan of attack on life. Addicts are more often than not talented, special people that simply are not allowed to spread their wings in todays society. thats why it keeps the boot on your neck. You full potential is scary to todays society. Recover and give them hell, or it. whatever. I believe in you

