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Gabapentinoids Lyrica for anxiety

Quickfixgrrl

Quickfixgrrl

Bluelighter
Joined
May 9, 2019
Messages
895
I have taken Lyrica (pregabalin) recreationally in combination with Ritalin and Endone (none of which were presribed to me personally) ... the mix proved an incredible rollercoaster ride of pure distortion of inhibitions, euphoria and speed all at once, whilst allowing me to remain in my bubble of a trip without anyone noticing; feeling munted but completely able to remain coherent and normal on the outside if need be.
I've now been prescribed Lyrica as an anti anxiety medication. My desire is to quit abusing it in high doses and take 150mg twice a day, morning/ night, to seriously try and overcome my longstanding and crippling anxiety/ depression. In the past I've been prescribed Mirtazapine, Quetipine and more which are similar, none of which really worked for me. I've been on Lexapro 40mg daily for 3 years as well, which I need to change as it's doing absolutely nothing for me.
Has anyone had success with Lyrica use for anxiety? If so, at what dose?
Side effects? My side effects have been full on, pretty much tick every box on the list...
Thanks in advance.
First post.. long time lurker ;)
 
I haven't been prescribed Lyrica before but I know several people with PTSD who tale it and have said it's a life-saver. Good luck to you! :) Hope it works for you.
 
I've been on (and off) Lyrica for the past 2 years or so. I have to be honest, its been a real mixed bag of effects- if I was to somehow aggregate it all together, I'd have to say taking Lyrica has been pretty disastrous for me. I'm finding it really tough getting off it.

I was prescribed it for sciatica/nerve pain, and having severe anxiety at the time, found it pretty useful initially. Of course, I abused it and every postiive effect leaves incredibly quickly with this drug. Primary advice would be to definitely not abuse it- try and take only your prescribed dose. I am on 150mg x 2 a day; maybe once a week, I might take 450mg in one dose, but never more- the tolerance, and subsequent rebound/withdrawal is awful to me.

That is actually my biggest issue with Lyrica; the withdrawal is much much worse than the anxiety it can treat, and I get it (mildly) in between doses, and often wake up very anxious, with trippy, racing thoughts, sweaty body, nausea. I was taking about 1200-1500mg a day for a few months which I think destroyed my bodies ability to tolerate the drug, so your situation may be different- but I ulatimately aim to be off it within the next 6 months; I am not very tolerant to it anymore, and it makes me feel kinda stupid and a bit depressed at times. Sometimes it just makes me high though which is nice :)

Cold turkey w/d on this was one of the worst decisions I've made- please do not even consider that from a high dose . . . I was utterly insane for 4 days before starting to take it again.

Quickfixgrrl said:
Side effects? My side effects have been full on, pretty much tick every box on the list...
Click to expand...

Over time, I have experienced most of the side effects, though usually not at once . . . They seem to have progressively emerged, while other feelings subsided- I consider Lyrica to have extremely unusual physiological effects in comparison to other drugs I've used.

Bloating, shaking, increased anxiety, seizures, visual disturbances, strange muscle pains, depression, suicidal thoughts, confusion, euphoria (not really a side effect per se ;)), nausea, swollen feet, difficult pissing, sex issues, etc. Most of the psychological side-effects have been more prominent, but the physical stuff has been present and annoying.

I don't mean to dissuade you too fervently; for me, I abused the fuck out of it, and have medical conditions that it exacerbates (epilepsy), and a previous benzo addiction, factors which probably means that Lyrica is not a good drug, for me. It can be very very difficult to withdraw from; I've been able to slowly taper from about 1200mg to 300mg, but a drop down to 225 was utterly awful, and 2 weeks later I upped the dose again and have not moved for a few months. I'd say the high doses scuppered me, but you might want to consider this potential when making your choice. I guess I can't emphasise the extent to which abusing it might end up burning you, though I also emphasise that everyone is different- my experience has been tough but there are other factors that probably contribute to that.

First post.. long time lurker ;)
Click to expand...

And welcome to Bluelight. Let us know if you have any questions about Lyrica or whatever :)
 
I
swilow said:
I've been on (and off) Lyrica for the past 2 years or so. I have to be honest, its been a real mixed bag of effects- if I was to somehow aggregate it all together, I'd have to say taking Lyrica has been pretty disastrous for me. I'm finding it really tough getting off it.

I was prescribed it for sciatica/nerve pain, and having severe anxiety at the time, found it pretty useful initially. Of course, I abused it and every postiive effect leaves incredibly quickly with this drug. Primary advice would be to definitely not abuse it- try and take only your prescribed dose. I am on 150mg x 2 a day; maybe once a week, I might take 450mg in one dose, but never more- the tolerance, and subsequent rebound/withdrawal is awful to me.

That is actually my biggest issue with Lyrica; the withdrawal is much much worse than the anxiety it can treat, and I get it (mildly) in between doses, and often wake up very anxious, with trippy, racing thoughts, sweaty body, nausea. I was taking about 1200-1500mg a day for a few months which I think destroyed my bodies ability to tolerate the drug, so your situation may be different- but I ulatimately aim to be off it within the next 6 months; I am not very tolerant to it anymore, and it makes me feel kinda stupid and a bit depressed at times. Sometimes it just makes me high though which is nice :)

Cold turkey w/d on this was one of the worst decisions I've made- please do not even consider that from a high dose . . . I was utterly insane for 4 days before starting to take it again.



Over time, I have experienced most of the side effects, though usually not at once . . . They seem to have progressively emerged, while other feelings subsided- I consider Lyrica to have extremely unusual physiological effects in comparison to other drugs I've used.

Bloating, shaking, increased anxiety, seizures, visual disturbances, strange muscle pains, depression, suicidal thoughts, confusion, euphoria (not really a side effect per se ;)), nausea, swollen feet, difficult pissing, sex issues, etc. Most of the psychological side-effects have been more prominent, but the physical stuff has been present and annoying.

I don't mean to dissuade you too fervently; for me, I abused the fuck out of it, and have medical conditions that it exacerbates (epilepsy), and a previous benzo addiction, factors which probably means that Lyrica is not a good drug, for me. It can be very very difficult to withdraw from; I've been able to slowly taper from about 1200mg to 300mg, but a drop down to 225 was utterly awful, and 2 weeks later I upped the dose again and have not moved for a few months. I'd say the high doses scuppered me, but you might want to consider this potential when making your choice. I guess I can't emphasise the extent to which abusing it might end up burning you, though I also emphasise that everyone is different- my experience has been tough but there are other factors that probably contribute to that.



And welcome to Bluelight. Let us know if you have any questions about Lyrica or whatever :)
Click to expand...

I could have written your reply myself!!!! I've abused Lyrica a LOT, also been abusing benzos for a couple of years, too...
The "high" is indeed super weird but bizarrely comforting.. because I'm used to the feeling, every muscle twitch, racing heart beat and speedy thought seems like a familiar friend.. I wouldn't even say that it's a pleasant feeling, just an escape from the norm, which right now is fine by me...

I will be back soon to reply in more detail... at work atm ?
 
Swilow: You've described my experiences with Lyrica precisely.
The morning anxiety has been severe for me, but then again always has been.. not sure now if it's my usual anxiety or the beginning of withdrawals ? Either way, it sucks and I want to wake without the persistent feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I wake in a panic, despair and depression floods my system.. I then swallow my trusty Lyrica and continue through my day in the familiar Lyrica trip.. such a strange thing, the Lyrica fog. Familiar and grounding, yet odd and vacant. I have been playing around with Lyrica for almost a year now.. abused it at stupidly high doses, mixed it with Ritalin and Oxy... walked hazily through many days slurring my words and analysing every single thought.. I'm only sober for a couple of hours each day now.. while I await the Lyrica kick. It sneaks up on me repeatedly throughout my day, constantly changing and taking over different parts of my body and mind.. from the complete memory vacancy to the random jolting of my limbs.. the racing heart and speedy conversation I spew out..
I'm exactly the same as you, Swilow.. For the past couple of weeks I've tried sticking to my recommend therapeutic dose of 150mg twice a day.. but find myself dosing for fun, slipping the third pill around midday and submitting myself to the looooong haul flight that is fucking Lyrica!
I feel as though this drug has opened up closed cabinets in my mind.. I view life on a completely different level; I'm perhaps teetering between feeling ok about life and examining my own demise.. I'm thinking about death a lot and about how fleeting life is. I'm definitely living more recklessly because of the Lyrica. The abuse brings with it, for me, deep philosophical thoughts that linger between doses. My dreams have become long winded and extremely vivid, detailed and weird.
All in all, it's been fun toying with my brain on this drug, but also unsettling at times.
Right now all I want is normalcy and happiness, zero anxiety and no more crazy clusterfuck brain trips.

But then... what fun would that be?
?
 
I was prescribed lyrica for four years and eventually it started to make me hypomaniac so i quit it.
In my opinion it is a fucking horrible drug for long term treatment. I know a shitload of people who have ruined their lives because of lyrica.
I recommend that you quit it really.
 
schizopath said:
I was prescribed lyrica for four years and eventually it started to make me hypomaniac so i quit it.
In my opinion it is a fucking horrible drug for long term treatment. I know a shitload of people who have ruined their lives because of lyrica.
I recommend that you quit it really.
Click to expand...

I've thought about it, trust me. I've found that when "abused" in high doses (over 300mg in one dose, personally) it is a very odd drug indeed. I also think that, based on research, if taken at a regulated prescribed dose for anxiety purposes, it has the potential to help tremendously.
As with anything, moderation is key.
If you want to get fucked up on Lyrica, you can play. However, I'm over that now for the most part and sincerely want to get my head together and take it for the right reasons.
I'm hoping that it will help me and decrease my anxiety and basic headfuckery ☺
 
schizopath said:
I was prescribed lyrica for four years and eventually it started to make me hypomaniac so i quit it.
In my opinion it is a fucking horrible drug for long term treatment. I know a shitload of people who have ruined their lives because of lyrica.
I recommend that you quit it really.
Click to expand...
Also, during those 4 years, what dose were you taking and for what reason?
I'm interested in hearing about your experience! How did it make you feel? If you could elaborate that would be great x
 
I've been taking Lyrica for two months at increasing doses (450 mg/d at the moment). It don't seem to do much for anxiety anymore. Tolerance really ruins this drug.
 
I took 900mg a day for a few years (once a day in the late afternoon). Strange drug that produces a wonderful hypomania that is disastrous to ones ambitions and induces a bizarre nihilism that mirrors the book of ecclesiastes ("meaningless, all is meaningless"). I personally didn't find the withdrawal that awful (I tapered, then substituted with gabapentin, then tapered that). Problem was, after i tapered off the gabapentin I couldnt sleep. After two whole months of not being able sleep more than an hour or two I broke down and started taking phenibut out of desperation, and am still taking it. Phenibut can induce pregabalinesque hypomania but its not where as enjoyable. Pregabalin, like phenibut (but not gabapentin) is rather promusical and helpful in the creative process.

As to your question I would recommend against using pregabalin for anxiety purposes. It will without question lose efficacy.
 
Quickfixgrrl said:
Also, during those 4 years, what dose were you taking and for what reason?
I'm interested in hearing about your experience! How did it make you feel? If you could elaborate that would be great x
Click to expand...
I was eating prescribed benzos so theres that.
Nowadays if I notice beginning stages of mania in me and i take even 150mg of lyrica there goes my next 3-5 days.
 
schizopath said:
I was eating prescribed benzos so theres that.
Nowadays if I notice beginning stages of mania in me and i take even 150mg of lyrica there goes my next 3-5 days.
Click to expand...

I've quit the benzos after a good 3 years of relying on them daily.. Valium lost all of it's effect on me which was upsetting. I miss popping them under my tongue and having the warm wash over me..
2 days ago I abused the Lyrica again.. went on a 3 day bender and had 600mgs plus a day, plus weed and copious amounts of booze.. I will say that Lyrica is great at combating a hangover, but when combined with Ritalin it's even better.
From tomorrow I'm going to try and stick to the 150mg twice a day and hope it helps with the anxiety I have. From what I've read it works wonders for some but is disastrous for others...
 
Last edited:
fuk it off its a horrible addictive brain damaging drug its even hard for people on low dose to come off
 
Hezman94 said:
fuk it off its a horrible addictive brain damaging drug its even hard for people on low dose to come off
Click to expand...

It is certainly peculiar ?

I'm honestly desperate for some relief from my anxiety though.. I am hoping that it helps with that as I get my shit together and make some serious changes..

Why do you say brain damaging? Long term?
 
theres studies been done.
it mongs u out.
ask for hydroxyzine big dose tho 100mg a day
 
or you ould get the pregabs and use them when u rly need them!
theyonly needto be built up for pain relief, they work instantly for anxiety it even says on wiki it is comparable to xanax in how long it stops a pani attak
 
Quickfixgrrl said:
Swilow: You've described my experiences with Lyrica precisely.
The morning anxiety has been severe for me, but then again always has been.. not sure now if it's my usual anxiety or the beginning of withdrawals ? Either way, it sucks and I want to wake without the persistent feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I wake in a panic, despair and depression floods my system.. I then swallow my trusty Lyrica and continue through my day in the familiar Lyrica trip.. such a strange thing, the Lyrica fog. Familiar and grounding, yet odd and vacant. I have been playing around with Lyrica for almost a year now.. abused it at stupidly high doses, mixed it with Ritalin and Oxy... walked hazily through many days slurring my words and analysing every single thought.. I'm only sober for a couple of hours each day now.. while I await the Lyrica kick. It sneaks up on me repeatedly throughout my day, constantly changing and taking over different parts of my body and mind.. from the complete memory vacancy to the random jolting of my limbs.. the racing heart and speedy conversation I spew out..
I'm exactly the same as you, Swilow.. For the past couple of weeks I've tried sticking to my recommend therapeutic dose of 150mg twice a day.. but find myself dosing for fun, slipping the third pill around midday and submitting myself to the looooong haul flight that is fucking Lyrica!
I feel as though this drug has opened up closed cabinets in my mind.. I view life on a completely different level; I'm perhaps teetering between feeling ok about life and examining my own demise.. I'm thinking about death a lot and about how fleeting life is. I'm definitely living more recklessly because of the Lyrica. The abuse brings with it, for me, deep philosophical thoughts that linger between doses. My dreams have become long winded and extremely vivid, detailed and weird.
All in all, it's been fun toying with my brain on this drug, but also unsettling at times.
Right now all I want is normalcy and happiness, zero anxiety and no more crazy clusterfuck brain trips.

But then... what fun would that be?
?
Click to expand...
I was in the same boat i had my regular drugs i am prescribed but had run out of my lyrica i sweated profusely got depressed like i had never been b4 i really didnt know what was going on till i got on here and read alot of posts that was related to my problem thing is my dr never once told me about withdrawal from this drug never thought just 150 mg of lyrica a day could cause this kind of withdrawal of coarse i was overtaking it so it actually equaled out at 300 mg a day.im taking gabapentin in hopes the withdrawal won't be so bad this time.
 
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