10 replies to this topic

[tfor]

I have taken Pregabalin only for 3 days now. 25mg each day.

And I already have the same feeling I had on memantine.

I have a hard time recalling the last days. I confuse wether something happened the last day or the day before.

 

Is it possible that this is already from lyrica?

When I was on memantine I was checking all the time and trying to see if my recall got worse.

I dont want to get into the same stuff again.

[5ht2a]

To answer your question: Yes, lyrica is very likely the cause of this. Your brain forms new memories by synaptic growth, especially at night. Lyrica specifically blocks this mechanism (just google lyrica + synapses). Seems like there are people who are fine with it though. It's a shame that this otherwise great drug comes with such a price.

 

 

Edited by 5ht2a, 02 July 2014 - 06:22 PM.

[tfor]

I am shocked!!!!

I wasnt aware of this.

Why didn't my doc tell me?

I'm a student! I need to learn new things. I cannot believe this! I am absolutely outraged by this!!!!

[5ht2a]

Yeah, it's ridiculus. He didn't tell you because he just doesn't know. Most of the docs doesn't keep up with newest research. What do you take it for? Anxiety?

[protoject]

Lyrica can do this. Why are you on pregabalin? 25 mg is an extremely low dose though,  which would go mostly unnoticed by most, so it's possible it's in your imagination as well.. Try not being on it for a few days (if it's not absolutely necessary to take it..) and see if you feel any better. If you don't, then maybe it had nothing to do with the pregabalin. I forsee it being a possible culprit but 25 mg would do next to nothing in myself. For most medical uses it is taken at much higher doses.

[tfor]

Yes it's strange that 25mg already do this.

I really don't know if I should even try to increase the dosage.

From what I read about lyrica now it seems like a very unpredictable and possibly very dangerous drug.

I mean the whole synapse issue is already really concerning. I read things online from people who said they

took it for years and they lost parts of their memory and cannot remember how their children grew up and so on.

This sounds very alarming. What if this stuff destroys your brain and they find this out in a few years? Since it's a new

drug there are no long term studies with people who have been on it for years in their youth. To me it sounds like taking

this is very risky. Even if it "only" dumbs you down and messes with your memory then this is already absolutely unacceptable.

[protoject]

If it means anything to you, I've cut my pregabalin dose in half over the past month or two and have noticed a definite positive change in cognition.
But , the past year has really gone by super fast, almost like it didnt even happen, and my cognition was quite impaired.

Unfortunately that was required for me to gain some valuable sleep time..... if there were superior options available.. I'd take them. But there isn't.

[tfor]

How much are you on now?

 

The question is, even if I could get away with a super low dose then what's the point of this? I have been taking 50mg so far once a day but 50mg won't do anything for anxiety and

it will probably still negatively affect my memory. I keep taking the 50mg but I don't really know why. If lyrica could be taken in higher doses prn when you want to relax or simply feel

different or get a buzz then it would be ok but I don't know if it works like that.

My biggest issue is the memory impairment. Since I took memantine and my memory started feeling different I am very focused on this issue.

The problem is how can I clearly tell wether lyrica is affecting me or wether I only assume that it is but in reality I'd have felt the same way without it?

My days are usually always the same and for me it's hard to recall in detail what I did yesterday and the day before. I have also forgotten passwords which I have never forgotten before

and I had to look them up.

I really think that this is caused by lyrica. Many others also report that it makes them feel dumb.

I just wish there was an alternative. Lyrica is an interesting drug and I think that some of the things it does could be beneficial for me, like its effects on glutamate and so on.

I assume that excessive glutamate could be one of my issues. Since on AD which I have taken has worked for me I'm wondering if my problems might not simply be too little Serotonine.

Maybe it's something else which the ADs don't target.

 

I wonder would it make sense to try gabapentine or would it have the same effects?

[protoject]

it's just such a low dose that I think you're being paranoid. it's still possible it is affecting you though. If you really think it might be, try not taking the drug for a week. And yeah, gabapentin will have a similar effect. But, it's worth a shot. Some people like gabapentin better for long term relief. Personally I don't like it even half as much as pregabalin, because the effect is inconsistent, tolerance goes way up fast, therepeutic effect disappears and also leaves me with more side effects. Some people find gabapentin to actually be more forgiving than pregabalin though.

[tfor]

But if I already get these effects from a small dose then how could this ever get better? Then going on a bigger dose would only cause more side effects.

 

And now where I worry about it I'd be totally focused on memory issues. How shall I even tell what's "normal" and what's abnormal? I don't know if I would have

forgotten something without lyrica, too.

[protoject]

I know hence try going off it for 1 week and see if there is an improvement or not.

even if you can't tell objectively, maybe you could subjectively tell.

Though, I wouldn't bother generating the idea that something will necessarily change, it's worth checking into.

Could be that pregabalin is just not your thing.

I'm currently on 90, used to be on 175, and I've seen people taking the higher doses like up to 600 and I don't understand how their brain is even functioning, honestly. lol