Pregabalin works by calming nerves that may cause pain or seizures. It is a generic form of the brand-name drug Lyrica.

This medicine is not known to be safe in pregnancy. It can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Talk to your doctor before taking this medication if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Precautions

Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you have any other medical conditions, especially heart disease, high blood pressure, liver or kidney problems, stomach ulcers, loss of appetite, or eye problems (eg, changes in vision). Also tell your doctor if you are allergic to this medicine or any other medicines, foods, dyes, preservatives, or animal products. Do not drink large amounts of alcohol or use illegal drugs. These can affect how well this medicine works.

This drug may cause dizziness or drowsiness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. Alcohol can make these effects worse.

This medication passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Talk to your doctor about whether you should take this medicine if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

This medicine has caused a decrease in fertility and birth defects in laboratory animals. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, do not take this medicine. If you or your partner becomes pregnant while taking this medicine, call your doctor right away. This medicine is not approved for use by children. Stopping this medicine suddenly can cause seizures and other side effects, such as dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, irritability, trouble sleeping, nightmares, and tingling feelings. Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount you take before stopping completely.

Dosage

Pregabalin 75mg is used to treat seizures and pain caused by nerve damage. This medicine is not a cure for epilepsy, but it will help control your seizures and pain for as long as you take it. It is available only with a prescription from your doctor.

This medication can cause dizziness, drowsiness, or blurred vision. It can also affect your ability to think or move quickly. You should avoid driving or using machinery until you know how this drug affects you. This medicine may cause fluid retention or weight gain, especially with certain other medicines (eg, opioids). Fluid retention can increase your risk of heart failure or death. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your weight or how much fluid you are retaining.

Taking this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is important to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks for you and your baby. This medicine passes into breast milk and can cause side effects in a nursing infant. Talk to your doctor before breastfeeding.

Studies of pregabalin in people over 75 years of age have shown that it is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of neuropathic pain in this group. It is a safe option when compared to TCAs, including amitriptyline, for older adults with neuropathic pain. In addition, unlike TCAs, pregabalin is not metabolized by the liver and does not interact with drugs that are metabolized by CYP450.

Side effects

Symptoms that you should report to your doctor right away include blurred vision, clumsiness, unsteadiness or changes in how you think or move. You should also tell your doctor if you have any new or worse symptoms. If you are taking this drug for a condition that causes seizures, it can increase your risk of having seizures. Keep in mind that this drug can also affect your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes. You may need to check your blood sugar more often if you start taking it.

This medicine can cause fluid retention and weight gain. You should tell your doctor if you have any swelling in your hands or feet, or are gaining weight. Your doctor can recommend ways to help with these problems. This medication can interact with other drugs, including some used to treat diabetes, such as rosiglitazone (Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos). You should not take this drug with other drugs that affect the central nervous system or breathing, such as opioids or sedatives. Respiratory depression (slow or shallow breathing) can be life-threatening if you take this drug with these other drugs.

This medicine may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people. If you have thoughts about suicide, talk to your doctor. For women who are breastfeeding: This drug passes into breast milk and can cause side effects in a baby.

Overdose

As with all prescription drugs, it’s important to take Pregabalin only as prescribed and for the duration of time recommended. If you do not, your body will build up a tolerance to the medication and it will become less effective in reducing your symptoms. It is also very important that you are aware of the signs and symptoms of an overdose as it can be fatal.

Overdoses with this medication are rare, but the risks increase if you combine it with other drugs, particularly central nervous system (CNS) depressants like alcohol and opioid medicines. This is because they can slow your breathing and cause respiratory depression or failure, which can be fatal.

It’s very important that you inform your doctor if you have a history of drug misuse, as this can lead to addiction. It’s also important to let your doctor know if you have other health problems, especially lung or breathing problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or sleep apnea. These can also increase your risk of a side effect called sedation.

The use of Pregabalin in pregnancy is not recommended, as animal studies have shown it can affect the fetus. However, if you must use it during pregnancy, your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks with you. It’s also important to register with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.