Side effects of taking pregabalin

Description

Pregabalin is a drug that has been approved for different indications across the world, including the treatment of pain syndromes such as postherpetic neuralgia, painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, and fibromyalgia; as an adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures; and for generalized anxiety disorder[1].

Mode of action

Pregabalin works in different ways:

In epilepsy, it stops seizures by reducing the abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

With nerve pain, it blocks pain by affecting the pain messages travelling through the brain and down the spine.

In anxiety, it stops your brain from releasing the chemicals that make you feel anxious.

Pregabalin is only available on prescription. It comes as capsules, tablets, or a liquid that you swallow.

Side Effects

Common side effects

These common side effects may happen in more than 1 in 100 people. They are usually mild and go away by themselves. Keep taking the medicine, but tell your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away:

headaches

feeling sleepy, tired, or dizzy

diarrhoea

mood changes

feeling sick

swollen hands, arms, legs and feet

blurred vision

difficulties with getting an erection

weight gain – because pregabalin can make you feel hungry

memory problems

If you have diabetes, pregabalin can upset your blood sugar control. Monitor your blood sugar more often for the first few weeks of treatment with pregabalin, and adjust your diabetes treatment if you need to. Talk to your doctor or diabetes nurse if you want more advice on what to do.

Serious side effects:

Very few people taking pregabalin have serious problems.

thoughts of harming or killing yourself – a small number of people taking pregabalin have had suicidal thoughts, sometimes after only a week of treatment

severe dizziness, or you pass out

hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real)

problems going to the toilet, including blood in your pee, needing to pee more often, or constipation

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to pregabalin.

Long-term side effects

Some people can become addicted to pregabalin.

When you stop taking pregabalin, you'll need to reduce your dose gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Do not stop taking pregabalin without talking to your doctor.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of pregabalin. For a complete list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

References

[1] Andrade, Chittaranjan. “Safety of Pregabalin in Pregnancy.” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2018).

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