DOSE:

oral

Pharms - Pregabalin

(capsule)

BODY WEIGHT:

12 kg

I feel it is about time I wrote a report about pregabalin. I have been using it for about a year on and off and all the comments and observations below represent my experiences having taken it on average once a week or less at doses ranging between 75 and 600 mg.

Pregabalin has had at least as positive impact on my life over a sustained period as any other drug I have ever taken. The set of drugs I have ever taken is large and covers at least one member of every main family of drugs that I know about ( the exception to this is piperazines, none of which I have ever knowingly taken).

Because of pregabalin I have social life. It completely overcomes anxiety, it lifts my mood and it sharpens my mind. It indeed completely eliminates fear; I go from someone who at times feels uncomfortable walking out my own front door to someone who has the confidence to do anything. From experience this confidence is not delusional and is not misplaced or inappropriate. Indeed I find it highly psychologically relaxing in that it makes me effortlessly socially good or excellent; my behaviour has never been substantially inappropriate beyond the charm pregabalin furnishes me with.

In high doses (300-600mg) I have experienced exceptional euphoria, closed eye 'visuals', and music does indeed come alive, I have rarely had so much fun.

Many of my experiences have been in combination with alcohol. With the infrequent dosing described above I can drink more alcohol than I usually can as long as I'm still taking pregabalin. This can be a lot of alcohol.

Taken completely without alcohol I find the experience qualitatively different. I find it quieter, spiritually fulfilling and with emotions intensified. However, regardless of any emotionally amplified state, my interactions with other people are typically at least as positive as they might otherwise have been. I am also more motivated, focussed and persistent when applying myself to either intellectual or manual tasks. I worry a lot less, and yet healthy attention to detail is improved. Without alcohol I find doses of as low as 75mg to be quite noticeable, and to last for 6 to 10 hours. With alcohol the experience is pleasant but can be (much) more blurred.

Negative aspects

I invariably experience insomnia 24 hours (the night after) after taking medium (300mg +) to high doses of pregabalin. This has always been overcome with low doses of valium (2mg).

I have also learned to associate headaches, throat sensitivity and mucus formation, stomach discomfort, brain shocks and heart palpitations with pregabalin use. In the early stages these also precipitated panic attacks. Now these effects are still manifest but I barely notice them. They do not always occur, and their onset can be up to a week after pregabalin cessation. They can persist up to three weeks into periods of abstinence. Note, the most I have ever taken pregabalin is twice a week and never more than once a week averaged over say 6 weeks (typical doses anywhere between 75-600mg). I specifically associate them with this drug because taking the drug alleviates the symptoms at least in the acute phase.

Completely losing all tolerance seems to take about a month.

Fearlessness and recklessness have a lot in common. I have had some true adventures with this stuff and on these occasions the outcome has ranged from harmless to fun. Nevertheless, this on occasion has had as much to do with luck and having good friends as to exhibiting 'sensible' judgement.

Combinations

2CI (circa 30mg): I have combined high doses of both drugs without noticeably adverse sequelae. However, Pregabalin substantially reduced the impact of 2CI. I was tripping my head off and yet it seemed barely significant.

MDMA: see above.

Weed: I have smoked it in combination with booze and pregabalin and the result was even more of a blur. I am still alive however :-)

There are reports in the literature of psychosis and epileptiform activity following rapid dose titration to 600mg. (I Olaizola et al. Seizure 15 (3), 208-210 (2006))

Exp Year: 2010	ExpID: 86033
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 26
Published: Nov 29, 2012	Views: 37,039
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Pharms - Pregabalin (418) : Not Applicable (38), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Hangover / Days After (46), Retrospective / Summary (11), Combinations (3), General (1)