What is Pregabalin?

Pregabalin is prescribed to treat certain types of long-lasting pain caused by damage to nerves. This type of pain, called neuropathic pain, can be caused by a number of different diseases. These include diabetes and shingles.

Find out more at: 

https://patient.info/medicine/pregabalin-lyrica

You can use the following tools to help discuss with your health professional how likely this medicine is to help you.

How likely is it that pregabalin will reduce my pain?

Numbers and words

Research studies show that 600 mg of pregabalin daily reduced pain by at least 50%  in:

  • 1 in 4 people with pain due to nerve damage from shingles
  • 1 in 5 people with pain due to nerve damage from diabetes
  • 1 in 6 people with pain due to damage to the central nervous system.
  • 1 in 11 people with pain due to fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain)

 

It is not possible to know  what will happen for you as an individual.

You can find out more about this research at:

SIGN Guideline: https://www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/management-of-chronic-pain/

Moore RA, Straube S, Wiffen PJ, Derry S, McQuay HJ. Pregabalin for acute and chronic pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 3  https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007076.pub2/pdf/full

How likely is it that pregabalin will reduce pain due to fibromyalgia?

Key

  • This grey face represents the number of people in the survey group.
  • This green face represents the one person in the survey group that the medicine has helped.

It is not possible to know what will happen to you as an individual.

You can read more about this research at:

SIGN Guideline: https://www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/management-of-chronic-pain/

Moore RA, Wiffen PJ, Derry S, McQuay HJ. Gabapentin for chronicneuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 3. 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007938.pub2/abstract

What are the possible risks of pregabalin?

You can discuss with your pharmacist or other health professional  the possible side effects and other risks this medicine might have.

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 pharmacist or other health professional if they bother you or don't go away:

  • Feeling dizzy, or sleepy; blurred or double vision.
  • Headache, other aches and pains
  • Feeling or being sick, indigestion, wind.
  • Dry mouth
  • Diarrhoea
  • Constipation

Interacting with other medicines

Discuss with your pharmacist or other health professional whether there is a risk of this medicine interacting with any other medicines you are taking.

Find out more 

https://patient.info/medicine/pregabalin-lyrica#nav-4

What other issues might you consider about pregabalin?

You can discuss any other issues with your pharmacist or other health professional.

Find out more

https://patient.info/medicine/pregabalin-lyrica