Pregabalin is a medicine used to treat epilepsy and anxiety.
It's also taken to treat nerve pain, which can be caused by different conditions including diabetes and shingles. It can also happen after an injury.
In epilepsy, it's thought that pregabalin stops seizures by reducing the abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
With nerve pain, it's thought to block pain by affecting the pain messages travelling through the brain and down the spine.
In anxiety, it's thought to stop 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.
Key facts
- You'll usually take pregabalin up to 3 times a day. You can take it with or without food.
- It takes at least a few weeks for pregabalin to work.
- The most common side effects are feeling sleepy, feeling dizzy and headaches. Side effects are usually mild and go away by themselves.
- Some people can become addicted to pregabalin. When stopping pregabalin you'll need to reduce your dose gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
- If you have epilepsy, it's important to take pregabalin regularly. Missing doses could trigger a seizure.
- If you take medicines for epilepsy, you're entitled to free prescriptions for all the medicines you take, not just your epilepsy ones. You can get an medical exemption application form from your doctor's surgery.