“Pregabalin is prescribed by Pain Specialists for people whose nerve pain has not responded to other medicines. Pregabalin works by controlling brain chemicals which send signals to nerves, to reduce the level of pain you experience. It helps lessen the pain you are feeling so that you are able to perform your daily activities & have a better quality of life” [1]
What Can I Expect With Pregabalin?
Research has shown that Pregabalin and other pharmaceuticals prescribed for nerve pain, work very well for some patients, and not so well for others. – And this is why it is so important to be under the care of an experienced Pain Consultant (a doctor who has had substantial additional training, and and undergone a broad range of experience in this field in hospitals and clinics). – This is the case with the Pain Consultants at the London Pain Clinic.
After reviewing your medical notes, and giving you an online or in-person initial consultation at the London Pain Clinic (in which they will ask you various questions about your pain); and then if necessary, carry out any examinations and tests; the Pain Specialist who has been assigned to you, will devise a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan. This is likely to include multiple types of treatment, and may include prescribing pharmaceuticals such as Pregabalin, and well as other forms of conventional and cutting-edge treatments to ameliorate your pain, and get you back to optimum health in as short a time as possible. They will explain how the treatments work in easy to understand layman’s terms, and invite you to ask any questions or concerns that you may have about your condition, and the Personalised Treatment Plan.
How Long Will Pregabalin Take to Work?
“Don’t expect pregabalin to work straight away. Although you may experience some pain relief within the first few weeks of treatment, the full benefit takes longer as the dose is increased to effective levels & may take up to 1 month” [1]
Monitoring your progress is an essential part of your pathway to success. To that end, it is important to keep a ‘Pain Diary,’ which you can show to you Pain Specialist on your follow-up appointments, be they online or at the London Pain Clinic. It is easy to create, and should be divided into days and hours of each day. Next to these, you can write when you take your medication, and the dose as prescribed your Pain Consultant; as well as the time when the pain comes on, and when it dissipates; and very importantly, what you are doing at the time; as well as any side effects that you think derive from the medication. When you present this, along with discussing various aspects with you, it will help your Pain Doctor determine whether pregabalin is working for you, and whether the dosage needs to be changed.
Reference
[1]. NPS MedicineWise (2021). “Pregabalin for nerve pain.”
https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/pregabalin-for-nerve-pain
