Pregabalin is a prescription drug. It comes in three forms: a capsule, a solution, and an extended-release tablet. All forms are taken by mouth.
Pregabalin oral capsule is available as the brand-name drug Lyrica.
Pregabalin oral capsule may be used as part of a combination therapy. This means you may need to take it with other medications.
Pregabalin is a controlled substance. Your doctor will closely monitor your use of this drug.
Pregabalin oral capsule is used to treat:
Pregabalin belongs to a class of drugs called anticonvulsants. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.
It isn’t known exactly how pregabalin works. It’s believed to work by calming the damaged or overactive nerves in your body that may cause pain or seizures.
Pregabalin oral capsule can cause dizziness, sleepiness, and blurry vision. It may affect your ability to think, see, or move. You shouldn’t drive, use machinery, or do other tasks that require alertness until you know how this drug affects you.
Pregabalin can also cause other side effects.
The more common side effects of pregabalin can include:
If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they’re more severe or don’t go away, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency.
Serious side effects and their symptoms can include the following:
Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible side effects. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss possible side effects with a healthcare professional who knows your medical history.
Pregabalin oral capsule can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.
To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with pregabalin are listed below.
Taking pregabalin with certain medications may cause more side effects. These drugs include:
Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking.
This drug comes with several warnings.
This drug can cause a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms can include:
If you develop these symptoms, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Don’t take this drug again if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to it. Taking it again could be fatal (cause death).
The use of drinks that contain alcohol can increase the risk of drowsiness and dizziness from pregabalin. You shouldn’t drink alcohol while taking this drug. If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor.
For people with kidney problems: If you have kidney problems or a history of kidney disease, you may not be able to clear this drug from your body well. This may increase the levels of this drug and cause more side effects. Your doctor may give you a lower dosage to help avoid side effects.
For people with heart problems: Ask your doctor whether this drug is safe for you if you have heart problems, such as moderate to severe heart failure. This drug can make your condition worse. Symptoms of worsening heart problems can include swelling in your arms, legs, or feet, weight gain, and fluid retention (swelling) in your body.
For people with depression or mental health disorders: If you have depression or other mental health or behavioral conditions, this drug may increase your risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. You and your family should watch for new or worsened depression, unusual changes in your mood or behavior, or thoughts of harming yourself.
For people with a history of drug or alcohol misuse: Let your doctor know if you have misused prescription or other drugs or alcohol in the past. Pregabalin is a controlled substance, and its use can lead to misuse. Using pregabalin with opioids may lead to respiratory depression.
For people with underlying respiratory problems: Pregabalin may cause serious or life threatening respiratory depression in people with underlying breathing problems.
For pregnant women: Talk with your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. This drug should only be used if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. Animal studies have shown that high doses of pregabalin increased the risk of negative effects in the fetus.
If you become pregnant while taking this drug, talk with your doctor about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs used during pregnancy.
For women who are breastfeeding: Pregabalin passes into breast milk in small amounts. Therefore, it may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed.
Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.
For men with plans to father a child: Animal studies have shown that this drug caused sperm to change and made male animals less fertile. Also, birth defects were seen in the babies of male animals who were treated with this drug. It isn’t known if these problems can happen in people who take this drug.
For seniors: Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk for side effects.
For children: This drug hasn’t been studied in children. It shouldn’t be used in children younger than 18 years.
All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:
Brand: Lyrica
Generic: Pregabalin
Adult dosage (ages 18–64 years)
Child dosage (ages 0–17 years)
This drug hasn’t been studied in children to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It shouldn’t be used in children younger than 18 years to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk of side effects.
Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
Adult dosage (ages 18–64 years)
Child dosage (ages 0–17 years)
This drug hasn’t been studied in children to treat shingles. It shouldn’t be used in children younger than 18 years for this purpose.
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk for side effects.
Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
Adult dosage (ages 18–64 years)
Child dosage (17 years and older)
Child dosage (ages 4 years to less than 17 years)
Child dosage (ages 1 month to less than 4 years of age)
For children weighing less than 30 kg (66 lbs)
For children weighing 30 kg (66 lbs) or more
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk of side effects.
Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
Adult dosage (ages 18–64 years)
Child dosage (ages 0–17 years)
This drug hasn’t been studied in children to treat fibromyalgia. It shouldn’t be used in children younger than 18 years to treat fibromyalgia.
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk for side effects.
Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
Adult dosage (ages 18–64 years)
Child dosage (ages 0–17 years)
This drug hasn’t been studied in children to treat spinal cord injuries. It shouldn’t be used in children younger than 18 years to treat spinal cord injuries.
Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)
Your kidneys may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk for side effects.
Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
For people with kidney problems: If you have kidney problems, your doctor will prescribe a lower dosage or change how often you receive this drug. Your dosage will be based on your kidney function and the total dosage that’s recommended for your specific condition.
Pregabalin has been studied at doses up to 600 mg per day.
However, it hasn’t been shown to be effective in some people at these higher doses. Also, doses higher than 300 mg per day cause more side effects in some people.
Your doctor may have you take up to 600 mg per day. Your dosage depends on how well your pain is managed and how well you can tolerate this drug without having side effects.
Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you.
Pregabalin oral capsule is used for long-term treatment. It comes with serious risks if you don’t take it as prescribed.
If you stop taking the drug suddenly or don’t take it at all: Your pain or seizures won’t go away or may get worse.
If you miss doses or don’t take the drug on schedule: Your medication may not work as well or may stop working completely. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times.
If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms may include:
If you think you’ve taken too much of this drug, call your doctor or local poison control center. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects.
How to tell if the drug is working: For peripheral neuropathy, shingles, and nerve pain caused by a spinal cord injury: You should feel less burning, tingling, or numbing pain.
For fibromyalgia: You should feel less pain all over your body.
For seizures: Your seizures should be better managed.
Keep these considerations in mind if your doctor prescribes pregabalin for you.
A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription.
When traveling with your medication:
You and your doctor should monitor certain health issues. This can help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These issues include your:
Not every pharmacy stocks this drug. When filling your prescription, be sure to call ahead to make sure your pharmacy carries it.
Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for this drug. This means your doctor will need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription.
There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others. Talk with your doctor about other drug options that may work for you.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.
Last medically reviewed on March 25, 2021
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