Pregabalin oral capsule is only available as a brand-name drug. It isn’t available as a generic drug. Brand name: Lyrica. Pregabalin capsules, oral solution (liquid), and extended-release (long-acting) tablets are used to relieve neuropathic pain (pain from damaged nerves) that can occur in your arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, or toes if you have diabetes and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN; the burning, stabbing pain or aches that may last for months or years after an attack of shingles).

The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. To reduce your risk of side effects (such as dizziness and drowsiness), your doctor may direct you to start this medication at a low dose and gradually increase your dose. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.

Pregabalin is an anti-epileptic drug, also called an anticonvulsant. It works by slowing down impulses in the brain that cause seizures. Pregabalin also affects chemicals in the brain that send pain signals across the nervous system.

• Pregabalin is used to treat pain caused by fibromyalgia, or nerve pain in people with diabetes (diabetic neuropathy), herpes zoster (post-herpetic neuralgia), or spinal cord injury.
• Pregabalin is usually taken 2 or 3 times a day. You can take it with or without food.
• You don’t have to have epilepsy for pregabalin to help with pain or anxiety.
• It takes at least a few weeks for pregabalin to work.
• The side effects of pregabalin are usually mild and go away by themselves. The most common ones are feeling sleepy, dizziness and headaches.
• Pregabalin is also called by the brand names Lyrica, Prebel, Pregacon, Nervigesic

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

• Initial: 50 mg orally every 8 hours
• Maintenance: May increase to 100 mg orally every 8 hours within 1 week, as needed; not to exceed 300 mg/day

Postherpetic Neuralgia

• Initial: 150-300 mg/day orally divided every 8-12 hours
• Maintenance: May increase to 300 mg/day divided every 8-12 hours after 1 week, as needed

Fibromyalgia

• Adult, Initial: 150 mg/day orally divided every 12 hours
• Adult, Maintenance: May increase to 300-450 mg/day divided every 12 hours after 1 week, as needed
• Pediatric: Safety and efficacy not established
• A 15-week, placebo-controlled trial (n=107) was conducted in pediatric patients with fibromyalgia aged 12-17 years with pregabalin (75-450 mg/day)
• The primary efficacy endpoint of change from baseline to Week 15 in mean pain intensity (derived from an 11-point numeric rating scale) showed numerically greater improvement for the pregabalin-treated patients compared to placebo-treated patients, but did not reach statistical significance

Epilepsy

• Initial: 150 mg/day divided every 8-12 hours orally
• Maintenance: May increase to 600 mg/day orally divided every 8-12 hours, as needed

Neuropathic Pain With Spinal Cord Injury

• Initial: 150 mg/day orally divided every 12 hours; may increase within 1 week to 300 mg/day orally divided every 12 hours
• If there is insufficient pain relief after 2-3 weeks and 300 mg/day dose is tolerated, may increase dose again up to 600 mg/day orally divided every 12 hours