Box of Pregablin 300mg x 15 strips (150 Tab Boxes)

Pregabalin, sold under the brand name Lyrica among others, is an anticonvulsant, analgesic, and anxiolytic amino acid medication used to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, restless legs syndrome, opioid withdrawal, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Pregabalin also has antiallodynic properties. Its use in epilepsy is as an add-on therapy for partial seizures. When used before surgery, it reduces pain but results in greater sedation and visual disturbances. It is taken by mouth.

Common side effects can include headache, dizziness, sleepiness, confusion, trouble with memory, poor coordination, dry mouth, problems with vision, and weight gain.

Serious side effects may include angioedema, and drug misuse. As with all other drugs approved by the FDA for treating epilepsy, the pregabalin labeling warns of an increased suicide risk when combined with other drugs. When pregabalin is taken at high doses over a long period of time, addiction may occur, but if taken at usual doses the risk is low.

Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is of unclear safety.

It is a gabapentinoid medication (GABA analogue) which are drugs that are derivatives of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Although pregabalin is inactive at GABA receptors and GABA synapses, it acts by binding specifically to the α2δ-1 protein that was first described as an auxiliary subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels.

It is available as a generic medication.

In 2022, it was the 91st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 7 million prescriptions.

In the US, pregabalin is a Schedule V controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which means that the drug has low abuse potential compared to substances in Schedules I-IV, however, there is still a potential for misuse. Pregabalin is a Class C controlled substance in the UK. Therefore, it requires a prescription. Furthermore, the prescription must clearly set forth the dose.

Despite the low abuse potential, there have been reports of euphoria, improved happiness, excitement, calmness, and a "high" similar to marijuana with the use of pregabalin; there is a potential for developing dependence on these substances, and withdrawal symptoms may occur if the medication is abruptly discontinued.

However, apart from both pregabalin and marijuana sharing depressant and orexigenic effects, they also have opposing and distinct pharmacodynamics; marijuana is an anxiogenic drug with mild psychedelic effects while pregabalin is an anxiolytic drug with mild euphoric effects.

Pregabalin has potential for recreational use and abuse; it has a wide therapeutic index and margin of safety compared with other CNS depressants, alongside its ability to induce euphoria, anxiolysis, and sedation. It can also cause rare but serious adverse effects, particularly when used in combination with other CNS depressants. 

Pregabalin may also increase the risk of angioedema; this risk is further heightened when combined with other drugs that increase the risk of angioedema, including but not limited to certain L-type calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and other drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system.