After 3 months on 300mg daily pregabalin prescribed for anxiety, I ran out of my prescription and could not get a refill for a week due to a scheduling issue with my doctor. I thought a week off would be fine — it is not a benzodiazepine, after all.
I was wrong. By day 2 without pregabalin, I was experiencing the worst insomnia of my life. Not just difficulty falling asleep — a wired, buzzing inability to even feel drowsy. My anxiety came back with a vengeance, far worse than my baseline before starting the medication. Rebound anxiety is a real phenomenon and it is deeply unpleasant.
By day 3, I had cold sweats, tremors in my hands, and a persistent headache. I was irritable and emotionally fragile. I called my doctor's emergency line and they called in a small bridge prescription. I felt better within hours of taking my dose.
When I eventually wanted to discontinue, my doctor put me on a proper 8-week taper: 300 to 225 to 150 to 75 to 50 to 25 to 0, with each step lasting about a week. The taper was manageable — mild rebound anxiety and some sleep disruption at each step, but nothing like the cold-turkey experience. Please do not stop gabapentinoids abruptly.