Pregabalin and gabapentin addiction: honest help if you’re worried

Pregabalin (brand names include Lyrica) is prescribed for epilepsy, anxiety and nerve pain. Gabapentin treats epilepsy and nerve pain. Both can make a real difference to people’s lives. But the NHS says some people become addicted to them, and both are controlled medicines with strict rules on prescribing to stop them being misused.

Some people find themselves taking more than prescribed because it takes the edge off. Others buy them online or on the street, often alongside other drugs. FRANK says deaths related to pregabalin are increasing across the UK, often with opioids such as heroin also involved. Wherever you are with it, I won’t judge you, and the help below is confidential.

Signs pregabalin or gabapentin has become a problem

The NHS and FRANK describe these signs:

• Finding it difficult to stop taking it
• Feeling you need to take it more often than necessary
• Withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, shaking, sweating or trouble sleeping when you go without
• Taking it for the high, or to boost the effects of other drugs
• Getting extra from friends, online or the street

The NHS says both medicines can intensify the highs of heroin and other opioids, with more chance of side effects like panic attacks, anxiety and memory loss. If you use them together, please read the safety box above again and talk to a drug service.

Where to get help in the UK

• Your GP or prescriber. The NHS says to talk to your doctor if you’re worried about addiction, need help with it or want to stop. They can plan any change with you safely.
• Your pharmacist. Free, confidential advice about side effects and how pregabalin or gabapentin mixes with your other medicines.
• FRANK. Confidential advice 24 hours a day on 0300 123 6600, or text 82111. Read FRANK’s guide to pregabalin.
• Local drug services. Especially if you’re using it without a prescription or alongside other drugs. They’re free and you can contact one yourself. Find support near you
• Support groups. Narcotics Anonymous (helpline 0300 999 1212, 10am to midnight) and SMART Recovery run free meetings in person and online.
• For family and friends. Adfam has information for families, and the Addiction Family Support helpline is on 0300 888 3853.

Where hypnotherapy fits

Hypnotherapy is not a treatment for pregabalin or gabapentin dependence, and I don’t offer it as one. Your GP, prescriber or a drug service needs to be part of your recovery, and I will never tell you to stop or cut down a medicine.

Where I can help is alongside that care. Pregabalin is often taken for anxiety, and both medicines are taken for pain, which brings its own stress and poor sleep. Sessions can help with the anxiety, relaxation, sleep and the habits and triggers around taking more than you need. The changes are still yours to make, but sessions can make them easier to keep up.

Before we work together I’ll ask whether you’re getting support from your GP, prescriber or a drug service. If I think you need that first, I’ll tell you honestly.

Things that can help day to day

• Speak to your GP, prescriber or pharmacist before you change how you take it. That includes stopping, cutting down or adding anything new.
• Tell them everything you take. Including opioid painkillers, methadone, benzos, sleeping pills and anything bought online, so they can check for risky combinations.
• Be careful with alcohol. The NHS says it’s best to avoid alcohol with pregabalin, as it can make you sleepy and might affect your breathing.
• Don’t drive if you feel sleepy or dizzy. The NHS says these side effects are common when you start pregabalin.
• Get help with anxiety directly. In England you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies for free.

My pages on heroin and opioids, benzodiazepines and codeine cover the medicines and drugs most often mixed with pregabalin.

Common questions

Is pregabalin addictive?

It can be. The NHS says some people become addicted to pregabalin, and that if this happens you may find it difficult to stop or feel you need to take it more often than necessary. FRANK says dependence may develop in some regular users.

Is gabapentin addictive?

It can be. The NHS says some people become addicted to gabapentin and get withdrawal symptoms when they stop. It says not to stop taking gabapentin without talking to your doctor.

Why is pregabalin dangerous with opioids?

Both slow down the central nervous system, which affects your breathing. FRANK warns that pregabalin and opioids can interact to stop people breathing, and that pregabalin lowers opioid tolerance, which raises the risk of overdose and death.

Is it confidential?

Yes. What you tell me stays between us. As with any therapist, the only exception is if I believed you or someone else were at serious risk of harm.

I’m worried about someone else’s pregabalin use. What can I do?

Encourage them to talk to their GP or a drug service, and not to stop suddenly. If they’ve mixed it with opioids or alcohol and their breathing is slow or you can’t wake them, call 999. Adfam and Addiction Family Support are there for you too.

Talk it through

If you’re already getting support and want help alongside it, book a £49 consultation call. We’ll talk about whether sessions would help with what you’re already doing. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis afterwards.

Written by Adam Cox, clinical hypnotherapist. This page does not give dosing advice. Sources: NHS, pregabalin; NHS, gabapentin; FRANK, pregabalin. Checked October 2026.