Pregabalin

Every product here contains the same active ingredient in capsule form. Brands differ by manufacturer and presentation, not by how the medicine works. The final row places pregabalin next to the other approaches used for nerve pain, so you can see where it sits. Labelled strength is a prescriber's decision and is deliberately not compared here.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Treatment profiles describe the general shape of use, not a schedule. Pregabalin is started and adjusted under a prescriber's direction and should never be stopped abruptly after a sustained course.

1. 1Confirm the pain is actually neuropathic

   Burning, shooting or electric pain, numbness, pins and needles, or pain from light touch point towards nerve involvement. Ordinary aching muscular pain does not, and pregabalin is not the right tool for it. Describe your pain in those terms when you see a prescriber — the description genuinely changes what they consider.

2. 2Declare kidney function, other sedatives and any history of misuse

   Pregabalin is cleared by the kidneys, so reduced kidney function changes what is safe. Combination with opioids, benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets or alcohol is the main serious risk because of the combined effect on breathing. A history of substance misuse does not rule the medicine out, but your prescriber needs to know.

3. 3Expect a gradual build and a review date

   Prescribers usually start low and increase in steps, and benefit typically builds over days to weeks. Agree in advance when you will be reviewed and what would count as it not working, so the decision to continue or change is made deliberately rather than by default.

4. 4Agree an exit plan at the start

   Pregabalin should be tapered rather than stopped abruptly after sustained use. Asking at the outset how you would come off it is not pessimism — it is the single most useful question people forget to ask about this medicine.

There is no clinical difference between the brands on this page; they are all pregabalin capsules. The decisions that matter are made with a prescriber: whether pregabalin is right for your type of pain or anxiety, what labelled strength to start at, how quickly to build up, how it interacts with your kidney function and your other medicines, and how it will eventually be reduced. Match the active ingredient and labelled strength on the pack to your prescription, and keep your prescriber informed about how you are going.

• Peripheral neuropathic pain, including painful diabetic neuropathy
• Post-herpetic neuralgia — nerve pain persisting after an episode of shingles
• Central neuropathic pain, such as pain after a spinal cord injury
• Fibromyalgia, where a prescriber has judged it appropriate as part of a broader plan
• Nerve pain linked to sciatica or a compressed nerve, alongside treatment of the cause
• Partial-onset seizures in epilepsy, as an add-on to other anti-epileptic treatment
• Generalised anxiety disorder, where a prescriber has assessed it as suitable
• Not a treatment for ordinary musculoskeletal pain, headache or acute injury pain

• Do not stop pregabalin suddenly after a sustained course. Abrupt cessation can cause withdrawal effects including anxiety, insomnia, nausea, sweating, headache and, in people treated for epilepsy, a risk of seizures. The reduction is tapered under a prescriber's direction.
• Combining pregabalin with opioids, benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets, alcohol or other sedatives can cause severe drowsiness and dangerously slowed breathing. This combination has been associated with deaths internationally and is the most important interaction to understand.
• Pregabalin has a recognised potential for misuse and dependence. Take only what has been prescribed for you, never take someone else's, never share yours, and do not obtain it from more than one source. Australian jurisdictions operate real-time prescription monitoring for medicines of concern.
• Drowsiness, dizziness and blurred vision are common, particularly early on and after any increase. Do not drive, ride or operate machinery until you know how it affects you — and Australian driving rules place the responsibility for that judgement on you.
• Tell your prescriber promptly about new or worsening low mood, agitation, or any thoughts of self-harm. A small number of people taking anti-epileptic medicines experience these, and it needs immediate attention rather than waiting for the next appointment.
• Seek urgent medical care for swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, a severe rash with blistering or peeling skin, or severe unexplained muscle pain with fever. In an emergency in Australia, call 000.
• Tell your prescriber about kidney problems — pregabalin is cleared by the kidneys and reduced function changes what is appropriate. Also mention heart failure, a history of substance misuse, and any breathing condition such as severe COPD or sleep apnoea.
• Weight gain and fluid retention are recognised effects. Mention swelling of the ankles or feet, or unexplained weight change, at your review.
• If you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, discuss pregabalin with your prescriber before continuing. It is not a decision to make without advice, and stopping without advice is not safe either.
• Store it securely and out of sight, treat it as you would any controlled medicine, and return unused capsules to a pharmacy rather than keeping them.
• Always read the patient information leaflet supplied with the product, and check the packaging, batch number and expiry before use.

• Confirm the prescription position

  Pregabalin is a Schedule 4 Prescription Only Medicine in Australia and is subject to specific prescribing guidance because of its misuse potential. Any framing that suggests it can be obtained without an assessment should be treated as a warning sign about the source.

• Check the active ingredient against the prescription

  Pregagesic, Nervigesic, Neuro Seliron and Pregacare are all pregabalin. Brand names differ between markets while the molecule does not. Verify the active ingredient and labelled strength printed on the pack against what your prescriber specified.

• Understand ARTG status

  The Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods lists products the TGA has assessed for supply in Australia. International generics may be manufactured to Good Manufacturing Practice standards without being ARTG-registered. Know which you are ordering, and tell your pharmacist.

• Inspect the packaging

  Intact manufacturer packaging, unbroken blister foil, a legible batch number and expiry, capsules uniform in colour and size, and an included leaflet. Loose capsules, missing batch details, misspelt printing or a short-dated expiry are reasons to stop before use.

• Assess the seller

  A verifiable business address, a working contact route, Australian dollar pricing, a stated dispatch and delivery window, a published returns and complaints process, and a privacy policy. Medicines with dependence potential are the wrong place to accept an anonymous supplier.

• Order to the plan, not to a stockpile

  Because pregabalin is tapered rather than stopped, and because it has misuse potential, holding large quantities at home is a bad idea. Order what your prescribed course needs and return anything unused to a pharmacy.

• Orders are dispatched within one business day of payment clearing, with confirmation by email and tracking where available.
• Standard delivery is 2–4 business days Australia-wide, free on orders over $150. Regional and remote destinations can take longer.
• Plain, unbranded outer packaging on every parcel — nothing outside identifies the contents.
• No cold-chain handling is required. Store capsules below 25°C in the original blister, away from heat, direct sunlight and humidity.
• Because pregabalin is a continuing treatment, plan your reorder ahead of running out — an unplanned gap is not the same as a planned taper and can cause withdrawal effects.
• Store it securely and out of sight of children, visitors and housemates, and keep it in the pack it arrived in so the batch and expiry stay readable.
• Return unused or expired capsules to a pharmacy for safe disposal rather than putting them in household waste.

Neuropathic pain

Pain caused by damage to or dysfunction of the nervous system itself. Typically described as burning, shooting or electric, often with numbness or pins and needles.

Post-herpetic neuralgia

Nerve pain that persists in an area of skin after an episode of shingles has healed. One of the classic indications for a nerve-pain medicine.

Peripheral neuropathy

Damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, most often in the feet and hands. Diabetes is the most common cause in Australia.

Titration

Building a medicine up in steps to find the level that works with tolerable side effects, rather than starting at the target level. Standard practice with pregabalin.

Tapering

Reducing a medicine gradually rather than stopping it outright, so the body can adjust. Pregabalin is tapered after sustained use to avoid withdrawal effects.

Dependence

The state in which the body adapts to a medicine so that stopping it causes withdrawal symptoms. It can develop without any intent to misuse the medicine.

Real-time prescription monitoring

Australian systems that let prescribers and pharmacists see a patient's recent supply of medicines of concern at the point of care, to reduce duplicate supply and harm.

Schedule 4 (Prescription Only Medicine)

The Australian classification meaning a medicine can only be supplied against a prescription from an authorised practitioner. Pregabalin sits here, with additional prescribing guidance attached.

Or read the reference page for an individual active ingredient:

For independent, Australian information about the medicines in this range, we point customers to the following bodies. Search for the medicine by name on their sites rather than relying on overseas material.

• Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
• Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)
• Healthdirect Australia
• Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
• Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)