I was started on an increasing dose of pregabalin a few weeks ago by a neurologist. I asked him beforehand about any potential side effects. He mentioned that some people get blurred vision. I asked specifically about cognitive inhibition, and he said that yes, that was a possibility. I specifically asked him if I got either of those, or any other side effects, would they go away once I stop the drug? He assured me they would. And, just to be sure, I asked him twice to confirm, so there was no misunderstanding.

After a day or two I began to notice visual problems. Along with significant memory problems and all round cognitive slowing/inhibition. At first I wasn't sure, but as the days went by it was very obvious something was not right. The visual problems are most obvious when reading. My eyes won't focus on what I'm looking at. The text keeps blurring. It's kind of like when you're tired and looking at something, and your eyes relax, lose focus, and are sort of "looking through" the screen/page. But it is also there for distance stuff. And it is CONSTANT. My eyes are constantly straining to see everything. It's like I'm seeing everything with peripheral vision level sight - and seeing my peripheral visual fields with worse than usual acuity. I can still make out text (obviously), but it is a big struggle.

These are so distressing I'm terrified about posting about posting about them here for fear of hearing people bad news. I contacted the neurologist he called me back a few days later (I had to call the sceretary a few times and she said she passed on the message each time) and he told me that what I was experiencing was common and that I should reduce the dose. I said I'd prefer to stop it altogether, and so he said to do that. So I stopped it after a bit over 2 weeks of taking it. He had assured me my eyes and everything would get better. I had a appointment with him about 10 days later. I said when I was there that it still wasn't right, but that I thought that it was maybe a bit better. I feel this may have been hopeful/wishful/expectant thinking on my part, coupled with the fact I hadn't tried reading over the course of those 10 days. He did that H thing in front of my eyes and asked about double vision, and that was the extent of his interest in my eyes. I was distracted because I was also being told that he didn't think there was anything else he could do for me as regards my hands (not that he had been of any help), and that he would just give me a review appointment in 3 months to see how things were then.

Not being satisfied with how things went, I tried phoning his secretary that evening and the next day, to just check what the hell I should do if my eyes don't get better? How long should I wait? All the while crippled with fear because I know damn well there is nothing that can be done other than "just wait a bit longer" or "you'll just have to live with it". I was struggling to cope with the problems with my hands. Took the year out of college, and was close to just complete despair... but was really trying to see if I could try and "keep going". The, over a few days, my eyesight becomes warped! And the memory/cognitive thing (which is so unimaginably distressing that I am literally terrified of someone saying they felt the same thing, and are still not right). I didn't get through to him. I got through to my gp, who advised me to not bother calling the neurologist, but rather to wait one week, and call him (the gp) back, at which point he would have the neurologists letter, and hopefully my eyes would have improved.

My eyes were no better when I rang my gp the following week. And apparently the neurologist didn't even mention my eyes in the letter! Can you believe that?! I now have an appointment to see my gp in two days, and an optician in 3 days. We are now more than 4 weeks post pregabalin (after only about two weeks taking it) and my eyes are no better. What the hell am I going to do!!

I've been avoiding looking the drug up (and posting here) because I don't know what I'm going to do if my eyes don't get better. And my memory/cognition. I am seriously considering deleting this for fear someone will tell me it might not. Which is daft, because I know that most likely I'm stuck like this. It is borderline delusional to think that if it's no better after 4 weeks, that it's going to get better. It also seems probable that the optician won't find anything, as the problem is probably at the brain level, rather than within the eye.

Sorry for the long rambling hysterical post. And please forgive me for not proofreadint it.