Pregabalin & Gabapentin Rehab
Residential treatment for people who need to come off pregabalin or gabapentin safely, without losing the plan for the pain, anxiety or condition the medicine was prescribed to manage.
01438 583222
When the tablets stop being the answer
If you’ve taken slightly more than prescribed because the prescribed amount stopped working. If a missed dose leaves you restless and wired rather than simply uncomfortable. If you’ve run out days early and had to find a reason for an earlier appointment. If you notice that you now think about the dose more often than you think about the pain it was for, then it’s likely you’ve developed a dependence.
Dependence and addiction aren’t the same thing, and it’s useful to understand the difference.
Plenty of people take gabapentinoids long-term and become physically dependent on them without the medication controlling their life. Their body has simply adapted to having the medication, which means stopping suddenly could cause withdrawal. That alone doesn’t make it an addiction.
There’s no loss of control, no craving or pull towards the next dose, no taking more than intended and no secrecy around it. The dependence is in the body’s response to stopping the medication, not in the person’s behaviour around taking it.
If you’re still working out which of those describes you, visit ourpregabalin addiction page instead. This page is for when you already know something has to change and the question is what treatment involves.
Pregabalin, gabapentin and what matters for treatment
Pregabalin and gabapentin are related medicines, prescribed mainly for nerve pain and epilepsy. Pregabalin is also prescribed for generalised anxiety disorder. Either may be prescribed outside its main licensed uses.
Being related doesn’t make them interchangeable. What shapes a withdrawal plan is the specific medicine, the dose, how long it’s been taken, what it was prescribed for, what previous attempts to reduce looked like and where they fell apart, your physical and mental health, and everything else being taken alongside it.
Where several substances are involved, or where a gabapentinoid isn’t really the centre of the problem, ourdrug rehab page covers the wider picture and where residential treatment fits within it.
- You may know them as
- Lyrica or Neurontin, or only by the name on the box
- Both have been controlled drugs in the UK since 2019 (Class C, Schedule 3) because dependence and misuse can develop.
Why withdrawal needs planning
If you’ve tried to reduce your dose before, you might already know how difficult it can be. You might halve your dose, skip one, or try to leave longer between doses. At first, you might feel fine. Then withdrawal symptoms can start. Anxiety can increase, sleep can become difficult and you might start to feel physically unwell.
Taking your usual dose can make those symptoms ease quickly. When you know the medication will make you feel better, it can be very difficult to keep reducing it.
That’s why it helps to have a plan. Withdrawal symptoms are real, and they can be uncomfortable enough to make reducing or stopping difficult, even when that’s what you genuinely want to do.
With medical support, your dose can be reduced gradually at a pace you can manage. If withdrawal symptoms become too difficult, the plan can be adjusted rather than leaving you to figure out what to do on your own.
Don’t stop suddenly
Stopping pregabalin or gabapentin abruptly can cause severe withdrawal symptoms and, in some cases, seizures. Particular care is needed where the medicine is being taken for epilepsy, or where alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids or other drugs are also involved.
Speak to your prescribing clinician, your GP or an addiction service about a planned reduction rather than stopping overnight.
At Abbington House
Withdrawal from a gabapentinoid is medically supervised as part of the residential stay where that is clinically appropriate. The plan is individual, and it is built from the whole assessment rather than from the dose alone, what you take, how long you have taken it, what happened the last time you tried to reduce, your other medications, your physical health, your mental health, and anything else involved.
Where the assessment shows that a slower community reduction, hospital care or a different route would be safer or more realistic, that is what we will tell you.
How medically supervised detox works here.
What happens after thewithdrawal
What about the anxiety or pain you were taking it for?
one of the biggest concerns about reducing or stopping pregabalin or gabapentin. If the medication was originally prescribed for anxiety or pain, you might be worried about what will happen to those symptoms when your dose is reduced.
before you became dependent on the medication, and developing a dependence doesn’t change that. We won’t assume that stopping the medication will make those problems disappear. They need their own treatment plan alongside your withdrawal.
anxiety, depression, trauma or another mental health condition, we can treat both at the same time. Our dual diagnosis page explains how we approach mental health alongside drug dependence.
What happens after the withdrawal
You might have practical concerns about how treatment could affect your driving, job or professional registration. These are important questions to ask before you come into treatment.
Pregabalin and gabapentin can cause side effects such as
drowsiness, dizziness and problems with concentration. Withdrawal can also affect how you feel and function, so there may be times during treatment when it isn’t safe for you to drive.
There are also circumstances where you may need to tell the DVLA about a medical condition, medication or drug use. The rules depend on your individual circumstances and the type of licence you hold. If you drive for work or have a vocational licence, tell us during your assessment so we can discuss what you’ll need to check before treatment.
If you’re a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, teacher, social worker or work in another regulated profession
you might be worried about what seeking treatment could mean for your career.
The rules are different for each profession, so we can’t tell you what your regulator will require in your individual circumstances. If you’re unsure about your responsibilities, it’s worth speaking confidentially to your professional body, union or defence organisation for advice.
We also can’t promise that treatment won’t affect your employment or professional registration. What we can do is help you understand what treatment involves so you can get the right advice and make an informed decision before admission.
Residential treatment may be appropriate if:
- You’re dependent on pregabalin, gabapentin or both and want help reducing or stopping.
- You’ve tried reducing at home or with community support but haven’t been able to manage it.
- You need more medical support during withdrawal than you can realistically receive at home.
- Opioids, benzodiazepines, alcohol or other medicines are also involved.
- You have chronic pain or another physical condition that needs to be managed while your medication is reduced.
- Anxiety, depression, trauma or another mental health condition also needs treatment.
- You’d benefit from managing the withdrawal and the reasons behind your medication use in the same residential programme.
Abbington House won’t be the right setting for everyone. Another form of treatment may be more appropriate if:
- You take the medication to control epilepsy and reducing it hasn’t yet been discussed with your prescriber or neurology team.
- You have an urgent or complex medical condition that requires hospital care.
- The substances you’re taking or the type of withdrawal you need require a different medical setting.
- Your assessment suggests that a slower reduction with support in the community would be safer or more appropriate.
If you take pregabalin or gabapentin for epilepsy, speak to your prescriber or neurology team before trying to reduce your dose. Reducing or stopping these medicines can affect seizure control. Once there’s a medical plan in place, we can assess whether residential treatment could support you through it.
You don’t need to have made a final decision before you contact us. It’s normal to be unsure about treatment. We can talk through your situation, answer your questions and explain your options. If you do come into treatment, it needs to be a decision you understand and agree to.
If you’re a GP, prescriber or keyworker considering referring someone to Abbington House, our professional referrals page explains how assessment, sharing clinical information and admission work.
Common questions
01 : Does going to rehab go on my medical record?
Treatment here is confidential, subject to the normal legal, clinical and safeguarding responsibilities that apply to any care. Where a gabapentinoid has been prescribed, information from your GP or prescriber may matter for safe treatment, particularly where epilepsy, chronic pain or ongoing anxiety management is involved. What contact is needed, what might be shared and why are discussed with you at assessment.
02 : Does my employer have to be told?
No part of admission involves contacting your employer. How you arrange time away is your decision. We cannot promise what legal or contractual protections apply to your particular job, because that depends on your circumstances and your terms of employment.
03 : I am on a professional register. Will you contact my regulator?
No. Whether you have any obligation to tell them yourself depends on your profession and your circumstances, and it is worth asking your professional body or defence organisation rather than us.
04 : Can I still drive?
That depends on the medicine, the dose, how it affects you, your licence category and whether a reduction is underway. Impairment matters regardless of whether a medicine was prescribed, and some conditions and patterns of use have to be notified to the DVLA. Raise it at assessment.
05 : Do I have to involve my GP or prescriber?
With a prescribed gabapentinoid, contact with whoever prescribes it is often clinically important to confirm the medicine and dose, understand what it was prescribed for, and plan what happens to that condition afterwards. Whether contact is needed, and how it happens, is discussed with you at assessment.
06 : Can I come in while I am still taking it?
Yes, and most people are. Assessment establishes exactly what you are taking so the reduction can be planned safely. Do not stop suddenly before you arrive unless a clinician who knows your situation has told you to; abrupt withdrawal can cause seizures.
07 : What if I am also taking opioids, benzodiazepines or drinking?
Tell us exactly what is involved, however complicated or embarrassing it feels. Combinations change what happens first, how the withdrawal is managed, and whether this is the right setting at all. They also raise the overdose risk if any of those substances are returned to during or after treatment, which is something the plan has to account for before you leave.
08 : I take pregabalin for epilepsy. Can I stop?
That decision sits first with your prescribing or neurology team, because reducing it may affect seizure control. Speak to them before changing anything. We can then assess whether residential treatment has an appropriate role alongside their plan.
09 : Do you treat gabapentin dependence, or only pregabalin?
Both. The withdrawal from either normally needs a gradual, planned reduction, but the plan still depends on the specific medicine, dose, length of use, what it was prescribed for, your physical health and anything taken alongside it.
10 : Is Abbington House regulated?
Yes. Abbington House is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation for people who require treatment for substance misuse. You can view thecurrent CQC record