Med change from Gabapentin to Lyrica

[SuperSpine26]

I've been on gabapentin for a few years to manage pain from multiple spinal fusions (I've have 5 total fusions and I am totally fused from C2 down to T2), chronic pain & fibromyalgia. It used to help with the pain and excruciating neuropathy from all the damaged nerves but like most meds it lost its effectiveness over time. It kept getting increased and for at least the last 6 months my dosage has been 800mg/3x a day. Even that isn't helping anymore so my doctor decided we should change meds. He put me on Lyrica and told me to take 75mg/2x a day (am/pm) while keeping my 800mg dose of Gabapentin in the afternoon. It has been horrible. I feel like 75mg of Lyrica is nowhere near covering the 800mg of Gabapentin I was taking. So now he changed it to 75mg/2x a day of Lyrica and 800mg/2x a day of Gabapentin to be taken together. Everything I've read says not to take them together. Sorry for the long post, it's my first one and I'm in a lot of pain. Just wondering if anyone had any insight on this?

[gogonzo]

I have some experience with both meds. Gabapentin for me is very slow to take effect; however when nerve pain isn't severe (post-surgery) then it works fine, so I take just that. Lyrica is quicker to take effect and when my nerves are really reacting it's the only thing to calm the tingling and and pulsating. I find that Lyrica has a lot of side effects so I take gabapentin as my morning dose and Lyrica as my evening dose, simply to not endure the side effects. Hope this helps.

[SuperSpine26]

It does help. Thank you. You said you take them separately though. He originally had me doing that but now has me taking the Lyrica and Gabapentin together in the morning and at night. I was under the impression that you shouldn't take them at the same time. One more question, he originally replaced my 800mg dose of Gabapentin with 75mg of Lyrica. That doesn't feel like an equal dose.

[gogonzo]

I do take them separately now, but I have taken them together but not at the advice of a doctor. At the time, it was really just to have the benefit of each drug, and in my mind taking a lower dose of each. in your situation, the dose probably doesn't seem equal, but I think that is due to the fact that Lyrica is stronger therefore the doses won't be equal. I know only too well how awful nerve pain is, so I say do whatever works and allows you to feel comfortable by minimizing pain, as separately, they do different things. Perhaps it's the combination that works for your symptoms.