Question "How many take Gabapentin or Lyrica?

[Wobbly]

Hi everyone, I was wondering how many friends here take either Gabapentin or Lyrica...I'm just wondering if it's a common drug to use... and if alot of people use these meds for tingling, leg pains, etc.  

How many have used either of these and stopped them because they didn't help or because of the side effects?

How many use either of them and which one do they prefer?  

I'm in the middle of this... and need some advise on it..

thanks for any replies... hope you are all as well as can be.
take care
wobbly
dx

[Wobbly]

thank you for your replies...this gives me alot of information on the choices I will be making.  I can see that it's different to different people and choices will be try and see what is best for an individual.

thanks so much for being here and hope you are all well, or you know what I mean.  well as can be.  

take care
wobbly
dx

[essdipity]

I used to take Lyrica, took it for a year. At first it worked quite well, but as the months went by, not so much so. Also I gained a lot of weight. So I weaned off Lyrica, and I'm not any worse than when I started.

Still have neuropathic pain, particulary in my legs, but I can deal with it.

These things are so individual, it's hard to make predictions for anyone. Just remember, it's not the only act in town, so if one med tanks for you, there are always others, not to mention combinations of others.

ess

[torikat32]

hi
I have tried neurontin up to 2700mg then broke out in a rash head to toe and my doctor switched me to lyrica and it has worked the best for my severe neuropathy pain. i have gained 20 lbs but I couldnt function if it wasnt for this drug. I am now on 225mg of lyrica twice a day though I find myself uping the dose every 6 months or so due to breakthrough pain it has been a great drug for me. I worry though cause the next dose is 300mg and then there isnt any higher dose available and dont know what my choices will be then. do your research and then give one a try if its not right for you there are alternatives . good luck
Kat

[Udkas]

Hi I take Gabapentin and although it doesn't take all my pain away I realised how much it helped when I went off it.

I have minimal side affects on it, I did have a dry mouth and felt a bit snoozy when I first started it but these days i feel normal (or maybe I have forgotten what it feels like to be normal)..lol  my dosage is 1800mg a day but I was on 900mg for a long time, that was my original starting dose... gradual start tho.

Cheers Udkas..

[Ufrustrated2]

i take gabapentin.

i take it for awhile then stop, then get back on it.

i take it at night due to for my likes, i was too sluggish in the day.

for the nerve type pain i have, especially now in my upper right quadrant it doesn't phase it. for the other lesser type pains it helps a bit.

i don't take it enough for the weight gain side effect.

i've tapered back on it and the cymbalta. the pain general discomfort irritability has increased a bit.

[Fluffysmom]

I think gabapentin lists weight gain as a side effect, too.

I've taken both; gabapentin for several years, and then switched to Lyrica for the last three years or so.  At first I took it for Restless Leg Syndrome, and then when the nerve pain started, tried to increase my dose of gabapentin.  I did have trouble with side effects when I raised it.

With Lyrica, I take a much lower dose, and it helps both my RLS and some of my nerve pain.  When my nerve pain is really bad, I add Tegretol, fairly low dose, and that helps a whole bunch.

I did gain weight about a year after I switched to Lyrica, but that coincided with a herniated disc in my lower back followed by my MS symptoms flaring up, especially the fatigue, which hasn't left.

That's my two cents!

Kathy

[tonyad]

I take Gabapentin (neurontin) (100 mg) 3 times a day along with baclofen (10 mg) 3 rimes a day. I also take Klonopin 2 times daily.  

I have never had the effectiveness wear off since I have been taking it.
perhaps it's the combo of taking the two together that keeps things "at bay"
Who knows?? Also. itf my leg gets really bad...I add another Baclofen during the evening.  Oh ya, I also yake a low dose (25mg) of Amitryptiline (Elavil) at bedtime which has been proven to help with chronic pain as well as have a restful sleep.

I tried Lyrica and did not like it a bit!  And one of the side effects is WEIGHT GAIN!
perhaps that sounds vein...but I do not want to gain weight from a medicine..If I have to gain it, Then I want it to be from lots of junk food..LOL


Have you tried either one?
I am sure that you will find the one that worksd best for "You!"
Everyone is different. What works for one may not work for another...but you know that  :)

Take Care,
~Tonya

[Zacksmomi]

I started on Gabapentin and it worked at first.  I have had 3 more attacks since then and after going up to 2700mg a day, my neuro switched me to Lyrica.  He told me the difference is that if you draw a graph the effectiveness of the Lyrica goes up equally as the dose goes up.

with Gabapentin the higher you go the more the effectiveness tapers off. That is probably confusing.
Basically if you have a graph with line going up from zero to ten and a line going accross from zero to 10, with Lyrica if you took a level 5 does you get a level 5 effectiveness.  The same will be true for Gabapentin.

When you increase Lyrica to a 7 or even 10 dose, the effectiveness will still be equal to 7 or 10 respectively.
With Gaba when you increase to 7 you might have a 6.5 effectiveness and at a 10 dose you might have a 9 effectiveness.  

I hope that makes even a little bit of sense.  It would be easier on paper.

I personally have gotten to a point where the side effects are too bad to consider going any higher on the meds, but the pain is still very noticable.  I can't stop the pills as missing one reminds me of how much they really do help.

I hope this has given you a bit of helpful info.  I don't think either worked better than the other for me.

D

[PastorDan]

Hey, Wobbles.

Been taking gabapentin for several months now, for that nasty pain behind the eyes, the pain that made me feel as if the backs of my eyeballs were badly bruised.  Though it was a real bear to get used to it, gabapentin has been the only thing prescribed for me that has had any lasting positive effect.  The Health Page on treating neuropathic pain lays out the cautions well.  Start slow, and move slower.  It will be worth it in the end -- probably.  I haven't had lots of problems with tingling.  My leg pains aren't neuropathic; they're muscle and/or joint pains.

Never tried Lyrica.