I was taking Lyrica and was still in pain, my doctor switched me to Gabapentin and at first I thought it was better. But a year and a half later I feel like the side effects are worse than the cure. What are your experiences with these drugs?
Lyrica vs. gabapentin. What are your thoughts?
Question posted by Savannity cats on 16 May 2014
Last updated on 1 March 2024
57 Answers Page 3
I've been taking Gabapentin for years. My Dr upped my dosage to 600mg 3x a day. That helps tremendously.
I have a L2 fractured vertebrae that isn't healing because I have Osteoporosis really bad. I start treatment next week. I also have Fibromyalmia, that makes me super sensitive to pain and everything else.
At first I had side effects, but now not so much. I take a lot of meds that all causes dizziness & drowsiness too.
Ask your doctor for Gabapentin dosage change??? I hope this helps you.
I was on Gabapentin for roughly 8 monthes 800mg 3x daily for nerve pain due to fracturing my L1,L2 and L3. The negatives started to outweigh the pain relief it was giving me and I made a plan with my doctor to taper off. I had no idea about the horrific side effects of coming off of it. Severe anxiety resulting in several panic attacks, insomnia, restless legs, terrible migraines, spells of crying hysteria for seemingly no reason, a sense of impending doom, complete loss of appetite and irregular bowels to just name what seems to be the worst. Has anyone else had these symptoms? How long did you experience them for? It has been 2 weeks the crying spells seem to be getting more spread out. However I do not feel like myself at all researching the symptoms are interchangeable with magnesium deficiency and I know they use the same receptors so I bought magnesium supplements. These are the symptoms of mag deficiency
Poor heart health
Weakness
Muscle cramps
Tremors
Nausea
Anxiety
High blood pressure
Type II diabetes
Respiratory issues
Dizziness
Fatigue
Potassium deficiency
Difficulty swallowing
Poor memory
Confusion
These are also to a T many of the symptoms I am experiencing. Anyone with any experience of coming off of what I know refer to as the devil medication please any advice you may have even just how long it went on for you!
Lyrica turned me into a slug and I gained 35 pounds
Gabetin helps but I don't take it daily like I should but I prefer it over Lyrica which is a ssnri drug hot garbage
Lyrica is not an ssnri. get your facts straight.
When I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia, my doctor put me on Neurontin. However, it wasn't working well so he added Lyrica. Now I've been on both medications for several years and my flareups are getting worse to the point there are days when I can't function at all. I feel like I've been hit by a mack truck, literally. Recently, I told this to my doctor and he recommended increasing the Lyrica from 300 mg. per day to 400 mg. However, then I went to see a new rheumatologist and she said that there is no reason to be on both Lyrica and Neurontin because they do the same thing. She also gave me information about alleviating the symptoms in other ways as follows: daily stretching, taking magnesium supplement, taking turmeric, which is an anti-flammatory, and doing yoga or Tai Chi. She also suggested that I mediate at least once a day for 20 minutes. Lastly, she said to take cinnamon and ginger.
Obviously, she has a holistic approach, which is good, if it works. Right now, I'm at the point where I'm so uncomfortable that it has affected my ability to commit to taking long-term, complex projects. I am a freelancer and have been for 16+ years, but it's difficult, and sometime s impossible, to work when you can barely move from the bed. Any suggestions?
I've been taking Gabapentin 800mg 3x a day for the last 7 years. My rheumatologist recommended try Lyrica about 2 years ago. I was not prepared for the strange combo of side effects. I had nightmares, night sweats, dissociation, loss of appetite, weight loss and nausea. I thought the effects would pass, if I gave it more time. After 2 weeks, my anxiety and insomnia was so awful - I stopped the Lyrica. My physician says those are "common side effects" - therefore I must outweigh the benefits versus the negative side effects. I elected to return to gabapentin. Hope it is successful without those problems, if you decide to take the Lyrica.
i have bad nerve pain in my feet. i am not diabetic. i was on gabapentin for a few years, and it was so-so. when my feet were real bad the gaba didn't help at all. percocets wouldn't help it. im on perc 10 for my bad back. they gave me a cream to rub in ,and it would dull the pain for a couple of hours. i finally told them i wanted to try lyrica because it got real irratating putting up with my foot pain. the lyrica works great except for the side effects. it makes you want to eat everything in the house. ive put on 30 lbs. because of taking lyrica.
I've been on both and I detest them both the same. Lyrica helped better with the neuropathy, more than gabapentin..Gained weight on both... A1c (diabetic) numbers were THROUGH THE ROOF on Lyrica. I DC'd BOTH of them on my own. Doc swears the sun rises and set on those stupid meds. Since he's the type of pain management doc who DOES NOT LISTEN... I never bothered to tell him I'd discontinued and he could STOP writing scripts for the awful Lyrica, I just don't get that one filled.
Everyone's different. I know a few people who are or have been on both and some never had issues.
I've been taking Gabapentin for years. A body does build up tolerances to meds taken for a long time. Ask your Dr about changing your med???
I've been taking Gabapentin for years. Its same as Lyrica, they're both for nerve pain.
My chemist said the same thing, that gabapentin and pregabalin were the same, but my doctor insists they are very differant drugs which act very differantly on the nervous system, in my case i have to agree with my doctor as i had an extremely bad reaction to gabapentin and ended up seriously ill,
Saying that, my neighbour who suffered nerve damage due to being in a diabetic coma swears by gabapentin, she tried pregabalin but they had no effect for her,
I think there is a pattern emerging where gabapentin seems to work for people with diabetes related issues, i could be wrong but there is definitely a pattern emerging,
Lyrica is a ssnri {in near or around anti depressant} & it seems good at first then I gained weight & felt lethargic stopped it
Gabapentin has been easier to take & is an anti convulsant drug that works differently well with fibro pai & especially diabetic neuropathy pain it helps me
I would talk to my Dr & ask him to ween me off that your not seeing any relief & perhaps look for a pain medication clinic you may have to fine a pm Dr good luck but don't stop the drug you will have to ween off...
Lyrica isn't an ssri
I've been on Gabapentin for quite some time now. It helps very well with my nerve pain in my hands legs and feet but I've noticed recently a big problem with it. It makes me gain a lot of water weight to were I swell up so much I can barely walk. Does anyone else have this problem??
When the problem first appeared, my pain doctor at the time prescribed Neurontin. This was before Lyrica was on the market. I ended up taking 3 times the maximum recommended dose 3 times a day and the pain was still there. Thankfully Lyrica appeared and I am on 150mg twice a day. However, I have to be on a Fentanyl patch 100mcg 24/7 to have more pain control. I also take Zoloft which also helps with pain control plus gives me energy that I need to exist. I have been on the patch for about 10 years and fortunately have not had to increase the dosage which is good since it is the maximum recommended dosage for pain management.
I would love to get off the Fentanyl patch but if I don't replace it timely, my pain goes to extreme levels.
Any thoughts?
Everything I have ever researched tells me you must not let pain get too great a hold on you. Pain begets pain. I had a medication negative interaction recently. It caused me to delay my pain meds for two weeks. The pain spiraled completely out of control. I was extremely concerned if I was going to be able to regain even a minimum amount of control again. I was able to, but, lost being able to function for about three weeks, I would not wish that on anyone. I believe in conservative treatment. But, I won't make the mistake of thinking it will be okay to delay taking my my pain meds.
I had been on Lyrica (150mg) for several years for fibro, but because of the price it is no longer an option. I recently had foot surgery and was given gabapentin. I've been told to just take 1 in the evening (100mg capsule) for a few days and then start taking the morning dose if I tolerate it. Then go to the 3 times a day. My question is, has anyone else been told to begin gabapentin gradually?
I have been on Nortriptyline 30mg at bedtime for the last two months for my Diabetic neuropathy in my legs. It really helped me sleep through the night but by late morning the pain was unbearable and I would find myself taking a Norco 5mg to ease it. I have sleep apnea and I didn't want to increase the dose of medication for fear of not waking up. I had other symptoms with the medication also(constipation, dry mouth, sweating, redness of hands, feet and face, difficulty with breathing, soreness in neck and lower back).
My doctor started me yesterday on Gabapentin 100mg capsules. The normal dosage for this drug is 300mg 3 times a day. My doctor wants me to take 100mg 3 times a day for the first week to see how I tolerate it. If tolerated well, he wants me to increase to 200 mg 3 times daily for the second week, and go up to 300 mg 3 times daily the third week. I have only had one dose of 100 mg last night and it did help with the pain and assisted me with getting a good nights sleep. I requested to take only 100 mg 2 times a day since I didn't want to be drowsy in the mornings so I could drive to my water aerobics glass. He agreed to this request, but did say that the drug would work better if taken 3 times a day. He is aware of how skeptical I am about taking medications, but does want to curb my continual pain at the same time. I will work towards fulfilling his complete request once I find out if any of the side effects(drowsiness) will keep me from driving a car in the mornings. I am so hoping that this medication will help alleviate my leg pain. I would like to hear from others regarding their side effects/dosage and experience while taking Gabapentin.
Took Gabapentin and felt nothing. It was like taking an aspirin. Now on Lyrica. More side effects yet complete pain control. Everyone is different. Good luck. I will say continue trying. I am also on 150 mg of ms contin still. I started Lyrica and dropped 30 mg of Ms contin in first 10 days. No withdrawal. None. I still have 30 mg to go, thinking of doing it right away but my pain specialist said my body needs to stabilize. I have to stay on 150 mg of MS Contin for another month? Good luck and best wishes for a pain free life.
Took Gabapentin and felt nothing. It was like taking an aspirin. Now on Lyrica. More side effects yet complete pain control. Everyone is different. Good luck. I will say continue trying. I am also on 150 mg of ms contin still. I started Lyrica and dropped 30 mg of Ms contin in first 10 days. No withdrawal. None. I still have 30 mg to go, thinking of doing it right away but my pain specialist said my body needs to stabilize. I have to stay on 150 mg of MS Contin for another month? Good luck and best wishes for a pain free life.
I have been on gabapentin off and on for years for psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia. I think I started out at 3 300mg capsules per day. It has been increased recently to what my rheumatologist says is about my maximum at 3200mg per day. I don't know... I am honestly still miserable and am having terrible food cravings. I also recently started on cosentyx and I am wondering if the cravings are from the cosentyx or the gabapentin. But, yes. My experience is that they gradually step up the med according to your tolerance. It makes some people very sleepy/groggy in higher doses. I hope my perspective is helpful and that you find healing and relief!
I enjoy gabapentin it helps relieve my foot pain
I've been taking 800mg 3x a day of gabapentin (Neurontin) for 14 years. I can't live without it. The pain would be unbearable. I break them in half, and try to only take half of prescribed, because I hate the the side effects, and the withdrawal. I've been off opieds for 2 yrs. I'll take what I can get at this point. Opieds only made the pain worse. Believed me when I say that comes from personal experience over, and over, etc. Again, and again. I feel liberated being off opieds. I prayed for that 2 years ago. Hope this helps.
I can't get past the dizziness of 100 mg of neuron tin. Didn't you have any problems with side effects?
Related topics
lyrica, pain, fibromyalgia, gabapentin, side effect, neuropathic pain
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