Hi Caren. Lyrica is very similar to Gabapentin only a different formula (from what my pharmacist told me). Also, it is brand and there is no generic. It really just depends on what works best for you and your pocketbook.

Hope this has been helpful and you find the best solution for you. Best wishes.

Colleen

hi caren28, im curious, did you end up switching? im hearing alot bout lyrica, as im using gabapentin, and its not working so much anymore. so i was wondering if you ended up switching, and how do you feel? byes, n good luck!!

I have not made the switch. I think I'm going to stay with the gabapentin unless it really stops working altogether. I work full-time and I can't imagine I'd be able to work while on a lower dose. I get pretty nasty pain if I'm even a few hours late on a dose now. Plus, as ColleenH said, the two are chemically very similar, so there's no guarantee it would work better. I'd be interested to hear what your doctors are saying, though.

I went from Gabapentin to Lyrica awhile ago. Lyrica is supposed to be a little better. Problem -- many insurance companies don't pay for it for neuropathic pain only for epilepsy. So it's about $120/month for a regular dose. I didn't notice any real difference and the switch to and back to Gabapentin was easy.

I started taking Lyrica recently in addition to my gabapentin. It helps but I am wondering if maybe because some of my pain is from fibromyalgia? There is the problem with the cost of the pills. Of course you could always get your meds from Canada.

I switched from Gabapentin to Lyrica and it was a godsend until I had a reaction.
So, like any other med if you can take it, it was fabulous.
I've heard people either love it or hate it.

The was a very notable difference between the to drugs for me.
I know the owner of this group and she had the same experience and has been able to stay on the Lyrica.
She loves that drug.

I tried Lyrica for about a month. It worked ok but not as well as gabapentin. Now I'm at the max dosage for gabapentin and it is not working as well. I need something stronger but I am afraid to get into the other pain meds. I was on Methadone for awhile a few years ago. It took the pain away but I wasn't very coherent on it. Same thing on the gabapentin now, I am starting to get all the side effects at once. I would say go for the Methadone but start small.

I met someone who has a different disorder causing severe nerve pain.
She has had better luck with MEDICAL marijuana.
She had it in a brownie, not smoking it.
It's not advisable to smoke it because then you'll mess up your lungs.
This friend of mine is learning how to make it into an oil so she can use just a little on a piece of bread or something like that. She still works and does not want to reduce her function.

The oil making part of it, is done in a double boiler with some oil added and cooked for several hours.

I was told about this last week.
I've not yet seen it in person.
I asked her to teach me so I would know how to do it for her when she gets in bad condition and so I can do it if I ever need to use this as a medication.

Just look on the net for an ORGANIZATION not a .com but use .org.
There are good reasons for not using a club with org.
One, lack of privacy and it costs more.
The .org has real doctors who look at your medical history before writing a script and giving you directions and that sort of thing.

I hope this helps.