Which pill is better for someone suffering neuropathy? Gabapentin or Lyrica?

Woah... so excited to read your post. I have been on Gabapentin for several years and it is a Godsend for me for so many reasons except that my short term memory is sooo impaired! Not only have I "lost my words" but have trouble remembering things I did and conversations I had just a few weeks ago. I am on 300mg 3 times a day. For the first 18 months I would skip the middle of the day dose but then my night time symptoms started returning so now I take all three. I need to up my dose a bit more but am concerned with the memory loss and weight gain. My doctor says "THESE ARE NOT SIDE EFFECTS!!! "

I've found that Gabapentin works better for me however, I'm only taking 900mg per day and do believe it's not enough mg. Today I'm going to my neurologist to find out the neuopathy test results I had done on my hands which are the ones that bother me the most. What I feel is a burning sensation that starts on the sole of my feet the goes up to the side of both of my thighs but this is not all the time but the one on my hands is constant and it does bother me a great deal. Let's see what the results are. Will keep you posted.

Hi Sandy,
I think you and I are in the same boat, girl! My vocabulary used to be rich, but now it's just trashed! I can't even recall movies I've already seen, my memory is that bad.
I can't even believe that your doc told you that those weren't side effects!! They most certainly are. What is his/her explanation of your memory loss and word hunting, if not for gabapentin? Unbelievable!
Lara

The biggest two reasons I would like to find an alternative to Gapapentin are: First - weight gain. I am not a large eater and I still gain weight which makes me anxious about it. Second is the memory issue.

Thank you, I have really painful post -surgical neuropathy (major spine surgery ). I'm trying to find something that will help.

Horrible drugs. Do more harm than good. Run from them

I'm bak to Gabapentin. Neither Lyrica nor Cymbalta did me good and yes, you're right they boyj increased my appetite and have made me gain weight. Do you know if insulin can make
you gain weight?

Yes, medicare does pay for Lyric, provided that is medically necessary.

Yes, I have heard that insulin causes you to crave sugar and, in turn, leads to weight gain. My doctor is holding off adding insulin to me medications for that very reason. I don't know -

You can take 2400 mgs of gabapentin but it makes me drowsy and dizzy and makes me have less balance. What I do is take about 1200 mg snd you need to get on oxyxodone hcl I take 90 mg a day and it works great and I almost feel normal quite a bit of the time. By the way my neuropathy is in my feet and legs which really sucks but that is the way it is. You need to find an understanding and compassionate Doctor I would not use the pain clinics because the pain clinics that I have been to treat you like cattle and always give you less pain medication than you need. I have been to 4 different ones and they were all the same but you might have better luck. There is no sense in being in pain all the time when there medications out there that will stop it. Sure there are side effects but everything you take has side effects. So why not get some quality time for yourself.

I would not change if you do not want to I take gabapentin and it helps but I still need a narcotic on top of it to stop the pain and give me some energy in my legs and feet. I took Lyrica and could not even tell I took it. Good luck

More may work for you but 1800mg of gabapentin does not stop my hand or foot pain enough.I have been on it for 15 months except for a brief time that I wanted to cut out some of my meds.I read here that Lyrica causes weight gain,well,I have gained 30 pounds in the last 15 months.I gain weight when given steroids but I lose it with my diet.I was given heavy doses [steroids] while in the hospital so I blamed the steroids but now think it may be the gabapentin.

I have gained 11 pounds in two weeks on gabapentin. I tried ibuprofen (for sciatic nerve pain) but learned it is not for those with heart failure. It worked as well as the gabapentin. I am so tired of dealing with these drugs and their side effects, I would rather try physical therapy but it looks like my doctor is going to try everything before giving me the go-ahead. I tried hydrocodone but can't function with the drowsiness.

Lyrica causes weight gain? I was put on 2400mg gabapentin 2 years ago and gained 30 lbs in the 1 st 3 months.I could not get enough to eat!! I still stagger around the house like a drunk.This is scary for me as I am alone much of the time and I am 69.

I take gabapentin 240 a Month at 300 mg. And I think it's way to many and I want to try lyrica to c if I CD take less of them but work as good as all the gabapentin I take??

I take gabapentin 240 a Month at 300 mg. And I think it's way to many and I want to try lyrica to c if I CD take less of them but work as good as all the gabapentin I take??

My insurance company stopped paying for Oxycontin in 2018, which worked so well in eliminating severe pain in my feet. However, another brand of oxycodone extended release capsules is still covered and works just as well. It's Xtampza ER 27 mg twice a day. Ask your doctor about it. I can't take Lyrica or gabapentin, because of their severe side effects. The most dangerous one was fainting without warning.

Gabapentin had me the same way was so dizzy and lightheaded had to go emergency room thought I was gonna faint. My legs were unstable which wasn’t good cause I am on blood thinners why is good to take for nerve pain any suggestions