This may not help you, MarcusDolby, but I too hate to be doped up. My neurologist started me on Nortriptyline (aka Pamelor) at 10 mg/day and then ramped up by 10 till I reached 50. At that point I wanted a bit more pain relief, so he added a pretty low dose of Gabapentin (aka Neurontin). Lidocaine patches are also great for local cramps and stabbing pain, and they don't have any narcotic effect.

So far this is working pretty well for me -- but I was diagnosed only six months ago, and I suspect my idiopathic (long fiber) PN has worse things in store for the future....

I've seen findings in medical journals that the combo of Nortriptyline and Gabapentin works better than either drug alone. And so far, this combination does not make me woozy -- and does help me sleep. Anyway, good luck, and welcome to this chat board. I'm pretty new to it myself and have already learned a lot from it.