I know what you mean about not wanting to overuse Tramadol, even though it works. I am the same way.

I used Cymbalta for my PN and while it worked, it was not worth the side effects. I took Topamax (generic topirimate) along with it because I could only handle 30 mg of Cymbalta. When I discontinued the Cymbalta, I stayed on the Topamax and discovered that it worked almost as well for the PN all by itself.

I tried Lyrica once and it gave me the worst headache. I researched medications and came up with topamax because it was weight neutral and there were reports that it would work. It did, with very few side effects (dry hair and finger tingling, but YMMV).