Iammare

I take Ralefin for my arthrtis / back problems (I think it helps pain from my MP too), Gabapentin 300 mg 3X's a day 5 mgs of Lexpro at night and wear a Lidoderm patch for hyper sensitivity to touch on my thigh. I can take 4 300mgs of Gabapentin- one more at night. I am able to to keep my dosages down. In the beginning I was up to 800 mgs and came down to current dosage. I think the patch helps a great deal. If the thigh is not being rubbed by clothing it does not have near the pain/sorness. I am careful to wear the patch for less hrs during the day hoping I will not become immune to the patch. So whenever I am home I make every effort to not have clothing rubbing against my thigh to keep the pain down and go without a patch. At night I work at keeping the blankets from rubbing my thigh by different positions of my body or the sheets.
In the beginning I had stronger pain meds to combat the pain. I have been able to avoid the higher dosage meds for over a year now. In order to do this it means resting more often and not keeping a full schedule. I also do water pt which helps me.
I hope this helped you. I do not like to increase gabapentin I understand it is important to keep the level even in your body.
Take care
Looking
I want to answer the question you asked about how we handle bad days and if we switch meds around. In the beginning years of having this MP and back problems I was dealing with a lot of pain and spine flare up. So yes I took more pain medicine based on my doctor's instructions. The doctor and I worked with the dosage of the gabapentin to ease the nerve pain. I could take another pill when the pain was intense. So in the beginning I was able to take stronger pain med if needed. I have been able to reduce my dosages and do not have to take the stronger meds. now. The doctor told me I could take one more Gabapentin at night. I can sleep better in the last 6 mos so I haven't had to use an extra Gabepentin. My pain at night is usually better than before. I do have bad days that I rest more. Sometimes push myself to do more physical activity, ect. I do say it is not the level of pain I had in the beginning. I also think I can tolerate more because if I want to be active with my family I have to push. I know how long I can walk or sit comfortably and I keep that in mind before I commit to do activities. Hope this anwsers your question.