I have CRPS type II due to a venipuncture nerve injury to my right arm that occurred 3+ years ago. In that time, my CRPS has spread to the entire left side of my body, and has worsened in severity.

I've been taking 600 mg gabapentin 3X a day, with the usual side effects ("brain fog", slow metabolism, fatigue), including weight gain of 30 pounds the first year, and no weight gain since then. I often have finding the correct words to say, which I think is called aphasia.

About 8-9 months ago, while under the care of my regular neurologist, my pain was no longer under control and I couldn't sleep, and I found a wonderful new pain doc. He often recommends combining gabapentin and Lyrica, and put me on 60 mg/day Lyrica (before bed) in addition to the 1800 mg/day gabapentin.

The combination has worked well to keep the pain in check most of the time, and also has helped greatly with sleeping. Since I take the Lyrica only before bed and I was already taking so much gabapentin, I did not notice any increased side effects compared to Lyrica alone.

Lyrica is an antidepressant, not an anticonvulsant, and the mechanism of action is very different than gabapentin.