Melody,
Alan has to have the Lyrica in his system working 24/7.
It may take anywhere fron 1-4 weeks before he shows complete effects but he could feel some relief short-term, though.
After about 3-4 weeks, he can determine if he needs to increase the dosage. I wouldn't stop taking it unless the dose was up to 450 or 600mgs/day, and he could say he wasn't getting relief at that point.
If before that, he shows s/e that are undesirable and he wants to stop, it'll take anywhere from 4-8 days to titrate down safely on a fast ramp-down schedule. Your doc should make that schedule for you.
DO NOT STOP Lyrica ABRUPTLY !! I repeat and say 3 times!!
DO NOT STOP ABRUPTLY !!
DO NOT STOP ABRUPTLY !!
DO NOT STOP ABRUPTLY !!
This is basically an anti-seizure med and should be carefully considered.