I've been on it twice. The first time I took 75mg 2x/day. It worked great but the side effects I experienced(brain fog & short term memory) were a problem. I stopped when my wife and I were trying to conceive due to the documented risk of birth defects.
After we got pregnant I started on it again right before my surgery. This time I ramped up to 300-450mg/day, split up into 3 doses. I stayed on that for 6 months and then started ramping down again. Cut down and then out the midday dose first and then did the same with the AM dose. I finally took 25mg/day at bedtime for a month or more before quitting it altogether.

Lots of folks report weight gain and other issues, so I think it's best to start out with a low dose for a few weeks until you figure out what works for you. It is priced per dose, so when you find a dose that works for you, try to get that size. The 25mg capsule is priced the same as a 75mg or 150mg, so you'd be paying 3 or 6x as much. This really sucks when you're trying to find a dose that works for you and maybe taking different doses at different times of day.

As I was ramping down I tried Cymbalta @ 30mg/bedtime. I noticed an immediate reduction in stabbing/shooting pains and am still taking that dose for about 5 months now.

Good luck!

Marabunta