As others have mentioned, the three main firstline treatments for nerve pain are gabapentin, Lyrica, and topiramate. Each has their good and bad points (risks). On rare occasion two of those may be prescribed together. More often, one may be prescribed in conjunction with an anti-depresant, anti-psychotic, or anti-seizure medication (in very small doses) and/or sometimes in conjunction with an opioid pain medication. Methadone is one because it's different than other opioids in that it binds to all 3 (4?) kinds of receptors, making it better suited for neuropathic pain, but methadone has it's own risks associated with it, which can be found in the link I posted in Post #3.

That's pretty much the entire pharmocopia for nerve pain. It's possible I've forgotten something, but I can't think of anything at the moment. You can always ask your PM doctor.

Please understand that there are certain things your PM doctor is obliged to try in certain orders before progressing to the next level. It may seem stupid, and that we're being forced to jump through hoops (and perhaps that's true, right or wrong) but that's how they do things. You might try a different PM doctor/clinic but there's no guarantee they wouldn't put you through the same/similar. Eventually, they may get to very expensive treatments not covered by insurance, pain pump & spinal cord stimulator implants, and finally, surgery.

I truly wish I had more to offer/suggest; it's something I believe we've all gone through - part of the journey/ordeal in the quest for pain relief.

Best wishes,

Doc