I took this long ago... took over a month 4 the doc to work me up to the dose he wanted me on and then 2 months b4 he would agree it was not helping me!
I fought w/ my PM 4 over a year b4 i agreed to try lyrica. I have thought on more then 1 occasion that it is not helping me but when i stop it i KNOW it helps!

Hi ~ Alot depends on the dosage you're on. If you're on too small a dose, it might not ever help. But I took neurontin and I noticed it SLIGHT improvement after 2 weeks. I hated that it took so long to work cause I was in agony. The thing I hated about it is that it made me "loopy" and i gained water weight. My doc took me off it after awhile, and we went to topamax, which is a similar drug, as it doesn't make you retain water, you lose weight on it, and you don't feel "loopy." lol. I'm still on it after 9 years, and it works great!

You mention Lyrica causes tooth decay??? Good grief! I just had MAJOR dental work done due to decay caused by opiates ~ I sure don't need this. Arrgggghhh! What next.

Take care. Hugs, Lee

Pooh, what you said says alot. It must work in a subtle way...so this is good to know....

Leesa, thank you for weighin in! It's funny you said '2 weeks' because I'm right at the 2 wk mark and I coulda swore this morning I woke up in less pain! Hmmmm.
And yep i sure felt loopy-er (than normal ) the first week. I would try to respond to a post here and i just stared at it like a cow looking at a new gate. no words would come......or even if they did, I would have to read the same sentence over about 20 times! lol

Yep, I've found it best just to keep a close eye on the dental....as I don't spose I can blame the tooth decay exclusively on Lyrica....it's just that everything seemed 'fine', despite years of assorted pain meds...then when Lyrica came into the mix, all HELLO broke loose!!
We'll see what the next couple of weeks bring.
I may broach the subject of Topamax if Neurontin is a bust.
I've seen you mention it in the past and it has treated you favorably, so there's always hope around SOME corner.

Thanks for sharing
Rae

A couple of years back I too was on Neurontin and Lyrica. Initially I was on Neurontin and like that it took a couple of weeks for me to reach my full dosage. However, I did have some relief in the beginning..BUT not enough for me. I was also going 'loopy' so my DR changed me to Lyrica!!! well let me just say I thought I was loopy on the Neurontin, I nearly completely lost my mind on Lyrica.My short term memory was just awful. I would start a conversation and if I was distracted at all I couldnt remember what I was talking about 2 mins earlier. I didnt find them helpful with the pain, burning, tingling sensation I had in my back and down my legs.
I was then sent to a Pain Management clinic and this Dr..(this is the guy who implanted my SCS) said that he wasnt a fan of Lyrica and over the next few months he 'weaned' me off them......I will say my head wasnt as woozie and I was started to make sense again, (well sense for me)
He then put me on lots of different meds over the coming months, ie Ketamin infusions, Lidocaine, Amitryptrelene, Zydol, Tramadol, Lidoderm patches, Rhizotomy...the list goes on....all still leaving me with the same pain, burning, tingling etc....so my last resort is SCS!!!!
I do hope you get the relief you are looking for soon.

Rae the fact that you are now using Lyrica etc, is that an indication that your SCS isnt working for you or isnt working enough?

Oh My! Good Question Jackie!
I'm glad you asked this because i certainly don't want to mislead!!
The SCS is doing WONDERS for me!! It has taken approximately 75% of the level 8 pain away! yayyy!

The reason I'm doing this Neurontin trial is to try to get away from the Lortab I take for the breakthru pain and the 25% that the SCS doesn't get to cover.
I'm not taking Lyrica (like you, it was a very bad experience.....and this was 2 years ago......way before I had my SCS implant)

I'm just simply wanting to see if Neurontin (which i hear so much about in helping with the burning neuropathy) will help bridge the window of my original pain and what the SCS doesn't cover...

It's been 2 wks now on Neurontin and I actually think I'm seeing something change (for the better).....I'll give it more time to see for sure

The SCS has been doing exactly what they said it would! I'm SO VERY grateful for this! I hope it lasts!!

Thanks Jackie, you're great!
Rae