This may not help you, MarcusDolby, but I too hate to be doped up. My neurologist started me on Nortriptyline (aka Pamelor) at 10 mg/day and then ramped up by 10 till I reached 50. At that point I wanted a bit more pain relief, so he added a pretty low dose of Gabapentin (aka Neurontin). Lidocaine patches are also great for local cramps and stabbing pain, and they don't have any narcotic effect.

So far this is working pretty well for me -- but I was diagnosed only six months ago, and I suspect my idiopathic (long fiber) PN has worse things in store for the future....

I've seen findings in medical journals that the combo of Nortriptyline and Gabapentin works better than either drug alone. And so far, this combination does not make me woozy -- and does help me sleep. Anyway, good luck, and welcome to this chat board. I'm pretty new to it myself and have already learned a lot from it.

sorry for what your going threw , trust me I know!
give the new meds another week.....if no change I went on
Lyrica and Cymbalta and since have been much better...
took a few weeks to get use to but I got threw it.
good luck.

To the OP- have the doctors identified this as hereditary neuropathy? It certainly sounds like it unless you are all diabetic. I have CMT type 2, advanced to where my arms and legs are pretty painful. I am on Gabapentin, don't really have any side effects, but I am also on time release morphine and oxycodone. I would be completely unable to function without them, but I have done well with them, although now the weakness is progressing to where I need a wheelchair for a few things.
You may find that narcotics allow you a higher level of functioning with fewer side effects. Good luck finding a doctor who understands pain management! Since there is no treatment permanent palliative care is fundamental to your quality of life.

Not sure who you were addresing here, but IME, doctors are prescribing gabapentin, pregabalin, and duloxetine for just about every kind of pain (neuropathic or otherwise) that comes down the pipe these days, whether medically appropriate or not, largely because of the political pendulum reversal on opioids. YMMV.

Doc

I was addressing the OP. it does get confusing,sorry.