Gralise is appallingly expensive, and even though my insurance is paying for it, I considered going back to Gabapentin. I was on the max Gabapentin dose (1200mg 3x/day) and was having ups and downs during the day--I'd start feeling edgy if I missed my afternoon dose, for example. The max Gralise dose is 1800mg. I wonder now if I'd get better relief going back to the max dose of Gabapentin, but I appreciate that I don't have those ups and downs.

The other time-release version of Gapanetin that's available is Horizant. I haven't tried it, and I'm not finding info about dosing or prices. (But it's relatively new, so the pricing is very likely to be as high as Gralise.)

A pain doctor recommended Lyrica to me, and said that it hits the exact same receptors as Gabapentin does. It's used twice a day and isn't as expensive as Gralise. I've tried it--it was as effective for me (and caused weight gain). Many others on this board have found it to be effective (and haven't mentioned weight gain), so it's worth discussion with your doctor.

Gabapentin/Gralise/Horizant (and maybe Lyrica) are better absorbed when there's fatty food in the stomach. I tend to take mine on an empty stomach, but I'm thinking I should take it at least with a tablespoon of olive oil, if not with a meal. If you go with Gabapentin, it's also possible to take it more often than the standard 3x a day.

Good luck.