Huge doses of Lyrica
 

Groskilly I would be careful about these huge doses of Lyrica, there may be some unpleasant longterm side effects. I would especially concerned about effects on thinking. Bizarre strange ideas, depression, memory loss could result over time. I know what it is like to have this severe pain so you might want to complement Lyrica with Tramadol and Mirapex. Jarrett (one of the person on this forum mentioned RLS (restless leg syndrome) as being possibly coexistent with PN. This is a very interesting idea which may very well be true. This would explain some of the characteristics of PN, its tendency to get worse at night and the partial relief one gets simplying by walking around a bit. This may explain why Mirapex may be very helpful as a adjunct to Lyrica. Interesting ideas -no doubt.

Mirapex also helps?
 

Jarrett mentioned adding Mirapex to your regimen on the idea that PN has a few similarities to RLS. See RLS (restless leg syndrome and Mirapex on Google. The propensity of PN to get worse at night and the partial relief one gets sometimes just by walking around for awhile (of course on a very soft carpet).

I had symptoms of RLS long before anything with the PN. It first started during one of my pregnancies. I'd say that was about 20 yrs ago. It went away for a long time and then back in the mid to late 90's it started up again but only once in awhile. I was put on Celexa in 2002 and that's when it got really bad. Backed off for a bit after coming off Celexa but started up again with Effexor. The PN stuff I first began noticing when I was on Celexa.

A note from a retired Doc to a retired RN
 

Sue I am sorry to hear your disease has advanced to the your upper extremities. I believe Lyrica despite its many side effects could be most helpful in your case. Are you taking Lyrica? The overwhelming consensus is that Lyrica is very effacacious. However, unfortunately there is axiom in medicine "the more effective a drug the more side efffects".
And certainly Lyrica comes with its fair share of side effects. (see "askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=21723&name=LYRICA"). However as one participant stated "you choose and you lose". And of course it comes down to what doctors have been saying for ever the key is "Management". Let me know if there is any advice I can give you that might be helpful (I guess I still have that "doctor-state-of mind" that wants to help).

I was on Lyrica 400mg after work until the pn "gremlins" started poking me all day long. Then, I didn't work and took it in divided doses during the day. I was given clonazepam to take at bedtime and prn during the day if the lyrica wasn't enough. I was sooooo out of it I couldn't remember:eek:! I would get confused during conversations, forget what I was talking about, word recall problems,...but due to the effect lyrica has on me (like smoking really good weed and drinking) and add the clonazepam and I really wasn't aware enough to care. I wore pens around my neck to write on my hand anything I wanted to remember for more than a milisecond. I didn't drive farther than the grocery store for 3 months. I made my UCLA professor of neurology grudgingly give me neurontin as a replacement. I began to like the lyrica so much that I have a friend holding the 400 100mg capsules I have left over. I hope I won't get used to the neurontin and need the lyrica again. It was no life for me.

:confused: My doc just switched me to lyrica (which took like a month to get approved by my wunnerful insurance and he told me to BE SURE TO SLOWLY WEAN MYSELF OFF GABAPENTIN BEFORE STARTING LYRICA !!
BE CAREFUL, ROSK ! !:confused

Hi I did take both for about a year and half. It helped me greatly. I no longer take them both and now take Cymbalta, Lyrica and Tramadol. It is a good combination for me. I also started IVIG for my neuropathy symptoms because I am at the point that I would like to decrease the Lyrica as I have gained so much weight. I just started the infustion therapy so time will tell. But, yes, Lyrica and Neurontin can be safely taken together and yes it can help the pain greatly.

My neuro (Head of Johns Hopkins neuro dept) told me
DO NOT wean off Gabapentin before taking Lyrica!!
They should be titrated on a replacement schedule using the value of 1800 mgs Gabapentin/Neurontin = 300 mgs Lyrica to total the added value of Gabapentin taken on a daily basis.
One replaces the other slowly, over a period of a week to two weeks, until the Lyrica has totally replaced the Gabapentin/Neurontin.

And thank you too !
 

The divergence of opinion here is astounding but I'd sure say your info is from the most authoritatve source to date, so thank you for sharing it. I went ahead and took booth, the Gaba in the a.m. & the Lyrica at bedtime like the bottle says. I sure did wanna stay in bed the next a.m., haha. But (and it's the BIG BUT), no pain the next day, so it looks like I'm headed in the right direction, because NORCO & METHADONE aren't good for us in the long run :eek:

Supplement
 

Have you considered taking a supplement called Alpha Lipoic Acid? You can find it at your healthfood store. I began at 600 mg XR once a day. After trying this for about a week or two, I was ready to give it up because I felt no relief. On a whim, I took another 600 mg XR 12 hours later and within a day felt massive relief. Every 12 hours is the perfect dosage for me but you might need to play with it and find what works best for you. If you do decide to take it, please remember to drink lots of water with it. It will help you feel better.