Originally Posted by EarlG

Yes PN is usually bilteral, but sometimes with more severe pain on one side. I am not sure that this asymmetry may not be due to other factors including arthritis. PN often results in slightly disturbed gait which then can lead to a stress-type osteoarthritis with tendosynovitis. I have this on one side which I can control with Ibuprofen.

Certainly one of the most inexplicable syndrome of this disease is the propensity to worsen at night. Also it may have some association with RLS which is why Mirapex may help. Very interesting!!! Thanks for this idea--jarrett622.
I had vague symptoms similar to RLS before I got the full fury of PN. This may also explain why if I have severe burning getting up and walking around often helps. Of course one has to walk with heavily padded slippers on soft carpets.
Also may explain why the symptoms are generally worse at night.

From the forum I noticed that some of us are taking huge doses of Lyrica (up to 600 mg). I would be very cautious with these doses as we not sure of the effects on the brain (memory loss, bizarre thinking, depression etc.). Also I wonder about effects on other parts of the body. I have notice that moderately high doses of Lyrica causes me to have bouts of Bradycardia. Unfortunately I am quite sure that with time other side effects will be identified.
I am sure most us learn how to manage as best as we can and learn to dose our meds for the best and safest effect. That is what chronic diseases are all about -Management!

Originally Posted by jarrett622

Nope...ya done good!

Bilateral huh? I don't know...guess that might depend on the Dx? My left foot has always been more painful than my right. No idea why. My Dx is idiopathic PN. So far anyway. At some point when and if I can afford more testing I plan on seeking out a specialist in PN. I want more than just the basics ruled out.

Can't take Neurontin. Made me suicidal. So I manage with Tramadol and recently added Mirapex. So my symptoms are well under control for now. Yep, been blessed with PN and apparently some RLS thrown in for good measure.

And yes, we do all we can to reduce our symptoms to levels manageable for us. During the day I'm a 1 or less most of the time. Toward 9:00 or 10:00 PM I escalate to about a 4 or 5 before I take a Tramadol. That's much less than my levels were about a year ago when I first found this wonderful message board.

Originally Posted by groskilly

My Doc switched me from Gabapentin to Lyrica about a month ago. The Gabapentin was no longer helping much with my burning feet. I was at 3600mg of Gabapentin. I continued to take the remaining Gabapentin (300mg caps) here and there along with the Lyrica when the burning was bad and it seemed to help. Eventually I ran out of the Gabapetin and the burning became more intense (worse). I told my Doc I was taking both and he said he never heard of anybody doing that and doesn't recommend it.
A couple of questions.
Does it make any sense at all that the 2 drugs would work better in combination ?
I am taking 375mg of Lyrica and would like to increase the dosage. Does Lyrica have a max dose where the effectiveness peaks out like Gabapentin (3600mg) ?

Gerald

Originally Posted by nide44

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.

Originally Posted by fractionmeister

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.

Originally Posted by nide44

Uh.....this thread is 10 months dead.
Why are you responding to it in this manner?
There are ALA threads all over this BB.
I suggest you use the 'search' function on the top bar.

Originally Posted by groskilly

My Doc switched me from Gabapentin to Lyrica about a month ago. The Gabapentin was no longer helping much with my burning feet. I was at 3600mg of Gabapentin. I continued to take the remaining Gabapentin (300mg caps) here and there along with the Lyrica when the burning was bad and it seemed to help. Eventually I ran out of the Gabapetin and the burning became more intense (worse). I told my Doc I was taking both and he said he never heard of anybody doing that and doesn't recommend it.
A couple of questions.
Does it make any sense at all that the 2 drugs would work better in combination ?
I am taking 375mg of Lyrica and would like to increase the dosage. Does Lyrica have a max dose where the effectiveness peaks out like Gabapentin (3600mg) ?

Gerald