My neck and upper back is burning really bad. It feels almost like indian burn. I just started cymbalta and already on gabapentin. I dont know what to do. Its sensitive to touch and creams and liocaine do nothing or make it worse. IS there anything else I could try?

Lyrica helped out pain sensitivity to touch with me. I first tried Neurotin but that didn't help much. Now I find much more relief with Lyrica and Cymbalta.
If you try this I hope it helps...

What doses gave you relief? Is it full or partial?

The Lyrica by itself brought on relief in the burning pain a lot. But my flare ups still got the best of me. I was already at the max at 600 mgs a day so my neurologist added Cymbalta to the mix. I'm starting at 30 mgs then after two weeks going to 60 mgs. It's been one week so far. Neither one is an opiate which is what I prefer to stay away from if possible. I still notice the presence of pain but except for flare ups it's more doable...

With lyric i see people take dosage two or three times a day.

How do you take yours and what times?

Also you mentioned flare ups. I assume you have other issues other then burning?

As far as how I take Lyrica it has to be spread out because it only stays effective for around six hours. So my doses are 300 mgs at 9 am, 150 mgs at 3 pm and 150 mgs at 9 pm. The Cymbalta once between 10 and 11 pm before bed.
Other issues are my RSD spreading to my entire left side making putting weight on my leg hard and everything is complicated by also having degenerative cerebral atrophy...

Is the lyrica strictly for the burning?

Lyrica dulls the nerve pain signals and the burning is a large part of it...

Yes, I know. I was asking if you were taking the lyrica strictly for the burning or do you have other symptoms you take it for?

My RSD spread to my upper back and neck earlier this year. So far I haven't been able to find anything to help the burning pain (but there were problems with my meds so hopefully we can try to find something else to help soon). I even had to cut my hair so it wouldn't touch my neck at all. Does it feel better at all when you (for example) take a warm bath? I found heat helped a little (I know...heat for burning pain...weird)...and If I have to go when it is cold I will put a disposable heating parch and wear that under a scarf (which aggravates the pain on one hand but helps on the other to protect it from the cold air).

I'm sorry to hear that this is happening to you. The burning in my back and neck has driven me more crazy than anything else. Over time it has now become the "norm" for me so I deal with it a little better now but it is not any better than it was 9 months ago when it started.

Good luck...I hope you are able to find meds that can help. When it was just the burning in my ankle the Lyrica was the best for the burning pain. Neurontin did zip for me...but as with everything we have to try different meds until we find one that helps.