Pregablin/Garbaptin?

[nanny4]

Hi there, this is my first post,I have been told by my doc today that I probably have fibro,my daughter has lupus and osteoporosis/osteoarthritis,my mum had RA,Ankalosingspondilitus,osteoporosis,osteoarthritis also fibromyalgia,and many more health related issues,my daughter had been dxd with ME at 11 years old also,my other daughter who is 21 takes garbaptin for neuro pain from her spine etc,my question is,when my gp said I could try pregablin, I agreed to give it a try,when i got home i realised he had put garbaptin on the prescription ,is there much difference in your experiences?

Any advice is much appreciated, Sandy.

[Hidden]

Hello and welcome Nanny, good to see you here

I presume you mean Pregabalin and Gabapentin, it can get very confusing with all the names. Pregabalin (Lyrica®) has a chemical structure similar to Gabapentin (Neurontin®), a medication originally developed to treat seizures that is now widely used to treat many varieties of neuropathic pain. Both medications reduce pain by normalizing overactive pain pathways.

Gabapentin tends to work well for some people but some find the side effects a bit troublesome. Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic medication, also called an anti-convulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. Pregabalin tends to work better for pain with most people apparently.

Pregabalin is also an anti-convulsant which is used to relieve neuropathic pain (pain from damaged nerves) that can occur in your arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, or toes if you have diabetes or in the area of your rash if you have had shingles (a painful rash that occurs after infection with herpes zoster). It is also used to treat Fibromyalgia (a long-lasting condition that may cause pain, muscle stiffness and tenderness, tiredness, and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep).

To summarise they are both anti-convulsant drugs used to relieve neuropathic pain. We all tend to react differently to medications so it's a bit trial and error to start with. After a few years generally most of us have tried most drugs and by this time have hopefully found the best combination to manage our pain and help with our fatigue and other symptoms, conditions etc.

If you are at all worried about your prescription check with your Doctor. As both drugs are anti-convulsants he may have simply just chosen the other one. It's always best to check just to make sure and it will also reassure you too. All the best and take care.

[getactive]

Hi I used to be on gabapentin but when I went to the pain clinic they changed me onto pregablin as they said was the newer moremodern version can't say which is best I found both about. The. Same hope you get sorted take care sue x

[nanny4]

Thank you very much for your speedy replies,excellant help.Sandy.

[Hidden]

It's a pleasure Nanny! Take care. We are always here for you, as we are for everyone

[Shedevil_kt]

I had garbapentin but i found it made me fuzzy ,pregablin has saved my job i think it sooo much better and less side effects than garbapentin

[nanny4]

Thank you for your reply,I may ask my go for pregablin, as that is what he said he was going to give me.thanks again Sandy.