Has anyone found a difference between these two. I started out on Gabapentin a few months ago but my last but one prescription had Lyrica in the bag from the chemist. I was quite convinced that they worked better for me than the Lyrica. On my last visit to the doc to obtain a repeat prescription I asked if he could put down Lyrica instead of Gabapentin. He spent ages telling me that pharmaceutically there is no difference and I will get whatever the chemist has at the time I put my prescription in. I'm not sure he entirely convinced me!
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Elysius
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Gabapentin and lyrica(pregablin) are very similar but lyrica is a bit stronger and also more expensive
Sometimes one works better than the other - basically both are truly Gabapentin when it comes down to it just formulated a little differently. Gabapentin is cheaper and you probably have to take more pills to get to the point of relief. Lyrica is very expensive, the max dose is lower and the amount of pills that you take is far less to get relief. It just really comes down to whichever one does the best job. I would certainly pick the cheaper of the two. =)
Hi p1pp1ns and yikes2, that does explain it really. I felt very different on the lyrica and when it went back to the gabapentin it felt as if nothing was different to no tablets. In desperation today I doubled the dose of gabapentin and now feel like something is working. The prescription was for 1 x 300mg morning and afternoon and 2 x 300mg in the evening. By doubling it up I really am noticing a huge difference tonight. Thanks for the replies and info
They are different. And now you should have a different doctor. Gabapentin is neurontin and lyrica is preglabin and they may be in the same category but they are two different drugs. Aspirin and ibuprofen may both be pain relievers but they are not the same drug. I guess you can build a tolerance to either but I heard if you can go two days in between doses the tolerance goes back down.
Hmmmn, that is interesting. I might print off your response and some other research I have seen over the past couple of days which does seem to suggest that preglabin can be more efficient in managing symptoms and requires lower dosage to achieve similiar results. I would certainly like to have the opportunity to give it another go as I am not finding a huge relief from the gabapentin. The gabapentin works to a certain degree but I don't get any further relief even when I increase the dose which I have heen doing over the last week. Thank you.
Are the meds a must for you? I hate to see you use either on a regular basis. You might notice on here that some people are taking medications or supplements that are making their RLS worse? Is this you? Are you eating way too much bread and drinking too much tea or coffee, especially in the evening? Are your intestines and digestion good? Are you taking pain killers or antibiotics that are destroying your intestinal landscape? Just one aspirin or one ibuprofen will guarantee that I have RLS that night. But that's me and sometimes the pain is so great (ie dental procedure) that I will take the RLS over the dental pain, knowing that the ibuprofen will soon enough leave my body.
Have you had your b12, folate and iron levels checked? I don't know that I even particularly care about iron levels as long as your red blood count is ok. I say that because no matter what your iron stores are, the only emergency med I recommend to people is an iron pill when an attack begins or in order to sleep. The iron pill has to be a chelated/broken down form so that it is readily absorbed into the bloodstream and cannot be taken with food or other supplements. It must only be taken with water. Whether your iron stores are low or high (not too high) it seems to work. And it only works for that moment in time. Like any drug, I only take iron when needed. But b12 and folate levels are important. I believe it's hard for your body to absorb iron if you're deficient in either of these. So get those checked out if you can at some point. Vitamin d should be checked too. Like iron, vitamin d is tightly controlled by our bodies. So I don't believe in mega-dosing with vitamin d just for the sake of getting our stores up and then not have it available when we need it. The best way of course is the sun. Vitamin d may actually be just as good as iron for some people in controlling their symptoms of RLS. I just need to do tons more research. But if you are determined to take vitamin d, do so at night in an oily form. Maybe about 1000mg? Those two supplements alone may give you complete relief.
So I guess take the Lyrica but always be on the look out for another avenue of relief.
Some drugs like the two being discussed are NOT to be taken as needed. Please read instructions, talk to your chemist/pharmacist about this. Gabapentin is meant to take every day, as is Lyrica. They are not rescue meds, but neither is iron, no matter what form. We need to keep accurate information flowing, especially for new people who do need guidance. I have no idea how iron, chelated or not, can work as a rescue "drug" for you terraverde, but if it works for you great! But that is certainly not the norm, which you have to realize that. The idea of taking iron is to get your ferritin level up, so your body can store the iron properly. So, if one is doing that, then iron needs to be taken every day as well. I know you swear by your chelated iron, and like I said that is great! But not everyone can do this, and it certainly does not work for most people in the way you describe. Lyrica and Gabapentin have to have the levels maintained in your body for them to work properly. That is well documented and can be googled very easily. In case anyone has a problem searching, some good web sites for meds are drugs.comrxlist.comrlshelp.org and of course, the RLS-UK web site. They are not PRN meds, (as needed) and will not work right if taken in the wrong way. Lyrica is stronger, and is approved for Fibromyalgia also in the US. Both Gabapentin and Lyrica are for nerve pain, also. Not trying to jump down your throat here, but we need to offer up the best , correct information that we have, and people like you and I do lots of research, I have my own RLS groups (17 years), etc. IF these meds are going to help anyone, and they DO help a lot of people (not ALL, I cannot take them, have tried them), we ahve to all make sure we get the information out there for people who need the help and are asking questions. Once again, iron is not for everyone, if your body does not need it and the levels are good, it's not a good idea to start iron on one's own. Iron overload is a very real, dangerous thing. Even innocent sounding things like iron must be supervised by your physician. IF someone is suffering and needs to be on any meds for RLS, then that has to be accepted that that is their path to some peace an quiet from this horrid disease. Thanks for all your contributions.
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