Pregabalin or Gabapentine

[Sanmass]

interested if anyone has tried bothe GABA and Pregabalin and which one you found helped best? I am currently on Pregabalin but am struggling with the side effects, wondered if I would be better on GABA?

[SueJohnson]

You might. Although they are basically the same drug except you don't need to divide the doses on pregabalin, and the side effects are basically the same, some people find that the side effects that bother them on one don't bother them on the other. Multiply the pregabalin amount by 6 to get the correct dose. Take it 1-2 hours before bedtime. If you need more than 600 mg take the extra 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you need more than 1200 mg, take the extra 6 hours before bedtime. If you take magnesium, take it at least 3 hours before gabapentin as it interferes with the absorption.of gabapentin.

[Sanmass in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you Sue, I’m just not sure if it’s worth swapping or just to carry on with the Pregabalin. I have an appointment with Dr next week I will see what she says.

[SueJohnson in reply to Sanmass]

If you are having side effects that bother you, it is worth trying.

[Sanmass in reply to SueJohnson]

Yes your right it is worth trying, will I need to wean myself off Pregabalin?

[SueJohnson in reply to Sanmass]

Nope - you can do a straight conversion like I mentioned of multiplying the pregabalin dose by 6 times.

[Sanmass in reply to SueJohnson]

Ok thank you Sue 😊

[pete-ginger]

Was on gaba for a long time for both RLS and erythromelalgia(sp?) + methadone 5-10mg qhs. Gaba efficacy started declining. Pain Center moved me to pregabalin only - good results. No s/e c either drug. Watch out for how Pharm divides pregab dosages as $$$ can skyrocket dep. on insur. I'm at 325mg, divided according to my needs -- 225 qhs. That + 5-10mg meth qhs controls my RLS, thank the deities. Good luck!

[Carlettejaque in reply to pete-ginger]

Hi, hope you don't mind me asking but I have Erythromelalgia. It's been coming on for the last couple of years. I already take high doses of Gabapentin for neuropathic nerve pain in my skin. The gaba doesn't do anything for the burning feet. My doctor doesn't really want to start me on antidepressants and I don't want them either. He's happy to leave me coping with it on my own by using ice packs and cold water soaking. We have just had two heat waves which were hard to bear with no air conditioning. What have you tried and found to work to stop the burning and pain? I am 73, can't sleep and also have severe IBS, arthritis and osteoporosis.

[Brownbear1 in reply to Carlettejaque]

Hi there,I have found a miracle cream that stops itching and burning like no other. It is natural and is called emuaidmax. I bought a 60ml pot from Amazon for £58.00, the smaller pot for 15ml costs around £30 so it is worth buying the larger pot. You can also buy it on ebay, it is fantastic I swear by it, read the reviews it really does work xx

[Carlettejaque in reply to Brownbear1]

Thank you. I'll try that although it does sound quite expensive if you have to keep having it. But at this point anything's worth a try.

[Brownbear1 in reply to Carlettejaque]

Yes, it is expensive however as it is an ointment you may get away with using just a small amount. Please let me know how you get on if you try it, nothing is worse than a burning sensation. This is also used by diabetics, it works on the nerve endings I believe, so you may find it improves your condition so you only need it occasionally. I get restless leg syndrome so I do understand, the larger jar is better value, I wish I had gone for the larger pot first. Good luck xx

[Sanmass in reply to pete-ginger]

Oh that’s interesting, it might be a waste off time of me swapping as I am getting quite good results, it was really the side effects that are bothering me. Here in the UK my Dr doesn’t mind which one I get so don’t have to worry about cost. Ty

[pete-ginger in reply to Sanmass]

Be well!

[Brownbear1]

Hi there,I was on pregabalin and it worked really well, except it made my hair fall out. I changed to gabapentin which for me doesn't work as well. People usually find one works better than the other for them x

[Sanmass in reply to Brownbear1]

Oh no I haven’t encountered that side effect and I thought a swollen abdomen was bad. Ty

[DataRN]

I tried Gabapentin and was switched to Lyrica due to adverse side effects. I reached a therapeutic dose on Lyrica at a much lower dose. If I had followed Sue’s conversion, I wouldn’t have been able to take either drug. I asked my RLS doctor about a standard conversion from one to the other and he said it is different for every patient. You should start at the lowest possible dose and slowly increase until achieving a dose that is therapeutic for you. My doctor reminded me there is no one size fits all approach to RLS. Best of luck to you.

[Sanmass in reply to DataRN]

Yes that’s true, everyone’s tolerance is different. If I change to Gabapentine I will start off low dose. Ty

[SueJohnson in reply to Sanmass]

If you do that it would be wise to wean down the pregabalin dose slowly or you will get withdrawal effects. For almost all people the 1 to 6 conversion works and is mentioned if you research it.

[SueJohnson in reply to Sanmass]

If you are worried, you would be better to switch using the 1 to 6 and then wean down from there until the dose doesn't work, as there will be less weaning down to do.

[Sanmass in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue, after reading all the replies to my post I’m thinking about staying on the Pregabalin and just living with the side effects as I do get some relief. I am currently taking 200 mg hopefully I won’t have to increase the dosage. Thank you for all your help.

[joker826]

I found constipation to be the greatest side effect of Gaba

[Sanmass in reply to joker826]

I haven’t really been bothered with constipation, I guess it just affects us all differently, are you still on Gaba?

[joker826]

Yes I am! But cutting back due to constipation.