Neurontin and Lyrica for Fibromyalgia

In the past, when I first was diagnosed with Fibro, I took many different medications to try and reduce my symptoms of pain and fatigue and numbness and tingling.  Neurontin and Lyrica were just 2 of the treatments that my rheumatologist prescribed at different times. 

I have put them together, in this post, because I now know, that they are both anticonvulsant drugs or anti-seizure drugs. Neurontin is also called gabapentin and Lyrica is also called pregabalin. 

Neurontin (gabapentin) was made to treat epilepsy but is now used to treat fibromyalgia and other types of chronic pain. It is used to treat neuropathic pain which I had in the form of the tingling and numbness in my fingers, hands, toes and feet. 

It is not possible to know whether Neurontin will help you or not before you start taking it. Apparently it helps 4 out of 10 people reduce their pain by half according to a clinical trial run on 5633 people with Fibromyalgia. There are a few side effects and I experienced one of them which was dizziness. 

Now dizziness may seem very slight to some people, as a side effect, but it made life very difficult, especially driving.  I also experienced nausea, even when taking the tablet with food. The good news was that the tingling and numbness did stop initially, which was very exciting after living with it for many years but after 2 weeks it came back again. The suggestion was to increase the dose but this also increased the dizziness and the nausea. By this stage I had gained weight and felt that my fibro fog was more constant.  In the end I chose to stop taking it because the side effects seemed to outweigh the benefits.

Gabapentin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• drowsiness
• tiredness or weakness
• dizziness
• headache
• uncontrollable shaking of a part of your body
• double or blurred vision
• unsteadiness
• anxiety
• memory problems
• strange or unusual thoughts
• unwanted eye movements
• nausea
• vomiting
• heartburn
• diarrhea
• dry mouth
• constipation
• increased appetite
• weight gain
• swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• back or joint pain
• fever
• runny nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat, or flu-like symptoms
• ear pain
• red, itchy eyes (sometimes with swelling or discharge)

Both Neurontin and Lyrica are antiepileptic medications and overall they are quite similar but have a few differences: absorption of Neurontin happens in the small intestines and absorption of Lyrica happens in the small intestine and in the ascending colon as well and is more quickly absorbed.  

Lyrica (pregabalin) is also a drug that targets nerve pain and I remember on the first night I took it having no pain and an extremely good sleep. This was exceptional as I had been in pain every day for years and also having difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep. Little did I know that the daytime drowsiness would not go away and the lack of pain only last 3 days. They were 3 days of bliss though and I remember going around the house saying "the absence of pain is bliss." Sadly the dose had to increase, the drowsiness did not subside and I started to get blurry vision all of which meant Lyrica was no longer my best friend. Once again I decided to stop a medication after consulting my specialist.

Pregabalin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• tiredness
• dizziness
• headache
• dry mouth
• nausea
• vomiting
• constipation
• gas
• bloating
• ''high'' or elevated mood
• speech problems
• difficulty concentrating or paying attention
• confusion
• difficulty remembering or forgetfulness
• anxiety
• lack of coordination
• loss of balance or unsteadiness
• uncontrollable shaking or jerking of a part of the body
• muscle twitching
• weakness
• increased appetite
• weight gain
• back pain

SOURCES: MedlinePlus for side effects

YOU May also be interested in these articles:
Duloxetine in patients with Fibro 
Opoids and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia medications list

Medications used for Fibromyalgia