1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Neuropathic Pain

Gabapentin or Pregabalin

Posted , 11 users are following.

Dolgoch
Dolgoch

Which is best for trapped nerve pain in the lower back which causes leg pain, numb/pins & needles in feet.

I have been told by specialist that there is nothing that can be done and that I will have to live with the problem.

Perhaps there are other suggestions for this type of pain.

I would be glad of any help.

?Thanks.

0 likes, 32 replies

32 Replies

Prev Next
  • maureen09477
    maureen09477 Dolgoch

    Posted

    Hi. I also suffer with disc pressing on a nerve in my spine. Sciatica in leg and numbness/pins and needles. I was told that no operation would help me. They said as i get older my discs would fuse together and i would have less pain. ( they never mentioned about not being able to stand straight though ) I've had epidural injections. No relief.I tried taking tramadol pregablin nefopam amitriptyline. None of these eased my pain plus the side effects were horrendous. I was put on gabapentin 2 x 600mg three times a day. This was a really high dose. It eased my pain slightly and lessened the numbness etc. But the side effects made me feel like i was in a permanent dream. I used to bump into things , lose my balance , and trip over my own feet. I weaned myself off them eventually as i was just an embarrassment. I just take 2 before i go to bed now to help the pain through the night. In my opinion none of medication helped very much . I tried physio but i found that hurt me even more for days afterwards. I know people who have had operations for the same thing and have pain free afterwards. I don't know what was so different about me. I hope you can find something to relieve your pain. I know how you must be suffering. The next step for me was morphine and i refused that. I didn't want to live like a zombie. The gabapentin was bad enough

    Best wishes and good luck to you....

    • kennyatw
      kennyatw maureen09477

      Posted

      I also had sciatica in my lower left back and the pain went down my leg. I had the injection done and that part is better for the time being. I also have rheumatoid arthritis in my left leg but it isn't too bad yet. The next time I see the neurologist I am going to tell him about me getting off of gabapentin and tell him it does nothing at all and he will probably want to increase it but it's my body and see if there is something else he will give me that gets rid of body pain. Good luck with you as well..

  • john30536
    john30536 Dolgoch

    Posted

    I have not been responding to many posts but this caught my eye. I am a retired physician and this is out of my field of expertise. I will tell you and anyone else reading this that there is no one size fits all. There are lots of drug choices because we are all different. We all have slightly different body chemistry and different and unique problems. If anyone tells you this drug worked for me, great, but it may or may not work for you. There is NO BEST drug. I suggest you try them both, of course, not at the same time. If a drug seems to work, find the lowest dose that works for you. If it does not work at all, try another and do the same thing. There are many choices because we are not at all the same. Pregabilin has many more (and some very serious) side effects than Gabapentin. Try the Gabapentin first. I hope it works. You might even try taking GABA which is over the counter and very inexpensive. GABA is a very safe drug which slightly inhibits neurotransmission. It slows signals from nerves so it might work and can be taken day and night. Some people use it every night to enhance sleep. There is nothing to lose by trying this first. Look up these drugs on the internet and see what you think. Check the side effects and remember to use the lowest possible safest drug.

    Hope this helps.

    • kennyatw
      kennyatw john30536

      Posted

      I'm going to jump in for a moment, I have been on gabapentin for about 6 months and it has not helped at all for pain relief in my feet. My neurologist says that nerve pain is hard to figure out so that is why he gave me that. I have also tried cymbalta and lyrica which made things worse. He says that those are the only meds he can give me that will help but I disagree with him. He is also giving me baclofen and carbomazepine but I don't notice any difference taking those either. When I see him in a couple of weeks I am going to tell him but he will probably want to increase the dosage which I don't really want to. I did just order some gaba from Amazon so I will see how that works.

  • ctrix1
    ctrix1 Dolgoch

    Posted

    Hello, I have a similar condition which was caused by a constricted nerve that followed an inguinal hernia surgery procedure five years ago

    It's called meralgia paresthetica, and it's a burning, tingling, numb sensation, kind of like when you hit your "funny bone " in your elbow. First they tried gabapentin and amitriptyline but neither of those seemed to work. The most effective treatment was a pulsed RFA nerve block, using an ultrasound to guide the probe. The nerve block deadens the nerve, because killing it completely, would probably just trade one sensation for another. Not necessarily better. When the nerve is deadened, it eventually heals (5 months) and transmits pain again, and the procedure is repeated.

    Over the years, the condition has improved , and it's been about 8 months since I've last had this treatment. I also get two procedures that alternate every two months due to lower back problems. One is called a pars defect (a break in the pars tabs on the vertebrae that keep them stacked above and below each other) the other is degenerative discs caused by the defect

    also causing nerve compression. One of the procedures is lumbar RFA, the area in anesthetized, and an Xray guides a probe which burns and deadens the nerves. It's great for sciatica, and it reduces back pain by about 30%. (Significant) Two months after this treatment, I get another procedure called an epidural. The area is anesthetized, and an Xray guides the needle. And the compressed nerve roots are injected with a steroid. It reduces pain by 50% but doesn't last as long as the RFA. Then two months after that, I'll have the RFA again, and life goes on. Maybe one of these things might work for you. Good luck with that.

    • john30536
      john30536 ctrix1

      Posted

      This is actually a very sensible approach. Thanks for sharing. I do something similar for chronic back pain       ( spinal stenosis and facet joint arthropathy ). Your description is a little misleading though. The epidural steroid should never touch your nerves in your spinal or neural canal. The injection is into the epidural space ( the dura surrounds and encloses and protects the nerves). The injection is into the space outside the dura hence, epidural. RFA is radio frequency ablation if anyone is interested in pursuing this. It temporarily deadens  the nerves which supplement sensory fibers to the facet joints. 

      like I said in another post, we all are different and unique and have different problems and solutions.

    • ctrix1
      ctrix1 john30536

      Posted

      Thank you for clarifying that information about the epidural.
    • john30536
      john30536 ctrix1

      Posted

      I really should have said that I am considering an approach similar to what you do. I have had epidural steroid injections and finally decided to try the RFA. I would like to know from your experience how long after the procedure do you have the most pain relief ( how long does it take for you to have maximum relief ) and how long does that last? I know it is only your experience but it would be helpful to know.
    • ctrix1
      ctrix1 john30536

      Posted

      For me, the RFA (radio frequently ablation) relief is pretty much completely kicked in two to three days. Immediately after the procedure, I have to put an ice pack on my back because there is some trauma and inflammation from the procedure. It's gone the next day. The RFA seems to take away maybe 30 - 35% of the overall pain. Sciatica becomes non existent. RFA does not provide as much pain relief as an epidural, when it comes to standing up after sitting for an hour, but it does take more abuse. For instance, I can walk or exercise for longer periods or more frequently before aggravating nerves. I have RFA, then two months later an epidural, then two months after that, RFA again. It always seems that when I have one of these procedures, I'm looking forward to the relief they provide. Before I ever had RFA, which I had that for about two years before ever having a steroid epidural, There were times when I had to roll out of bed to my knees on the floor, and then stand up. RFA eliminated that for about five months at a time. I have a friend a who basically alternates RFA, and steroid epidural injections, at pretty much the same frequency as I do, and has pretty much drawn the same conclusions. I hope my opinions help.

    • howard71454
      howard71454 ctrix1

      Posted

      Also so have spinal stenosis. Having low back pain an
    • howard71454
      howard71454

      Posted

      and a sand anterior thigh pain.  Have the steroid epidural  years ago and physical therapy.   Pain doc said me to system should help both. And the neuropathic pain is worse.    Any thing else and luck to u too
    • ctrix1
      ctrix1 howard71454

      Posted

      I did not get steroid epidural injections for about three years following an MRI, because I was told I had stenosis which kept them from wanting do the epidural. I still got RFA. The pain management specialist moved away, and another one took over. This new one orded a new MRI (since the first one was now over four years old, and I guess that's all they last) and it was diagnosed that I didn't in fact have stenosis. That might be the reason against doing a steroid epidural, for you.

  • lisalisatheone
    lisalisatheone Dolgoch

    Posted

    Please get another opinion.  How old are you?  Whether doctors want to admit it or not,  it’s not natural to have pain and it’s coming from somewhere.  Get more opinions!!!!  Don’t suffer because of what one doctor says.
  • john30536
    john30536 Dolgoch

    Posted

    One thing for sure to try is a TENS unit. TENS is short for transdermal electronic nerve stimulation. You can buy them on the internet now for around $30. They work similar to acupuncture. They confuse the nerves and give at least temporary relief. Again, this is not a cure but it does work.
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.