I am on the max dose of Gabapentin - 600 mg, 3x/day.
So far I like Gabapentin, however I'm confused by my pain really hurting me a lot still (can't stretch, can't walk much), and by it working better and worse. It doesn't give me any side effects, which is good. I'm also on 20 mg Cymbalta, since November.
Every time I take Gabapentin, I need it. That is, I am tight and sore and in pain and, I tend to expect that Gabapentin will make it better, which it often dos. Sometimes, I really feel a period of pain relief, when I am lying down and ahh- all those spasming (cramping, pulling, tight) muscles relax. Its funny because I try to get them to relax all day by doing stretches/purposeful releasing, and yet its not until Gabapentin that I actually feel - oh, THATS how its supposed to feel.
I often wake up with a ton of spasms throughout my back that just get worse the longer I go without Gabapentin.
However, I don't feel that much better for very long. And seriously, even though better is much better than spasming (much, much much much better than spasming, it makes me feel terrible), its not very good! I'm starting to go crazy thinking that this is my quality of life- waiting for my meds to work, then going back into pain, and all the while not being able to run or stretch my hamstrings.
However also, of note- my experience is that Gabapentin works better when I combine it with Vicodin (from the ER)- which is 5-325 acetaminophen-hydrocodone, which I take just a half tablet at a time. I really notice a difference.
Also of note-I had a few times where I took Gabapentin a little too close together. What happened was really surprising. I had a period where I was like thinking-thinking-thinking-thinking, my thinking was just off the wall crazy and I felt anxious. But then when that subsided on its own, I became extremely at peace and "here" and could socialize with less problems than usual. (as in, at the synagogue, and that one time at the pizza place after my neurologist appt)
So with those things in mind- I am going to try Lyrica. While I do obviously expect it to help, that is why I am taking it, it likely won't help me in the incredible way that the anti fungal did, where my body started relaxing big time, not just a moderate decrease is spasms, but actually my muscles breaking open and letting go. So... its probably not going to cure me, you know?
How I'm doing on Lo-Loestrin -- I had the least bleeding period ever, had absolutely no need for a tampon. However, I felt that my blood really really smelled, stunk, and that was kind of gross.
