What is the major difference between pregabalin and gabapentin?

I am taking pregabalin (aka Lyrica) for Burning Mouth Syndrome. It is certainly helpful, although I had to find the right dosage. Too much and I was really tired all day, napping 1-2 times per day. 150 mg twice a day seems to be the right dosage for me, balancing pain relief against constant drowsiness.

For me the difference is that one works and one doesn't. Both take about 2-3 hours to start working, but I wouldn't expect much at first. For me PreGabalin was effective in a day or 2. I'm on 75 mg 3 x a day, but I could probably cut that to twice a day.

@mikead63
I have tried both but had to stop due to dizziness when I woke up and being tired throughout the day even though I took it before bed. I tried low doses of both. There are pros/cons to both medications but they are similar in how they work. Some prefer one over the other. I seemed a little better on Lyrica/pregabalin than gabapentin. It helps you sleep.

Are you having any negative side effects?

I am getting 900 mg before bed for pain in one ankle which occurs middle of the night. Maybe it helps with discomfort in other parts of leg. I had not heard of pregabalin.

Hi,
I have idiopathic small fibre neuropathy undiagnosed. I was on Gabapentin and got unto 1800mg per day. Way too much and found my brain fog and memory were terrible. Finally got back down to 600mg (3x200mg) per day but just holding the pain.
Neurologist switched me to pregabalin 150 mg (2x 75mg) per day. Find it better overall as burning sensations and tightness of nerves reduced. Brain fog lifting but I do get a dull headache each day cross my forehead so feel a bit thick in the head. I think it is the meds but not sure.
I've now been on pregabalin for 6 weeks now but had an overlap as I slowly came off gabapentin over 4 weeks.
It is so helpful thank you everyone for all your comments and feedback.

One of the things I have found out in my research over the past few months since I was diagnosed with IPN is that what medication works for one may not work for another and individual's pain and suffering is not always the same. My present daily regiment is 600mg of
R-Lipoic Acid (300mg before breakfast and 300mg midday) always on an empty stomach. Also, 480mg of Magnesium Glycinate (120mg with breakfast, 120mg with lunch or midday and 240mg in the evening). 2-3 hours before bed I take 600mg of Gabapentin. After reading many comments from others with IPN on what they are presently taking everyone is different. The key is to tinker with options until you find out what works best for YOU! Good luck!

So true. Everyone’s different and it’s worth trying out supplements . I’ve just introduced some R-Lipoic Acid (300mg before breakfast and magnesium before bed, PEA 2x daily under the guidance of a highly experienced naturopath. I’m hoping to reduce pregabalin dose as these set in.

I was taking 3600 mg of gabapentin daily plus duloxetine (60 mg daily) to control the pain and tingling in my feet. I even wear socks to bed. Once the pain broke through the gabapentin, they switched me to pregabalin plus duloxetine. I was on 300 mg per day and that worked well. Now that I lost eighty-eight pounds, the dosage was dropped to 200 mg of pregabalin per day with no noticeable changes. I noticed that I seem to have less fatigue than at the higher dosage.

I'm being switched from gabapentin to pregabalin. My dr said gabapentin can cause weight gain and edema. (Having trouble with feet swelling) Other than that Im not sure but they do work similarly.

i WAS PUT ON GABAPENTIN FOR FEW MONTHS AND WAS FINE. BUT SOME REASON TAKEN OFF AND PUT ON PREGABALIN FOR 2 MONTHS.....BAD! I HAS SUCH A ALLERGIV REACTION TO IT. ITS ON MY ALLERGY LIST NOW. FOR 2 WEEKS I WAS IN FOG, COULDNT REMEMBER HOW TO DO MY JOB, VERY MOODY, FELT LOST, AND OTHER MENTAL SIDE EFFECTS.

I WAS TAKEN OFF OF IT ASAP!! WEEK AFTER I WAS OFF I WAS BACK TO NORMAL. NEVER IN MY LIFE FELT LIKE THAT