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What is the major difference between pregabalin and gabapentin?
Neuropathy | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (36)Comment receiving replies
Wow! it really hit you like a tsunami! Debbie, I cannot imagine what you have gone through and what you are going through. Were you ever told why something like this came on so suddenly? You went through a lot. Thank you for sharing. Your comment about "other medical things to watch" is fresh in my mind because of things I am in the midst of. I met with one of the numerous specialists I meet with (all problems but not the end of the world), my gastroenterologist last week. He apologized for being 15 minutes late because his previous patient needed more time to discuss their recent diagnosis. He didn't need to apologize because that reminded me how much he cares about his patients. He then listened intently to my recent diagnosis of IPN and spent close to 30 minutes going over all of my medications, along with new medications I was taking for IPN in order to provide the proper regiment that would not affect the gastro problems I had been dealing with. Love the guy! Didn't have to do that but he did! please keep us up to date on how everything is going with you!
Mike
Replies to "Wow! it really hit you like a tsunami! Debbie, I cannot imagine what you have gone..."
Hey Mike,
I too have a digestive system issue. I was diagnosed back in 2010 with ulcerative colitis. I was taking the oral medication Asacol (mesalamine) for over 10 years and was in remission for most of it with one set back in 2014 after we lost our German Shepherd Codi unexpectedly. The stress caused a bad flare. I was able to get stabilized fairly quick and was doing great till the lockdown. I was able to transition working from home but being a supervisor overseeing 10 people was very stressful and in April I started having bad symptoms and my gastroenterologist had me start the blood infusion drug Entyvio and after the 3 start up doses I started getting some relief but after a few weeks I completely relapsed into a full flare. My Dr switched me to Remicade and that's why I am here in the neuropathy chat. After 2 startup doses I started getting severe side effects with the worst being bilateral neuropathy in both feet accompanied by chronic joint pain, badly fatigued most of the time and the worst tinnitus imaginable. All the side effects were caused by Remicade and my Pharmacist interview with Mayo told me he verified 50% of patients taking it have some sort of side effects. I am now permanently disabled and I lost my career I was planning on retiring from and my side gig as a drummer in two bands ended as well. Thankfully I am back in remission with my UC but the damage is permanent. I tried gabapentin working my way up to the maximum dose with no noticeable relief. I'm now on Lyrica (pregabalin) and has relieved the shocking pain in my feet about 80% of the time. I don't take gabapentin with it and will now ask my neurologist to see if the combination of the two would work better. Been a long ride trying to manage all this. Sorry for the long reply,
Brian
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Mike - Thanks for the kind words. We never found a definitive cause. They did all of the standard bloodwork for cancers, autoimmune, Lyme, even AIDS etc. All negative. The spinal tap done at the small hospital came back inconclusive for Guillain Barre with a note that the spinal fluid sample was insufficient. That test has never been repeated but a consult visit with Duke suggested a “post infection disorder similar to Guillain Barre”. After that, I spent the next few years between lengthy visits almost begging for scans, MRI’s, biopsies and other tests as I was hoping to find out exactly, so I would know how to manage and what to expect. It didn’t help that I had to move to different states a few times in these 8 years and start over with new doctors, but on the other hand, I secretly hoped fresh eyes might have ideas. I finally exhausted myself, learning that doctors relied most on prior notes of other doctors and I felt filed under permanent idiopathic, next patient please.
I have relied on this group for solutions and things to try. How to stay positive and live life to the fullest with our new set of capabilities. Someone said once ( @njed ) “focus on what you CAN do, not CAN’T do”. I hope you find easy answers and solutions to help you!