Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Anyone who couldn't tolerate gabapentin (caused depression) do well on Lyrica?

Only the reverse for me. Lyrica caused depressions, Gabapentin was fine. (Wasn't able to control my RLS though.)

I did tolerate Gabapentin a bit better than Lyrica but most likely only because Gabapentin is less potent and I was taking lower doses than I did relative to the time when I used Lyrica.

Ultimately, I've tried both drugs several times and just did not tolerate them at all.

Just to show how everyone is different I have only ever used Lyric and have no side effects that I am aware of. I started it because of burning neuropathy and got the bonus of it being good for RLS as well.

I was on Lyrica for a number of years worked for a period of time for me. However, in order for it to continue to work you needed to increase the dose...started at 75, then to 150. The side effects of Lyrica ultimately became intolerable. Urinary retention and host of others. I wouldn't ever recommend this drug to anyone suffering from RLS.

I had strong mood swings on gabapentin - sudden anger and depression. I knew it was the medication. Eventually I became almost suicidal. I'm not sure what the definition of suicidal is. Three separate times, weeks or months apart, I forget, and the last was the worst. I wanted to be dead. I didn't even care what my kids would think (that had always stopped me before). But I was also so utterly devoid of any spark of passion that I could not raise a finger to hurt myself. I was just nothing. A dread, dread, nothing.

I was out in the mountains at the time, working in a remote bush camp. Maybe in town I'd have found a way to end me.
I lived like that for 3 days. Then at about 5 pm the third day, it disappeared.

Anyway, that's how bad gabapentin was for me.

I avoided Lyrica for years, just in case. Then I started 75 mg 5 nights a week, to help with sleep, because my sleep architecture has been ravaged by hydromorphone. I stayed on that for 2 or 3 years, then last fall I took Dr B's advice to try 150 mg every night, but ramping up to it slowly. I have now been taking 150 every night for about 4 months now. No effect on my mood that I can tell.

So - it's possible you would be fine.

I've been on Pregabalin 150 mg and Clonazepam 2 mg for over a year without any significant side effects. Before the addition of Pregabalin, RLS had gotten worse and worse to the point of significant pain in my thighs and PLMS in the evening and night. Not like I don't deal with RLS on a daily basis but the pain and movement have been greatly reduced. I take Pregabalin about 7 pm (when it gets uncomfortable) and Clonazepam just before bed and sleep OK. The neurologist also prescribed Acetaminophen - Codeine #300 for the pain but I only use it once or twice a week. Kind of my backup for bad nights.

I felt a lot worse about the prospects for each day's late afternoon and evening mood before adding these meds. I wish it didn't have to be this way but it seems it does. Rick