Neurontin vs Klonopin

schnebbles · Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject: Neurontin vs Klonopin

Anyone tried both? Better results with either?

I am currently taking klonopin and find myself taking more & more to keep it under control - maybe 5 .5mg tabs/day. Vs cutting them in half before - now I have to take a whole one. I wonder if I should ask about neurontin? Or maybe just keep on the clonopin b/c it does work just have to take more.

JAE · Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:20 pm Post subject:

Hi...I have had pain at a 9.

Good News..I was put on 0.5 Clonazepam three times a day. This did not take the pain below a 5/6.
In May I was put on Lyrica for Neuropathic pain in my temples.

I was to gradually up the dose to 150mg in the morning and 150mg at night.I had to cut back down to 75mg in the AM because of feeling drowsy.

This is the really good part. The Lyrica at the present dose along with .25mg in the afternoon and 1mg at night have taken the pain down to 0-1. Usually I don't even think about it now. Knock on wood!

Spicey food can still cause it to flare and also root beer etc.

I think that the two working together help.(By the way neurontin and Lyrica are pretty much the same thing but Lyrica costs a fortune.My Dr. gave me huge ammounts of samples.When they run out I will likely switch to neurontin since the cost is so much less). Pfizer makes both..neurontin is generic and Lyrica is new and is not yet...could Pfizer be using Lyrica for the money maker now? A Dr. told me possibly also a pharmacist.

Let me know what you do.

JAE

Confused

I still have the pain in my temples but glad it helped the tongue.

schnebbles · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject:

My doc always seems to choose the more expensive drugs. She gave my Lyricia 75mg 2x a day. I'll try that with 3 .5 mg klonopin and see how it works.

Is your Lyrcia dose 150mg?

Leah · Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 4:08 pm Post subject:

I take both--neurontin (the generic form of which is gabapentin, I believe) and klonopin. My klonopin dose is .25 3 times a day during the day, and then .5 mg at night. Neurontin is 300mg 2 x a day (night and midday). It certainly does make me groggy in the afternoon and I have to fight to stay awake at work. If Im up and about it seems to be fine. I dont find the klonopin really makes me sleepy at all.

The bad part is, I dont feel Im getting a lot of relief. Im ok in the AM, but it builds during the day and can be pretty bad by afternoon or evening.

One problem I have is remembering to take all these pills! Im supposed to take my klonopin at 10/2/6 during the day. Neurontin at noon. So that's four times a day. (I remember the night time ones.) When I get busy, it's easy not to be watching the clock and to forget. Any good tips on this?

Leah · Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 4:24 pm Post subject:

I was curious about the relationship between neurontin doses and lyrica doses, so I ... googled them! Lyrica doses are lower than neurontin doses b/c lyrica is said to be more potent. For anyone who is curious here is a link:

http://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/projects/pregabalin/

The material I read says that b/c Lyrica is more potent at lower doses it has fewer side effects. (less drowsiness???) The articles I read do mention that it was developed b/c Pfizer lost its patent on neurontin, so it's hard to know if the positives on lyrica vs neurontin are real or just drug company talk. But Im going to ask my neurologist!

schnebbles · Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:59 pm Post subject:

Thanks Leah.

I have upped my dose of Lyrica to 150 mg 2x a day - I believe it is helping - I am not taking as much klonopin.

I really wanted to try neurontin just b/c it's cheaper - all my drugs are free on my insurance, but I don't like to take advantage of it. I would still prefer generic to name brand even though I don't have to pay - I don't want my insurance paying for expensive drugs if cheap ones will do the same thing.

dmf · Joined: 29 Aug 2006 Posts: 5

I take both. Right now I take .25 Klonopin at bedtime. I take 300mg Neurontin in AM, 300at lunch and 600 at dinner. I would say overall the taste/burning as improved. My doctor feels that increasing the Neurontin is what would help more than Klonopin. Neurontin is what actually works on the nerves. My Psychiatist is the one ordering my meds. He's the only doctor that is interested in helping me. He has even called a researcher in Canada for me.

I am looking at changing around doses and times to see where I can best relief.

Administrator · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:46 am Post subject: I agree

Hi everyone

I agree 100% with Schnebbles.

The Clonazepam itself should have no analgesic effect, but probably help relaxing and sleeping. The Gabapentin (Neurontin) is the painkiller. I took 3x0.5Mg Clonazepam + 3x300Mg Gabapentin for 5 years. I then stopped the Clonazepam over 5 weeks without any change in the symptoms. I then tried to stop with the Gabapentin, and the symptoms got instantly worse. So I figured that it was obvious that the Gabapentin was helping with the symptoms and decided to try and up the dosage of it. So for one week I would try 3x600Mg. As soon as I begun the Gabapentin again the symptoms subsided, and after a couple of days - they were gone!!! I have been taking 3x600Mg for 4 months now, and don't have any problems with BMS any more. Knock on wood Wink

Take care
Andreas

Leah · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:42 am Post subject:

Andreas--

Really? No BMS symptoms any more? That's amazing news. I'm so glad for you.

My neurologist has resisted increasing my klonopin dose (1.25 mg spread across day and evening) but recently suggested I double my neurontin dose (currently 300 mg 4 times a day)--just about the same thing you are now taking. I picked up the new prescription but have been afraid to start. I worry I will fall asleep at work! But now I will definitely give it a try. Andreas, when do you take your 3 doses?

I promise to report back. If it works for you, maybe it will work for me. Maybe for others, too... Fingers crossed.

Leah

Jeanne · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject:

Wow! This is earth-shattering. If this works, I may have to rethink my decision about taking not taking drugs. Eventhough my burning is very low, it's still there and it would be like heaven to totally get rid of it. Andreas, are you still planning to go ahead with the oral surgery for your bite? Maybe now you won't have to do that. I will be very interested to see if this is a real cure. I'll keep hoping!

Administrator · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:19 pm Post subject: Hey

Hi Jeanne and Leah

It's amazing! It hasn't really sunk in yet.

I take 600Mg Gabapenin morning, afternoon and before bed.

Andreas

PS. Oral surgery is cancelled for this reason Very Happy

Jeanne · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:25 pm Post subject:

Andreas, did your dosage of neurontin increase over the years? Do you think you'll have to continue to up the dosage to get elimination of symptoms? From my reading, it seems that it's non-habit forming and a good pain drug for many nerve-related conditions. The side-effect of sleepiness would actually be helpful for me, except during the day. Is daytime sleepiness something that diminishes after a while? Many people on this board take neurontin and klonapin in combination and no one has achieved complete elimination of symptoms. Do you think the klonapin interferes with the action of neurontin? Or do you think they're just not taking enough neurontin? I'm definitely planning on discussing this with my doctor and giving it a try.

Leah · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject:

I've started on a version of the Andreas Plan--something my doc recommended but that I was afraid to try b/c of fear of drowsiness. Interestingly, Im not finding that I am drowsy, even though I am taking 600mg 4X day. I still take the klonopin (.25mg), b/c I dont think you can go off of it all at once, but I dropped my AM dose. (Who wants to take klonopin right after waking up!) My plan is to gradually eliminate it during the day and then take it at night only (helpful for sleep). I dont think there is any reason why klonopin would interfere with neurontin. I think the big issue here is whether upping the neurontin to 600mg per dose is what did the trick for Andreas. I don't have anything particularly good to report yet, but it's only day 2, and Andreas said it took several days for the pain to subside. Im waiting and hoping!

Im also curious, Andreas, if you were able to return to other habits--like normal toothpaste, drinking coffee, etc. I would be satisfied (very satisfied!) just to eliminate the pain. But Im curious.

hollie · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:

I dont want to be on clonazapam because of the bad effects it can have on the body but I am scared of cutting my dose any more. One of the side effects I have from clonazapam is better confidence and Im scared of losing that. Also I think neurontin gives me side effects of a very poor memory so scared of upping it. It could be the clonazapam causing the poor memory but I know it gets worse when I up the dose of my neurontin.

Im too scared to change any dosage, but I know really I should cut my clonazapam and up my neurontin very slowly at same time and check the results. Maybe I need to feel bit more stable in my life in general before I start to change this.

Leah · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject:

Hollie--What are your current doses of neurontin and klonopin? I didn't have any trouble dropping my AM dose of klonopin (.25)--and it is something you can take at night if you just want to keep a certain blood level in your system (b/c it makes you feel less tense, more secure, whatever). I may try to drop another dose too; I dont feel it makes a difference and it does make me sleepy.

I DO feel that neurontin creates some memory loss--that is, I sometimes feel I'm fighting through brain fog to get at information. But every time I have increased neurontin I have felt like this, and then gotten better. Im hoping that will happen on the higher dose Im now taking.

It would be interesting to hear whether others are trying the Andreas Plan and if so what results they are having. I am on day 5 and, alas, I havent yet noticed any improvement. I am still holding out hope that at some point I will.

Leah