My husband has been diagnosed with shingles, my confusion is this: He got subscribed Apo-Gabapentin which our Blue Cross covers..I take pregabalin and have to pay. Checked on line and his is also recommended for fibro. Can anybody explain what the difference is if any..remember I live in Canada!!
Thanks
Hope you all have a good Day
Vicky
I dont have an answer for you but OUCH
I am so sorry to hear that he is having this painful issue.
Gabapentin (Neurontin)has gone generic and Pregabalin, (Lyria) has not. Big price difference, Vicky.
http://www.goodrx.com/lyrica?gclid=CMu5w42R37YCFYPd4Aod_jwA9A
http://www.goodrx.com/gabapentin?gclid=CPrby7GR37YCFUOe4AodnSUAgQ
Hi Vicky, Gabapentin is used for many different conditions. I have been on it now for a few years. It is prescribed for me for fibromyalgia and Essential Tremor. I had shingles twice but it wasn’t from the medication. Most people who get shingles end up with very painful post neuralgic nerve pain, and it can linger for sometime. I take the maximum dose, two 300mg in am and four 300mg @ night. I know how painful shingles are so my sympathy goes out to your husband. Let us hope
for a speedy recovery!
Hugs, Leanne
I have Blue Cross, but I'm in Texas. I originally took pregabalin, which is described as gabapentin on steroids. It was very pricey, and I reacted badly to it. Water retention, weight gain, some pains went a way but it caused new ones, etc. I'm now taking gabapentin with greater success, and it is just a $4/month generic for me.
Also, I take it only for fibromyalgia.
You are very fortunate, strixles! It's good to hear from you! So glad you are getting such good results with the 'Gaba', and getting it for such a great price! What a deal, the price of OTC things is astronomical these days!
Both are for nerve pain, and I would suspect that would be the commonality we share with a diabetic. That is my nonmedical professional guess. The main factors would be which you can tolerate, which med takes care of the pain, which your insurance company will pay for.
I was first given the Gabapentin for Sciatic nerve pain, it took care of he pain, but made me 'reel', I could not stand or walk unless I had a firm grip on another person or a wall. Though the Lyrica does cause fluid retention and weight gain, I am able to stop taking this for a day or two, when the swelling is out of hand, and it releases from my body automatically, and it does not cause the dizziness or vertigo, and luckily my Insurance covers this med. As far as stopping this for a day or two occasionally, I do this with my Doctors permission.
Vicky, have we managed to answer your question?
Hope you and yours are well!
SK
From what I know Pregablin can be given at lower doses to attain equivalent pain relief as Gabapentin. Therefore if taken long term is apparently safer as the lower dose produces less side effects.
Hope this helps some
Ann
Thanks for all the info, think I understand the difference. My husband is very tired and sleeps a lot, and shingles are drying up.
We have a whole house full of company coming for the weekend, and even a baby..toddler. So my granddaughter called health clinic and he will be ok.
Gentle Hugs to everybody
Vicky
Hi Vicky, my doctor warned me before taking Lyrica that provincial medical probably wouldn’t cover it because it was still considered new in Canada and not yet covered by pharmacare. Since I have additional insurance with my pension it was covered by that insurance. Unfortunately the side affects from Lyrica were too many for me to deal with. I am on gabapentin (200 and 300 mg) a fairly low dose, which my doctor keeps increasing slowly to see if I can handle it. She has told me that she has patients taking over 3000 mg a day and that gabapentin was the precursor of Lyrica. It does seem to help a little, and so far no serious side effects, not sure what will happen as the dose increases. Would suggest you discuss with your doctor ( have you resolved issues with him yet?) Hopefully Lyrica will be approved for pharmacare soon.
Not sure if you’re aware that there is now a shingles vaccine, as it can reoccur. I have been considering it as I’ve had it twice. The first time in my 20’s when it was the worse pain I’d ever had, the second time two years ago when it was sore but not that bad, and I was surprised at the diagnosis.
Hope things are going well with you and that your husband is better soon.
As others have said, Big cost difference, for one, but also Gabapentin is often used to help treat Neuropathic pains, either due to diabetes, Restless Leg Syndrome, and yes, some get it for Fibro, as I have. Secondly, Diagnosis plays big, Gabapentin was given to him as a short term treatment to change those nerve receptors during his Shingles outbreak, which is very painful, so sorry for his pain, however, Gaba can be used in Fibro but is not considered a Fibromyalgia Medication, and they may have wanted to get you on a Fibro Med first asap. Unfortunately, I do believe the 3 major drugs specifically approved for Fibro are all very new, have their Patents and are very pricey.
Gabapentin is actually an anti seizure medication but it has been around a rather long time so no Patent and they have had the time to observe its possible usefulness with other conditions.