Hey Maz,
I agree with Terry and Kathy (not surprisingly
). Anyway, I initially tried Lyrica and it did not agree with me--I became hypersensitive to pain. Even if my wife touched my legs or the sheets touched them it was awful (I compare it to diabetic peripheral neuropathy). Needless to say, I stopped the Lyrica and tired Topamax. Topamax works wonders for a great deal of people. However, it's referred to ask "Stupidmax" in the hospital because it really affects cognition. I had extreme trouble with easy things like word choice. I couldn't name basic things--I would just have to point at the object because I forgot the name.
Well, this didn't work well with school...imagine that?!?
Now, I'm on 60 mg/QD of Cymbalta for the neuropathic indication and I think it helps. However, I started all of my "pain" meds at the same time so it's truly hard to tell if it is really working out of the pain pill cocktail I currently take. I'm sure it is working (even if I don't really notice) because it works on norepinephrine and serotonin receptors in the brain.
I would definitely give Topamax a try--not all people experience side effects on it. As always, consult your treating physician(s).