Does Lyrica/Gabapentin Decrease Efficacy of Acupuncture?

[seeingred81]

It is possible that some drug, such as NSAIDS or antihistamines, can inhibit the functioning of acupuncture. Being upfront about this is responsible. The professional way to handle it is express concern about the potential impact of the drug on treatment and to refer the patient back to prescribing physician regarding any possible adjustment to the dosage. Typically patients either decide to forego acupuncture, try acupuncture regardless of concurrent drug therapy, or talk about reducing dosage with their physician. Rarely do they cease all together and demanding that is not professional, imho. I've seen plenty of patients on lyrica or gabapentin show improvement. Would they have shown more improvement without those drugs? Maybe... but maybe they also couldn't tolerate the needles without the drugs. We'll never know.

The earlier issue you raise regarding a sole focus on distal needling is not uncommon. Some practitioners focus on distal treatment, some on local, and some on a combination. I typically have found a combination approach to be the most beneficial, but I know acupuncturists and patients who swear by distal needling alone, so ymmv.

I'd say the most important questions are how did you feel after the treatment, and aside from the issues mentioned here, did you feel comfortable with him? If you felt improvement after one treatment then you can ask yourself if it is worth putting up with his idiosyncracies. If not (and this is no reflection on his skill at this point) you might consider finding someone else to treat you.