I've just been prescribed gabapentin, for anxiety, as well as a butrans patch (slow release buperenorphine) for arthritis pain. It has been helping me generally. I really feel like it's helping my pain, at the 300mg dose, even without dosing again during the day. It gives me a fuzzy feeling all over, and I'm more relaxed than usual. It's also helping potentiate the bupe, which wasn't working so well at first. Although I've read for a lot of people, it negates part of the opiate high.
I tried lyrica a long time ago (like at 16/17), I only took one and I was completely out of control with my movements. I couldn't walk straight, and kept running into walls as well as having no euphoria; I felt like I was on a tilt-a-wirl. Never tried it again, because no high while being fucked up for 24 hours is not my idea of fun.