Weight gain/loss on Lyrica

I have been taking Lyrica since the beginning of 2007. I was on 100 mg twice per day and while many people complained of weight gain while taking it I never experienced this until about a year ago when I was in a research study and my dosage went up to 450 mg/day. I was on thid for about 3 months and then decreased the dosage back down to 200mg/day. I started to gain weight while taking the higher dose and it has continued even though I am not taking as much anymore. I have never in my life had a problem with weight, I eat well and am active but this weight gain in my stomach is just depressing. I have always been very petite but I've gained 20 lbs and it seems to be mostly in my stomach/love handle area. I am thinking about asking my doctor about switching my medication but I am a little scared to because Lyrica works better than anything else ever has. I also heard that since the shelf life of Lyrica is 3 years that it could take that long to lose weight after I stop taking it, is that true? Does anyone have experience with stopping Lyrica and losing or not being able to lose weight? Also, does anyone have experience with the transition between Lyrica and Savella, how difficult is it and in your experience would you say it's worth it?