Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Smith
You should take meds as directed, and consult your doctor about any changes. Gabapentin, once begun regularly, must be tapered off of gradually, as your body becomes dependent on the chemical, and you may experience withdrawal. There is also a slight risk of seizure (it is an anti-seizure med) if stopped abruptly or too quickly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin#Withdrawal
In my case, the need was occasional, and I was on the minimum dosage, so there was no place to taper down to...
If you can't tell if it's helping or not (you should have within a few days) then your dose may not be high enough, or the med just isn't effective for you. In either case, let your doctor know; s/he may want to try increasing the dosage before discontinuing/tapering off. This med does work very well for some people, so I think it should be given a chance when the side effects are not intolerable, and it doesn't sound like they are
Doc |
My doctor said of the 4 ( lyrica , gabenpentin , cymbalta and amitriptyline) that cymbalta was the only one that had to build up in the body to be effective. Like you I"ve tried the lowest dose of all but Lyrica ( that is a new one for me ) . The others just make me sleep too long and /or make me like a zomibie into the next day. So he says it is a trial and error thing so we are trying to find one that I can take when it is really bad but I'm doing the supplement route once i get the A1C back to below 5.8 as it has been for years , that is my goal so lifestyle changes will be the goal for this old lady lol