FAQ/Help |
Calendar |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Medications & Treatments For discussion about medications and treatments for any disease or health condition, including issues of medication toxicity. |
Reply |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
10-04-2008, 06:12 AM | #1 | |||
|
||||
Member
|
I just began taking Neurontin for burning pain and have been taking it for 10 days titrating slowly. I am only beginning 900mg today and I know it can take 2-4 weeks to build up in your body. Do you give the drug a few weeks at that dose and if it doesnt help call your doctor and ask for the dosage to be raised? When do you know it is time to try another drug or add another drug? I think I am giving this a shot and either add Elavil if i need to , or if this doesnt work try Lyrica. Is there a mechanism in Lyrica that works differently from Neurontin? Thank you in advance for your help.
|
|||
Reply With Quote |
10-04-2008, 07:48 PM | #2 | |||
|
||||
Member
|
Don't have the answers you need Jess, but I can give you a moose-size thread bump!
__________________
You can't have everything. Where would you put it? -Steven Wright Once you change your mind, you can change your life. -Della Reese . Always outnumbered... Never outgunned . *I* am the MonSter that MS fears |
|||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-05-2008, 06:26 AM | #3 | |||
|
||||
Member
|
Thank you...from another North Carolinian
|
|||
Reply With Quote |
10-05-2008, 11:16 AM | #4 | |||
|
||||
Co-Administrator
Community Support Team
|
What kind of pain are you taking it for?
Maybe we can copy your question to the forum that covers your symptoms/condition. From what i have read in general for chronic pain conditions - some take a short term pain med {or for break thru pain} along with a long acting/sustained release med. If your pain isn't managed then a call to the dr is needed, sounds like you need adjustments to your rx right now. depending on what your pain is from {muscle, nerve, acute injury or ??}, some other modalities might be good to look into also. If muscle based- Heating pad, Electrical stim {TENS or IF stim}, ultrasound, low level laser, massage, stretching... If you can give more info it will help us with ideas for you. PS- I just noticed your other posts But you might call the dr and let him know your pain levels and ask about a short acting med to bridge the time until the Neurontin kicks in..
__________________
Search NT - . |
|||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-05-2008, 12:01 PM | #5 | ||
|
|||
Member
|
Jess--
I am on both Neurontin and Elavil.... I take the Elavil for Allodynia and Neurontin both Nerve Pain AND seizures (I also have epilepsy, but was put on Neurontin initially for the nerve pain-- as the nerve pain dosage is much less than the dosage, ironically it has help my seizures better than the pain, lol) I would give the Neurontin some more time-- for any condition you are using it for (It took me a good while for me to see any results for either/or both conditions). I am a little confused about your dosing, but, you mentioned you are on 600 mg right now and you've been on it 10 days. How exactly did you titrate ? And, is 600 mg your target dose or are you still in the titrating phase ? When I first started Neurontin, my target dose was 900. I started at 300 mg and increased it by 300 mg per week (some people titrate faster tho) until I reached 900 mg. HOWEVER, even if 600 mg is your target dose, it can take time to see results. Just like most of the CNS meds it takes your body a while to start building up in your blood. For example when I started Elavil (I was on Elavil before I added Neurontin to it) I titrated faster than I did with Neurontin, but it took about 3 weeks at my full dosage before I saw signifigant results. Thankfully, my doctors -- and the research I did, gave me a heads up on it..... As for whether to ask the doctor to increase it or not is a descion only can decide. However, a lot of doctors will want you to give it a little more time unless you are having major side effects. In figuring what med would be best (least side, best relief ), I stopped Elavil (it was making me very sleepy, groggy, etc) and did trials of Pamelor and Lyrica. I was on Pamelor for about a week and Lyrica not much more--- BUT, it really had nothing to do with pain relief-- both caused severe and intolerable side effects and I wasn't able to get to my target dose. BUT, as in the case with both Elavil & Neurontin, while I had side effects, none were dangerous and i stuck with my target dose for several weeks, even though it didn't initially, signifigantly, relieve the pain I had to give it some time to see if it would help-- which it did, before we'd (my dr and I) raise the dose. (Btw, Ironically, I had major, dangerous problems with Lyrica, but none of the dangerous side effects with Neurontin--- the complete opposite of what is most people experience (Lyrica, Neurontin's sister drug, is supposed to be the drug with much less side effects compared to Neurontin)) Good Luck and I hope you are able to get some relief soon ! L2L Last edited by love2laugh; 10-05-2008 at 11:49 PM. |
||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-05-2008, 12:02 PM | #6 | |||
|
||||
Member
|
It is nerve based. Pudendal nueralgia.
My pain level is lower in the morning, and i wish I had my students in the morning and ended at 2. My pain increases as the day goes on and it seems to be really noticable and painful around 4 or 5 oclock. I read that the thearaputic dose for Neurontin is around 1800mg or more, depends on the individual, so i will call my dr on Monday to see if he can in crease my dosage more. I just wondered once i get to the desired or theraputic dose, how long does one stay on the dosage to see its effectiveness? Would I stay on 1800mg for 4 weeks? I also notice that many people take a tricyclcic antidepressant with an anticonvulsant for nerve pain... would I ask for that? I know it is trial and error, it is just hard to have patience when you can't sit and you have burning pain. Lovetolaugh--- thank you so much for responding. i hope you are doing better with your pain as well. I don't know what my goal dosage is.. it might be 1800. I started out at 300 for a week, went to 600 for 2 days and then my dr upped it to 900 ( just been on it for 3 days). I know i am impatient, but I have the burning at 900mg and really think more is needed.. although I am not the expert. So it has been about 12 days thus far on the meds. I can tolerate it well, so I thought it would behoove me to see about an increase. I heard about Elavil as well relieving some pain... and I know it can make you tired. I really appreciate your response, and have to see how things work. It is hard to not get frustrated. I don't even know how I ended up with this illness, although it may have been from muscle spasms and chronic constipation irritating the nerve. I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with the Lyrica. So you did like the Elavil for nerve pain? What dosage did you take? thank you |
|||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-06-2008, 12:00 AM | #7 | |||
|
||||
Co-Administrator
Community Support Team
|
I've also read that some people metabolize the meds faster or slower than the norm- so that might be something to be aware of also.
__________________
Search NT - . |
|||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-06-2008, 12:41 AM | #8 | ||
|
|||
Member
|
Jess--
I am still on Elavil (in addition to Neurontin). My current dose is 20 mg but I've been on as low as 10 mg and as high as 30 mg. With the Elavil I did a lot of trial and error to try to find a dosage that helped with the pain, but with the least amount of side effects---ithe goal being quality of life. Side effects wise, it usually makes me sleepy (& depending on the dose I might have other side effects such as grogginess, cognitive problems, etc), but I take it right before bed to minimize that and any other side effects I may have. As for the Neurontin, when I first started it, my target dose was 900 mg and I stayed at that dose quite a while (or slightly more when I had some new pain). About four months ago my former neuro and my current one have made a lot of changes (my former neuro decreased it, current neuro increased it) and I am currently at 1800 mg. We didn't increase it so much for the nerve pain factor, but rather for the seizure factor (in the beginning no one expected it to help my seizures as I was on a "pain dose" vs an anti seizure dose; but it did help both). Normally, the dosage is lower for people using it for nerve pain vs seizures; same with Elavil and depression--- a lower dosage for people taking it for pain vs people using it for depression. I am glad you are tolerating it well--thats a wonderful thing. I have some side effects from it, (but I am also on many other meds for various neuro issues, so....) but just taking things day by day, making adjustments when I need to, working with my doctors, figuring out ways to combat side effects and achieve the best possible quality of life (balancing benefits of the meds and the side effects they bring). Hanging in there and keep trying-- whether it be a different dose or a different med. I understand how frustrating it can be. Good Luck and Keep Smiling --- L2L |
||
Reply With Quote |
"Thanks for this!" says: | weegot5kiz (10-11-2008) |
10-20-2008, 12:26 PM | #9 | ||
|
|||
New Member
|
I am not taking that pain medication, but I know your dilemma, and I just want to call my doctor that same night. Actually I did. She did say it may it may be hard but I do have to let my medication build up. She told me to keep a pain journal ( to track the changes or the lack of changes in my pain) and if I didn't she any changes I could call. Right now the dr. is trying administing a different way beffore a diferent dose but, I pushed the dr.
Your doctor probably would be willing to work with you during this month while your trying a new drug, if not, do what I do, be a squeaky wheel. don't let them forget how much pain your in. Good luck let me know what you end up doing. I hate anyone being pain. Shelly |
||
Reply With Quote |
10-20-2008, 05:12 PM | #10 | |||
|
||||
Member
|
Thanks Shelly
What did you end up doing with your meds? My doctor added Elavil 25mg, so I am taking that along with the gabapentin 1800mg, I am seeing how they both do together over the next 4 weeks in deciding whether I need to up any dosages. |
|||
Reply With Quote |
Reply |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Do pain meds really make you pain free> | Chronic Pain | |||
Do meds give a person a false sense of security? | Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD and CRPS) | |||
Need Evidence That Pain Meds WILL work for MS Pain | Multiple Sclerosis | |||
Long Term use of Anit-seizure Meds | Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD and CRPS) | |||
meds taking too long | Bipolar Disorder |