[dmplaura]

Ok, a little history.

I've tried Carbamazepine. Bad news, 2 days and I had an extremely rare and scary side effect on the stuff.

Neurontin (Gabapentin) I began slowly and was on for quite some time, gradually building up. I didn't have problems until I reached the 500-600mg mark with this medication.

Now the reason I was trying Gabapentin was due to my burning mouth syndrome (which I still have, but which is being held at bay by my 'wonder drug' known as Clonazepam). Gabapentin didn't help 1 bit for burning mouth alone, but I know folks who pair Gabapentin/Clonazepam for BMS.

ANYWAYS... long story short, I'm wondering if it may be worth trying a lower dose of Gabapentin again, now that I'm experiencing a return of the pain in my trigeminal nerves (mostly left side, but right side is also affected).

It doesn't seem that Gabapentin at 300mg (for example) was much of an issue side effect wise.... it was at 500+ that I felt like my head was going to explode.

Thoughts? I am really looking for options for this trigeminal pain, which I've been informed can ONLY be managed by anti convulsants (or surgery... shudder).

I'll have to consult my doc obviously, but as we're the weekend and I have entirely too much time to think about things, I'm just wondering if it's worth a shot or not.

Edit: I should mention, I'm asking this for my headache situation, not the burning mouth. I've been suffering from 'headaches' or pain in the trigeminal nerve since I quit smoking basically.... end of September, so 4 months now. Lovely huh?!

[FinLady]

Depends on the type of reaction/side effect you had. Allergic reactions will always be an issue if that is what you had. Some of those reations build over time and will reappear when you take the med again.

I'm allergic to an antibiotic. It took a few years for me to get the allergic reation to it, but now I can't touch the stuff since the last time I took it I got hives.

[dmplaura]

Nah, it wasn't an allergic reaction... I just felt like my head had a bunch of pressure in it from the Gabapentin at 500+. I recall taking 300mg (I think it's measured in mg's) for quite some time without that issue.

I was taking Amitriptyline at the same time as Gabapentin as well, so I've been thinking about trying the anti convulsant again (Amitriptyline caused me a bunch of issues).

Or has anyone that's taken Gabapentin had trouble with it, but been ok with another type (Lyrica is one my neuro suggested, my GP said she hasn't seen much good come out of it)?