I had my own personal horror story with Neurontin. I never expected the withdrawal from that medication to be so severe, but it most certainly was. Worse than anything else I've tried and tapered off. Scary stuff, and it didn't help me or my symptoms (pain notably).

Clonazepam (for burning mouth) and Cesamet for neuralgia (pain and burning in my head). Seems to be my winning cocktail. I seem too to have notably fewer Trigeminal Neuralgia attacks on these medications, and if I do have cranial nerve pain/attacks, they're lessened in severity from what I endured previously, and shorter lived.

I didn't even know you could OD on Gapapentin. That's scary stuff.. but it might explain why Carbamazepine is on the routine blood work 'sheet' from the city hospital here - another anti-convulsant like Gapapentin (Neurontin). I had actually asked doc about that and she said, "Yes, it's blood screening for the drug". I thought that was weird until I read your account about Neurontin and overdoses.

(PS: Carbamazepine was by far the scariest medication I ever ingested. I don't want to ever go back to that, it didn't do a thing either).

You probably know Clonazepam is Klonopin -- it is addicting too and has withdrawal symptoms as well. When I was abruptly taken off Neurontin, they took Klonopin and Tramadol from me as well.

I was on 3mg Klonopin nightly to help me sleep and the Tramadol I took every 6 hours for pain. Tramadol is not a 'regulated' pain medication however.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I find it interesting but scary at the same time.

I was put on Neurontin as a last ditch effort to control my being Bipolar. Neurontin did not help with my MS spine pain nor did it do much in the way of my Bipolar problems.

Take care.

This is interesting, about Gabapentin. I took its cousin, Lyrica, one pill when I was recovering from Shingles a couple of years ago. The Shingles was in my hip, leg, foot, and I could barely walk when I got out of the hospital. The pain was more intense than anything I have had. So I hoped I could get off Demerol and get on the Lyrica.

Very bad results! Perhaps due to the problem you describe, of the drug traveling in the nerve, which is damaged, and building up! My reaction was to feel my breath constricted, you know, like we do sometimes. This was so bad that I just waited until the drug wore off and never took another one. One pill and out! Back to Demerol until
the Shingles was healed.

Thank you for your profound reply. You are so right about the lessons one can learn from this, I do see it clearly in my life since this started. You are also right.......sometimes we don't get answers for a long time, sometimes there are no answers to things that happen in this life........very true.

Did you have sensory all over body or just in certain area?

Could you describe sensory symptoms:

Thank You.

I've had, in relapse, periods that my whole body's been 'affected'.

Sensory for me involves burning sensations, mostly from the neck up. This includes the left side of my head/face (occasionally the right, majority of the time the left), and my mouth. These are 'consistent' symptoms that never fully leave me.

I also experience decreased smell/taste, which can change day to day, minute to minute. There's no rhyme or reason. Yesterday, I had a good 'sniffer' day (could smell well, and as a result taste well).

I do have little symptoms come and go that remind me of MS otherwise. I have a spot on my right leg that feels at times like I've dropped water on my leg, or I get a buzzing sensation on the bottom of my left foot.

During a recent stressful period at work, I could feel, from the hips up, a burning throughout my entire upper body.

In relapse, I've had many different symptoms, L'Hermittes sign and girdle-banding were the 2 that were my 'hallmark' MS symptoms. I've had all types of pins and needles, burning, humming, you name it. It's difficult to explain the types of sensations, I told my neurologist L'Hermittes was like someone was strumming a guitar string against my bare back each time I bent my head down (not to mention I felt like a wizard due to the electrical sensation going through my hands. I half expected to begin launching magic missiles).

I have the double/blurry vision (another remaining symptom). In relapse, I went through 2 periods of extreme vertigo.

There's a million different symptoms MS can cause. It's important too to remember that my symptoms could be applied to another disease or condition, as there's many mimics to MS out there.

Good post, Laura.

I can relate to many of those sensations.....

I just wish someday I could actually see or feel real water running down my leg......it would be such a nice surprise!!