Hello, my name is Karmala. I was diagnosed with MS on Oct 17, 2007 at the ripe age of 44. I am now 48 and still changing meds and getting new pains. I thought my first flare was a sign to chill and go for the no stress thing and all would be fine. I evidently was incorrect. I am now suffering with lower back pain that I cannot control without medication that makes me feel like a zombie. Has anyone here taken Gabapentin?

I have not taken Gabapentin, but just wanted to welcome you to the community! You came to a good place. Sometimes it's a little slow here on weekends, so if you don't get a response right away, don't think you're being ignored!

Welcome Karmala

I was diagnosed at about the same age and for a year I had a stiff back all over and it was before I knew it was MS. I wasn't treated for it, but it only lasted for a year and then it was different symptoms. So yours might be temporary which is a good thing. I haven't taken that medicine but I took one for migraines called Topamax that made me dopey and those lasted nearly two years and then stopped. So try to get through it and hopefully your back will improve and you can cut down on or stop that medicine.

Hi and welcome to NeuroTalk! I was the same age as you when I was diagnosed in 2005.

I've taken Gabapentin before and it really didn't do much except make me feel light-headed and made me gain all sorts of weight. That was several years ago and I have since stopped taking it.

What kind of symptoms are you having? I've had so many different ones. Some stay and some come and go. Everyone's different.

Glad you came to join us. This is an awesome group of people!

Hated Gabapentin. Didn't help and made me a zombie.

I do Vicodin, never makes me feel anything but sleepy at bedtime. MS meds take a lot of self - experience and tweaking. MS takes a lot of tweaking.

Welcome Karmala, nice to meet you.

I take Gabapentin, 3x300mg, it works as expected with no side effects. It is expected that the 'zombie' thing will pass with a little time. There are many medications that are used for various pains, it is a Trial and Error sometimes to find the right one.

Welcome Karmala! Nice to "meet" you.

Yes, I was on Gabapentin (neurontin)for unrelenting, drive me crazy, icy-burning paresthesias over large portions of skin. I have no idea if it worked because I couldn't think on it which meant I couldn't work. I eventually had a 3 day course of steroids for the problem and put gabapentin on my "no can do" list.

Best to you,
ANN

hi karmala and welcome to NT.

i've taken G but but it didn't work well enuf for me.
i switched to Lyrica and have done well on it.

sorry you're having a rough time.

Welcome to Neruo talk. Hope you get the infomation you need here. You have found the right forum, and there are alot of folks that have MS that can respond to you. My cousin has MS, so I know just a little bit about it. I know of the medicine you speak of. Alot of people feel "drugged and dragging" while taking it. Sometimes it goes away, and others are unable to function well on it at all. Many are started at a lower dose, and gradually increased. In my case, I hated the medication, and I took it for neruological problems associated with my cervical spine issue. I felt just horrible, so I asked my doctor to allow me to stop the Med. Keep close touch with your doctor and do tell him all you are experiencing. I do hope some resolution and pain control can be found for you. There are pain specialists that deal with MS. I wish you all the best as you go forward with your care. ginnie