After trying to just do this on my own, I asked my doc for some help back in Nov. He started me on amitriptyline. I loved it. Other than being very tired in the afternoons, I had no side effects. The pain was gone after taking it the first time. About a month in, it became very difficult to swallow food. So, they took me off of this one and put me on nortriptyline.

Again, it was great. It actually made me feel a lot better, even hyper. I would work all day, come home run 6 miles, and then clean house. By the way, the pain was always there with nor. but I didn't really care. It was a great weird sensation. Around the middle of February I started having severe panic attacks in the middle of the night. Weird stuff like paranoid I was dying and wouldn't make it through the night.....oh and I would get angry very easily. This went on for about a week and then I just quit the nortriptyline. It took about 3 weeks for me to feel ok. I was sick to my stomach every day and my head felt awful.

Now, I am clear of all meds. But man it is rough. My legs are locking up pretty badly during runs again. My weekly mileage is down a lot, about half. My face goes into spasms from simple things, such as me bending over. I know that it seems like I should just quit running and everything will be ok. But it won't. When I don't run, the pain becomes unbearable and the dizziness is not something I can take. I don't understand why, but running keeps my blood pressure at a normal rate so that I don't feel like I've been hit by a train all of the time. Also, there is something extremely therapeutic about running for me.

So, the last time I talked to my doc he wanted to put me on gabapentin. I am a little gun shy because of my experience with the last two meds.

So, what should I be warned about with gabapentin? Will it help with the constant spasms? How long will it take for the side effects to go away?

I wonder what dosage your doctor was giving you on the amitriptyline and nortriptyline? (Dosage for treating PN is usually much lower than the standard dosage used for depression.)

As for gabapentin, everyone's experience is different. I've been taking it for almost a year and a half. In my case, it is very effective for controlling twitching and cramping - so it might work for your "spasms". For me, the side effects aren't terrible - it's somewhat sedating and it does have a negative effect on libido. (I am male, so not sure how it might affect a female in that regard.) All in all I'd rather not be taking gabapentin - but the benefits are outweighing the side effects for me right now.

What kind of spasms? Do they hurt? Is it just like a quick spasm with twitches or a constant feeling of the muscle being squeezed?

If I'm not active, like at home, I have quick type spasms. I'll bend over to get something and my face locks up and then pretty quickly it's fine. Sometimes it will be longer very painful spasms. My lower calf muscles try to crawl up to my thighs. These can last for several minutes and they are extremely painful. This can be brought on by something as simple as stretching.

When I am running, my legs start locking/spasms about 4 miles in. This is not so painful, but my gait becomes very sloppy. My legs kind of flop while I am running. I have to stop, stretch, cool off and go again. I am pretty much convinced that the constant burning in my hips and abdomen is because my muscles are so tight all of the time. My ankles are always on the edge of spasms. If my shoes hit them just right, they will start.

He had me on the lowest doses to start. With both meds I was bumped up a dosage before the side effects began.

I took my first dose last night, 100 mg. I felt really weird this morning and it took a while for me to wake up. But I'm on spring break so no biggie. I went for a 7 mile jog at the park. I felt a bit sluggish, BUT and this is a big but my feet did not curl under and my legs kept a normal gait. It was pretty darn awesome. Starting to have some mild burning and that sensation of having feet made of broken glass this afternoon. Doc wanted me to take two doses today. Probably won't do that for a while. As of now, gabapentin gets a high rating from me. Hoping that I am able to continue using it without any severe side effects.

I'm glad to hear it's helping. None of us want to be on medication if we don't absolutely have to. But gabapentin is certainly not the worst.

For me, the drowsiness moderates once you get used to your dosage. Actually, I don't mind that aspect - it helps me sleep through the night very soundly, but I'm still awake during the day. And, I travel by car a lot for work so that is important for me. Obviously, use the lowest effective dose, and move up as necessary based on your symptoms. The typical does is 1800/day and some go as high as 3600/day. I was on 1800, then backed down to 1500 but below that symptoms get much worse.

So glad to hear that the drowsiness will get better. This morning I woke up fine, but I am feeling a little spacey.

I have been on Gabapentin for about 5 months now and am up to 2100mg/day. The drowsiness/spaciness only last for 2 days or so when I up the dosage and after that it subsides and I feel normal.