Wow! I knew there were side effects but this stuff is gonna' kill us...

Please read the article referred to in the starting post of this thread. The point is Neurontin is not effective for neuropathic pain and the data was suppressed and lies where told, millions earned. There may be a class action law suit to get our money refunded for drug cost and insurance's may also look for reimbursement. So don't risk those side effects for medications not proven to work for your disorder.
Placebo effects mean that the patient is not able to tell why they are feeling better but they do. we are highly suggestible creatures. There is no way to know if you are having a placebo response or a true response except in a clinical trial using dummy pills. If it works for you fine.
Most people taking sleeping pills before bed fall asleep before they can possibly be absorbed and effective. Placebo a very powerful effect.

I agree, the placebo effect can be strong, as our brains are powerful tools, but if this was a blind study and they did not know they were on placebos and it wasn't working it seems like there might be something wrong there.

I know I can't believe I didn't see this stuff before I went on the drug.. that is very scary to think about.

I didnt read the article. I do know people that Neurontin worked for and it wasn't the Placebo effect. I am on 1800mg and it has lessened my burning pain. The pain is still there, feeling dulled or lessened not "gone". So, it works for some doesn't for others.

I am wondering if you have tried Lidoderm patches? Since your neuropathy seems to be caused by a surgical procedure.
Placing a Lidoderm over the small of the back, where the pudendal nerve enters the spinal cord, may interrupt the pain signals more effectively than a systemic drug.
You would need to know exactly where your pain generator is, and place the patch carefully, on the back where that nerve root goes to the spinal cord.

:mad:What is the deal with this medication?
Isn't this the same medication that was marketed to psychiatrists as an off label cure for mood disorders, particuarly bipolar disorder...when there were no studies to prove it?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...in-cover_x.htm

In addition, my doc had me take it for a few weeks to see if it helped my migraines. :eek::mad: Guess what? No help there. All I got was a lot of weight gain! :mad:

Over the years and through the grapevine (not woods..LOL!) I have heard that some folks get some help with nerve issues with this medication. I am baffled as to why it is seems to be marketed so heavily. Maybe not enough people are getting good results or its use is limited....and they are trying to get more out of it. Bottom line, if it works for some, that's a good thing. But, to suggest it to folks w/o studies or for those who it might harm...that's another. I wave a "red flag" when I see talk of Neurontin.

The focus today is on Lyrica. Neurontin is GEQ now, and Pfizer does make a generic version ~~Greenstone. But others do now too. The doctors latched onto this, and are still holding.
They are a slow lot...slow to get going and slow to change.
Lyrica was meant to also be an antianxiety drug, I remember when it was in phase III studies. It failed FDA standards, and came out only as an antiepileptic. Recently Lyrica invested
in studies and now has an approved indication for Fibromyalgia. The neurologists are told that Lyrica is just a more potent form of gabapentin (Neurontin), and since some insurances still won't pay for Lyrica, then gabapentin remains in the treatment protocols. It gets rather complicated.

There seem to be certain types of people who cannot tolerate either drug. The fluid retention/weight gain is significant, and probably tied to some metabolic difference. Neither drug is liver metabolized, and both are excreted whole in the urine.
So kidney functions may be a deciding factor.

The bipolar attempt failed very early on when the drug first came out. It was dropped fairly quickly. Anticonvulsants do work for some bipolars, but gabapentin did not have the central actions necessary for it. It is thought that gabapentin exerts its actions on the spinal cord and blocks transmission of pain signals that way.

Works for me!
 

Following a thoracotomy, the pain was so severe I had to sleep in a chair as I could not get into or out of bed. I could barely move. Was prescribed neurontin. Pain has almost diminished to zero.

^^ Fabulous! What dosage where you on and for how long?:)