hair and liver problems
 

I have been on Neurontin for about 5 years for peripheral neuropathy in my feet. has anybody experienced hair loss or liver problems after long term use of this drug? I can find nothing associated with these two problems in the drug "side effects" info. Anybody else?

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

Neurontin is excreted whole and not metabolized by the liver.
So liver damage is not reported for it.

Many anti-seizure drugs do affect the hair, and typically the recommendation is to use zinc for that.
One OptiZinc a day should do the trick.

Also some people find MSM (a source of sulfur) helps.

Some women lose hair when taking birth control pills or hormone replacement drugs.

Poor protein intake can also lead to hair loss.

Sometimes the pituitary can malfunction as well, but a doctor would have to evaluate that. Hair loss is pretty common in stress situations, and prolonged illness.

I really appreciate the information. I will try zinc. I think being so uncomfortable 24-7 leads to lots of stress. Sleep is interrupted nightly and you can never get away from the pain. I take 1600mg of Neurontin daily.....at first I was taking 3200mg and one day I was driving around looking for a place to shoot myself. Quit that doseage real fast.

one of my toenails had lost it color turning yellowish and still continues to grow but is thicker. Its on the the toe that is the numbest. What may be causing that?

Are you on any other meds then neurontin or do you take over the counter ones like tylenol etc? I think those can be hard on the liver so why I ask. Have you had recent blood work to rule out anything else that can be causing hair and liver problems? How is your diet?
Hope you feel better

I am 58 years old and usually eat on the run like a teenager. Sometimes I am ashamed of how I take care of myself....like every other woman...everybody else comes first. I run my own business and am constantly on the go. I think I just need to get my priorities in order. Horrible diet could be part of this.

julu im a man and have been having liver problems the last two years without knowing it. I cut out the amitriptylene and am taking some additional supplements such as milk thistle to help my liver heal. I will get retested in October and hopefully will be doing better liver wise. i dont drink, or smoke, but it could be medication related from asthma meds and amitriptylene. My hair is doing ok .....still .....not bad for 54 ha!

Did you have blood work recently and was any other nutrition or levels off? Could you see a dietician or try to slowly change your diet? I am not saying it will help this as I don't know but it could not hurt and may make you stronger to fight. Some nutrition issues though can also impact liver and hair loss. I remember with my liver issues I was put on a special diet to put less stress on the liver

Is the amitriptylene for neuropathy? If it is do you find that it helps?

yes it helped m ewith pain at night and let me sleep through the night once i got to sleep, but its not easy on the liver and so i cut it out when i got the report about my deteriorating liver from a pulmonary cat scan.

Hi echoes what dose were you on? Im on 30mg and it helps the most for pain, especially for the creepy crawly sensations inside the feet.
I wouldnt imagine low dose would be toxic to the liver but Im only guessing :)

25 mg. im not blaming the amitriptylene for the liver damage, i was exposed to many toxins in high concentrations years ago. I also have to take asthma medications, so i stopped taking the amitriptylene to put less stress on my liver and im also taking additional supplements.

My alat and kreatine levels are a little bit higher then they should be,according to the last test i have a alat of 71.
I only use on a daily basis the supplements below

Alpha lipoic acid&Acetyl L-Carnitine 6400 mg/dag
CoQ10 400 mg/dag
Borage oil 5200 mg/dag/or vitamine E/or visole
And somethimes Benfotiamine

Liver values and kidney begone to rise when my neuropathie started
I have a toxic small fiber neuropathie from dapsone and i guess the dapsone is to blame for my liver damage

The best thing I have done is go on a plant base diet, eating more alkaline foods than acidic and gluten free and take the supplements Mrs. D recommends along with good exercise program. My symptoms have improved immensely. Watch carefully what you put in your mouth, only real food from plants or animals. Research for yourself how many have overcome disease by changing diet and even better if you go to juicing. Disease can be overcome.

"The best thing I have done is go on a plant base diet, eating more alkaline foods than acidic and gluten free and take the supplements Mrs. D recommends along with good exercise program. My symptoms have improved immensely"

JB BINGO! I wanted to post that myself but to scared as Im not sure if remission will last. The last few months My PN took a dramatic turn for the worst so I did exactly what you have. Plant based only and supplements mentioned here. PN has improved remarkably and even the numbness has reduced which doesnt really make sense .
I could happily live like this, fingers and toes crossed. well maybe not the toes yet:rolleyes:
off to steam some broccoli tomatoes and capsicum for lunch with some butter , yes i know nightshades aren't good but they don't trigger.

edit
bit off topic but a great example of healthy food being a great healer is a famous magician in Australia (martin st james) had bowl cancer and opted to sterilize his house, absolutely no chemicals including soaps shampoos etc (list is to long) and organic veges and supplements and beat it although they had to operate to remove the dead tumor.
Really fascinating..