Gabapentin and PCI/TBI? Help
 

Has anyone been prescribed this?

I was prescribed Gabapentin 100mg for nerve pain but when I researched the drug online, it said it was an anti-convulsant [controls seizures]. Should I take them? I'm afraid that since I don't have seizures it's going to cause me to have some and I feel like it's pointless to take it.

I also read it could be prescribed for anxiety attacks and nerve pain.

Just want some people's opinion on the drug, how it makes them feel [does it make your anxiety go away?] and what the side-effects were. Thanks in advance.

Gabapentin is a very safe drug. 100 mgs is also a very LOW dose. I take 900 mgs every night to help my body and mind settle down. Otherwise, my body stays would up like a clock spring. I have been taking it for 10 years.

It also has a short half-life. Only 8 hours. This means that it is only in your blood stream for a short time.

Go ahead and relax and give it a try.

My best to you.

Thanks, I'm thinking about starting tonight.

Another question/concern I have is: Is it a dependent drug? Like..Once I start taking it, will i have to keep taking it? If I suddenly don't like the way it's making me feel, can I just stop and not have any crazy side effects?

Yes, I started with it with a "take as needed" dosage. The short half-life makes it so there is no build-up in your blood. You would need to take it 4 times a day to get a buildup in your blood. At 100 mgs at night, you should see little to no change for your days. By morning, you body will have cleared one half (50 mgs) from your blood. By the next evening dose, you will have less than 12.5 mgs still in your blood.

Plus, your dose is VERY small. The maximum dose is 4800 mgs.

I have run out and stopped 900 mgs of gabapentin cold turkey with no problem.

Not so with the SSRI (paroxetine) that I take. I was miserable until I was back on my correct dose for a week or so.

Take 1 capsule orally at bedtime for 3 nights then increase to 1 capsule 3 times a day as needed for nerve pain.

That's the directions they've given me. So after 3 days it's going to be 300mg a day. I'm gonna try it, see what happens. Thanks for your response, I feel a little better about taking it now. I'll let you know how it makes me feel.

Hi!
I was prescribed this med a little over two weeks ago for my headaches. I take 200mg twice a day (400mg total). It is an anti seizure med, but it is also prescribed for nerve pain experienced with shingles. It will not cause you to have seizures.

It will take a little while for you to notice a difference. I started noticing decreased pain and frequency of my headaches by the end of the first week, only a minor difference though. Now, over two weeks later I am noticing huge differences. I still have headache every day, but they are not bad at all compared to what they were. It is very important to remember to take this med at the same time every day.

It is safe to take Tylenol with this med.

Just keep an eye on the side effects. I have not had any side effects and when I told my future mother in law this (she is a dr and her daughter has taken it for seizures) she told me I was one of the lucky ones. I have been told that the side effects can be pretty extreme so be careful with driving, ect.
Hope this helps and hope you will start feeling better soon!:)

From my tens years of understanding of gabapentin, first, for most uses, it is very well tolerated. The few that don't tolerate it seem to have an allergic like reaction.

For those who take it for seizure control, they usually take a much higher dose in conjunction with another anti-seizure med. Thus, they may experience some side effects. I have taken as much as 1200 mgs at a time with no noticeable side effects. I reduced to 900 mgs as it is the minimum effective dose for me because it was very expensive back when it was sold as Neurontin. Back then, it was about $10 per 600 mgs tablet.

It is not to be taken concurrent with magnesium supplements. The magnesium will counter the gabapentin. Also, not at the same time as taking an aluminum supplement. The common sources of these are Tums and other antacids.

Leave two hours between the gabapentin and the magnesium or aluminum.

I was just prescribed 300mg and he wants me to take it 3 times a day. Seems like a lot considering I just started taking it, but I'm hoping it'll help. For those that take it or have taken it before, did you feel drowsy at first? I was told it's a possibility but after a week it should go away. I was just curious to see if anyone else has experience with this.

Jingles,

What did your doctor prescribe the gabapentin for?

I have been taking it for almost 11 years. I take it to prevent body jerks as I fall asleep. It also helps me to release body and mental tension.

300 mgs is a small dose. It has been used at up to 4800 mgs for some disorders.

I doubt you will have any problems with it.

I was prescribed Neurontin and Lyrica 2 years ago by a Neurologist. It made my headache worse. Not sure why my doctor prescribed because my main complaint was dizziness and fatigue. But she thought I have nerve pain which I never complained. So it depends what it prescribed for. My family PCP surprised why I got prescribed with that medicine.

For me only medicine which kinda worked is Xanax. Ofcourse my brain getting used to it so fast I have to stop it. I also tried Elavil for long time (10 mg) and not sure it did anything.

Only way to know is to try it out. Start with a smallest dose possible.