Just Started Neurontin (Gabapentin)
 

Hi There!
So its been 2 days of taking this medicine and I'm wondering if this is 'normal'. I'm on a low dose of 100mg at night for 10 day then 100 mg twice a day after that. This is how I've been feeling...since I take it at night I wait until I'm home from work and have eaten, the past 2 days I've taken it at 9pm. A few hours after taking it I feel awake and then start to feel jittery like I need to be moving or talking. I typically am asleep by 1 but the past 2 nights when 1am came around I was wide awake, I haven't been able to fall asleep until 230/300. And then what's really bothering me is when I wake up in the morning I have more confusion then usual. I wake up not knowing where I am or what I'm doing waking up. (I know it could just be my lack of sleep) but I was wondering if anyone else may have felt like this. Wide awake after taking it then 'hungover' feeling in the morning?
I'm also worried about when I start the am dose, I'm worried that I may crash by midday.

I'm almost a week into trying Gabapentin, for the second time. I take 300mg at night and I am supposed to increase to 600mg tomorrow night. So far it's not doing anything for my headaches but my doctor said it would take a few weeks to take effect. It makes me more anxious than normal. Makes the mind race constantly.

One night I did have problems falling asleep, feeling kind of jittery as you mentioned, but it only lasted a few minutes. I am also taking 30mg of Amitriptyline before bed so that acts as a sedative. Since I have been taking it I do feel more groggy in mornings. I usually lay in bed for at least a half hour longer than normal just trying to decide if I really want to get out of bed or not.

You only taking the Gabapentin or anything else?

__________________________________________________ ____
10 months PCS from mTBI. Frontal and occipital headaches.

Thank you, I'm only taking the neurontin. I'm very sensitive to medications so that's all I'm on. And I've only been taking it for 3 days now so I'm still hopefull that things will settle down and I get used to it. I'm used to meds making me drowsy but this one isn't (yet). But the mornings are terrible! Idk if taking it earlier in the night would help tho?

I have been taking gabapentin for quite a few years.

I can't remember for sure but I believe I started taking it during the morning,
not the evening. I believe this might be part of the problem.

I didn't have problems with jitters and things like this.

Donna:grouphug:

I gave up on the Gabapentin. After I went up to 600mg my headaches got much worse and had a different dynamic than previous headaches. Hard to explain exactly but they more frequent and intense. At 300mg I wasn't sure if was just my imagination or increased stress from starting a new drug causing new headaches, but moving up to 600mg was ample proof. The last few days on it, I didn't even want to get out of bed in the morning. I thought about suicide constantly.

Glad to be off of it now. After 3 days off of it I feel back to my pre-Gabapentin self. Gabapentin...never again!

Drifting,
Thank you for your last post. Now I'm still only taking 100mg at night but I keep telling everyone I feel worse. I lay in bed at night unable to fall asleep then I wake up in the am with a horrible headache unlike my usual ones. My mom and friends keep saying to keep taking it let it kick in but idk that I want to. I've been moodier, more fatigued, and the headaches! I too lay in bed in the mornings not wanting to wake up not even wanting to open my eyes. I turly think it the medicine because last night I didn't take it, I got home too late from my MRI to take it and wake up early so I just didn't. And this morning I woke up feeling pretty good, not great but better. Now that my day is about half way over my headache is getting worse but I take advil and feel ok again. I think its the neurontin especially after how I feel today.

Der Jaystar
 

I just tried to take Gabapentin for the second time in several years. I am experiencing all the side effects that you are. Jittery, unable to sleep, dropping things, and worst of all my mood has plummeted down into the depths. I can't take the drug, after a week, I am a wreck, and worse off than before I started it. I called this afternoon, to dicuss with my doctor. I think some folks don't have this kind of trouble, but there are those of us that do. I so much wanted the help for pain, that I agreed to try it again. I am sorry you are experiencing these issues too. Best to call your doctor, and keep a list of the side effects to relate to him or her. I was taking 300 mg. to start with, then thee per day, it got progressively worse for me. I do wish you all the best. lets hope there are some other medications to try that perhaps don't have all these side effect. Also I have heard if you stick with it long enough, these symptoms can fade away. take care. ginnie

There is no way that I could have stayed on it any longer and functioned normally. On top of the headaches, it made me mentally unstable. It was truly one of the worst experiences of my life.

My neurologist told me to stay on it for a few weeks and even suggested adding 25mg of Topamax to the cocktail. After two attempts at trying it, I'm going to have to give up on it. I bought the Topamax but its collecting dust in my medicine cabinet. That has more side effects so I'm leaving it in cabinet and will likely go in the trash soon. I'm already seeing a different neurologist. The new neurologist agreed that I didn't give it a fair trial but didn't recommend that I try it again. Instead just up my Amitriptyline dose.