Gabapentin good bad?
 

Hi I've just started gabapentin and wondering what I've got myself into.
I don't like taking pills, my dr keeps prescribing I keep not taking them... She made me promise to take these :). So I am taking them I just don't quite believe her that there are very few side effects. I have so many issues that I always worry it's whatever medicine I'm taking so I stop taking it. This time I will keep trying it but I'm thinking it's making me more tired and depressed and not helping with pain. I've been on it 5 days 100mg at night upping dose next week to 200mg. Thanks

Hi Pam,
After 5 days is it helping you at all?
I have taken Neurontin and now take Lyrica.
It was a long time ago I took Neurontin but I do remember being dizzy but it wore off.
It was good for nerve pain. I went off it after being on it for many yrs because I thought it was making me depressed. As I have learned, taking pain meds for decades, it is always a trade off, all meds have some kind of side effects and only you can decide if the pain control you are getting is worth the side effects. With time and trial and error, you will learn what works best for you.
Diandra

nuerontin for nerve pain
 

1. developed for epilepsy then after clinical trial found to work on nerve pain also. it works to stop siezures.
myself i have had 4 back surgeries starting in 7-08 2 herniated disc at s1 to L5
L5 to L4. 5 -11 3 level fusion with out hardware was supposed to be put in but was not.salvage surgery 8-12 to repair screw up severe nerve damage to L5 nerve bundle from conpression i have foot drop on left foot chronic low back pain at all times i have been on pain meds since 7-08 80mg hyrdocodone a day, 1050 mg of soma a day, 2700 mg of nuerontin a day. so i now have scs pain stimulator implanated 1-15. i am weaning off the drugs except the soma it is a muscle relaxer that works good for me the vicodin i have been weaning for a month now slowly with long term use the 2 week withdrawl that the pain dr's tell you is b.s. you will get the creepy crawlies bad if you take a large dose like i have you are a junkie just a legal one. with nuerontin it can from 1 to 2 months depending on the dose and length of time 4 years for me my rx guy says that sudden withdrawl at my high dosage could cause a siezure even though i am not epileptic. the scs is working so far i can now sleep all night which i haven't done in years as far as pain you can program it for different areas they now have hi-def programs in my scs that deliver a very smooth pulse some people like that pulsing sensation mine will got to 10.5 volts d.c so it will light your *** up.
the nuerontin would let me know when i was working if i went too long before dosing again i was at 8 hr intervals just like the vicodin i would get the creepies as i call them nervous stomach itchy feeling etc. try some edibles you know what kind i am talkin about i tried some on a trip to colorado 2 years ago they worked great for my nerve pain and back pain but some folks still have the stigma about cannabis. i smoked for years but then quit because ya just get tired of trying to find it all time i live in redneck land so.... there ya go. just my 2 cents from a veteran pain guy

Any updates on taking Gabapentin? I was on it starting off with 300 mg 3 times per day. I noted the nerve pain was not as bad, but I was like a walking zombie.

My doctor wanted to continue but with a much lower dose. 100 mg 1 times per day. Well I'm stopping it as it's not helping at all, but the fatigue is there.

Would like to hear other opinions on the results of taking Gabapentin for nerve damage?

tia ~Becca

I have been taking it for a few weeks. The great news is that I am experiencing no side effects, the bad news is that it is not helping my atypical facial pain. Best of luck.

My experience with it was very poor. I too am not a pill taker....however, I did honestly try. Like its real brand nurontine (sp sorry), I was loopy and unable to function. Even at lower doses. I was told three months trial is best, but sometimes making it that far isn't always possible. :grouphug:

Gabapentin good bad?
 

I had the same experience loopy didn't help enough to warrant continuing. Took Lyrica too helped some. Doctors say if helps 50 % that is success. Not for me it is not worth it.
I weather the storm. Last night had a terrile flair with bad pins and needles in feet continued on too numb lips. I could hardly walk it worked it self out with the help of acetaminophen and bengay and massage with a Xanax chaser. An hour later subsided and fell asleep.
I do massage my feet in the evening a few times seems to help
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Gabapentin I couldn't tolerate. I was on Lyrica at carying doses for almoat teo years when I noticed it was losing wffectiveness at a dose that had worked for close to half a year (off the top of my head, I'll verify via journal later).

I was told there are no diminishing returns which means- 1- that is not true or 2. getting worse. When I missed two doses and noticed my cognitive gain I was convinced to get off it.

I have rough patches, but for me it is not worth the trade off. I think everyone needs to decide for themselves.

I agree KnownothingJon Every one decide for self. I'll weather the storm too. with me it is diabetic related not to say have not had flairs but not as often when sugar up.


Uglogirl

I've been on gabapentin for about a year. It does help me a great deal. The down side for me have been the memory problems, the weight gains, and having to go up in dosage every several months. It works better for me than Lyrica did. I think both have the dizzy adjustment period. As others have said, it depends on the person. Good Luck.

Hi COW109,

We have a very active and interesting PN Forum here:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

I can assure you of a warm welcome there if you have issues with your SFN.

Dave.

Hi Pam,

I tried so many medications for my nerve pain. Most of them either did not help or I got side effects and had to go of them.

I hope the gabapentin works for you and helps your pain.

:hug:

I'm on 2700 mg Gabapentin. I have heavy duty nerve pain over most of my body. I think as others have said it's a really individual thing. For me it has reduced some of the nerve pain so it's worth it. It does affect me cognitively and I've had to lower the dose recently. Very few meds help me so I'm happy to accept a little help even if I may not be quite as alert as before. Good luck in your decision making ( :

:grouphug:I am taking Gabapentin 300 mg 3x daily, with good results. At night I have break-though shooting pain in my left leg\foot.

Is the Gabapentin for your teeth problem or something else ..... I took for a little while and gained a lot of weight so got off of it . it did help with nerve pain but not weight gain.. I then changed to Keppra for nerve pain..

Gabapentine
 

Hi there, I have ulner nerve damage in my right elbow and severe osteoarthritis in my right elbow, I've was on on 3600 of gaba and 400 mg of morphine er before I had another arthroscopy, I'm now down to 160 morphine and 2100 of gaba but now I'm badly struggling with fatigue, today I've been in bed all day and I've been like this for months, up and down, if a get a reasonable day I seem to pay for it for the next few days, does this ring any bells with anyone ?

In my other reply I was confused .. anyway Neurontin is bad for your teeth so take extra special care of them ...

Yes there seems to be several common themes -
-Every person has a unique experience
-Physical and mental side effects that can't be predicted
-Dosages generally increase over time.

My experience is that my doc and I have to switch meds every so often (~15-24 months) to get the same effect. Side effects vary from dizziness and even "visual effects" to depression, and muscle spasms.

Gab good for me
 

[B]Been taking Gab for about 9 months now. Am also taking 2 muscle relaxants & morphine for pain from 2 back surgeries. Added Gab as an alternative to increasing opioid. Has worked well for me. Doc told me to tough out any non severe side effects for a week After that the side effects seemed to disappeared & I felt markedly better. I'm sure it was a better choice than increasing pain meds. Let us know how things are going.

Gabapentin gave me short term memory loss for almost a year...I advise against it

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Yup...I suffer from the same... Pain double the vengeance n flairs for one day earned of slightest mobility...

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Gabapentin For Nerve Pain
 

Hi there: I have been taking Gabapentin since 2002 for nerve pain in my foot, hands and leg. If I forget to take it, the pain is excruciating. I have spinal stenosis and osteoperosis and arthritis in my hands. Since the summer of 2016, I have had worse pain in my left leg from my buttocks right down to my feet but the worse pain seems to be in the back of my leg, the calf. I had an X-ray of my left hip and it showed some mild tendonitis but nothing that would cause this type of pain. I have had about 25 physiotherapy treatments where they apply heat on my back, give me accupuncture and TENS treatments. They all help manage the symptoms somewhat but don't make it go away. They also gave me exercises to do to help loosen up my spinal canal. Right now the pain is always worse when I stand up and walk. It is manageable when I am lying down or sitting. When I get up in the morning and stand up, I never know if the leg will support me or not. I have had mobility problems since 2002, as I have left sided weakness due to an undiagnosed neurological condition. They first thougth I had MS or ALS but after five MRI's there was no sign of that. All they can tell me is that they THINK it involved my central nervous system and may be an upper motor neuron disorder. It affected my walking, talking and my reflexes were very hyperactive as well as my nervous system. That has calmed down a lot compared to how I felt at the beginning of this journey. I would sit and watch my legs tremble and if I was near any eletrical appliances like the fridge, pop machines etc. it would set off internal vibrations that overcame me. I would lie on the couch with a cold facecloth over my eyes just trying to calm my body. I couldn't drive in the car and couldn't tolerate going around corners or up and down hills. I was almost a basket case not knowing what was wrong with me or how I could change things. They sent me to a psychiatrist to see if it may all be in my head. It was the best thing ever as he verified that I didn't have any phobias, had a stable family relationship, no addictions, no finance or work problems. I did have a rash that summer that was around my waist and moved up my chest. i also had a case where my both legs turned red, which was very odd. Anyway, I had lots of physiotherapy, massage therapy, osteopathic treatments etc. but they haven't changed the symptoms of chronic pain. They did help with the tightness and spasticity in my left leg, so that seems better. I also take a mild dose of ampytripline at night to help me sleep and melatonin. My doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory pill to take as well. So, in response to the question of whether gabapentin works, I can tell you without doubt that it does HELP me. If I miss a pill or forget to take one on time, I will get those electric shocks in my extremities. This week has been bad as my whole left leg feels like it is asleep with all that tingling. I asked my doctor about medical marijauna in pill form and whether that may help but he said he doesn't believe in that so I don't know if it does or not. I have been gaining weight and retaining fluid for the last six months as I am not able to walk any distance anymore nor do I get any exercise. That's my story for now, I go for my annual checkup tomorrow, so will inquire whether I can get some new meds to help with this chronic pain. The therapists can all detect the difference on my left side and they seem to think it is coming from my lower back. However, I haven't had any back pain at all during this whole journey. Good luck with getting relief from your pain.

I was prescribed Gabapentin and was taking it for a semi decent while.(by the way I suffer from NERVE DAMAGE THAT BECAME CPRS AND RSD if you are not familiar with it. Bless your heart because that's how bad it really is...) Anyhow Then my short term memory was getting bad then it became worse...I forgot to tell my Doc about my memory loss if it wasn't for my bf at the time.. I would not have been able to get off of it... Gabapentin was very not helpful...its different for everyone but personally if I can spare anyone the horrid size effects.. I can and will...
Please look further into it...read the materials from the information pages from the pharmacy...

Hope I helped shed some light..
Much love your pain buddy
Mandí~~~

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Gabapentin
 

Congratulations to anyone who was helped by Gabapentin. My wife took it on Doc's orders to control her Peripheral Neuropathy but had a really bad reaction so we had to drop it.
She took half of a prescribed 300 unit pill and when I went to check on her, (she was sitting in her chair"), she said she was freezing so I got a blanket and a heating pad and set her up. A few minutes later I went to check on her and the heating pad and blanket were on the floor and she was still shaking. I said, what happened? She said, "I don't know" and was really unable to communicate rationally. Zonked out completely. Couldn't get out of the chair or walk so with the help of a very strong Son and a lot of effort we got her into bed.
Needless to say, no more Gabapenten. I guess it helps some but not my wife for sure ! Now we are trying a plant based diet and CBD to help her. Just started the diet so we shall see if that helps. I sure hope something does because the nerve pain just takes away your quality of life. Nice to be here to compare notes. Regards , Geovani !

I take 1800 MG a day. It makes me dizzy and the memory loss is a bad side effect. I am hoping that CBD can help me lower the dose. My DR seems to think it could to the point of removing gaba from the picture. Fingers crossed, should find out in the next month or so. Will report back.

Just Joined This Evening
 

Good Evening / Morning All,
I just joined tonight, so please forgive improprities on my part.
Diagnosed with PN 7+ yrs ago that began as symmetrical numbness in soles of both feet that has progressed to severe PN in both legs.
Been on gababentine, 3200 MG daily, since initial diagnosis .
Stated baclofen 10+ yrs ago for c4-c7 injuries, 90 MG daily. Dr. started me on ropinirol 1 yr ago for related leg cramping, recently increased from 2 MG to 6 MG daily Very difficult for me to separate effects of combined meds from PN / spinal injuries. Balance is a problem now which I'm told goes with PN. Other than initial fatigue, none of these 3 meds have been problematic. Had meds others in the past that did give me trouble which I had to stop. The PN pain is constant but tolerable. Opiates were ineffective unless taken in such quantity that the sedation became worse than the disease. I'm still reasonably active but experience "severe cramping" when I've over - exerted .
I'm glad to be a part of your group and look forward to your insights.
Good night!

Hello, side affect's are Short Term Memory lose and long term memory lose. We have friend he was on them 4 then 6 a day. He has a cat after 8 year's owning his cat he would call my wife ask Tammy what's name of my cat ?? So we told him get off them fast start with Lyrica he is doing so much better for his pain. Pill is not worth loosing memory as you won't get it back. Doctor's are pushing Gab's because of ** taking our pain med's away. Blessed Evening, Jay

Hi! I`m new to the group, but not with the NP.
I have NP in my feet for 4-5 years. I started with Gabapentin 4 years ago, and it worked good for the first year or so. The problem with Gaba is the tolerance.
Now, 4 years later, I still use it, but I can`t feel any relief any longer. At one time I decided to stop taking it, and I managed to do so, after 1 very hard year of tapering. It is horrible physically addictive. Just a few days later, the pain went trough the roof, so I went back to 900 mg 3 time a day again. It got better, but at times the pain was still unbearable in my feet.
I also take Amytriptaline 50 mg pr. day. But I am worried that it affect my cognitive abilities.
The big breaktrough for me was when my doctor 3 months ago put me on 20 mg Methadone once a day. Now, finally, I feel I can focus on other things than the pain in my feet. I pray that the tolerance is low, (very long half life) so I can stay at this dosage for the duration.
I know I need medication to be able to live with this, and all of them is addictive one way or the other. But at 64 I`m not so worried about that. The most important is to have a good quality of life. I have also heard about one week infusions of small dosages of Ketamin. It is supposed to be the best. Let`s face it: we will have to live with this curse the rest of our lives.

I;ve posted about a friend who has been living with 20-30 yrs of NP and took all the heavy duty drugs including the Gaba....., and since hearing me rave about Grape Seed Extract for years she finally got with it and has been taking Grape Seed now for probably 10 yrs and off the drugs her doc was doling out for years. Her doc lost one of his cash cow patients after so many years. She had so many side effects on the drugs.


I could write my own book about the merits of Grape Seed Ex which I've been taking for about 25 yrs very soon. I avoid the toxic drugs the very best I know how to. C

The neurontin caused a lot of side effects for me. It effected my mental status and made me feel crazy. It took several trips to the hospital before my doctor agreed to switch me from it. I know lots of people it's been helpful for with chronic pain, especially fibromyalgia, it just didn't help me. I have been taking Lamictal now for quite awhile, and while it's not perfect, what is, it's helped with the pain, my mental health, and just works for me. It's really trial and error in the beginning, the most important thing is to be honest with doctor, make sure they are listening, don't give up, and don't rush to change things, sometimes, it takes awhile to even out. NEVER, EVER, EVER, just stop taking your meds--bad idea--many meds have to be reduced gradually, or you can really go off the rails.

Hi!
I`m interestet to hear more about the grape seed extract. Can you describe for me how it works for you? Like the pain before and after?
Thanks!

It's not a pain medication. It's a powerful antioxidant 50x's stronger than Vit E and 20x's stronger than Vit C.

I am rid of allergies and sinus issue..

Improved eyes overall.

Strong, tight, pink health gums.

Good Memory

Less overall freckles and moles.

It contains anti viral, anti bacterial and anti fungal properties so FOR SURE I'm not in a panic about this virus issue the world is going thru....I have a STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM.


And I've posted how a friend is taking it NOW for about 10 yrs and she's able to get off the gabapentin...she had all the side effects with that drug.

I'm 82 this year and have been taking Grape Seed Ex for about 25 yrs and can't imagine my life without it. Absolutely can't imagine that one.

Hope this helps, ask me more if you need to.