I discussed the seizure possibility with the pharmacist, he said I would be ok since it was only 2 weeks on and such a low dose. Unfortunately, the gabapenten DID help with my nerve pain. But not worth the side effects. It worked for me within an hour of taking it also.

I've tried lyrica last year and was sick from that too. Same deal, headaches, plus swollen knees and bad water retention. So I don't want to try that again.

I can handle the pain with the patch I'm on, as long as the PM continues to let me stay on it. He only gave me 4 weeks worth and I don't see him for 6 weeks. I've called twice to explain this to the nurse to get a refill for the 2 weeks or bump up my appt and she said she would talk to the doc, and I've never gotten a call back. ugh.

My next step will be discussing this with my family dr if the PM doesn't return my call.

Why do they have to make everything so damn difficult? jumping through hoops to deal with these drs... grrr...

and the saga continues.......

Cathie - Just curious, what your dose was on the Gabapentin? I am only taking 100mg, but when i increased it to 200mg i got sick.. argh.. but 100mg seems to be helping.

I wonder if you feel better taking the gabapentin does it "cure" the nerve problems??
If I stop taking it will the pain come back? since my issue is only the nerve got mad that the pain injection needle got to close to it ??

sigh.....

Joann

It's not the doctors; it's the politicians. From what I've heard/read, it's worse down here than up there.

Calling your family doctor to ask about these policies/procedures sounds very reasonable. Hope you get some answers. I'd be interested in knowing, even if by PM, since I don't know how this works up there.

Doc

Gabapentin & Lyrica address the burning pain, but will do nothing about numbness, pins & needles, or sensitivity to temperature. They're often used (as in Cathie's case) in combination with other pain medications.

I can't tolerate gabapentin either. I tried it briefly, and it worked, but the S/E were intolerable. I tried R-Lipoic acid with vitamin B5 a year ago, and haven't taken (or needed) gabapentin since. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for everyone, but supposely it works better/faster the sooner it's begun, and some neuros (like mine) won't even mention it until a patient has tried the prescription meds first, and by then it may be too late for supplements to be (as) effective.

Doc

Hi Joann,

I was on 100mg twice a day, and YES, the nerve pain came back as soon as the gabapentin was out of my system. And no, it doesn't cure it, it masks it like everything else. Doc is right, it didn't stop the numbness or tingling, but it sure did help with the pain. But I just couldn't live the way it was making me feel. I was foggy and the headaches were brutal. Everyday headache isn't worth it. I was getting migraines every 2 or 3 days too.

I'm not having any issues with the Butrans patch, even though it doesn't cover all the pain it helps, and no side effects. I have had to take a percocet or two for a bit of neuropathy relief, just when I can't handle it anymore. But the gabapentin just wasn't for me I guess.

FYI... the pharmacist told me that I was on a VERY low dose at 100mg twice a day.

I'm thankful that the migraines went away with my Butran patch but your right that patch doesn't seem to do anything for the pain but doing without it doesn't seem possible. I wonder if the Dr. will let me add percocet? i tried my vicodin but it just made me sick because of the Butrans.

I am sticking with my 100mg gabapentin, your right on that also, the 2xday was too too much... yuck.. sicky..

man.. i'm so sorry everyone is in pain... it's awful

When I started my pain patches I had similar problems, they went away within a week, mine were Lidoderm patches, I was taking along with Lortab and/or Percocet after my procedure. The patches really help with a soothing cooling affect, I hope you get thru this soon and they help overall. Pain is miserable, especially when we have to deal with it everyday!

I too feel bad for all of the people on this site who have to deal with pain all the time. I take meds and am grateful for the help. Don't ya just wish we could wave that magic wand and make pain dissapear?, guess prayer is the best we can do for each other. take care joohee, glad you get some help too. ginnie

Oooooh ohh..... a magic wand!! Where do I buy one of those?? That's EXACTLY what I need!!

The patches seem to be doing the best they can, and I finally got a refill for the 2 week gap the PM doctor had accidently overlooked on the script. So I have enough to cover me until the next appt with him. (thank goodness!)

It's not pain-free perfect, but it's way better then it was so I'm happy with having a bit of relief. Glad all the side effects seem to be gone since I stopped that evil gabapentin. yuck.

have a great day.
Cathie

Hi Cath, glad you are ok with your pain meds. I couldn't take the Gab stuff either. I lasted all of three days and stopped it. The side effects were just terrible, a walking zombie with headaches. Others seem to tolerate it just fine. Glad to start to know you too Cath. ginnie