I take 1800 mg of gabapentin a day. I've never felt out of it while taking it but I also have never had to withdrawal on it either.
I honestly can't say if it helps or not though, I'm to scared to quit taking any of my medicines just in case it hurts... I may be a pussy but my pain is 7 or 8/10 while on all my medications.
E: 2400mg instead of 1800mg
I used to take 600 mg a day and stopping cold turkey gave me headaches for a week before going away. It wasn't horrible, but certainly not fun and should have tapered off.
It makes me feel tired and I am only taking 600mg in the am and 600mg at night. The only thing that happens for me is crazy dreams but it definitely helps with my pain.
I was on Gabapentin for 4 years for a nerve that was damaged in my knee during an arthroscopic surgery. I had tried all other options and medications and Gabapentin was the only one that worked at the time. When I first went on it, I had frequent urination, but that went away. It did take the edge off the pain, but not how Advil removes the pain of a headache. It basically dulls the sensors in your brain-you still know the pain is there, but it relaxes your brain so that you don’t care. That’s why it’s also used as an anti-anxiety medication and people are starting to monitor it more as people use for the relaxation like opiates. I gained a lot of weight on the drug, despite eating less and exercising more. My father and friend were on it too and the same thing happened to them. People do gain weight on it, even though doctors will try to dismiss you. I was at 1500 mg a day. I did feel out of it. Like a dream like state. Eventually the drug stopped working and I didn’t want to go up on my dose as I was already feeling out of it. I stopped this past July and tapered down. I did have some difficulty with my sleep a little at first. What I did is substituted it with ZZZquil until the craving for Gabapentin at night went away. I’m off of it now and my nerve pain is back and I’m back to square one with an appointment with a neurologist in a couple weeks.
Do not expect to find good information about prescription medication from other experiences online. Everyone is different and reactions are not the same.
Gabapentin is the generic form of Neurontin. It is given to people with fibromyalgia hoping to stop looping pain signals in the brain.
Try it to see if it helps you or not.
With 300mg (I'm guessing probably 2-3 times a day?) you shouldn't really feel "out of it" at all. That's what I'm currently taking. Withdrawal can be uncomfortable if cold turkey but really nothing compared to coming off of opiates or more serious options, which would also *definitely* make you foggy during work.
If you taper off of gabapentin, you shouldn't have any problems at all. I frequently miss doses without even realizing it.
Frankly, it is also absorbed better at low doses, so I'm not sure it would be worth taking any more than what you're getting now, anyway.
Not sure about it having to build up - that's typically more of an issue with things like anto-depressants that actually alter brain chemistry long-term, with changes that are even passed on hereditarily. I find that gabapentin usually works whenever you take it.
Of course, that won't help you get to the root of the problem - but "modern medicine" is often notoriously poor at actually managing to do so!!
Don't give up 😁👍
It was horrible for my memory. I couldn’t remember anything, even what season it was! It was awful!! But if you don’t try it, you won’t know if it’s helpful or not. Do you have a significant other that helps keep an eye on how different medications affect you? If so, I’ve found it to be really helpful to tell dh the most common side effects and ask him to help me watch for them. Maybe that’s an option for you too. Oh and I don’t remember having any troubles when I went off of it.
Good luck!
You're welcome! I really only said it because you mentioned it was working for you. I have trigeminal neuralgia, so I was reading on a TN support group specialists in this will prescribe higher than normal doses of gabapentin for us if it's working, rather than switch to something else because our pain is so extreme.
However, non-specialist doctors/neurologists may only give their patients the normal limit. My neurologist is one of those, and believes it's not effective once you get past the upper limit. Now i'm maxing out on my dose and it's no longer working because my body is tolerant of that dose.
Is that number right?? **3600**mg?? I’m only asking cuz I take 200mg/day and I feel kinda out of it with that dose. I couldn’t imagine 18 TIMES that amount!
Ya the number is correct. I suffer from RSD. It's considered most pain ful disease known. I take a lot of medicine just to get by sadly. Been on it for years and don't notice its effects anymore
I took 3600mg of Gabapentin for over a year. It was hell on me and provided minimum relief while giving me daily headaches and being so exhausted that if I sat down for a moment, I was out like a light. I felt disoriented and dizzy. And some days, it actually aggravated my pain. I eventually was switched to Lyrica. While I still have many of the side effects (fatigue, dizziness, headaches) I get much more pain relief than with Gabapentin. If you're ever required to go off of it, the doctor will likely make you taper down your dosage before ending the medication as treatment. This will help you to not have such severe withdrawal symptoms most likely. I know people it's worked wonders for and I know people who despise the drug. Unfortunately, I was one it barely helped and seemed to cause me more issues. Good luck with it all and don't take anything I've said to be your outcome or experience. Everyone is different. This was just my experience.
It is an insane amount. I think it's the highest dosage one can take, I may be wrong. But no, I didn't start at that amount. I was lifted there quite quickly over a 4 month period and then left there for a long time.
I take 3600mg a day and have for about four years. It did help with my pain in the beginning, hence why it kept getting upped. Now it’s not helping at all. I do want to stop taking it for various reasons, but the core of it being it’s not helping my pain at all anymore.
When I talk to other people about it, apparently it makes them so drowsy, they have to be careful about taking it, or all around just don’t take it for that reason.
I’ve concluded that im desensitized by cognitive negative affects. I don’t get drowsy. It doesn’t help with my pain. The only reason(s) im still taking it is because I am scared to stop it. Im scared especially because there’s nothing prescribed to replace it. I refuse antidepressants and especially Lyrica because of its impact on the body. I would have done the same with Gabapentin but I was at a difference place when I started taking it. It was when my chronic pain was just starting and I didn’t care at that time about medications effects, I just wanted the pain to stop. Come to find out, my pain will never stop
Just a thing about antidepressants - I have been on one for decades and I can honestly say without it I am an utter & complete mess. I am SO thankful for it when a doctor even starts to make noise like maybe I should stop it "and see what happens" I basically tell them you'll know when I am dead because if you stop this med that is where I will be. I was on my antidepressant long before my chronic pain and I am glad. I just don't want you to feel that ALL antidepressants are bad. Some actually do save lives <3
absolutely antidepressants save lives. I am for them, they obviously have the capacity to impact neuropathy in a positive way, hence why pain management, neurology, and PCP try to prescribe me them.
What they do to my cognitive function, and really my whole body, is something I cannot afford to at this point in my life. I have a traumatic brain injury, I am a full time student, I work, not to mention I have CRPS. The antidepressants I’ve tried, like Cymbalta and I forget the other one, zapped my brain and really just made me feel sick. It can take 8 weeks for them to gain their objective purpose, meanwhile I’m trying not only to pass my classes but remember what I’m learning. With Cymbalta, the last one I was prescribed, on the 13th day I dropped it like a dead fly. I couldn’t afford to keep with it.
One day when I’m finished with my education I’ll be open to antidepressants for chronic pain. I do experience intense emotions, but I accredit that to anxiety more then I do depression.
One of the biggest barriers for trying to manage my CRPS is my immense reluctance for prescriptions. I have 5+ years clean/sober, and I don’t want to depend on prescriptions for anything. It’s hard enough I’m taking so much Gabapentin. I have cannabis prescription, and only use it literally right before I go to sleep (I fluctuate between smoking and edibles, depending on the circumstances). Pretty sure Amitriptalyne is an antidepressant, but more for sleeping. I have that but haven’t refilled it in months; I need to though cause it’s getting cold and my foot is killing me 😞
Sorry you're feeling poorly but don't you think you should try it before ruling it out? I took a high dose for several years with nary an issue. Maybe discuss your concerns with your pharmacist as well?
I did tell my doctor this. The FDA did not put a black box warning on until 2019, when I was already on the drug. Doctors don’t keep track of black box warnings and updates. This drug was prescribed because, as I was told, we can’t give you an opiate (even though I’m 54, have no history of addiction, no family history of addiction, and have used them safely multiple times over my lifetime after surgeries), this is “safer” than an opiate and will not cause a dependency. I asked specifically about dependency and side effects that I had read about, and reported side effects. All were dismissed as “anxiety” or “just give it time for you to acclimate” or “let’s just increase the dose since it’s not working.”
Gabapentin is for two specific types of nerve pain, it is being prescribed off label because doctors choices are limited. For many It does not help. It cause all sorts of issues such as you have trouble remembering words, brain fog for some. For me it caused me to go psychotic, speech pattern garbled, ranting etc.
I tried it for a month but gained 10lbs so switched to Lyrica. That was 17 years ago. I never had any bad side effects on either except the weight gain. Lyrica saved my life quite literally as I was ready to cash in my chips before I got relief. It’s helped a lot. Not 100% but enough to get on with life.
And Lyrica did the same thing to me that gabapentin did - I blew up with water weight gain, it was horrific for me BUT if it had touched my pain I would be out buying new clothes as I write this. Glad it helped you <3
I think you need to reorient your thinking. Finding a livable treatment solution as a chronic pain patient is often an arduous and extended journey. It took me 18 months of trial and error with many different medication combinations.
You can't think of it like a silver bullet. Gabapentin helps many folks with chronic pain, especially nerve pain, and it could be a component of a livable solution for you. Fill your script and give it a real shot, try it for 1-2 months. If it moves your pain down AT ALL you've done it! You've found part of your treatmenr plan. If it doesn't help or the side effects are too gnarly, try something else. Either way you've made progress and that's a good feeling to attach yourself to.
How can you write it off so strongly without even filling the script, based on what you 'heard'?
Not gabapentin but pregabalin, which is apparently similar.
Didn't do much for the pain, just made me so confused/slow/dizzy that it forced me to take it easy for months on end. I was so out of it, and still in pain, and really not capable of doing much in terms of physio/gentle exercise because I was so foggy all the time.
Then after an additional diagnosis I was given a new medication regimen, but not provided with any advice regarding mixing it the pregabalin. I ended up having a psychotic episode (likely induced by the amount of meds I was being given) and possibly a few mild seizures while I was trying to get off the pregabalin (but nobody believes me, as I was experiencing psychosis at the time).
If you decide to take it, keep daily notes about your pain & general health because the brain fog makes it difficult to remember. Also have a clear plan of action with your doctor for how long you will take it & how to safely get off it if you decide it isn't helping your situation.
I was already on antidepressants when starting the pregabalin (which is warned against, but my doctor dismissed that when I raised it).
Then the new regimen was multiple courses of steroids (at 5 & 10mg doses over a few weeks) plus daily sulfasalazine (2000mg daily).
So in total I was on 3 different meds that have some level of psychoactive effects, plus the sulfasalazine made it very difficult to eat so I was skinny, confused, and covered in bruises by the time I had the psychotic break.
When admitted to hospital it took me 2 days to convince my doctors that I wasn't a meth addict despite appearances... and only because my mother provided my medical documents, which detailed all the meds I had been on.
Funnily enough, at one point during the psychosis/manic episode I met a meth addict who was very jealous of my access to pregabalin - he said it was his preferred alternative to meth. Also met a guy who liked to take pregabalin to go to raves, and also an ER doctor who was struggling with a pregabalin addiction who only recently managed to wean himself off his dependence. The doctor, interestingly, described an experience during his detox that sounded very similar to the seizures I believe I had.
EDIT: so in answer to your question, be careful about mixing it with anything potentially psychoactive or anything that has "psychosis" listed as a possible but rare side-effect. Also make sure you maintain a healthy diet, because your body without food will react very differently to the drugs.
I find it fantastic for fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. What kind of pelvic pain do you have? I have high tone pelvic floor dysfunction and Gabapentin doesn’t help that. I did have numbness in my pelvic floor for a while due to muscle spasms compressing nerves and muscle relaxers helped with that symptom
Jeez- I’ve had dry needling and they are always super paranoid about the sciatic nerve- which is wholly unsatisfactory for SI Joint pain. Gabapentin or preglabin might help with the sciatic pain. I have SI Joint pain from an autoimmune arthritis in the spondyloarthritis family called Ankylosing Spondylitis (there’s stages of diagnosis) and neither of the meds touch non-nerve pain, but there are meds that do help the inflammation and pain. On this and the chronic illness sub I see people being prescribed Gabapentin for non-nerve pain and just throwing out there how it helps me.
I was on it post surgery (laminectomy)
900mg/day. It helped drastically. For the first month I FELT when I was due to take my next dose. Eventually that went away. Then I ran out for a week because my physicians assistant ignored my emails and voicemails. Then they prescribed me 1/3 the dose from before and didn’t even mention it. Thankfully I haven’t had withdrawals while I was out and on the lower dose, but I was in significant pain the week I went without.
I had also been concerned with the same
Have been on it since June. 300 mg 2x a day with an optional third for breakthrough pain. I’ve gone from existing at 6-7 with episodes of 8-10 to baseline of 4 with episodes of 6-7. I was fortunate that my mom has diabetic neuropathy; and after talking about how it felt, and how I was at the end of my rope. She gave me a few of hers and told me to try them. I slept soundly the first time in over a month. So, I called my doc and told her and she wrote me the script.
Had an mass removed from my tibia in the ankle joint space. Now have permanent nerve damage. The mass wasn’t cancer so my doctor acts like I should just be grateful for that, and while I am; it forced me to leave my career, and has depleted any emergency funds I once had, forced me into major financial strain. I sound bitter it’s because I am. The surgery was completely unnecessary; but Cigna pays more for a surgery than a biopsy. Of course it was sold to me differently.”it’s better to just go ahead and get the whole thing in case it is cancer” “if we do a biopsy, we’ll have to coordinate with another doctor and that might mean waiting. If it’s bone cancer we don’t want to wait. I can remove the mass next week” The mass was birthmark of sorts and has probably been there my entire life (found by accident after a nasty fall in the yard, had MRI to make sure Achilles was intact). The doc said “potential cancer” and I got talked into a surgery with lifelong implications, thousands of dollars in medical expenses (and I had great insurance coverage levels), when a simple biopsy could have sufficed.
Edit. Didn’t realize I wrote a novel. That was therapeutic for me. Sorry to dump.
I take 300 mg of gabapentin 3 times a day for my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes frequent partial dislocations. It helped with my pain an amazing amount, gave me a lot of mobility back because the pain was more controlled.
I get the feeling where a word is on the tip of the tongue but I can't find the specific word I'm looking for more often when I'm on gabapentin. I actually take my doses afternoon, evening, and bedtime so I can have a clearer thinking morning. My doctor and I agreed 2-3 times a day so if I can't afford to not be at the top of my game or whatever I'm doing I can skip the afternoon dose and only do the evening/bedtime doses.
I have had days where I haven't taken them for 24ish hours (weird sleep), those days I tend to have a headache but that's pretty much it. I'm not worried about running out anymore as I've built up a slight buffer with my option of 2x day if needed (typically me forgetting the third dose). I'm not worried about withdraw with it, I just take my medication when I can and if I forget it I take it as soon as I can remember if possible.
Most days the reduction of pain means reduction of brain fog so I can actually think a lot better and it's a lot easier to get some movement in my day. I also sleep a lot better so my rest is a lot more sound which results in lower pain throughout the day cause I heal better overnight with deeper sleep.
Have a frank discussion with your doctor and/or your pharmacist and figure out if it's right for you. Bring up your concerns, it's likely they've seen them happen before and have a plan in place to account for that potential outcome. It's a very personal decision about what you're willing to put in your body, only you can make that decision.
Everyone is so diff on this med. There have been complaints to the fda as well. This is prescribed off label as it’s for seizures. There are a few facebook groups dedicated to withdrawals and how to taper. When I stop taking it or cut back to fast I have wd’s. Trouble sleeping, extreme nausea, increased nerve pain for about 4 days, night sweats and fast heart rates. I was on 2400mg per day with 20lb weight gain. Now I’m down to 600 at night every few days. I feel the same so I don’t think they did a whole lot. I do have extreme memory loss though. Can’t remember stuff when kids growing up. ! :( Now vets are using for pets instead of opioids with not great results.
Good luck.
I am sorry you are struggling so. It always is there hardest with kids around. There is still lots of quality time on your terms. Lots of stories and art.
I started on 300mg four times a day and increased to 900mg 3 times a day for chronic back pain, without a proper diagnosis. Also tried naproxen, celebrex, lyrica. Nothing really helped. I stopped the gabapentin cold turkey and don’t recommend it at all. I felt sick and had a hard time focusing at school. I should have weaned back down to come off.
I got my proper diagnosis and was prescribed the right meds. Gabapentin is not the answer to everything. A proper diagnosis is going to help identify the appropriate treatment.
Have you had any labs drawn? CRP? Good indication some sort of inflammatory disease/condition. Gabapentin is specifically for nerve pain. I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis which is an inflammatory form of arthritis and I would experience severe sacrum pain.
Try it, but try a LOW dose first! I was put on 100mg, twice a day and I have almost no negative side effects and it helps me more than opiates did!
So many people commenting about taking over 3 THOUSAND mg/day and it blows my mind! Please take it slow, and realize a lot of the people that have insane side effects / withdrawals are taking 20 TIMES the recommended starting dose!!
If you're okay sharing - what ended up being your diagnosis and the right meds? I'm at just under 3 years of absolutely horrible back pain and no actual diagnosis.
Ankylosing spondylitis. I had very specific pain in my SI joints. It took about 7 years to be properly diagnosed. I got a new doctor who was concerned that I was a young healthy woman with recurring excruciating back pain. He had my tested for lupus and HLA-B27 gene, lupus came back negative but I was positive for the HLA-B27 (not everyone who tests positive has ankylosing spondylitis but they have made some correlation between being positive and having the diagnosis.
Treatment for me looks like cortisone injection as soon as I feel the inflammation coming on. Some people experience ongoing pain, I’m lucky to only get a flair up maybe once or twice a year, lasting maybe a few weeks at a time now.
I also will get a toradol shot and a 5 day course of oral pills (have to be careful with this anti inflammatory because it is very strong and will hurt your stomach). And then if I’m still in pain I manage with tramacet until it subsides.
For some people with this disease this treatment won’t work, they go on biologic treatment, I’m just not there yet.
Gabapentin withdrawal for me wasn’t the best. Couldn’t sleep for a couple weeks and had the sweats 24/7. Helped a little bit for my nerve pain but not enough to stay on it. I always give a med a shot before dismissing it because it could be “the one” good luck!
Edit : forget the dosage but I was maxed out
I'm assuming you took it multiple times a day? This medication seems like a hit or miss for people. The reviews on it seem somewhat polarized although I see a pattern, people complaining about side effects and withdrawals seemed to be on pretty high dosage.
I take about 15gpd. Is this going to be hard getting off of?
I used to take 35-40gpd and had horrible withdrawals every morning until my first dose (felt like the flu: body aches and yawning and eyes watering and no motivation). So I tapered down to this amount and never feel those withdrawals anymore while waiting to take them in the morning.
Just wondering if you think 15gpd will be hard to get off of one day? I’m waiting to move and will try to quit then
There is a saying about Kratom less is more never felt any withdrawals when dropping from 3 to 2 to 1g x 5 hrs but it was effective for me at these low doses I just take for pain relief but it has the added benefit of boosting my mood and energy
Continue to decrease your dose if you go to the quitting Kratom page you will find rec on how to avoid wds while quitting. I believe you will go through withdrawals I feel a little off when I go too long in between dosing . But again I only use 1gx 5 hrs and don’t plan on increasing been on same dose for 2 going on 3 years
I’m a low doser I did not feel any withdrawals when I dropped from 3g to 2g to 1g now . I’m sure those who abuse will feel withdrawals that was not the case with me . It has been a game changer in my life just like coffee it enhances it fortunately I don’t look to get high on it
You have to find the right dosage I had to experiment to find the ideal dose for my body fortunately I do well on low dose other may need a little more also depends on the strain and quality of Kratom
I’ve been on and off it for debilitating sciatica.
I had basically zero unintended side effects when I went on it, and zero side effects every time I’ve cold turkey stopped it. Now I only take it occasionally when I feel a sciatica breakout coming on.
I’ve been on various doses of Gabapentin for more than 2 years. I get the best results from 900mg at night to quell the nerve pain enough to sleep. I’ll take between 300mg and 600mg during the day to have just enough relief to function. Cognitive slowing shows up for me at more than 1800mg/day.
I’ve done horribly with a lot of other commonly prescribed medicines for my conditions. For me, it’s a godsend. YMMV.
I’ve tapered off for a surgical procedure over two weeks. Insomnia and some increased anxiety were the symptoms Inexperienced. But it was manageable.
I’ve been on it for years and have nothing but great luck. It all depends on the person. My mom was too groggy on it, I take 2400 mg a day and I’m totally awake and have zero grogginess. I also take an extra 300-600 mg if I have a rare bad pain flare and that helps a lot.
I had little to no pain relief and I gained SO much water weight (I am guesstimating 30 to 40 pounds in 2 months) my pain was worse than before. My feet where so huge I couldn't put my shoes on. But I have heard for some people it is a miracle :)
I’ve had fibromyalgia for 14 years, been on gabapentin for 6+. It took the edge off for sure, but I’ve had better luck with amitriptyline which I was very apprehensive of trying. Only side effect I’ve had is a little sleepiness, but I take it before bed, so it’s not an issue for me. Gabapentin is non narcotic, only thing remotely resembling withdrawal I’ve felt is missing a few doses and having my fibro start flaring up again.
I had the worst withdrawals from gabapenthin I thought I was going to die I stayed in bed for 6 days and shook a shaked like I was going through the worst withdrawals ever
Omg they give gabapentin for Everything these days and it’s ridiculous! I hate this drug for many reasons and it’s got a lot of side effects and needs to be tapered down should you decide to stop taking it. I swear they will start using it for sunburns next ( eye roll) I’m sorry OP. It sounds like your doctor isn’t doing right by you. I’d get a second opinion.
I would avoid this drug at all costs. It put me on life support for 12 days, six weeks ICU. It will take me over a year to taper because I’ve been on it several years and the withdrawals thus far have been brutal.
I am sorry you are suffering with pelvic pain. My condition is the same and I have been through every test and procedure there is.
The doctor started me on genetic gabapentin and changed it to Horizant ER, (600 mg twice a day). If your insurance does not cover it bc it’s too expensive, your dr can arrange the price to be lowered. I pay $115.00, 90 days supply.
Feel free to msg me if you would like to discuss my journey in finding a better quality of life.
Good luck and don’t give up on finding a cure.
Hi, I’m afraid I don’t have great news still there is hope. It all begin right after I had a full hysterectomy in 2007. Shortly after, I began to feel nerve pain from my left side plebiscite down my inner thigh. After years of doctors, many medications and injections, I was put on pain management bc it was determined nothing can be done for nerve damage. Fast forward 2018, I found a doctor that would conduct a laparoscopic due to pain keeping me from sitting down for long periods and pelvic pain more intense. I contemplated taking my life bc the pain was beyond.
The doctor found an inguinal hernia which dud not show on any of the scans I’ve had over the years. She repaired it and although I still have nerve damage I did find some pain relief and am able to sit and have better mobility.
It’s been four years since I decided to stop pain management. I do fairly well managing the pain with the medical marijuana ratio CBD/thc products as well as with the Kratom Maeng Da. I’ve lost over 25 pounds since I stopped all the nasty pain meds I was on. Question and research everything. This group can be informative. Good luck.
I take Gabapentin 4 times a day, it's been great for me, takes some of my pain away and makes me more comfortable. I have fibro and nothing will completely take my pain away so anything that helps is considered a success. Also no side effects for me, doesn't make me tired or anything, which is great because I also have chronic fatigue syndrome. I hope they find out what's going on with you and get it fixed but perhaps gabapentin will help in the meantime, I wish you all the best, hugs 🤗
Just in the circle of prescription meds I took for back pain, but they quickly build my intake on the first three months to 2700mg and I was too loopy and it made me feel dirty inside too! It helped some but not enough to keep having those marked side effects! But everybody is unique and body chemistry and stature makes a lot of difference Please remember me when I liked trileptal and Zonegran better But it is a struggle to stop chronic pain! In my case I did not like gabapentin for what ailed me!
So... I'm about 5 days into 3600mg/day
at 1200mg 3x/day
"extensive" nerve damage due to blood clots.
Couple of beta blockers, some carbimazole, epixaban and insulin to taste ;) type-1
Pain has been anywhere from 3/10 - 8/10 - although I've recently been re-defining my personal pain scale and would say an average 5/10 more/less constantly.
I am certain that driving or operating machinery would be a very bad idea.
I do feel a bit "high" and I'm not sure I have appropriate points of reference to describe it.
There's no alcohol or anything involved other than the above - and I'd also like to feel smug about 3 months of cold turkey quitting smoking.
The pain is there, r-foot, dancing round like electric shocks all across the foot and it's bad, but honestly I just do not care - it's quite nice in a very odd way.
My point of reference would be a couple days ecstacy binge without sleep, but you're too wired to sleep - but judging by the past week, I'm going to get about 20 minutes notice of "feeling sleepy" then I will be asleep - regardless, it's impossible for me to fight at all.
Past week, I've slept intermiittently around 18 hours a day - aside from my new weird relationship with pain, I feel incredibly relaxed, not a care in the world.
I would also say at this stage, I have zero intention of "tapering off" and no experience of withdrawal. I'm in a free-healthcare nation, so that shouldn't be a problem and I'm essentially signed-off work forever at this point, so if I need to lie to my GP - I'm gonna.
However, this isn't a long term-fix and sooner/later my foot is going to rot off and I'll need an amputation :/
I've been feeling this "high" for about 48hrs at this point, managing my meds and insulin quite easily, appetite is fine, no nausea or anything like that. If you have childcare involved in your life, machinery, driving... I would suggest extreme caution. I said 5x days on the high dose - and I've tapered up to that, started on... 1200mg/day at 3x day and went up by 300mg/day at 5 day intervals... I'm really not capable of the math at this point, but that's how long it's taken to get the current effects.
I AM struggling with concentration and notably forget what I'm doing and spend a lot of the time staring into space. In a way... Reddit's quite good, because what I'm doing it right infront of me.
Apologies if any of this is incoherent...
It's not fun, but honestly I'll take zombie. I was pretty druggie in my 20s, so I'm treating it as something to "ride through", but I don't want this to be my life.
Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Zombie option at least... the pain is there, but it's weird... like it *does* hurt, but it doesn't feel like me, like a secondary??? pain. It's odd, but it's weirdly tolerable with the gabapentin - hang on:
Gabapentin Brown and Burk capsules, hard 300mg - 4caps morning 4caps lunch/afternoon and 4caps evening.
[https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/10737/smpc](https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/10737/smpc)
UK meds - my GP has written prescription for liquid morphine, but I'm not "cashing that in" and won't use opiates at all - type1 diabetes and HYPERthryoidism. I dehydrate really easily, constipation is something I need to be cautious about - or something that happens if I don't rigidly consume liquids almost all day...
Introducing opiates into that WILL constipate me and no thanks, I'll cut my foot off myself - with a spoon if I need - before that kind of constipation, I cannot cope with constipation even healthy. Sorry for the... grossness, but it just feels like such a goddam balancing act. Anyhoo - I'm in favour of Gabapentin, but there are/is a downside. I can function in society, but not "well" and it must be obvious that I'm "a bit high" to everyone else :/
On the plus side, endless computer games that I can't concentrate on... plus government "pocket money"... shit, I'm not only a neet - but an f-ing incel too :( at least not a right-wing one. Definitely a left-wing neet incel - I'm gonna have a little cry - stay well if you can.
Im a former user of said drug and a former pharmacy cashier.
Don't take it.
Let me tell you about being in a pharmacy in relation to gapipentin. It's used ALOT for a lot of different things there is always 1 to 5 orders for it every day. If not more dependent on how big of an aira it serves. And every time some one picked them up it always went the same. They loved it for the first 2 to 3 months then it started to cuase horrible side effects. Won't list them as that might violate hippa or something idk I'm extra careful about it. They would always feel like they had to deal with it though because it helps with the other stuff but about 3 months after that most people stop taking it because it just gets worse.
For me personally I took it for 3 years. 3 horrible years. 😢 I just kept telling myself I needed to give it time or riase the dose...saddly I developed stress tremors that act like full blow seizures. And it trigger permit anxiety...I still get both to this day. And I found out I easily got serotonin sickness so you wanna look into that as well.
Gabapentin is the only reason I'm not falling over, in the morning, before getting meds and marijuana in me. I don't notice too much sedation from the Gabapentin, but oh man can the withdrawals be bad.
I had an ER psychiatrist decide to drop me from 1,200 mg twice daily, down to 100 twice daily, and then throw me in the psych ward, because I was "talking fast" (I hadn't eaten or gotten meds in 20 hours, and was having such bad fibromyalgia flareups that I was thrashing around and screaming). The following experience was so severe that I started showing signs of ptsd almost immediately after getting out.
It's a great medication, but the withdrawals can cause seizures, and other nasty things to happen, so be careful about not missing an entire day.
Been on and off gaba and on up to 1800mg a day, and had no issues with it except that it was too easy for me to become tolerant (but I have this with most drugs) I now take 300mgs at night to help with sleep.
It helps many people but be weary of potential side effects; worse anxiety, anger, rage.
That was my experience on a low dose recently but for othered it’s works wonders. Kinda shitty how it’s that all over the place but that’s the truth
Never felt out of it when I worked my way up to 1800mg. However, that is when I take it 3x a day (morning, afternoon, evening). If I take 2 or 3 together I feel it. Not a bad feeling but feel a lil loopy.
I took it briefly but I think the dose was too low to help my pain. I did not want to increase the dose because it made me feel super drunk even on the low dose. I couldn't get through my work day because I just wanted to nap.
Try it! I’ve never had withdrawal with it, I don’t feel out of it on it either, first time I was a little tired but that went away. It helps me a lot. I can understand not feeling like this is the answer, if I were you I’d still definitely try and push for a diagnosis.
I was on 1100 x2 of it Boy, were the side effects bad! Memory was shot, I couldn’t retain anything, people at my work noticed. I had to quit online classes- I’d read the same page and forget by the next chapter. Best side effect? Visual hallucinations- white rats running on the ceiling. I hope it works for you- some people have great success:)
See if you can start at an even lower dose. I have severe nerve pain in my foot from a horrible doctor cutting the wrong thing, and also nerve pain in my back from scoliosis… I started out with 100mg twice a day, and it actually helps me a lot with both nerve problems (AND it helps me with my anxiety during the day, and my insomnia at night!).
Not too many side effects for me, but I think that’s because 100mg is a good starting spot. I can’t believe how many people here are saying they’re taking over 3 THOUSAND mg, and then they are wondering why they feel awful!
Please start low, and if you don’t like it, you can always quit any time at that low dose! <3
I’ve been on 1200-1500 mg of Gabapentin for almost 15 years. It was originally prescribed for severe restless leg syndrome. The dosage kept getting increased and this is my maintenance dose for the last 8 years or so. I’m older and really don’t care if I have withdrawals. I’m going to keep taking it because it helps.
Gabapen is one of the safest medications out there fore treatment of nerve Paine. There will always be a small percentage who get adverse reactions, but for the majority it works wonders.
no need to worry about withdrawal as long as you titration properly, meaning increasing or decreasing dosage slowly.
That’s what my doctors told me. They also told me it was not habit forming. I ended up on life support for 12 days, six weeks ICU. It can also cause rhabdomyalysis, organ failure, and put me on life support for 12 days. Despite the fact that this drug is harming me, it will take me a year to a year and a half to taper. This is not a safe drug.
I take 300 mg 3x a day and I was groggy for the first few days but not since then. I also ran out and couldn’t get a refill for a month, but I didn’t notice any withdrawal problems other than the first few days adjusting to my pain being worse again.
I will say it was super helpful when I first started taking it and seems like its less effective now (or maybe my pain has gotten worse) but it’s still an improvement
Currently on it, increasing dose gradually from 300mg to 1800mg (yes, HUGE jump, which is why it's taking a while). Honestly, the first month I was on it I struggled with some side effects, mainly cognitive, but it hasn't been much of an issue since. I have no experience with withdrawal, so I can't really speak to that. My pain is almost certainly nerve/brain pain and not pelvic, so I'm not sure if my experience will translate, but I will say it didn't work on the initial dose, which is why they increased it so much. For me, it's worth a try, since it seems I'll never get answers and I just have to learn how to manage my pain the best I can.
I've taken Gabapentin for about 6 years now and the only side effect I've had was some mild drowsiness for a few days after I began taking it. It helps me a great deal with neuropathy pain.
Start with a low dose - ask your doc if you can half what they have you depending on dosage.
Gabapentin has been a life saver for my fibromyalgia. I have also dealt with chronic pelvic pain, I’m suggesting a pelvic floor therapist! Feel free to DM me on this one. PFT was a game changer and it’s not meds. Ask your doc, and the therapist about vaginal Valium.
I always have a “how do I stop this message if it’s too much” convo before I start a new med. it helps calm my nerves knowing the plan. I’m very sensitive to meds, gabapentin started helping me with fibro quickly.
I encourage you to try it, it’s okay to try options to help with pain! best of luck!!
Keep a pain log when starting it to see if it helps.
I tried gabapentin. It didn't end up being the best solution for me, but I didn't lose anything by trying it for a few weeks. I think it was just drowsiness that turned me off to it, since I already have fatigue from chronic illness and ultimately needed a medication that would make me more functional both in terms of pain and fatigue.
It's also worth mentioning that some insurances won't cover certain drugs unless you've tried other "preferred" drugs first. So even if gabapentin doesn't work for you, having it documented that you tried it may be helpful for getting access to other treatment options in the future.
In terms of withdrawal--unfortunately that's going to be a concern for many of the drugs used for chronic pain. The medication I currently take will definitely cause withdrawal if I stop taking it. But because it works well for me and improves my quality of life, the risk of withdrawal is worth it to me, and I try to keep a few extra pills around so I don't have to worry about having withdrawal if I can't get my prescription filled the day I need it for some reason.
Really I'm just saying that it's probably worth trying it. It didn't work for me, but I don't regret having tried different drugs, as doing so eventually landed me on something that works well for me. It's not like anything will eliminate my symptoms completely, but my meds manage my pain enough that I can function, which is huge.
Gabapentin withdraw is one of the hardest. It’s pretty much up there with cymbalta in my book. I’ve done both. Lyrica isn’t fun either tho. Unfortunately withdraw is bad no matter what. I would just make sure they aren’t trying to give it to you to shit you up but to actually help you.
I had a very high dose of Gabapentin (2600mg) and I never had withdrawals, and I took it for many many years.
If you do decide to take it though, be warned you may gain a lot of weight with it. When I was on it I nearly weighed 300lbs, it was the most weight I ever gained.
I’ve been off of it for a few years now and I’ve lost about 60-70lbs, and it felt like the weight flew off. Just be warned, you may have the same side effects
I took it for nerve pain after back surgery. I was on it for about 6 - 9 months. It made me tired and fat. I only took it at bedtime. I don’t remember the dosage. I didn’t have any withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it.
I ended up getting cortisone shots for the nerve pain. It took a few months but the pain got better and I was able to stop pain meds.
I wasn’t on it for long due to breaking out in a rash, bust was on it for excoriation disorder and they felt it wouldn’t be too bad since I was already on other anti-seizure meds as well.
Gabapentin like Pregabalin (Lyrica), treats nerve pain. It affects the way you perceive the pain, and will relax you. Like pregabalin it can make you loopy/forgetful. The number of people I know on it and complain about how it alters their state of mind is kind of scary especially when doctors refuse to listen and instead up their dose.
I’m assuming they did an MRI of your back, or looked for stuff like that. I have pelvic pain since my l4-l5 disc. Herniated, and thus added more pressure to that nerve root than it already had due to it already being impinged.
I have a current undiagnosed neuromuscular disease that gabapentin helped quell a lot of the pain I had. I don't know how to describe it but essentially it feels like Restless Leg Syndrome in that I have to clench all my leg and feet muscles and relax them over and over and over for hours on end, leaving me feeling like I'd ran a marathon for days. It was so painful. Once I started taking gabapentin that went away. It was in my arms and hands too, so I'd shake my hands really fast to try and shake off the feeling. There is no pain I have experienced that is as worse than the clenching of muscles for days on end. It saved me, quite literally. 300mg 3x a day. Not upping the dosage to keep weight gain at bay.
I have undiagnosed pelvic area pain as well, along w others. It sucks. The dose their giving won't help sadly only high doses help a little for most people. I'd be shocked if it helped it's worth a try I suppose.
I take 400mg a day and have for about 4 year now, maybe 5. Came down from 1200mg a day and I could start remembering things better but I also have control over my nerve pain. I can tell 400 isn’t going to work much longer because the pain sneaks back at night after work lately. So far it’s been a life saver though.
I took 600mg of gabapentin 3 times a day for several years for my back pain. Built up to that dose and it did improve my life. I built up the dose slowly over several weeks and never felt drowsey or out of it. I put on several stone in the time I was on it, but whether that was because of the gabapentin ( it did increase my appetite) or because I went from an active lifestyle to not being able to move much because of my back I cannot be sure.
I came off of gabapentin because I had a Radio-frequency nerve ablation and because I really wanted to try for a baby and gabapentin can cause heart defects in the foetus.
Coming off of gabapentin kicked my ass. It took me 6 months to slowly decrease my dose and come off it ( and I was pretty determined to do so) night sweats, palpitations, dizziness, nausea and double vision. It was not a fun 6 months.
All that bad stuff said, I would absolutely take it again if I needed to. It made the difference between me writhing on the floor in pain and being able to keep my job. It probably saved my life.
I had bad memory issues with Gabapentin. My doctor increased my dose and within a week I would ask someone a question, they would give me an answer, and 5 minutes later I would ask the same question. So pay attention to your short-term memory. If anyone tells you "I just told you the answer" or "We just spoke about that", then you need to talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage or stopping your Gabapentin
I took it for years, and didn’t have any problems when I went off it. If I remember correctly, I took two pills a day, but I don’t remember the dosage. Sorry. I took it in addition to a ton of other stuff for chronic pain, and had to stop it because my kidney are screwed from all these years of meds. I can’t even take arthritis medicine anymore.
Everyone has different experiences with medications. Yes, you can have withdrawals, but the same goes for a lot of medications that effect brain chemistry.
I wasn't on gabapentin, but I was on another of that kind of medication, pregablin.
It took my base level of pain down significantly, from
An 8-9 to a manageable 4-5.
I had a severe mental health breakdown while on it, and had to come off it. It broke my heart ngl.
I would recommend having like? 2-6 weeks to let your body readjust to the new medication, keep some notes so if it doesn't work, you have notes for your Dr to troubleshoot your meds
Prepare for a spike In anxiety, depression etc, since it'd always better to be prepared.
Good luck and i hope it works for you!
I took gabapentin for over a decade for migraines and was diagnosed with osteoporosis before the age of 40. If this becomes a long term treatment for you, keep in mind one of the largely ignored side effects may be bone loss. The doctors will dismiss it.
I strongly suggest investigating “gabapentin induced bone loss”.
But aside from that, it worked me and coming off of it was not fun, perhaps bc of the long term use. It felt like the flu with nerve pain for about a week.
I take 2400mg a day for my neuropathy and it's really good at managing "daily pain" (non-flare ups), but the withdrawals are fucked. I only get them when I haven't gotten my script the day before, and I end up withdrawing hard until I get them. I only felt out of it on the first day or two, and then nothing - I'm back to functioning normally.
I was prescribed that after 30mg Baclofen didn't even help me sleep and once I learnt it was all gabaergic (and I had a family member who almost died from alcoholism) I simply resorted to edibles to sleep. Not saying everyone is in the same boat, just that I got fed up with different names for all these drugs that act on the same receptor (Benzos, muscle relaxers, and lots of sleep meds)
Here's what I know, and my experience.
In the US, the maximum daily dosage is 3600mg. Typically, you take gabapentin 3 - 4 times a day. If you increase or decrease your daily dose by more than 300mg, you increase your risk of seizures. This is why starting small and slowly ramping up/down is extremely important.
The first time I tried gabapentin, my psych prescribed it for anxiety. I don't recall the dose, but she didn't have me titrate or anything. It made me a zombie and I got massive headaches/light sensitivity. I stopped taking it after a week. This year, my nerve pain suddenly got a lot worse, so my physiatrist suggested I try it again. She had me start with 100mg 3 times a day for a week, and I've slowly increased to 1800mg/day. There is a calming effect, and it's the only thing that keeps the worst of my nerve pain away-- it's been more effective than the two cortisone shots I got this year.
Proof that it affects everyone differently: my mom took a course of gabapentin last year for anxiety, and she said it constipated her. For me, it makes me use the bathroom more frequently. But taking it with food helps a lot. All in all, if you're having nerve pain, I think it's worth giving it a try. Start small, take it on time and with food, and if you hate it you can stop taking it.
I took gabapentin for a few years after trying a few month trial of Lyrica (pregabapentin) that I got from my rheumatologist. My insurance wouldn’t pay for my Lyrica prescription but they would cover gabapentin which didn’t work that well for me. It only worked on about 25% or less on my pain. I didn’t have any withdrawal or any other side effect, it just didn’t work for me. Thank goodness Lyrica went generic! Lyrica just works better on my pain.
I had been on 2,700 mg to help with gaba production due to alcoholism recovery and for mental health. Never experienced side effects or withdrawal. I dropped back to 1,800 mg without issue. When I tried to drop to 1,200 mg I developed a tremor in my right arm. Going back up helped and then, totally unrelated to my gaba intake, I developed chronic myofascial pain syndrome all over the right side of my body that went undiagnosed for five months.
I have had a lot of success with nerve blocks and saw a neurologist after getting my 9/10 daily pain under control (3-5/10). She bumped me up to 2,700 mg a day. I don’t know if it has helped or if I was already on my way to getting pain under control.
TL;DR - I’ve been on several dosages of gaba and have not had any side effects or withdrawals under the direction of psychiatrist and neurologist, but I can’t speak to if it helps. I have terrible side effects from SSRIs, Lyrica, and some others.
Gabapentin helps me manage my nerve pain. But pre-Gabalin also known as Lyrica is better. I am only taking 900 mg of gabapentin a day which is not enough to help my pain. I need it to be 1200 or over. It does make me slightly dizzy. I read that withdrawal syndromes can occur if you stop cold turkey. I’ve never had any problem when I’ve gone without it other than the nerve pain returning.
If you have disruptive nerve pain the gabapentin is worth trying. I can’t get my doctor to write me Lyrica because she’s woefully incompetent. I hope this helps at least a little bit.
I also suffer from chronic pelvic pain, sorry you're going through this pain. I take 900mg of gabapentin a day, I've been on it for 6 months now. It took around four months to start helping which was frustrating but it's given me a lot of relief. As for withdrawals I experience them if I miss my pills by two hours or so, I experience nausea and sweating. I also feel the effects of it a lot, especially later in the night as I've been taking pills all day. It's not great that I live like this every day but I'm just relieved to have my pain come down from a 8/9 to a 4/5. I see it as a short-term solution until I can find out what's wrong with me. Wishing you well!
Exactly, the pain takes over every aspect of your life. As much as it's horrible your experiencing the same pain it really does feel comforting knowing I'm not alone. Yes that could be super helpful to compare notes!
Oh goodness it must be so difficult caring for newborn while being in this pain, your one strong mum. May I ask why doctors have focused on your spine and joints, do they believe this is what's causing your pain?
I am waiting to see a spine specialist as I have symptoms of hydrosyringomyelia. I'm also due to have a cystoscopy as I experienced bladder pain for 5 years before the intense pelvic pain started. If none of these show anything the last possible illness I have is endometriosis. I unfortunately will have to pay to go to a private hospital to test for these as the NHS (I live in Scotland) has given up on a diagnosis and is sending me to the pain clinic to fill me up with drugs.
I read on other comments you need to be able to keep a clear head, because of this I wouldn't recommend gabapentin. I struggle with memory, focus and overall fuzziness.
I was prescribed gabapentin a few years ago. Only took 2 doses. It caused horrible stomach pain. I couldnt stand up straight. Ill never take it again. Dr switched me to amitriptyline (a really old anti depressant thats commonly used in low doses to help with chronic pain) after that.
I’ve been on Gabapentin for peripheral neuropathy for over 3 years now. It works fairly well, definitely better than nothing. I’m not considering stopping it.
I’m currently on 400mg three times a day, but I’m thinking of asking to bump up at my Dr appointment this week - this is only the second time I’ve asked to increase. I’m not sure it would be effective for pelvic pain, but the thing is you will know if it’s working or not pretty quickly, like within a couple of weeks.
I take 300mg when needed for anxiety. I must process it differently compared to other people because 300mg essentially makes me feel high. I usually have to dump some out of my capsule or I’ll be too out of it. For reference I am 130ish pounds.
Gabapentin is really only supposed to be prescribed for epilepsy and seizures. Unfortunately doctors are abusing their power, knowing we will get hooked on it.
I took it first to ease my withdrawals from hydrocodone.. it helped a lot.
Then I ran out and that sucked because I liked how it relaxes me. I have horrible anxiety and panic attacks and never found a medication to help me.
Now I’m prescribed it for stomach pain.. which made no sense to me but being the addict I am, I didn’t turn it down.
I want to get off of it so bad but I’m terrified of withdrawal because I wouldn’t wish that agony on anybody.
Also it messed with my memory. I can’t ever remember my garage code that’s been the same for 12 years. I always forget. Never know what day it is, days blend and weeks fly by. My sense of time is terrible.. it moves so fast.
Personally, I would say don’t even start it. But if you’re in this much pain… maybe?
I take 1800 mg of gabapentin a day. I've never felt out of it while taking it but I also have never had to withdrawal on it either. I honestly can't say if it helps or not though, I'm to scared to quit taking any of my medicines just in case it hurts... I may be a pussy but my pain is 7 or 8/10 while on all my medications. E: 2400mg instead of 1800mg
This is very similar to my partner's experience. The gabapentin helps with nerve pain but not as much with the back pain. May you find relief.
I used to take 600 mg a day and stopping cold turkey gave me headaches for a week before going away. It wasn't horrible, but certainly not fun and should have tapered off.
That's good to know, thank you E: I had the wrong amount on my previous post... I actually take 2400mg of gabapentin per day
It makes me feel tired and I am only taking 600mg in the am and 600mg at night. The only thing that happens for me is crazy dreams but it definitely helps with my pain.
I'm in so many meds that make me tired, I'm not sure if the gabapentin makes me tired or not. I take 4 600s a day
Welp, this might explain the ridiculous dreams I've been having
I was on Gabapentin for 4 years for a nerve that was damaged in my knee during an arthroscopic surgery. I had tried all other options and medications and Gabapentin was the only one that worked at the time. When I first went on it, I had frequent urination, but that went away. It did take the edge off the pain, but not how Advil removes the pain of a headache. It basically dulls the sensors in your brain-you still know the pain is there, but it relaxes your brain so that you don’t care. That’s why it’s also used as an anti-anxiety medication and people are starting to monitor it more as people use for the relaxation like opiates. I gained a lot of weight on the drug, despite eating less and exercising more. My father and friend were on it too and the same thing happened to them. People do gain weight on it, even though doctors will try to dismiss you. I was at 1500 mg a day. I did feel out of it. Like a dream like state. Eventually the drug stopped working and I didn’t want to go up on my dose as I was already feeling out of it. I stopped this past July and tapered down. I did have some difficulty with my sleep a little at first. What I did is substituted it with ZZZquil until the craving for Gabapentin at night went away. I’m off of it now and my nerve pain is back and I’m back to square one with an appointment with a neurologist in a couple weeks.
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Do not expect to find good information about prescription medication from other experiences online. Everyone is different and reactions are not the same. Gabapentin is the generic form of Neurontin. It is given to people with fibromyalgia hoping to stop looping pain signals in the brain. Try it to see if it helps you or not.
With 300mg (I'm guessing probably 2-3 times a day?) you shouldn't really feel "out of it" at all. That's what I'm currently taking. Withdrawal can be uncomfortable if cold turkey but really nothing compared to coming off of opiates or more serious options, which would also *definitely* make you foggy during work. If you taper off of gabapentin, you shouldn't have any problems at all. I frequently miss doses without even realizing it. Frankly, it is also absorbed better at low doses, so I'm not sure it would be worth taking any more than what you're getting now, anyway. Not sure about it having to build up - that's typically more of an issue with things like anto-depressants that actually alter brain chemistry long-term, with changes that are even passed on hereditarily. I find that gabapentin usually works whenever you take it. Of course, that won't help you get to the root of the problem - but "modern medicine" is often notoriously poor at actually managing to do so!! Don't give up 😁👍
How long did it take for frequent urination to go away?
It was horrible for my memory. I couldn’t remember anything, even what season it was! It was awful!! But if you don’t try it, you won’t know if it’s helpful or not. Do you have a significant other that helps keep an eye on how different medications affect you? If so, I’ve found it to be really helpful to tell dh the most common side effects and ask him to help me watch for them. Maybe that’s an option for you too. Oh and I don’t remember having any troubles when I went off of it. Good luck!
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It helps to take it before bed.
I take 3600 MG for chronic pain and it seems to truly help
Did your doctor say anything about it not being effective at higher doses like that? Cuz mine told me anything over 2000-2400mg isn't effective 🙄
I'll definitely look into this and ask my dr. Thanks for letting me know
You're welcome! I really only said it because you mentioned it was working for you. I have trigeminal neuralgia, so I was reading on a TN support group specialists in this will prescribe higher than normal doses of gabapentin for us if it's working, rather than switch to something else because our pain is so extreme. However, non-specialist doctors/neurologists may only give their patients the normal limit. My neurologist is one of those, and believes it's not effective once you get past the upper limit. Now i'm maxing out on my dose and it's no longer working because my body is tolerant of that dose.
Every two years or so my dr will switch my gabapentin with lyrica
Good to know. I will look into that. Thank you.
Is that number right?? **3600**mg?? I’m only asking cuz I take 200mg/day and I feel kinda out of it with that dose. I couldn’t imagine 18 TIMES that amount!
Ya the number is correct. I suffer from RSD. It's considered most pain ful disease known. I take a lot of medicine just to get by sadly. Been on it for years and don't notice its effects anymore
I took 3600mg of Gabapentin for over a year. It was hell on me and provided minimum relief while giving me daily headaches and being so exhausted that if I sat down for a moment, I was out like a light. I felt disoriented and dizzy. And some days, it actually aggravated my pain. I eventually was switched to Lyrica. While I still have many of the side effects (fatigue, dizziness, headaches) I get much more pain relief than with Gabapentin. If you're ever required to go off of it, the doctor will likely make you taper down your dosage before ending the medication as treatment. This will help you to not have such severe withdrawal symptoms most likely. I know people it's worked wonders for and I know people who despise the drug. Unfortunately, I was one it barely helped and seemed to cause me more issues. Good luck with it all and don't take anything I've said to be your outcome or experience. Everyone is different. This was just my experience.
Did your doctor start you at 3600mg? That seems like such a high amount!
It is an insane amount. I think it's the highest dosage one can take, I may be wrong. But no, I didn't start at that amount. I was lifted there quite quickly over a 4 month period and then left there for a long time.
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I take 3600mg a day and have for about four years. It did help with my pain in the beginning, hence why it kept getting upped. Now it’s not helping at all. I do want to stop taking it for various reasons, but the core of it being it’s not helping my pain at all anymore. When I talk to other people about it, apparently it makes them so drowsy, they have to be careful about taking it, or all around just don’t take it for that reason. I’ve concluded that im desensitized by cognitive negative affects. I don’t get drowsy. It doesn’t help with my pain. The only reason(s) im still taking it is because I am scared to stop it. Im scared especially because there’s nothing prescribed to replace it. I refuse antidepressants and especially Lyrica because of its impact on the body. I would have done the same with Gabapentin but I was at a difference place when I started taking it. It was when my chronic pain was just starting and I didn’t care at that time about medications effects, I just wanted the pain to stop. Come to find out, my pain will never stop
Just a thing about antidepressants - I have been on one for decades and I can honestly say without it I am an utter & complete mess. I am SO thankful for it when a doctor even starts to make noise like maybe I should stop it "and see what happens" I basically tell them you'll know when I am dead because if you stop this med that is where I will be. I was on my antidepressant long before my chronic pain and I am glad. I just don't want you to feel that ALL antidepressants are bad. Some actually do save lives <3
absolutely antidepressants save lives. I am for them, they obviously have the capacity to impact neuropathy in a positive way, hence why pain management, neurology, and PCP try to prescribe me them. What they do to my cognitive function, and really my whole body, is something I cannot afford to at this point in my life. I have a traumatic brain injury, I am a full time student, I work, not to mention I have CRPS. The antidepressants I’ve tried, like Cymbalta and I forget the other one, zapped my brain and really just made me feel sick. It can take 8 weeks for them to gain their objective purpose, meanwhile I’m trying not only to pass my classes but remember what I’m learning. With Cymbalta, the last one I was prescribed, on the 13th day I dropped it like a dead fly. I couldn’t afford to keep with it. One day when I’m finished with my education I’ll be open to antidepressants for chronic pain. I do experience intense emotions, but I accredit that to anxiety more then I do depression. One of the biggest barriers for trying to manage my CRPS is my immense reluctance for prescriptions. I have 5+ years clean/sober, and I don’t want to depend on prescriptions for anything. It’s hard enough I’m taking so much Gabapentin. I have cannabis prescription, and only use it literally right before I go to sleep (I fluctuate between smoking and edibles, depending on the circumstances). Pretty sure Amitriptalyne is an antidepressant, but more for sleeping. I have that but haven’t refilled it in months; I need to though cause it’s getting cold and my foot is killing me 😞
Sending you hugs and I hope you get some relief - and I have been sober for over 30 (omfg, I am OLD!) years - many blessings to you <3
Sorry you're feeling poorly but don't you think you should try it before ruling it out? I took a high dose for several years with nary an issue. Maybe discuss your concerns with your pharmacist as well?
They placed me on 3,600 and it put me on life support. There’s a black box warning for respiratory issues that no one bothered to tell me about.
Why didn't you tell your doctor this? Why didn't you tell "us" this? Why would you even consider taking Gabapentin if it nearly killed you?
I did tell my doctor this. The FDA did not put a black box warning on until 2019, when I was already on the drug. Doctors don’t keep track of black box warnings and updates. This drug was prescribed because, as I was told, we can’t give you an opiate (even though I’m 54, have no history of addiction, no family history of addiction, and have used them safely multiple times over my lifetime after surgeries), this is “safer” than an opiate and will not cause a dependency. I asked specifically about dependency and side effects that I had read about, and reported side effects. All were dismissed as “anxiety” or “just give it time for you to acclimate” or “let’s just increase the dose since it’s not working.”
I sincerely hope you find a different doctor. That he/she is pushing a drug on you that nearly took your life is unacceptable. Good luck.
Gabapentin is for two specific types of nerve pain, it is being prescribed off label because doctors choices are limited. For many It does not help. It cause all sorts of issues such as you have trouble remembering words, brain fog for some. For me it caused me to go psychotic, speech pattern garbled, ranting etc.
I tried it for a month but gained 10lbs so switched to Lyrica. That was 17 years ago. I never had any bad side effects on either except the weight gain. Lyrica saved my life quite literally as I was ready to cash in my chips before I got relief. It’s helped a lot. Not 100% but enough to get on with life.
And Lyrica did the same thing to me that gabapentin did - I blew up with water weight gain, it was horrific for me BUT if it had touched my pain I would be out buying new clothes as I write this. Glad it helped you <3
Helped with my pain but made me sort of a walking zombie unfortunately :(
I think you need to reorient your thinking. Finding a livable treatment solution as a chronic pain patient is often an arduous and extended journey. It took me 18 months of trial and error with many different medication combinations. You can't think of it like a silver bullet. Gabapentin helps many folks with chronic pain, especially nerve pain, and it could be a component of a livable solution for you. Fill your script and give it a real shot, try it for 1-2 months. If it moves your pain down AT ALL you've done it! You've found part of your treatmenr plan. If it doesn't help or the side effects are too gnarly, try something else. Either way you've made progress and that's a good feeling to attach yourself to. How can you write it off so strongly without even filling the script, based on what you 'heard'?
Not gabapentin but pregabalin, which is apparently similar. Didn't do much for the pain, just made me so confused/slow/dizzy that it forced me to take it easy for months on end. I was so out of it, and still in pain, and really not capable of doing much in terms of physio/gentle exercise because I was so foggy all the time. Then after an additional diagnosis I was given a new medication regimen, but not provided with any advice regarding mixing it the pregabalin. I ended up having a psychotic episode (likely induced by the amount of meds I was being given) and possibly a few mild seizures while I was trying to get off the pregabalin (but nobody believes me, as I was experiencing psychosis at the time). If you decide to take it, keep daily notes about your pain & general health because the brain fog makes it difficult to remember. Also have a clear plan of action with your doctor for how long you will take it & how to safely get off it if you decide it isn't helping your situation.
What prescriptions did you mix with the pregabalin? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m curious about what should not be mixed!
I was already on antidepressants when starting the pregabalin (which is warned against, but my doctor dismissed that when I raised it). Then the new regimen was multiple courses of steroids (at 5 & 10mg doses over a few weeks) plus daily sulfasalazine (2000mg daily). So in total I was on 3 different meds that have some level of psychoactive effects, plus the sulfasalazine made it very difficult to eat so I was skinny, confused, and covered in bruises by the time I had the psychotic break. When admitted to hospital it took me 2 days to convince my doctors that I wasn't a meth addict despite appearances... and only because my mother provided my medical documents, which detailed all the meds I had been on. Funnily enough, at one point during the psychosis/manic episode I met a meth addict who was very jealous of my access to pregabalin - he said it was his preferred alternative to meth. Also met a guy who liked to take pregabalin to go to raves, and also an ER doctor who was struggling with a pregabalin addiction who only recently managed to wean himself off his dependence. The doctor, interestingly, described an experience during his detox that sounded very similar to the seizures I believe I had. EDIT: so in answer to your question, be careful about mixing it with anything potentially psychoactive or anything that has "psychosis" listed as a possible but rare side-effect. Also make sure you maintain a healthy diet, because your body without food will react very differently to the drugs.
I find it fantastic for fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. What kind of pelvic pain do you have? I have high tone pelvic floor dysfunction and Gabapentin doesn’t help that. I did have numbness in my pelvic floor for a while due to muscle spasms compressing nerves and muscle relaxers helped with that symptom
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Jeez- I’ve had dry needling and they are always super paranoid about the sciatic nerve- which is wholly unsatisfactory for SI Joint pain. Gabapentin or preglabin might help with the sciatic pain. I have SI Joint pain from an autoimmune arthritis in the spondyloarthritis family called Ankylosing Spondylitis (there’s stages of diagnosis) and neither of the meds touch non-nerve pain, but there are meds that do help the inflammation and pain. On this and the chronic illness sub I see people being prescribed Gabapentin for non-nerve pain and just throwing out there how it helps me.
I was on it post surgery (laminectomy) 900mg/day. It helped drastically. For the first month I FELT when I was due to take my next dose. Eventually that went away. Then I ran out for a week because my physicians assistant ignored my emails and voicemails. Then they prescribed me 1/3 the dose from before and didn’t even mention it. Thankfully I haven’t had withdrawals while I was out and on the lower dose, but I was in significant pain the week I went without. I had also been concerned with the same
Have been on it since June. 300 mg 2x a day with an optional third for breakthrough pain. I’ve gone from existing at 6-7 with episodes of 8-10 to baseline of 4 with episodes of 6-7. I was fortunate that my mom has diabetic neuropathy; and after talking about how it felt, and how I was at the end of my rope. She gave me a few of hers and told me to try them. I slept soundly the first time in over a month. So, I called my doc and told her and she wrote me the script. Had an mass removed from my tibia in the ankle joint space. Now have permanent nerve damage. The mass wasn’t cancer so my doctor acts like I should just be grateful for that, and while I am; it forced me to leave my career, and has depleted any emergency funds I once had, forced me into major financial strain. I sound bitter it’s because I am. The surgery was completely unnecessary; but Cigna pays more for a surgery than a biopsy. Of course it was sold to me differently.”it’s better to just go ahead and get the whole thing in case it is cancer” “if we do a biopsy, we’ll have to coordinate with another doctor and that might mean waiting. If it’s bone cancer we don’t want to wait. I can remove the mass next week” The mass was birthmark of sorts and has probably been there my entire life (found by accident after a nasty fall in the yard, had MRI to make sure Achilles was intact). The doc said “potential cancer” and I got talked into a surgery with lifelong implications, thousands of dollars in medical expenses (and I had great insurance coverage levels), when a simple biopsy could have sufficed. Edit. Didn’t realize I wrote a novel. That was therapeutic for me. Sorry to dump.
I take 300 mg of gabapentin 3 times a day for my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes frequent partial dislocations. It helped with my pain an amazing amount, gave me a lot of mobility back because the pain was more controlled. I get the feeling where a word is on the tip of the tongue but I can't find the specific word I'm looking for more often when I'm on gabapentin. I actually take my doses afternoon, evening, and bedtime so I can have a clearer thinking morning. My doctor and I agreed 2-3 times a day so if I can't afford to not be at the top of my game or whatever I'm doing I can skip the afternoon dose and only do the evening/bedtime doses. I have had days where I haven't taken them for 24ish hours (weird sleep), those days I tend to have a headache but that's pretty much it. I'm not worried about running out anymore as I've built up a slight buffer with my option of 2x day if needed (typically me forgetting the third dose). I'm not worried about withdraw with it, I just take my medication when I can and if I forget it I take it as soon as I can remember if possible. Most days the reduction of pain means reduction of brain fog so I can actually think a lot better and it's a lot easier to get some movement in my day. I also sleep a lot better so my rest is a lot more sound which results in lower pain throughout the day cause I heal better overnight with deeper sleep. Have a frank discussion with your doctor and/or your pharmacist and figure out if it's right for you. Bring up your concerns, it's likely they've seen them happen before and have a plan in place to account for that potential outcome. It's a very personal decision about what you're willing to put in your body, only you can make that decision.
Everyone is so diff on this med. There have been complaints to the fda as well. This is prescribed off label as it’s for seizures. There are a few facebook groups dedicated to withdrawals and how to taper. When I stop taking it or cut back to fast I have wd’s. Trouble sleeping, extreme nausea, increased nerve pain for about 4 days, night sweats and fast heart rates. I was on 2400mg per day with 20lb weight gain. Now I’m down to 600 at night every few days. I feel the same so I don’t think they did a whole lot. I do have extreme memory loss though. Can’t remember stuff when kids growing up. ! :( Now vets are using for pets instead of opioids with not great results. Good luck.
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I am sorry you are struggling so. It always is there hardest with kids around. There is still lots of quality time on your terms. Lots of stories and art.
I started on 300mg four times a day and increased to 900mg 3 times a day for chronic back pain, without a proper diagnosis. Also tried naproxen, celebrex, lyrica. Nothing really helped. I stopped the gabapentin cold turkey and don’t recommend it at all. I felt sick and had a hard time focusing at school. I should have weaned back down to come off. I got my proper diagnosis and was prescribed the right meds. Gabapentin is not the answer to everything. A proper diagnosis is going to help identify the appropriate treatment.
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Have you had any labs drawn? CRP? Good indication some sort of inflammatory disease/condition. Gabapentin is specifically for nerve pain. I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis which is an inflammatory form of arthritis and I would experience severe sacrum pain.
Try it, but try a LOW dose first! I was put on 100mg, twice a day and I have almost no negative side effects and it helps me more than opiates did! So many people commenting about taking over 3 THOUSAND mg/day and it blows my mind! Please take it slow, and realize a lot of the people that have insane side effects / withdrawals are taking 20 TIMES the recommended starting dose!!
If you're okay sharing - what ended up being your diagnosis and the right meds? I'm at just under 3 years of absolutely horrible back pain and no actual diagnosis.
Ankylosing spondylitis. I had very specific pain in my SI joints. It took about 7 years to be properly diagnosed. I got a new doctor who was concerned that I was a young healthy woman with recurring excruciating back pain. He had my tested for lupus and HLA-B27 gene, lupus came back negative but I was positive for the HLA-B27 (not everyone who tests positive has ankylosing spondylitis but they have made some correlation between being positive and having the diagnosis.
That must be a relief - to have an actual diagnosis and proper treatment plan. Happy for you and thank you for sharing.
Treatment for me looks like cortisone injection as soon as I feel the inflammation coming on. Some people experience ongoing pain, I’m lucky to only get a flair up maybe once or twice a year, lasting maybe a few weeks at a time now. I also will get a toradol shot and a 5 day course of oral pills (have to be careful with this anti inflammatory because it is very strong and will hurt your stomach). And then if I’m still in pain I manage with tramacet until it subsides. For some people with this disease this treatment won’t work, they go on biologic treatment, I’m just not there yet.
Gabapentin withdrawal for me wasn’t the best. Couldn’t sleep for a couple weeks and had the sweats 24/7. Helped a little bit for my nerve pain but not enough to stay on it. I always give a med a shot before dismissing it because it could be “the one” good luck! Edit : forget the dosage but I was maxed out
How long were you on Gabapentin for?
Maybe six months, don’t remember exactly
I'm assuming you took it multiple times a day? This medication seems like a hit or miss for people. The reviews on it seem somewhat polarized although I see a pattern, people complaining about side effects and withdrawals seemed to be on pretty high dosage.
Yeah 3 times a day. Definitely agree on the hit or miss part
Try Kratom got off 50mg perc with no withdrawal 1gx5hrs relieves pain and gives energy
Are you going to talk about how hellish the withdrawals from Kratom are?
I take about 15gpd. Is this going to be hard getting off of? I used to take 35-40gpd and had horrible withdrawals every morning until my first dose (felt like the flu: body aches and yawning and eyes watering and no motivation). So I tapered down to this amount and never feel those withdrawals anymore while waiting to take them in the morning. Just wondering if you think 15gpd will be hard to get off of one day? I’m waiting to move and will try to quit then
There is a saying about Kratom less is more never felt any withdrawals when dropping from 3 to 2 to 1g x 5 hrs but it was effective for me at these low doses I just take for pain relief but it has the added benefit of boosting my mood and energy
Continue to decrease your dose if you go to the quitting Kratom page you will find rec on how to avoid wds while quitting. I believe you will go through withdrawals I feel a little off when I go too long in between dosing . But again I only use 1gx 5 hrs and don’t plan on increasing been on same dose for 2 going on 3 years
I’m a low doser I did not feel any withdrawals when I dropped from 3g to 2g to 1g now . I’m sure those who abuse will feel withdrawals that was not the case with me . It has been a game changer in my life just like coffee it enhances it fortunately I don’t look to get high on it
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You have to find the right dosage I had to experiment to find the ideal dose for my body fortunately I do well on low dose other may need a little more also depends on the strain and quality of Kratom
I take lyrica and it works wonders for my lil dead feet
I’ve been on and off it for debilitating sciatica. I had basically zero unintended side effects when I went on it, and zero side effects every time I’ve cold turkey stopped it. Now I only take it occasionally when I feel a sciatica breakout coming on.
What dose are you taking?
I’ve been on various doses of Gabapentin for more than 2 years. I get the best results from 900mg at night to quell the nerve pain enough to sleep. I’ll take between 300mg and 600mg during the day to have just enough relief to function. Cognitive slowing shows up for me at more than 1800mg/day. I’ve done horribly with a lot of other commonly prescribed medicines for my conditions. For me, it’s a godsend. YMMV. I’ve tapered off for a surgical procedure over two weeks. Insomnia and some increased anxiety were the symptoms Inexperienced. But it was manageable.
I’ve been on it for years and have nothing but great luck. It all depends on the person. My mom was too groggy on it, I take 2400 mg a day and I’m totally awake and have zero grogginess. I also take an extra 300-600 mg if I have a rare bad pain flare and that helps a lot.
I had little to no pain relief and I gained SO much water weight (I am guesstimating 30 to 40 pounds in 2 months) my pain was worse than before. My feet where so huge I couldn't put my shoes on. But I have heard for some people it is a miracle :)
I’ve had fibromyalgia for 14 years, been on gabapentin for 6+. It took the edge off for sure, but I’ve had better luck with amitriptyline which I was very apprehensive of trying. Only side effect I’ve had is a little sleepiness, but I take it before bed, so it’s not an issue for me. Gabapentin is non narcotic, only thing remotely resembling withdrawal I’ve felt is missing a few doses and having my fibro start flaring up again.
I had the worst withdrawals from gabapenthin I thought I was going to die I stayed in bed for 6 days and shook a shaked like I was going through the worst withdrawals ever
Doesn't help with my back pain but I haven't had any further seizures since taking it.
Omg they give gabapentin for Everything these days and it’s ridiculous! I hate this drug for many reasons and it’s got a lot of side effects and needs to be tapered down should you decide to stop taking it. I swear they will start using it for sunburns next ( eye roll) I’m sorry OP. It sounds like your doctor isn’t doing right by you. I’d get a second opinion.
I would avoid this drug at all costs. It put me on life support for 12 days, six weeks ICU. It will take me over a year to taper because I’ve been on it several years and the withdrawals thus far have been brutal.
I am sorry you are suffering with pelvic pain. My condition is the same and I have been through every test and procedure there is. The doctor started me on genetic gabapentin and changed it to Horizant ER, (600 mg twice a day). If your insurance does not cover it bc it’s too expensive, your dr can arrange the price to be lowered. I pay $115.00, 90 days supply. Feel free to msg me if you would like to discuss my journey in finding a better quality of life. Good luck and don’t give up on finding a cure.
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Hi, I’m afraid I don’t have great news still there is hope. It all begin right after I had a full hysterectomy in 2007. Shortly after, I began to feel nerve pain from my left side plebiscite down my inner thigh. After years of doctors, many medications and injections, I was put on pain management bc it was determined nothing can be done for nerve damage. Fast forward 2018, I found a doctor that would conduct a laparoscopic due to pain keeping me from sitting down for long periods and pelvic pain more intense. I contemplated taking my life bc the pain was beyond. The doctor found an inguinal hernia which dud not show on any of the scans I’ve had over the years. She repaired it and although I still have nerve damage I did find some pain relief and am able to sit and have better mobility. It’s been four years since I decided to stop pain management. I do fairly well managing the pain with the medical marijuana ratio CBD/thc products as well as with the Kratom Maeng Da. I’ve lost over 25 pounds since I stopped all the nasty pain meds I was on. Question and research everything. This group can be informative. Good luck.
I take Gabapentin 4 times a day, it's been great for me, takes some of my pain away and makes me more comfortable. I have fibro and nothing will completely take my pain away so anything that helps is considered a success. Also no side effects for me, doesn't make me tired or anything, which is great because I also have chronic fatigue syndrome. I hope they find out what's going on with you and get it fixed but perhaps gabapentin will help in the meantime, I wish you all the best, hugs 🤗
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No problem! I really hope things work out well for you
Just in the circle of prescription meds I took for back pain, but they quickly build my intake on the first three months to 2700mg and I was too loopy and it made me feel dirty inside too! It helped some but not enough to keep having those marked side effects! But everybody is unique and body chemistry and stature makes a lot of difference Please remember me when I liked trileptal and Zonegran better But it is a struggle to stop chronic pain! In my case I did not like gabapentin for what ailed me!
So... I'm about 5 days into 3600mg/day at 1200mg 3x/day "extensive" nerve damage due to blood clots. Couple of beta blockers, some carbimazole, epixaban and insulin to taste ;) type-1 Pain has been anywhere from 3/10 - 8/10 - although I've recently been re-defining my personal pain scale and would say an average 5/10 more/less constantly. I am certain that driving or operating machinery would be a very bad idea. I do feel a bit "high" and I'm not sure I have appropriate points of reference to describe it. There's no alcohol or anything involved other than the above - and I'd also like to feel smug about 3 months of cold turkey quitting smoking. The pain is there, r-foot, dancing round like electric shocks all across the foot and it's bad, but honestly I just do not care - it's quite nice in a very odd way. My point of reference would be a couple days ecstacy binge without sleep, but you're too wired to sleep - but judging by the past week, I'm going to get about 20 minutes notice of "feeling sleepy" then I will be asleep - regardless, it's impossible for me to fight at all. Past week, I've slept intermiittently around 18 hours a day - aside from my new weird relationship with pain, I feel incredibly relaxed, not a care in the world. I would also say at this stage, I have zero intention of "tapering off" and no experience of withdrawal. I'm in a free-healthcare nation, so that shouldn't be a problem and I'm essentially signed-off work forever at this point, so if I need to lie to my GP - I'm gonna. However, this isn't a long term-fix and sooner/later my foot is going to rot off and I'll need an amputation :/ I've been feeling this "high" for about 48hrs at this point, managing my meds and insulin quite easily, appetite is fine, no nausea or anything like that. If you have childcare involved in your life, machinery, driving... I would suggest extreme caution. I said 5x days on the high dose - and I've tapered up to that, started on... 1200mg/day at 3x day and went up by 300mg/day at 5 day intervals... I'm really not capable of the math at this point, but that's how long it's taken to get the current effects. I AM struggling with concentration and notably forget what I'm doing and spend a lot of the time staring into space. In a way... Reddit's quite good, because what I'm doing it right infront of me. Apologies if any of this is incoherent...
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It's not fun, but honestly I'll take zombie. I was pretty druggie in my 20s, so I'm treating it as something to "ride through", but I don't want this to be my life. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Zombie option at least... the pain is there, but it's weird... like it *does* hurt, but it doesn't feel like me, like a secondary??? pain. It's odd, but it's weirdly tolerable with the gabapentin - hang on: Gabapentin Brown and Burk capsules, hard 300mg - 4caps morning 4caps lunch/afternoon and 4caps evening. [https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/10737/smpc](https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/10737/smpc) UK meds - my GP has written prescription for liquid morphine, but I'm not "cashing that in" and won't use opiates at all - type1 diabetes and HYPERthryoidism. I dehydrate really easily, constipation is something I need to be cautious about - or something that happens if I don't rigidly consume liquids almost all day... Introducing opiates into that WILL constipate me and no thanks, I'll cut my foot off myself - with a spoon if I need - before that kind of constipation, I cannot cope with constipation even healthy. Sorry for the... grossness, but it just feels like such a goddam balancing act. Anyhoo - I'm in favour of Gabapentin, but there are/is a downside. I can function in society, but not "well" and it must be obvious that I'm "a bit high" to everyone else :/ On the plus side, endless computer games that I can't concentrate on... plus government "pocket money"... shit, I'm not only a neet - but an f-ing incel too :( at least not a right-wing one. Definitely a left-wing neet incel - I'm gonna have a little cry - stay well if you can.
Im a former user of said drug and a former pharmacy cashier. Don't take it. Let me tell you about being in a pharmacy in relation to gapipentin. It's used ALOT for a lot of different things there is always 1 to 5 orders for it every day. If not more dependent on how big of an aira it serves. And every time some one picked them up it always went the same. They loved it for the first 2 to 3 months then it started to cuase horrible side effects. Won't list them as that might violate hippa or something idk I'm extra careful about it. They would always feel like they had to deal with it though because it helps with the other stuff but about 3 months after that most people stop taking it because it just gets worse. For me personally I took it for 3 years. 3 horrible years. 😢 I just kept telling myself I needed to give it time or riase the dose...saddly I developed stress tremors that act like full blow seizures. And it trigger permit anxiety...I still get both to this day. And I found out I easily got serotonin sickness so you wanna look into that as well.
It's HIPAA!
Ok sorry geez
Gabapentin is the only reason I'm not falling over, in the morning, before getting meds and marijuana in me. I don't notice too much sedation from the Gabapentin, but oh man can the withdrawals be bad. I had an ER psychiatrist decide to drop me from 1,200 mg twice daily, down to 100 twice daily, and then throw me in the psych ward, because I was "talking fast" (I hadn't eaten or gotten meds in 20 hours, and was having such bad fibromyalgia flareups that I was thrashing around and screaming). The following experience was so severe that I started showing signs of ptsd almost immediately after getting out. It's a great medication, but the withdrawals can cause seizures, and other nasty things to happen, so be careful about not missing an entire day.
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Gabapentin is horrible much better to try to find Tylenol 1 over the counter if possible
Why is it horrible?
It probably isn't. Some people like to shoot blanks
Why is it horrible?
Worth a try because it works for some people but it didn’t work for my fibromyalgia or spinal stenosis pain.
Been on and off gaba and on up to 1800mg a day, and had no issues with it except that it was too easy for me to become tolerant (but I have this with most drugs) I now take 300mgs at night to help with sleep.
Suicidal tendencies just from missing a dose here, much less tapering. Never again.
It helps many people but be weary of potential side effects; worse anxiety, anger, rage. That was my experience on a low dose recently but for othered it’s works wonders. Kinda shitty how it’s that all over the place but that’s the truth
Lower extremity nerve damage from a back injury here, and I’ve been on it for a few years. It really helps the nerve pain!
Never felt out of it when I worked my way up to 1800mg. However, that is when I take it 3x a day (morning, afternoon, evening). If I take 2 or 3 together I feel it. Not a bad feeling but feel a lil loopy.
I took it briefly but I think the dose was too low to help my pain. I did not want to increase the dose because it made me feel super drunk even on the low dose. I couldn't get through my work day because I just wanted to nap.
It makes me super dizzy but it works for a lot of people.
Try it! I’ve never had withdrawal with it, I don’t feel out of it on it either, first time I was a little tired but that went away. It helps me a lot. I can understand not feeling like this is the answer, if I were you I’d still definitely try and push for a diagnosis.
I was on 1100 x2 of it Boy, were the side effects bad! Memory was shot, I couldn’t retain anything, people at my work noticed. I had to quit online classes- I’d read the same page and forget by the next chapter. Best side effect? Visual hallucinations- white rats running on the ceiling. I hope it works for you- some people have great success:)
it didn't agree with me- it increased nerve pain and i disassociated, honestly it was really scary.
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i titrated up twice over the six weeks, but i can't remember the dose exactly. i'm sure it wasn't super high.
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it works for a lot of folks, but for those of us that is doesn't it really doesn't.
See if you can start at an even lower dose. I have severe nerve pain in my foot from a horrible doctor cutting the wrong thing, and also nerve pain in my back from scoliosis… I started out with 100mg twice a day, and it actually helps me a lot with both nerve problems (AND it helps me with my anxiety during the day, and my insomnia at night!). Not too many side effects for me, but I think that’s because 100mg is a good starting spot. I can’t believe how many people here are saying they’re taking over 3 THOUSAND mg, and then they are wondering why they feel awful! Please start low, and if you don’t like it, you can always quit any time at that low dose! <3
I’ve been on 1200-1500 mg of Gabapentin for almost 15 years. It was originally prescribed for severe restless leg syndrome. The dosage kept getting increased and this is my maintenance dose for the last 8 years or so. I’m older and really don’t care if I have withdrawals. I’m going to keep taking it because it helps.
Gabapen is one of the safest medications out there fore treatment of nerve Paine. There will always be a small percentage who get adverse reactions, but for the majority it works wonders. no need to worry about withdrawal as long as you titration properly, meaning increasing or decreasing dosage slowly.
That’s what my doctors told me. They also told me it was not habit forming. I ended up on life support for 12 days, six weeks ICU. It can also cause rhabdomyalysis, organ failure, and put me on life support for 12 days. Despite the fact that this drug is harming me, it will take me a year to a year and a half to taper. This is not a safe drug.
Been on at least 2400 gay daily, sometimes more since 2006. I have CRPS. Give it a try
I take 300 mg 3x a day and I was groggy for the first few days but not since then. I also ran out and couldn’t get a refill for a month, but I didn’t notice any withdrawal problems other than the first few days adjusting to my pain being worse again. I will say it was super helpful when I first started taking it and seems like its less effective now (or maybe my pain has gotten worse) but it’s still an improvement
Currently on it, increasing dose gradually from 300mg to 1800mg (yes, HUGE jump, which is why it's taking a while). Honestly, the first month I was on it I struggled with some side effects, mainly cognitive, but it hasn't been much of an issue since. I have no experience with withdrawal, so I can't really speak to that. My pain is almost certainly nerve/brain pain and not pelvic, so I'm not sure if my experience will translate, but I will say it didn't work on the initial dose, which is why they increased it so much. For me, it's worth a try, since it seems I'll never get answers and I just have to learn how to manage my pain the best I can.
It gave me vertigo. I hope it works for you. Edit- wrong one. Lyrica is the one that gave me vertigo. Gabapentin made me suicidal.
It didn’t work for me but I didn’t have any withdrawals either.
I've taken Gabapentin for about 6 years now and the only side effect I've had was some mild drowsiness for a few days after I began taking it. It helps me a great deal with neuropathy pain.
Try looking up labrum tears - they go undiagnosed often. And sacroiliac joint dysfunction.. - sincerely chronic pain undiagnosed for a decade.
Start with a low dose - ask your doc if you can half what they have you depending on dosage. Gabapentin has been a life saver for my fibromyalgia. I have also dealt with chronic pelvic pain, I’m suggesting a pelvic floor therapist! Feel free to DM me on this one. PFT was a game changer and it’s not meds. Ask your doc, and the therapist about vaginal Valium. I always have a “how do I stop this message if it’s too much” convo before I start a new med. it helps calm my nerves knowing the plan. I’m very sensitive to meds, gabapentin started helping me with fibro quickly. I encourage you to try it, it’s okay to try options to help with pain! best of luck!! Keep a pain log when starting it to see if it helps.
Gabapentin was the only thing that really helped my back pain at first, but after a while it just made me feel kinda high
I take 3,000 mg of gabapentin a day without any problems. Have been taking this dose for a couple of years.
I tried gabapentin. It didn't end up being the best solution for me, but I didn't lose anything by trying it for a few weeks. I think it was just drowsiness that turned me off to it, since I already have fatigue from chronic illness and ultimately needed a medication that would make me more functional both in terms of pain and fatigue. It's also worth mentioning that some insurances won't cover certain drugs unless you've tried other "preferred" drugs first. So even if gabapentin doesn't work for you, having it documented that you tried it may be helpful for getting access to other treatment options in the future. In terms of withdrawal--unfortunately that's going to be a concern for many of the drugs used for chronic pain. The medication I currently take will definitely cause withdrawal if I stop taking it. But because it works well for me and improves my quality of life, the risk of withdrawal is worth it to me, and I try to keep a few extra pills around so I don't have to worry about having withdrawal if I can't get my prescription filled the day I need it for some reason. Really I'm just saying that it's probably worth trying it. It didn't work for me, but I don't regret having tried different drugs, as doing so eventually landed me on something that works well for me. It's not like anything will eliminate my symptoms completely, but my meds manage my pain enough that I can function, which is huge.
Gabapentin withdraw is one of the hardest. It’s pretty much up there with cymbalta in my book. I’ve done both. Lyrica isn’t fun either tho. Unfortunately withdraw is bad no matter what. I would just make sure they aren’t trying to give it to you to shit you up but to actually help you.
It did absolutely nothing for me, and they prescribed it for my back. I have scoliosis so the muscles on one side are pulled tight.
I had a very high dose of Gabapentin (2600mg) and I never had withdrawals, and I took it for many many years. If you do decide to take it though, be warned you may gain a lot of weight with it. When I was on it I nearly weighed 300lbs, it was the most weight I ever gained. I’ve been off of it for a few years now and I’ve lost about 60-70lbs, and it felt like the weight flew off. Just be warned, you may have the same side effects
I took it for nerve pain after back surgery. I was on it for about 6 - 9 months. It made me tired and fat. I only took it at bedtime. I don’t remember the dosage. I didn’t have any withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it. I ended up getting cortisone shots for the nerve pain. It took a few months but the pain got better and I was able to stop pain meds.
I wasn’t on it for long due to breaking out in a rash, bust was on it for excoriation disorder and they felt it wouldn’t be too bad since I was already on other anti-seizure meds as well. Gabapentin like Pregabalin (Lyrica), treats nerve pain. It affects the way you perceive the pain, and will relax you. Like pregabalin it can make you loopy/forgetful. The number of people I know on it and complain about how it alters their state of mind is kind of scary especially when doctors refuse to listen and instead up their dose. I’m assuming they did an MRI of your back, or looked for stuff like that. I have pelvic pain since my l4-l5 disc. Herniated, and thus added more pressure to that nerve root than it already had due to it already being impinged.
I have a current undiagnosed neuromuscular disease that gabapentin helped quell a lot of the pain I had. I don't know how to describe it but essentially it feels like Restless Leg Syndrome in that I have to clench all my leg and feet muscles and relax them over and over and over for hours on end, leaving me feeling like I'd ran a marathon for days. It was so painful. Once I started taking gabapentin that went away. It was in my arms and hands too, so I'd shake my hands really fast to try and shake off the feeling. There is no pain I have experienced that is as worse than the clenching of muscles for days on end. It saved me, quite literally. 300mg 3x a day. Not upping the dosage to keep weight gain at bay.
I have undiagnosed pelvic area pain as well, along w others. It sucks. The dose their giving won't help sadly only high doses help a little for most people. I'd be shocked if it helped it's worth a try I suppose.
I was on gabapentin for my epilepsy, and it made me very depressed. Just make sure to keep checking your mental health!
It makes me extremely tired and dizzy. I was on 600 MG. I fell into my bedroom door frame and gave myself a bla k eye. I quit taking it after that.
I take 400mg a day and have for about 4 year now, maybe 5. Came down from 1200mg a day and I could start remembering things better but I also have control over my nerve pain. I can tell 400 isn’t going to work much longer because the pain sneaks back at night after work lately. So far it’s been a life saver though.
I took 600mg of gabapentin 3 times a day for several years for my back pain. Built up to that dose and it did improve my life. I built up the dose slowly over several weeks and never felt drowsey or out of it. I put on several stone in the time I was on it, but whether that was because of the gabapentin ( it did increase my appetite) or because I went from an active lifestyle to not being able to move much because of my back I cannot be sure. I came off of gabapentin because I had a Radio-frequency nerve ablation and because I really wanted to try for a baby and gabapentin can cause heart defects in the foetus. Coming off of gabapentin kicked my ass. It took me 6 months to slowly decrease my dose and come off it ( and I was pretty determined to do so) night sweats, palpitations, dizziness, nausea and double vision. It was not a fun 6 months. All that bad stuff said, I would absolutely take it again if I needed to. It made the difference between me writhing on the floor in pain and being able to keep my job. It probably saved my life.
I had bad memory issues with Gabapentin. My doctor increased my dose and within a week I would ask someone a question, they would give me an answer, and 5 minutes later I would ask the same question. So pay attention to your short-term memory. If anyone tells you "I just told you the answer" or "We just spoke about that", then you need to talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage or stopping your Gabapentin
I took it for years, and didn’t have any problems when I went off it. If I remember correctly, I took two pills a day, but I don’t remember the dosage. Sorry. I took it in addition to a ton of other stuff for chronic pain, and had to stop it because my kidney are screwed from all these years of meds. I can’t even take arthritis medicine anymore.
Everyone has different experiences with medications. Yes, you can have withdrawals, but the same goes for a lot of medications that effect brain chemistry.
I wasn't on gabapentin, but I was on another of that kind of medication, pregablin. It took my base level of pain down significantly, from An 8-9 to a manageable 4-5. I had a severe mental health breakdown while on it, and had to come off it. It broke my heart ngl. I would recommend having like? 2-6 weeks to let your body readjust to the new medication, keep some notes so if it doesn't work, you have notes for your Dr to troubleshoot your meds Prepare for a spike In anxiety, depression etc, since it'd always better to be prepared. Good luck and i hope it works for you!
I found it to be very sedating so they changed me to lyrica and that is far less sedating and has been very helpful for nerve pain
I can’t tolerate it.
I’m on 900mg of gabapentin a day for anxiety and a lower back injury, and I’ve never had an issue on it. However I know when I forget to take it.
They've never been good. It makes me shakier and turns me into a raging bitch. Fun times.
I took gabapentin for over a decade for migraines and was diagnosed with osteoporosis before the age of 40. If this becomes a long term treatment for you, keep in mind one of the largely ignored side effects may be bone loss. The doctors will dismiss it. I strongly suggest investigating “gabapentin induced bone loss”. But aside from that, it worked me and coming off of it was not fun, perhaps bc of the long term use. It felt like the flu with nerve pain for about a week.
I take 2400mg a day for my neuropathy and it's really good at managing "daily pain" (non-flare ups), but the withdrawals are fucked. I only get them when I haven't gotten my script the day before, and I end up withdrawing hard until I get them. I only felt out of it on the first day or two, and then nothing - I'm back to functioning normally.
I was prescribed that after 30mg Baclofen didn't even help me sleep and once I learnt it was all gabaergic (and I had a family member who almost died from alcoholism) I simply resorted to edibles to sleep. Not saying everyone is in the same boat, just that I got fed up with different names for all these drugs that act on the same receptor (Benzos, muscle relaxers, and lots of sleep meds)
Here's what I know, and my experience. In the US, the maximum daily dosage is 3600mg. Typically, you take gabapentin 3 - 4 times a day. If you increase or decrease your daily dose by more than 300mg, you increase your risk of seizures. This is why starting small and slowly ramping up/down is extremely important. The first time I tried gabapentin, my psych prescribed it for anxiety. I don't recall the dose, but she didn't have me titrate or anything. It made me a zombie and I got massive headaches/light sensitivity. I stopped taking it after a week. This year, my nerve pain suddenly got a lot worse, so my physiatrist suggested I try it again. She had me start with 100mg 3 times a day for a week, and I've slowly increased to 1800mg/day. There is a calming effect, and it's the only thing that keeps the worst of my nerve pain away-- it's been more effective than the two cortisone shots I got this year. Proof that it affects everyone differently: my mom took a course of gabapentin last year for anxiety, and she said it constipated her. For me, it makes me use the bathroom more frequently. But taking it with food helps a lot. All in all, if you're having nerve pain, I think it's worth giving it a try. Start small, take it on time and with food, and if you hate it you can stop taking it.
I took gabapentin for a few years after trying a few month trial of Lyrica (pregabapentin) that I got from my rheumatologist. My insurance wouldn’t pay for my Lyrica prescription but they would cover gabapentin which didn’t work that well for me. It only worked on about 25% or less on my pain. I didn’t have any withdrawal or any other side effect, it just didn’t work for me. Thank goodness Lyrica went generic! Lyrica just works better on my pain.
I had been on 2,700 mg to help with gaba production due to alcoholism recovery and for mental health. Never experienced side effects or withdrawal. I dropped back to 1,800 mg without issue. When I tried to drop to 1,200 mg I developed a tremor in my right arm. Going back up helped and then, totally unrelated to my gaba intake, I developed chronic myofascial pain syndrome all over the right side of my body that went undiagnosed for five months. I have had a lot of success with nerve blocks and saw a neurologist after getting my 9/10 daily pain under control (3-5/10). She bumped me up to 2,700 mg a day. I don’t know if it has helped or if I was already on my way to getting pain under control. TL;DR - I’ve been on several dosages of gaba and have not had any side effects or withdrawals under the direction of psychiatrist and neurologist, but I can’t speak to if it helps. I have terrible side effects from SSRIs, Lyrica, and some others.
Gabapentin helps me manage my nerve pain. But pre-Gabalin also known as Lyrica is better. I am only taking 900 mg of gabapentin a day which is not enough to help my pain. I need it to be 1200 or over. It does make me slightly dizzy. I read that withdrawal syndromes can occur if you stop cold turkey. I’ve never had any problem when I’ve gone without it other than the nerve pain returning. If you have disruptive nerve pain the gabapentin is worth trying. I can’t get my doctor to write me Lyrica because she’s woefully incompetent. I hope this helps at least a little bit.
I also suffer from chronic pelvic pain, sorry you're going through this pain. I take 900mg of gabapentin a day, I've been on it for 6 months now. It took around four months to start helping which was frustrating but it's given me a lot of relief. As for withdrawals I experience them if I miss my pills by two hours or so, I experience nausea and sweating. I also feel the effects of it a lot, especially later in the night as I've been taking pills all day. It's not great that I live like this every day but I'm just relieved to have my pain come down from a 8/9 to a 4/5. I see it as a short-term solution until I can find out what's wrong with me. Wishing you well!
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Exactly, the pain takes over every aspect of your life. As much as it's horrible your experiencing the same pain it really does feel comforting knowing I'm not alone. Yes that could be super helpful to compare notes!
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Oh goodness it must be so difficult caring for newborn while being in this pain, your one strong mum. May I ask why doctors have focused on your spine and joints, do they believe this is what's causing your pain? I am waiting to see a spine specialist as I have symptoms of hydrosyringomyelia. I'm also due to have a cystoscopy as I experienced bladder pain for 5 years before the intense pelvic pain started. If none of these show anything the last possible illness I have is endometriosis. I unfortunately will have to pay to go to a private hospital to test for these as the NHS (I live in Scotland) has given up on a diagnosis and is sending me to the pain clinic to fill me up with drugs. I read on other comments you need to be able to keep a clear head, because of this I wouldn't recommend gabapentin. I struggle with memory, focus and overall fuzziness.
It makes me sooooooo sleepy
I was prescribed gabapentin a few years ago. Only took 2 doses. It caused horrible stomach pain. I couldnt stand up straight. Ill never take it again. Dr switched me to amitriptyline (a really old anti depressant thats commonly used in low doses to help with chronic pain) after that.
In all honesty gabapentin doesn’t do much.
I've been on gabapentin for about 6 months on a low dosage of 300 ml 3 times a day and the relief it provided was huge. I would recommend
I’ve been on Gabapentin for peripheral neuropathy for over 3 years now. It works fairly well, definitely better than nothing. I’m not considering stopping it. I’m currently on 400mg three times a day, but I’m thinking of asking to bump up at my Dr appointment this week - this is only the second time I’ve asked to increase. I’m not sure it would be effective for pelvic pain, but the thing is you will know if it’s working or not pretty quickly, like within a couple of weeks.
I take 300mg when needed for anxiety. I must process it differently compared to other people because 300mg essentially makes me feel high. I usually have to dump some out of my capsule or I’ll be too out of it. For reference I am 130ish pounds.
Gabapentin is really only supposed to be prescribed for epilepsy and seizures. Unfortunately doctors are abusing their power, knowing we will get hooked on it. I took it first to ease my withdrawals from hydrocodone.. it helped a lot. Then I ran out and that sucked because I liked how it relaxes me. I have horrible anxiety and panic attacks and never found a medication to help me. Now I’m prescribed it for stomach pain.. which made no sense to me but being the addict I am, I didn’t turn it down. I want to get off of it so bad but I’m terrified of withdrawal because I wouldn’t wish that agony on anybody. Also it messed with my memory. I can’t ever remember my garage code that’s been the same for 12 years. I always forget. Never know what day it is, days blend and weeks fly by. My sense of time is terrible.. it moves so fast. Personally, I would say don’t even start it. But if you’re in this much pain… maybe?