Starting gabapentin - fingers crossed!

[Carebear]

Dear friends,

After several years of unbearable pain, pain that has completely taken over my life, I am giving gabapentin a try.  For those you who experience this degree of pain too, you get it.  After my most recent meltdown, I poured myself into the car and drove to my doctor appointment.

I have had no luck with many, many medications.  And for that reason I am very apprehensive.  However, I have begun my new journey and ask for your support.  It's possible this will be a flop, but "nothing ventured, nothing gained".  Right?

Here goes!  100 mg...crossing my fingers.

[SunshineDaydream]

Good luck, Carebear. I hope the gaba works for you . . . and soon! Keep us posted.

[Carolina]

Hi Carebear,

Without Gabapentin I would literally live in a 'cage of fire and pain' due to my small fiber neuropathy.

I truly hope you can have the benefits without any difficult side effects.

I'm sure you will start at a low dose and add until you find relief (major relief I hope).

The most difficult side effect is a sense of sedation.  I take 3600 mg of Gabapentin, spread over 3 doses during the day.  I think the maximum dose prescribed is 4200 mg a day.   I have some sedation, but since I now am forced into a sedentary life due to profound peripheral neuropathy, I don't mind the calming effect.

Keep us posted and best wishes.

Elaine

[Carebear]

Thank you SunshineDaydream and Elaine!  Your kind words are appreciated.

I did indeed start on a low dose, Elaine.  Only 100 mg at night.  I will very slowly increase the dosage every two weeks or so, as I am able to tolerate. I am one of the lucky ones who is very sensitive to medications, and my usual reaction to anything is either anxiety or depression.  Neither of which I care to experience any time soon - again.

I was surprised that while I did feel slightly sedated, it seemed to wear off after about 5 hours.  I know it's only my second day, however I don't feel that familiar anxiety creeping in yet, nor do I feel as much pain.  I have had a constant buzzing and zapping feeling on the sole of my right foot for a very long time now and THAT has disappeared.

Placebo?  Perhaps.  But I feel better today than I felt yesterday, and that's all that matters to me!  Fingers remain firmly crossed.

[Carolina]

The disappearance of the buzzing and zapping is probably the Gabapentin.   

Taking it at night will avoid day time sedation.  If the buzzing and zapping is the pain you wanted to relieve, no need for more.

If not, add as directed, and see what happens.

I, too, as so many of us, have unwanted side effects to so many meds.  Some of my most needed meds have 'turned on me', one after 6 years.

The only way we can live our lives is with trial and error.

Keep us posted.

Hugs,  Elaine

[Carebear]

Happy 2018, friends! 

I have a good news update regarding my pain management with Gabapentin.  The small evening dose of 200 mg along with 100 mg in the morning have offered me pain and anxiety relief that I didn't expect.  I may need to adjust the dose, in consultation with my doctor.  But for now I no longer feel like running through the house screaming like my hair is on fire!

After Christmas my Gaba schedule was unintentionally disrupted (long story), and if I had any doubt of the medication's effectiveness before,  there is no doubt now!

[warmwaters]

Good news that something is working! I am happy for you.

[Carolina]

Oh Carebear, I know how hard it is to go without Gabapentin once it does its magic.

As part of a long search to find out what was causing me to jerk and shake and sometimes (horror) collapse to the floor, I withdrew from and stopped Gabapentin (I take 3600 mg a day, so it was a long process).

By the time I was completely off I was in constant agony.  Even my eyelids felt like they were on fire.

I couldn't sleep, read, watch my TV series, nothing. 

I was SO GLAD that the Gabapentin wasn't the cause of my problems.  It turned out, however, that my dearly beloved Cymbalta WAS the problem, so I am living without Cymbalta.

Now I am also ramping up Low Dose Naltrexone, which is giving me great pain relief.  Not as complete at I had with Cymbalta, but very good, and I have one more gm to add next week.

I am SO GLAD you are finding good results with Gabapentin.  I know we are, justifiably, wary of starting a new medication.  Just reading the possible side effects can make us hyperventilate.   And we are all so often affected badly.   But the only way to find out is to try.

Hugs, and Happy 2018.

Elaine

[bmonahan]

I have been on Gabapentin 300 mg in the morning and at night for 3 years.
I have severe joint pain all over ( seems to be worse at night )
I also had pain, burning on both feet and tingling in my fingers. The gabapentin has helped with the neurological symptoms.
Mostly I can still work as a busy nurse, but still have significant joint pain.
Overall, I feel it has helped me significantly.
Good luck and God bless

[susanep]

I hope it keeps working for you.

I take 800mg pills up to 3 times daily as needed. Most days I take only one at night, and sleep better.

Some days if I have a lot more pain then I have taken it twice, and I think only once or twice the whole 3 times.

susanep

[Carebear]

Thank you so much for your support and for sharing your own experiences with Gabapentin.

I continue to feel an improvement in my pain and my overall sense of well being.  I am taking 200mg at bedtime and in the morning, in addition to a small dose of slow release codeine. The doctor would like me to discontinue the narcotic however to do that I think I will require an increase in the Gaba dosage.

I am so grateful for the relief so far.  So very grateful.  And it is nice to hear that others feel better as well.  I know I must keep doing all the others things, like acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, IMA, meditation, and physio. 

It's a full time job, this being chronically ill. 

Wishing you all the best.

[Carolina]

Dear bmonahan,

I, too, had significant joint pain, even with 3600 mg of Gabapentin a day.  The Gabapentin eliminated nerve pain (I have PN and SFN) but not the joint pain.

My Joint pain is gone today..   (I know I sound like a bad TV commercial!)

I have severe osteoarthritis, even my shoulders need replacing (try sleeping with both shoulders in agony).

Low Dose Naltrexone is the reason my pain is gone.  Yes, truly gone.   I know my arthritis is still there, and the reason for the pain isn't cured.  But the pain is gone. 

I really can't believe it.   I've been on LDN since December 18, and for the first time in forever, I do not wake up with terrible neck pain (severe DDD), after a difficult night trying to outwit my shoulder pain by turning over when I can't stand the pain on one side, and trying to get to sleep before the other side hurts too badly.

I am so glad you have found Gabapentin.   My Duke Advanced Pain Clinic doctor prescribed the LDN, and it is the medication of the future, for pain, I do believe.

Regards, Elaine

[SjoGirl]

Good luck. Gabapentin was like a miracle drug for me. Other than weight gain of about 5 lbs it did many good things for me -- decreased pain, helped regulate my sleep, kept me calm, made my skin look gorgeous. Then I think I started retaining water and started having nighttime shaking so had to stop taking it. I was very sad to have to quit and hope it works for you.