hi,
Just joined today, looking for some advise. Been given 100grms of Gabapendin to take for lower back/sciatic nerve pain, a bit apprehensive taking it as I have heard a lot of bad press re it. I am also taking co-codamol, tried everything but pain constant. Is there any good press about it, just dont want to be dizzy and sick. :O)
Harvey14
hi
taking gaberpentin and cocodamol gives me relief (ish)
Thank you :O)
I tried gabapentin but it caused numerous head side effects, I do use co dydramol for my OA to relieve sore hands and fingers and I,ve had my elbows jabbed for pain and to free up better movement, I find if I use the medication when I am in pain it relieves it and then I stop, I find if I continue my body gets addicted to the pills and doesn,t work when a flare up occurs. I found this to be the case years ago when ankylosing spondiltis was at it worsed, then I took brufen 400 which have wrecked my guts ! discuss these things with a medic see what they think. don't, be fobbed off fibro is very painful and some people ignore pain and associate it with fibro when it itsn,t
Hello and welcome, I don't take this myself but can tell you my Daughter finds it most helpful. Many of us go through a process of trial and error until we find the right combination of meds so I wish you all the best on this journey xx
Hi
I'm sorry to hear of your health problems.
I'm pleased to see you've got some meds to try to help you. It's hard to say with meds what the outcome will be in side effects or pain relief. They do effect people very differently and I really don't want to put you off of trying them. For me they did nothing and I did get side effects, but I came off of them mainly because they didn't help. The antidepressants I'm taking now for instance, made me feel sick and dizzy for a couple of months, but I stuck with them and I think they're helping me a little. The reason I'm saying this is because, it may be worth you trying the gab even if there are side effects for a while and let your body get used to them, they might help you with your pain.
I hope you get further good advice from others on here.
Take care and I really hope they help.
Best wishes.
Many thanks for your advice, will try and see how I get on, thanks for the reply. xx
Hi and welcome to our lovely forum.Ive never been on this med but from what I read on the site most all who take it get good results...also the good far out weighs the bad.Good luck Peck🐤
Hi HArv8y14
I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? Welcome to the forum and it is wonderful to make your acquaintance. I have pasted you a link below to our mother site, FMA UK which hosts loads of Fibro information:
I am so genuinely sorry to read that you are suffering and struggling in this way, and I sincerely hope that your Gabapentin works well for you.
I was wondering if you have tried a TENS Machine for your pain? I have pasted you a link and an excerpt below from *TENS machines – an electronic method of pain relief which is an NHS Choices / Arthritis UK Factsheet.
*How can I try a TENS machine?
You can ask your doctor to refer you to a physiotherapist to try a TENS machine. If
TENS helps to relieve your pain, your physiotherapist is likely to give you between
20 minutes and a couple of hours with the machine. It may take a few sessions to get
used to. TENS can be used for one hour on, one hour off, throughout day.
nhs.uk/conditions/physiothe...
You can also buy a TENS Machine for yourself and these days they start from only about £10 to £20 when you buy them online.
I want to genuinely wish you all the best of luck, and please take care of yourself.
All my hopes and dreams for you
Ken
Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your sciatica, I have had sciatica many years ago, I found acupuncture remarkably good, it would cure the pain almost instantly, I went many times over a few years until eventually it never came back, I have not had it now for over 15 years. I paid privately, I have had it on the nhs as well but found this didn't realy work 4 me as they only used about 4-6 needles each time.
I just wanted to give u another idea to try if your unsure about gabapentin. Good luck hope you manage to get on top of the pain.
I too have acupuncture done by my physio, it relives cocxyx pain, knee pain, and my hands and fingures.. its not a painful procedure.
Gabapentin doesn't work I find you need the 300mg tablet to work but I can't take it because of my liver but I find it works with the higher dose 300mg the only thing that works is exercise it helps for a couple of hours spine exercises try that but check with gp first and go slowly with exercises until you're body copes with them best of luckxxxx
Many thanks for your advice xxxx
hello Harvey nurse Gladys Emmanuel (open all hours) after 14 years on pills of various kinds I find therapies are a good option.. I go to a physio who takes me for hydrotherapy and gives me acupuncture to my OA areas (arthritis) both of which are good, if you don,t see a physio maybe you should ask you g.p to refer you to one and get introduced to an occupational therapist, they take groups of sufferers for gentle exercise incl hydro if they have one. if they don't, get a mate to take you to a local pool that has a Jacuzzi and just have a soak in that. The warm water is heaven.
Thanks cz-54, might just try the pool x
I am on118 mg a day of them they helped me I did not like them at first side affects but when you been on them for a bit they help good luck x
It worked wonders for me for Sciatica , and i I'm always on codeine too for fibromyalgia plus other stuff. Get some Diazapan if you can, that would have helped greatly, but i was in too much pain at time to think to ask for it. I was in a disgusting mess with Sciatica. But go for high dose of Gabapentin. .x
Last week I was told that I had sciatica on top of the OA & Fibro I have already. I also get some painful cramps in the ribs and the most horrendous (and painful) pins & needles especially in my feet. Just about every time I go to see a GP I seem to have the same conversation with them about Gabapentin as they keep trying to put me on it. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant but I am already on another anticonvulsant (Lamictal/Lamotrigine) for nocturnal epilepsy and been fit free for many years.
The problem I have is the DVLA and their rules regarding epilepsy & the medication thereof. Whilst I would be prescribed Gabapentin for neuropathic pain/pins & needles it's main use is as an anticonvulsant in epilepsy and because of that I would have to notify DVLA that my meds have been changed & could lose my driving licence for at least a year. Latest of many conversations with GP (this time not my usual one) on the subject went kind of:
GP - "I think you should try taking Gabapentin for a few weeks to see if that helps."
Me - "I can't take it without notifying DVLA & possibly losing my licence".
GP - "You don't need to notify them unless you're changing your dose or coming off them, you'll still be taking your Lamotrigine".
Me - "I need to notify of changes to meds, besides which, if am only to be on them a few weeks then I will be coming off them in a few weeks so will definitely need to inform DVLA. They could take my driving licence for at least 12 months & I need my car!".
GP - (Light bulb finally lights up) "Ah, yes, you're right you will need to let them know!
Jeez, it's been hard going trying to get them to realise it's not just a tablet but what the consequences could be of taking it!!!
I also have Dihydrocodiene, 30/500 Co-codamol, Diazepam & Baclofen which I take as required.
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