New diagnosis, Gabapentin

[Brief_Encounter]

Hi all, I’ve been reading the posts here for a while and all your sage advice has helped tremendously! I’ve recently been officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia but experienced symptoms for more than 10 years. Doc has prescribed Gabapentin but when I looked it up it sounds like the side effects are going to make me feel worse than ever so I’m a bit nervous to take it. Does anyone have any experience of it, good or bad?

[Puddywoods]

Morning I take Gabapentin and I'm fine on them, any side affects I experienced dissipated within a few days. I can feel very tired at times but I'm not sure that is the meds , I'm sure it's a symptom of the Fibro itself as I'm not tired when I take them.

[Themanwithnoname in reply to Puddywoods]

Made me feel terrible so Gp swapped me over to Pregabalin which i get on better with . Very similar but just suited me better. GL.

[fibropatient]

Hello fellow sufferer, I took various doses of gabapentin for about six months and did not find any improvement in my fibro pain. I did not suffer any side effects but I had to stop taking then (slowly reducing the dosage over 6 months) as they were not really reducing my fibro pain. However I feel it's important to mention here that everyone is different so you might be more lucky. The only way to find out if they will suit you is take them and see. Good Luck.

[flashyman]

,Hi , The Gabapentin experience for me was one that any drug addict would love. Didn't do much for my pain but waw didit make me high. No seriously. I was just out of touch taking them and it didn't do much for the pain. But as people have said everyones different. Been on Pregablin for 4 months now and am coming off them as they just act like a sleeping pill for me now. They were fine at first but after a few days I'd need a bigger doses. Starting to come off them and going onto Amatryptiline. Fingers crossed when Ican

[Winter_night]

My experience of anti epileptics was not good - I felt very depressed and tearful - but amitriptyline has proved good for me, although I do periodically have to increase dose - usually after a virus or infection or period of stress. A close friend of mine has a horribly painful nerve condition and his experience has been the exact opposite to mine. Another friend found pregabalin a god send when recovering from post surgical damage having had cancer. It really does seem to vary from person to person.

[Bolognese2022]

I have been on Gabapentin now for a few years and it has been brilliant for pain relief, especially as I struggle to take analgesics.

I have been advised to up the dose because I have experience more pain. My GP advices I do this slowly as it can cause tiredness. Hope so because then I might sleep.

Different meds work differently for different people. I have also managed to loose weight whilst on this medication, I can this through the use of HRT.

Good luck hope it works for you.

[Rubydooby22]

Hi Brief_Encounter. I changed from Duloxetine to Gabapentin a few months ago because I find my body gets used to the meds after a couple of years & then they are not effective anymore. Gabapentin has helped me a lot with pains in my legs, and I don't feel so sleepy during the day now. I haven't suffered from any side effects whilst on them, but everybody's body reacts differently. The only way you will know is to try them for a few weeks and see how you react to them. You might find you don't suffer from any side effects like me and they help you live a more comfortable life.

Take care and let us know how you get on with them. 😊

[glochessum]

Gabapentin has definitely helped me cope with pain. I have cut my pain meds quite a lot. So long as I don’t overdo things it really helps.