Does anyone know anything about GABAPENTIN.?

[Waterfall]

hi my fibro friends, I've been taken off of my amitriptyline due to my liver function levels being very high, it's such a shame as they worked wonders!! My dr would like to try me on GABAPENTIN, is anyone else on these or have been on them, if so how did you get on with them? I'm very desperate at the moment as I'm in so much pain! Hope you guys are doing ok, we all know we arnt alone in all this! Loving hugs sent to you all. Annie xx

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear that honey, I too would be in hell if they ever took me of it but i did have gabapentin before but couldnt tolerate it as it gave me bad bad headaches however it seems a lot of people are on it so i hope it works for you.

Take care xxx

[Waterfall in reply to Hidden]

Hi Rachie, thanks so much for your message, I sure hope it will work for me, I don't fancy the headaches tho as I get enough of those already! This condition really isn't nice is it Hun! Anyway, take care of yourself and thanks again. Annie xxx

[Hidden]

Sorry to hear why you've had to change your meds. Gabapentin is quite a common med for people with Fibromyalgia.

I have posted some info on Gabapentin for you, hope this is helpful for you -

Gabapentin is a drug used to treat nerve pain. This type of pain is often not relieved

by normal painkillers. Gabapentin can be used in combination with other painkillers to

improve your pain relief.

Gabapentin works by changing the way in which nerves send messages to your brain.

When something presses on a nerve, or a nerve doesn’t work properly in some way,

the nerve can send false messages to your brain. The brain thinks that a part of your

body is being hurt when it is not. This makes you actually feel pain. Gabapentin may

reduce your pain by altering the way nerves work.

Research has shown that Gabapentin is also effective in helping to relieve certain types of pain. It is also used to treat epilepsy.

You should notice that your pain starts to improve over one to two weeks after

starting Gabapentin, but it may take longer in some people. However, some people

feel the benefit straight away.

Brand names for Gabapentin include - Fanatrex, Gabarone, Neogab, Gralise, Neurontin, Nupentin.

[Waterfall in reply to Hidden]

Hi liberty, thanks so much for your reply, it sounds like it could do the trick, let's hope my liver likes it too!l lol it would be fantastic to feel better again. Take care and thanks again, it's so nice to know that there are others on here that you can chat to and exchange info. Annie xx

[pinkblossom]

Hi waterfall

Sorry to hear you got taken off the med that worked so well for you,I was put on gabapentin when I first got diagnosed last year but it wasn't for me,it made me feel very dizzy and nauseous so I came off and was put on pregabalin which I'm still on now,I get on well with it apart from the fact iv put on 2 stone! I can't win!...x

[Devonlady]

I found gaberpentin wonderful for the pain however the side effects were terrible. Been off it for year and still getting migraines that started on this med. I also was short of breath and found the panic attacks were worse. There were more side effects but they were the main ones.

Hope you find something that works for you.

[dsmum]

Hi, I'm on Gabapentin and i must be lucky as i've had no side effects. When i was first prescribed them i thought they were the best thing since sliced bread - however, having been on them for well over a year now, its much the same as anything else, the effects dont seem to be as affective. I take mine along with tramadol but i still suffer everyday

[-Kate-]

Hi

I have been on several different treatments so far. I took amitripylene for quite a while but having a very supportive GP she suggested Gabapentin. It seemed to take a while to get going, but I have been taking it for about a year and can honestly say things are a bit better. The improvement I am sure is partly to do with my accepting my limitations etc but I am sure that the gabapentin has played a significant part. Don't get me wrong, I have long ago accepted that pain and exhaustion will always be there and somedays the pain and spasms are as bad as they have ever been but it certainly seems to have taken the edge off a bit, much more so than the amtrip. I feel that I tolerate the pain better. I take 300 x 4 a day, with nabumetone and paracetamol, I tend not to take as many paracetamol any more.

[-Kate-]

My GP has said that the treatments need changing in rotation.

[fibro]

I've been taking both amitriptyline and gabapentin for between 8 and 10 yrs now, this was prior to being diagnosed with Fibro, but the symptoms were there they were given for wide spread pain and neuropathic pain. it's just a shame they didnt give a name to these problems long ago as so many of us have been suffering with them for so long.

when there's 'no name' for a condition it is dismissed by far too many doctors to begin with.

I didn't really have any side effects from the gabapentin apart from for about a year now I have been taking one extra tablet on GPs advise. I have been taking 4x 600mg but have just stepped back to 3x 600mg and replaced the other with 5mg of diazepam, and can also take extra of those if anxiety gets the better of me, but none takes the pain away but certainly take the edge off.

at the moment I have been left to try a suitable combination myself. I hate trying new drugs but sometimes you just have to as our body gets too used to them... I think mine has! but am scared as if I am in this amount of pain now, how would I feel if I had no medication to help. it's a scary thought, but on the other hand, has my body become too dependant on the drugs?

I use Dihydrocodeine on top for joint pain, washed down with paracetamol. I don't know why but have always been told to take paracetamol with the dihydrocodeine they reckon they work better mixed. I may not be pain free by my brain is certainly numb lol

I had never heard of gabapentin before I started taking it in 2004, apparently it's an anti epileptic drug! I wonder how they discover all these 'other' uses for them, do they try them out on human guinea pigs ????

I hope with the help of your GP you manage to get some relief from something. I was told. though that gabapentin do take a while before you start to notice the any difference and the dose is usually increased gradually. xxx

[Hidden]

It is a good pain medication if you can tolerate it

It made me fat fat fat, but what's worse pain or

Fat. Mind you every one is differient.

Viv

[Ozzygirl64]

I am not on any pain meds but I am on the Amitrips for now, had them in the past but they stopped working so my second go with them. I am a little more relaxed with them but that is about it. Have heard of Gabapentin but never tried them so I hope they really do work for you xxxxx

[taff461]

hi sorry you need to change your meds. i have been on gabapentyn for about 18months it was built up in stages to 3 x300mg 4x daily although most people will end up with 4x300 3xdaily but that caused me to have severe headaches. this way it does not affect my head lol. it has given some relief but i still have to take, tramadol,diclofenac,and co-codamol to support it. ametryptalene caused me to have nose bleeds hence the gabapentyn i have had less side effects but have put on weight. but if your gp is changing meds due to liver function tests you should know that gabapentyn can give you the same probs with the liver. good luck with your meds hope this helps.

[Waterfall]

Thank you all so very much for all your advice and support, it really does help! Let's hope one day the scientist can find a cure for this awful condition and we can all have our old lives back! In the mean time everyone take care, love and hugs Annie xxx

[JamieFbro]

Hi

I was diagnosed, finally, last week. It's been a few years of battle. 

And the last 5 mos of WTH is this!?

The dr has put me on Gabbapentine and Celebrex three times a day. With a large dose of Prozac at night. The Gabba did give me a headache the first day. And a week later soar throat and small nose bleeds. I'm very dry skin hair everything. 

I will say the only drug that has helped is Pot. Pot brownies. A small quarter of a piece at night before bed works for several hours. I don't care what people say it freaking works. I can wake up in the morning and move. 

In order to keep myself awake I go to a diet clinic called transformations. I take a low dose appetite suppressant. One early in the morning and it is enough to keep me awake till 4pm. Then I start to fall again.  

I have severe scoliosis from missing a lung at birth. So the pain going through my neck and back are debilitating. It's hard for me to breath as my heart has shifted with in the empty space. I do have mitro valve prolapse and the diet pills are so minimal they do not negatively effect me. I'm almost normal with them. Better than not moving or sleeping but needed ing to sleep. 

I get restless leg syndrome at night. It sucks. But if I take my meds an hour before bed it calms down so I can fall asleep.  But I always wake up between 2-5 am. 

Such a PIA. 

I do my best to schedule my work around how I know I will feel. If I take one day in the middle of the week off and one day near the end. I'm better. I make myself listen to calming music and do quiet things that make me happy. 

Hanging out with my pets, laying in the sun, garden, read, art, I keep my mind busy in a fun calm way and it relaxes my muscle spasms. 

Thanks

Jamie