Gabapentin?

I had myRhuemy appt on Thursday and she thought my RA was being controlled by Leflunamide however the pains I have had in my leg and foot for a few years and now pains in my hip are restricting my movement were caused by a trapped nerve, and has requested a MRI scan to check this. She has prescribed Neurontin(Gabapentin) and after reading about them before I started them on Friday , as I wasn't sure about them with all the side effects, I'm only on 300mg a day but the pain has eased a bit and I am interested if anyone has taken these and the outcome they have had. I'm sure there are a lot of us with this disease that wish we did not have to rely on these crazy drugs but we want to be able to live as good a life as we can, so pleased we have this forum to share thoughts and feelings. Hope the sun is shining in your part of the country, warm hugs Jane x

[Jacey15]

Hi, I've a friend with fibromyalgia who is on gabapentin and it's helped her enormously with no side effects. I was prescribed it for neuropathic pain but had several side effects so was switched to pregabalin which for me has been amazingly effective. I guess its a case of suck it and see, as with many of these drugs its not a case of one size fits all (apologies for mixing metaphors!). I wish you well Jane xXx

[Hidden in reply to Jacey15]

Thank you Jacey15 I have not had the pain so bad today so fingers crossed it continues. X

[maxb]

I was on gabapentin for sciatic pain in my back and leg but it didnt really do much for me, i had no side effects though. Ive just started on cimzia and my consultant wasnt keen on me being on the gabapentin while taking it, but im still in agony with my back. Sometimes i wish we could trade our bodies in for a better model!

[Hidden]

Hi Maxb, it's sciatica that I have but over the last 6 months it's been unbearable, like the idea of trading our bodies for a newer model, hope the cimzia gives you some relief soon.

[sheltielife]

I have had both Gabapentin and Pregabalin, unfortunately I had terrific side effects from both on the lowest dose. The Gabapentin I was in a coma for 2 hours! The Pregabalin I had double vision, plus blurred sight and my balance was terrible. So, I only took them once! I think it was more a case of interaction with other drugs I am on. So, I can't comment on whether they are good for the pain, I wish I could have had them with less side effects. I could put up with minor ones but not major ones like I had, especially as a live on my own. Good luck.

[carotopgal]

Hi, I have Fibromyalgia along with my RA and was prescribed Gabapentin. It worked well (I was also on 300 mg a day), but after a few months I found I had to come off of it because of severe memory issues. It scared me it was so bad. The rheumy then put me on Cymbalta and it has helped tremendously. Hope it helps you with your pain.

[Hidden]

Thanks, it is helping with the pain but I am aware of the side affects and as I'm 65 and some days have a problem with names just now, I will watch out for that. I have never heard of Cymbalta but will keep a note of it, hope you keep well. X

[TJ-Mercer in reply to Hidden]

Ortho Doc put me on Gabapentin for Restless Leg and Nerve Pain in my legs @ 300mg X3 a day; It helped. Then my GP added Cymbalta @30mg x 2 aday, to the mix as the pair seems to have been found to do a better job. I find that they reduce pain moderately but have an effect of memory impairment and cause balance loss very often. I use a walker for the balance and plead old age for the memory loss.