Just been prescribed Gabapentin for trapped nerve pain .I didn't get the chance to really talk to the doc, not her fault,. Now reading the leaflet and all side effects I am very nervous about taking it. The one question I did ask was can you come of it without trouble was told yes but now reading you have to withdraw slowly. Was given 3 months and told to increase dosage weekly .
300mg for 1 week then 600mg the next week and 900mg the week after. So the cause effects wouldn't be as bad. Was managing my pain before with bufren paracetamol and codiene well enough . Of course I then went on Google and scared myself. Now don't know what to do. Has anyone any advice or personal experience with it please.
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Chrissycl
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Hiya Chrissy. I tried gabapentin. Initially I started taking 200mg 3 x daily (600mg), I took them with meals as it was the only med I took 3 times a day, it made it simpler to remember the middle dose as my other meds are taken morning & evening. Under supervision (monthly GP reviews) The dose was increased & I got to 600mg 3 x daily (1800mg), unfortunately though they didn't do anything for my neurogical problems, cervical & lumbar spondylosis. That said I didn't have any side effects either until I got to 1800mg when they caused cognitive issues, my memory was shot so I tapered them down over 3 weeks. I had a break then tried pregabalin (again under supervision, monthly GP reviews) which I still take, I got up to 150mg x 2 daily but had to come back down to 125mg x 2 daily as I started having the same symptoms as when on gabapentin, the difference being they do work. I have a spare box of 25mg's to take on top of my normal dose if needed.
Obviously everyone's different but like with other meds try not to focus on side effects you may never experience. I understand about being nervous about taking a med, I took Oramorph for the first time last night & was concerned I'd respond negatively. My GP suggested I took it last thing as it's intended for the back & foot pain with stiffness on waking & I'm pleased to say it helped, I didn't take forever to roll out of bed for the first time in yonks & the pain was lessened. If you really don't want to take gabapentin I'd have a talk with your GP, there may another option for you, though if it's from the same group I would think the possible side effects will be similar but there's no guarantee you'll have any. The Internet is brill but sometimes we need to refrain from searching for meds, like here most are here because they're not doing too well, having problems with meds & need support or advice.
I hope whatever happens you find a solution to your trapped nerve, they can be very debilitating.
My back went over 2 years ago and I was prescribed Gabapentin. The nerve was so bad I was flat on my back for a month, with the help of hubby I ate, slept, and watched TV in bed, never got up. I had to go to the toilet in a frying pan and still manage very very heavy premenopaus periods, all with my husbands assistance - we had no choice. Gabapetin was slow to work but it did work eventually alongside Co-codamol, Naproxen and Morphine. Perhaps you have a choice and the pain is more manageable, my pain took me to the edge, a place I didn't recognise. Please take what you need, the warnings are there to protect the pharmaceutical companies as much as anyone. If you were epileptic you wouldn't question taking Gabapentin, don't worry. Hope all goes well.
I took it for post herpetic neuralgia after having shingles.
My only side effect was drowsiness & it worked for me.
I know it can be hard to make a decision about meds - for me my pain was bad enough (and nothing else had worked) for me to want to give it a go, when I weighed up the pros & cons.
Did take a while to taper off, but on balance, for me it was worth it.
Take care hon.
I'v been taking it for nearly 3yrs, no side effects whatsoever. Take 300mg three times a day.
Hi I took GABA from May until a month ago for fibromyalgia symptoms.
Also amitryptoline at night. 3 Times a day straight the way. Gave me so much relief. I think they did affect my memory and I cut down to twice a day fairly soon. I still have some fibro symptoms but want to see how I cope as don’t want to take it forever...
Hi Chrissycl, Don't be afraid of it. We are all scaring ourselves with internet searches and reading of rare side effects. I found it almost eliminated my severe back pain which I have been dealing with my whole adult life. I am on the most mild opiate tramadol, but I hardly need it with the Gabapentin.
It will make you sleepy at first, but in time you will adjust and figure out the best times of the day for your schedule. There is a lot of fear mongering going on on the internet, and the packet inserts , in order to protect themselves legally, will give the most horrible side effects which rarely happen. The more we stay off the internet concerning out medical conditions, the better we will be.
Try it; if you don't find it is for you, stop it. Good luck.
Everyone is different, but I took the minimum dose and I did get blurred vision and memory loss and confusion... couldn’t work my money out etc. I thought I was getting dementia. However it did stop the pain. The reason I came off It gradually was that I put 3 and a half stone on and could not lose weight no matter what I did. I have been off it a year now and got the weight off but the nerve pain is back. I am searching for an alternative that doesn’t cause the weight gain and foggy brain.
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