Gabapentin side effects

[welschrispy]

I have been prescribed Gabapentin for RLS. I just increased the dose from 600mg to 900 mg. I am experiencing a mixture of chronic fatigue, nausea and depression.

I haven't been able to eat anything for days and I am almost comatose with the depression.

Does anyone else have any of these issues with this drug?

Could there be a conflict? I am also taking 100mg Pramipexole and 100 mg Tramadol and I use canabis edibles for sleep.

[ChrisColumbus]

How long have you been taking Gabapentin and how do you take it?

From the RLS-UK website:

'Gapabentin and Pregabalin can take up to 3 weeks to become fully effective and common side effects of drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, oedema, weight gain usually resolve after 6 to 8 weeks. Gabapentin is not easily absorbed above 600mg so split doses two hours apart may be required to enhance absorption and efficiency. Magnesium supplements can affect absorption and are best taken two hours before gabapentin. Gabapentin should be started at 300mg (100mg for over 65) and increased every few days. Average dose is 1200-1800mg'

[SueJohnson]

The other things you are taking should not conflict with the gabapentin. I would go back to the 600 mg dose assuming you were not having these side effects on it. Wait several weeks to see if the side effects either go away or are reduced to the point where you can put up with them as ChrisColumbus pointed out. If not you might want to try switching to pregabalin. Although they are basically the same drug except you don't need to divide the doses, and the side effects are basically the same, some people find that the side effects that bother them on one don't bother them on the other. Divide the gabapentin amount by 6 to get the correct dose. If you take magnesium don't take it within 3 hours of the pregabalin. If you take calcium don't take it within 2 hours.

[Goldy700]

You might be one of the rare people that get very depressed on Gabapentin - I'm telling you this so you don't feel like you are alone in this.

The study,7,8 published online in April 2019 in the journal BMJ, examined data on 191,973 Swedish residents who filled gabapentinoid prescriptions in the years between 2006 and 2013.In that time, 5.2% of them either received treatment for suicidal inclinations or died from suicide; 8.9% unintentionally overdosed, 6.3% were involved in a traffic accident or traffic-related offense; 36.7% were treated for a head or body injury due to an accident, and 4.1% were arrested for a violent crime. The researchers concluded gabapentinoids treatment was associated with:A 26% increased risk for suicidal behavior and death from suicide24% increased risk for unintentional overdose22% increased risk for head or body injury due to an accident13% increased risk for traffic violations or accidents4% increased risk for violent crime offensesOf the two gabapentinoids, pregabalin — which is the newer of the two9 — was clearly the worst, accounting for most of these adverse effects, while gabapentin — an older drug — showed “no statistically significant hazards.”Stratified by age, the risks associated with these drugs were the highest among those aged 15 through 24, and the risks were dose-dependent, so the higher the dose, the greater the risk. According to the authors:10“This study suggests that gabapentinoids are associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior, unintentional overdoses, head/body injuries, and road traffic incidents and offences. Pregabalin was associated with higher hazards of these outcomes than gabapentin.”As is often the case, the risks associated with these drugs have only become apparent as their usage has increased. Dr. Derek K. Tracy of Queen Mary’s Hospital told Reuters that:11“While it’s not clear why prescribing of gabapentinoids has grown so rapidly … anecdotally it appears that many doctors regarded them as relatively effective and with a low side effect profile.As we accumulated more information over time, it has become clear that this is not the case, and most recently there has been a countering drive to try reduce their usage as their harm profile came more to the fore.nexusnewsfeed.com/article/c...

[Cather]

I was taking .125 mg of pramipexole, but after 4 years on this small dose and drug "holidays" every 4 to 6 months during those 4 years, the .125 was no longer working well. So I went off pramipexole completely for 30 days. After the 30 days, I started on 300 mg of gabapentin, then went up to 600, then 900. But on the 900 mg of gabapentin, I experienced severe drowsiness. I could barely stay during the day. So I went back to 600 mg. This dose is working to an acceptable degree. I can sleep from 1 to 2 am, the I do have to get up most nights at 2 or 3 a.m and walk for about 2 minutes or just sit with my legs elevated for 45 to 60 minutes. Then I can return to bed and can sleep soundly for 5 hours. The drowsiness during the day is considerably lessened. I had been on pramipexole for about 23 years before augmentation set in. So, as I said earlier, I managed to get down to .125 mg, but after 4 years, augmentation was setting in again. So I am staying with the 600 mg of gabapentin and consider myself lucky that I can get 6 hours of sleep with that. My doctor at Johns Hopkins, here in the U.S. strongly advises against my going back on pramipexole. I agree with him, as I know that pramipexole will eventually augment. I hope my experience helps.