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100mg x 1 at night for chronic migraine and rls

Posted , 7 users are following.

PinkMuffin
PinkMuffin

hello,

i suffer from a daily chronic vestibular migraine with restless legs. It's pretty much a living hell that never disappears. My neuro has prescribed me 100mg of Gabapentin taken before bed to aid sleep architecture hence hopefully helping the restless legs which in turn may get rid of my migraine - hopefully but after my past experience with meds I know I'm going to suffer badly.

after reading every bodies review on here it seems that the side effects are quite harsh but you all seem to be on Much higher doses.

will 100mg before bed make me feel sleepy, fatigued and dizzy as I already suffer badly with these symptoms and don't wish them to get worse or I'll be disabled.

cheers

x

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • ThomasBell89
    ThomasBell89 PinkMuffin

    Posted

    It is such a useful drug.  My life would be a very sad experience without Gabapentin.  I have had no side effects and having taken 600mg three times a day for twelve years.  So quite a track record and I am just so grateful for it. It may even help your dizziness which is an awful thing to have.  Good Luck to you I do hope you get some relief.
    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin ThomasBell89

      Posted

      Thank you for your reassuring post. I think mainly ppl who have a hard time are more likely to post side effects than those who don't so maybe I should just take the silly thing instead of starring at it in fear.

      Glad to hear it's helped you so much 

      x

  • 7Jules7
    7Jules7 PinkMuffin

    Posted

    Hi I started taking gabapentin last Friday. For the first night I was dizzy but I slept without pain for the first time in ages. The second day I had flu like symptoms but these had gone by the third day. I can function for the first time in ages. My GP has told me to increase my dosage weekly but I am hoping not to have to do this. I am currently on 300mg at night and can go up to 900mg.

    The tablets appear to effect everyone differently.

    I hope this helps.

    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin 7Jules7

      Posted

      Wow that sounds like a dream!! I think I might take a few days off work n take it easy with my dog, pyjamas and Netflix whilst trying them.
    • plushly
      plushly PinkMuffin

      Posted

      Everyone is different and tolerance of the drug will vary. However, based on the extremely low dose and the debilitating issues you are enduring, I would say you have nothing to lose in trying it.

      Like others have stated, for me the relief was miraculous. I was light headed, dizzy and all the rest, but at the time it was well and truly worth it. As time went on and my dosage went up, I started having issues to the point where it was affecting my ability to work at all. Unfortunately, I had to make the decision to give it away because of this. I am now on medication that, though not as effective, allows me to function better day to day. Bear in mind I was on the maximum dose to get this stage.

      Most drugs are a double edged sword, but I always think it is worth a try if it can offer the hope of relief.

    • plushly
      plushly

      Posted

      It is worth adding that amitryptilene is part of my current regime. For the issues you are describing, it may be worth looking into if you haven't done so already.
    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin plushly

      Posted

      Thank you for your response. I'm going to try Gabapentin in a couple of weeks when I book some days off work as I know how meds can caused migraine hell initially. I have tried several meds with no success, all of which made me worse including nortriptyline, Sinemet, citalopram and topamax so I'll be honest in saying I'm not holding my hopes for it. My experience with the past meds is that they mainly induced panic attacks due to getting paralysed and loosing my speech with derealization because they made my migraines worse. I find it strange how the meds I'm given which are supposed to make me better, actually made it worse hence my fear of trying something new.
    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin 7Jules7

      Posted

      Hello again,

      ive been thinking about you and wondered how your doing on Gabapentin ? Have the side effects worn off?

    • 7Jules7
      7Jules7 PinkMuffin

      Posted

      Hello, it's been going OK depending on what I do from day to day. The gabapentin is OK no more side effects. Thinking of increasing dose to 2tabs a day but only need it if I've driven.

      How are things with you?

    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin 7Jules7

      Posted

      Hello 7Jules7,

      im glad to hear you have recovered so quickly from the side effects. I have booked 5 days off work for my birthday at the start of October therefore I'm planning on starting them then. My neuro implied that I'd be very poorly with it for about two weeks but hopefully 5 days is enough. Spoke to my gp and she said it's a very well tolerated medicine so I feel more positive about my situation.

      thanks for replying

  • plushly
    plushly PinkMuffin

    Posted

    Though Amitryptyline & Nortriptyline are supposed to be fairly similar, it's interesting reading the experience of this individual

    http://www.crazymeds.us/CrazyTalk/index.php/topic/20273-amitriptyline-vs-nortriptyline/

    Regards

     

    • PinkMuffin
      PinkMuffin plushly

      Posted

      I'm not surprised with the difference of side effects as nort is supposed to be less sedating. My experience with nort was a very dry mouth and paranoid feelings at the start, after a few months those side effects has lessened. I managed to get to 20mg which is still a low dose at about 6 months, I then started having a very fast heart rate of 150bpm at resting which sent me to a&e- it was the nort. Apparently happens a lot! I put up with the fast heart for another 4 months, got my heart checked and it's fine and decided to stop the nort. It did stop the pain though but made my restless legs were very bad, I was very foggy and didn't have a clue what was going on around me. I weaned off them very slowly, felt like a weight being lifted off me. I am still struggling with my migraine but coping much better off the meds.
  • sharon53053
    sharon53053 PinkMuffin

    Posted

    Hello, It seems from reading your posts that you are very sensitive to the medication you have tried so far so I do understand you being apprehensive. Give it a try, you will only know if it's beneficial to you by giving it a try. Good luck to you.
  • Asteria
    Asteria PinkMuffin

    Posted

    I don't think this medication is a bad choice for everyone in every circumstance.  As a graduate student needing to keep a clear head, whose pain turned out not to be nerve related anyway, it was a very bad choice for me, and caused some big problems.  For someone who's in constant pain without it, gabapentin could be a Godsend.  As you said, it sounds as though you're taking a smaller dose of it than most of us were anyway, and only taking it before bed.  I hope it keeps working well for you, and that you don't suffer from any of the issues we've talked about here.  Everyone's different, and this might be the best medication for you.
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