Gabapentin
Posted , 6 users are following.
**p
IS anyone taking GABAPENTIN for pain? And do you feel that it is actually working
for you? And how many Mg are you taking?
i feel that the GABAPENTIN
makes me very groggy.
0 likes, 6 replies
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Notes on Gabapentin
v2806 yvette12987
Posted
I was on gabapentin for back problems a couple of years ago.I managed to get off them eventually ,but it was hard. they are an opoid,and if youre not careful you can get addicted to them.See if you can find babs on this site,she was giving me great advice. Good luck but please do not get on them for any length of time.Even in the Uk now they've classed them as high dependency .
USRider69 v2806
Posted
Gabapentin isn't an opioid; it's a drug designed to stop seizures. That's why it's hard to stop. If you are using it for seizure control, you can suddenly see an increase in seizures. It also has other psychoactive properties that make it behave like an anti-depressant, so stopping can cause a sudden sense of depression to the suicidal level. It's never actually been approved for nerve pain, though that's the most common off-label use. I checked it out thoroughly with the doctors in my family before taking it, and they were pretty much okay with it.
I was on it for about four months and stopped with no problem and no weaning off period, but I was using it for back nerve pain (sciatica). It worked as long as I also took Ultracet and/or Tylenol. Alone it did nothing for me but reduce my kidney function. My PCP took me off for that last reason as I'd just had stage 4 kidney failure for reasons unrelated to the drug and was recovering until the Gab took my function back down almost to stage 4 again. My pain is much better with a low dose of Prednisone and occasional Tylenol when I get stupid and hurt myself. That will do until I can pursue other avenues.
It's a popular drug among orthopedists, but one that should be treated with care. Not everyone needs to be on it. Not everyone can get off easily. But not everyone has the terrible withdrawals that some folks suffer.
babs99203 yvette12987
Posted
Gab was approved for epilepsy, shingles/post shingles pain (PHN) which I have and small nerve diabetic neuropathy by the FDA. Even then, they only help people to varying degrees. But doctors give it off label for a myriad of reasons and it seldom helps. Yes fatigue is a common side effect. I was at 2700 mg before I started tapering (decreasing the dosage). More than 2.5 years later I'm at 500 mg now. if you do some quick research you'll find a long list of side effects.
changejobs babs99203
Posted
babs,
has your pain increased as you decreased you gab?
babs99203 changejobs
Posted
I need to clarify. Part of the withdrawal symptoms I get in addition to the fatigue, depression, confusion and memory issues is increased pain. It's the same type of pain as my shingles/PHN pain, but it's the brain sending pain signals, it's like false pain.
As I heal, my PHN is much better. Many people with PHN do see a decrease or even disappearance in their PHN pain. Once the taper subsides, I can see a definite improvement in my pain levels. However during the acute withdrawal phase, this last month the pain was quite bad. But several weeks later, I had almost no pain.
So, in order to get better, we first have to get worse. It stinks, but it's the reality.
pennycourtney34 yvette12987
Posted
every time I try to reply to anybody my comments get deleted, if you would like to have a bigger discussion:
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