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GABAPENTIN: What the FDA needs to know!

Posted , 2 users are following.

G.Allyn
G.Allyn

Hello, everyone!

Today, I realized as a very frequent and loud complainer about gabapentin, I should stop complaining here and do something about it. 

When I worked as a critical care RN I believed strongly in being an advocate for my patients.  I dislike that I am in so much pain, but I am now the only person to stick up for myself.

I feel I have a high tolerance for pain.  I am one of 5% of my dentists patients, who go without any anesthetic for fillings and things of that type.  At 13 years old I fractured my ankle in a couple of places in gymnastic practice.  I did not seek medical treatment until 3 months later.  In the morning I awoke to find my ankle had fused during the night and my toes were permanently pointed.  I was unable to put my foot down to walk.  I had to walk on my toes on the affected foot/ankle until I had surgical intervention.  When they did the initial x-ray on my ankle, the radiologist stated I had an old fracture in my foot from two years ago.

Neither of these injuries seemed significant.  I felt the fractures at the time, they hurt for a second and I put ice on the area.  I am not a huge baby about pain.

This is where I come to the point about gabapentin.  If I feel this strongly about the misery this medication has caused, it is time to notify the FDA and send a strongly worded complaint about this drug.

My worry is with the opioid crisis this will become even more widely prescribed.  Patients may get to the point they take this drug, develop too many side-effects or this becomes a more widely used street drug with serious consequences.

I actually feel this drug made my pain worse.  Aside from how much I suffered for 20 years, the increased pain wasted a good deal of health care dollars.  Over the years I had numerous, frequent physician visits, trigger point injections, nerve blocks, opioid prescriptions, physical therapy, neurostimulator implant and replacement battery ect.  How much of this could have been avoided without the gabapentin.

It has been very painful to withdrawal from this drug.  First, I said it was 50 times harder, then 100 times harder, and now I am at 100+ times harder to discontinue gabapentin than any opioid.

Anyone think going the FDA route is the way to go?  Anyone else in?  It is my understanding, if the FDA receives enough complaints on one issue, they will take the issue more seriously and look into the problem.

We are not doing this only for ourselves.  It may educate patients, physicians, pharmacists ect. about the problems with gabapentin.  This drug is really harming some of us.

Hope everyone is doing alright today.

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • beth47873
    beth47873 G.Allyn

    Posted

    You’re right about reporting our complaints to the FDA. I reported to MedWatch in 2015. . My doctor made one comment in my clinical records, “Failed on Neurontin, caused increased tremors, (really jerking movements) and she only took a couple doses, and it is persisting, so she just stopped taking it.”  Several months later when I said, “Gabapentin ruined my nervous system” he said, “There are no reports that Gabapentin causes this.”  So I searched, and finally found statistical proof from eHealth, showing  complaints made to the FDA that it has caused permanent movement disorders. I called MedWatch and told the lady that I had found these reports and she said, “We need well documented cases. Do you think you could give us one?” I already had collected my records but my neurologist had written in my referral, “This is an odd movement disorder, and stranger still that it occurred after only several doses of Gabapentin, but I have never heard of this possibility.”  I sent my report in 2015 and I recently found that the FDA approved: “NEURONTIN (gabapentin) | Pfizer Medical Information - US  I wouldn’t click, “I’m a doctor,” but when I clicked, Print, it printed out 27 pages. It mentions quite a few adverse reactions, like DRESS. Patients deserve to be informed about this drug. The only Withdrawal symptom mentioned is possibility of increasing seizure activity for epileptic patients.  It would be a good idea for patients to report their difficulties with Withdrawal. You’re a very informative writer, and I’m glad you posted this discussion.
    • G.Allyn
      G.Allyn beth47873

      Posted

      Thank you so much for the tip.  Beth, I am on my way to retrieve the info you mentioned.
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