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How long will the aching and the weakness in my muscles last?

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chrissie61614
chrissie61614

im just getting over a full abdominal hysterectomy and back on my regular pain meds, mainly fentanyl patches and gabapentin 300mg x three daily and it has become clear to me that the  gabapentin is causing terrible stiffness and weakness in both my arm and leg muscles.

My neurologist put me on the gabapentin four months ago for neuropathic pain, then an MRI Scan showed I had an ovarian cyst, so now with that gone and the muscle pain getting worse I am reducing the daily dose slowly and just coping with the nerve pain but can anyone tell me if the weakness and stiffness will eventually go. I had an active lifestyle before I started this drug, now I'm a shuffling wreck, and scared! 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • jimbourg8
    jimbourg8 chrissie61614

    Posted

    The thing I can tell you about gaba. is that it does not help pain or nerve pain very well at all. I've read that only maybe 15% of people get relief using gaba.  If you use a high enough dose you become somewhat "insensible" due to the numbing effect on your brain. Plus all the adverse side effecs make it  not worth using  at all !  Depending on how long you have taking it.....you will have to taper off using it slowly...good luck

  • kimberly45582
    kimberly45582 chrissie61614

    Posted

    Hi ChrissI'm, I don't think it's the gabapentin giving you the stiff painful muscles. I had that morninh pain and stiffness even before I started taking the gabapentin. I too had an active busy life prior to falling ill. I think that not being as active as I was before is what caused the muscle stiffness and weakness. I am taking 2400mg of gabapentin (to treat neuropathy pain caused from a hereditary nerve disorder) and it has helped me. I just make sure I take my meds with a full tummy.

    • chrissie61614
      chrissie61614 kimberly45582

      Posted

      Hi Kimberley, thanks for your comments. I thought back in October when I had to stop being so active and had to start driving my car everywhere that it was causing the pain and weakness but when the Doctor put my gabapentin dose up  a lot and I could barely move I reduced the dose, before reading this forum, and have been trying to manage my pain by varying the dose ever since. The pain gets worse as the dose gets higher, but the withdrawal pain is almost as bad if I reduce it. Seeing my doctor tomorrow and hoping he will get me through this so that I can get my life back on track. 
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