Scary Gabapentin side effects
Posted , 28 users are following.
Hello all
I started taking Gabapentin for a nerve problem in my foot in November 2015 starting at 300mg and working up to 900mg over 6 weeks. At the end of May this stopped having an effect so the doctor doubled the dose - again increasing in 2 weekly amounts. I stopped at 1200mg as this was working for me and still does now.
However, i have had some pretty nasty side effects. The headaches i can cope with (having been on Prozac for depression for nearly 8 years i had them with that too). Loss of appetite and flatulence were okay too.
I've had foot swelling and anxiety attacks - not okay but the latest episode really scared me. I was walking to the shops and felt my balance going (this happens anyway because of spinal problems) but then i had a terrifying spinning sensation and had to grab a post and couldn't let go. The episode lasted for about 5 minutes but seemed much longer. Fortunately i had a friend with me. He said i looked okay. I know this is one of the possible side effects. Has anyone else experienced this?
I will be making a doctor appointment tomorrow.
1 like, 95 replies
martin45332 Meganpooch
Posted
I am in the process of increasing Gabapentin to 2700mg a day. As someone else commented there is a sort of trade off between how much pain you want to accept and the GABA side effects. For me they have been manageable but as the dose has gone up I am noticing the side effects more. For example I took a parcel to someone sew hundred yards away last week and have noemory of it. I think that was caused by drug interaction. Everyone's tolerance levels are different so I think I have bee very lucky!
Trumolabby3 Meganpooch
Posted
Sorry to hear about your nasty side effects. I have stood taking them a,together now and it has taken a week for me to start feeling ok again. I have lost 3 lbs already. I am having jumpy legs though twice this week, although I think I have had this before so it may not be Gabapentin related! I haven't had the dizzy spell you mentioned but when I was on it a felt a strange sensation sometimes as if I was tipping forward and imagined myself standing on my tip toes o stop myself falling forward. Very weird sensation. Not had it since stopping it. My handwriting is still awful feel like I need to learn to write again. Good luck with your GP. Sylviax
TinyGal Meganpooch
Posted
Hello everyone, I'm new and so glad I found this forum. I was on Gaba 100mg. per night for three years, for fibromyalgia symptoms and numbness in my foot. I decided to quit taking it around February this year, because I didn't think it was doing much and thought it was making my face puffy, like I had chipmunk cheeks. I tapered off really really slowly and had minimal side effects. Brain zaps were the worst, but I had some restless leg issues too. I also have severe osteoporosis and lots of pain from a past vertebral fracture and recurrent rib fractures, so about two weeks ago I thought I'd try the Gaba again. Eeeek! Since then I've had dizziness, headache, feeling spaced out, just out of it, my mouth feels funny, it's not dry but feels almost foamy. Ick. I'm not 100% sure it's the Gaba, at first I thought it was the ibuprofen I was taking after surgery, but I haven't had any in two weeks so I know it's not that. I'm not taking anything else. To make things worse, I also started taking a half dose in the morning, 50mg. So I'm going off it again, this time for good. Very slow taper again, it could take a couple more months at least. I'm reading others here have the vertigo, lightheadedness, insomnia, etc. Does anyone else have the weird mouth feeling, headache, puffy face, feet feel puffy??? This is awful 😕 Thanks in advance! TinyGal
Trumolabby3 TinyGal
Posted
Hi we all seem to take gabapentin for many different reasons but all end up with side effects! I have had the restless legs even after I stopped taking it. I was gradually increased to 900mgs a day formback pain but came off of it slowly after gaining almost a stone in weight. My ankles were swollen by the end of the day. I didn't have any sensations on the mouth though. Did feelmas if I was going to topple over quite a lot. A weird feeling. I still can't write properly and am wondering if I hav had a mild stroke sometimes. I have been completely free of Gabapentin for about 9 days and would never go back on it again!
TinyGal Trumolabby3
Posted
I'm so looking forward to having it all out of my system! But even stopping it for over two months I still felt some side effects. I wonder how long it really takes to all be gone! It's poison!
Trumolabby3 TinyGal
Posted
melody_78749 Trumolabby3
Posted
I am so glad I quit this awful drug after three weeks. I hope the worms in my septic tank like it thats where it went. Now we are attacking the real problem, the pinched nerve in my hand and elbow. Surgery on June 5th. Yes there will be pain with that but I can deal with tempory pain for a short while.What I can't deal with is the dumb side effects of thye Gabby.
Shewholvs TinyGal
Posted
Good evening, I have been on Neurontin or Gabapentin 4 maybe 10 years and then I take 300 milligrams 4 times at night. It is for my feet were burning and to help my antidepressant medicine. I do have anxiety and chronic panic attacks. Hypothyroidism potassium and folic acid because with my high blood pressure medicine told me I had to take hydrochlorothiazide which is a water pill. Yeah I'm kind of feeling age but enough is enough. I decided without checking to stop taking it well it seems like since then I've been really dizzy no appetite trying to get back and forth to the restroom just lifting my head up I get so dizzy. So I got over that and then about two weeks later and it happened again but worse. I'm still trying to recover from this week. So and I finally looked up everything I've got so many of the withdrawal symptoms and then I found this group which is great. But yesterday I took 1 300 mg during the day and one at night. And I felt a little better this afternoon I took one about 5 because I was getting too dizzy and feeling really rough so I felt a little bit better I wasn't sure exactly how I was feeling he wouldn't lay down for awhile and I felt better. So tonight I took two trying to get my system back to where it's been I may not go back on 4 at night but I am trying to get back to having my Neurontin at night. And I'm still don't know if what's going on with me is the withdrawal from Neurontin I've been off of it for almost a month son I didn't put two-and-two together and I should have known better. That was a very stupid move! I hope that you're doing better I'm going to probably talk to my doctor when I go in with my husband Thursday. And if nothing else do some blood work on me just to make sure because I thought I had a virus or something and you know my head just felt horrible because I was so dizzy I guess once I got which I have to build back up it felt better. so I wish you the best of luck and pray that everything goes good for both of us . Blessings!
joe86710 Meganpooch
Posted
I am currently on 1200 mg of gaba taken three times a day (36000 per day. While I am a large individual, 6'6" at 325 lbs, I was told many were taking higher doses than this. I attend hobby classes with a much smaller man who takes 3600 and seems to function fine. I am a cancer patient who has outlived all predictions and peripheral neuropathy is the one problems that bothers me the most. The last week I was plagued with heavily swollen left leg and some heavy fatigue. I iced the leg and take water pills three times daily for congestive heart. This is why the swollen legs bother me just a bit. My blood pressure is very good. I have a pacemaker and Afib. Let's see, can I say more? I'm 76 years old and my normal weight was 275. If I could get off gaba I would be delighted after reading all the side effects. How does one decrease (in increments) from 3600 per day?
Trumolabby3 joe86710
Posted
This drug it would appear is taken for Many different conditions so it is difficult to judge how much gaba one person should take, I know some GP's are not very sympathetic to our side ffects but I still feel they are the first point of contact should you be worried about your side effects. I was given gaba for my back pain so it really felt up to me if i stopped them or not. In your case where you have a condition such as cancer I don't think you should rely on the forum for your advice. It helps to learn about the different side effects that other people are going through but we are all different at the end of the day. Good luck.
Shewholvs joe86710
Posted
Good evening Joe I have been on 4 capsules of 300 mg each every night. I never had any side effects or anything like that I think it made me gain weight and you mentioned your age I'm 63 but I really screwed up not thinking and I quit taking it I'm tired of taking pills for this and pills for that so I've been feeling really rough different times where I'm so dizzy I can't get out of bed very sick to my stomach no appetite heartburn there's a few more and I looked up and I have a lot of the symptoms of withdrawal. And I didn't know it was addicting nobody told me so I started yesterday taking my Neurontin hoping that this will settle whatever this is down the withdrawals is what I think it is. So I'm going to talk to my doctor I know I should go back up to a fourth one at night but I'm going to talk to my doctor Thursday and try to go back up slowly because I've been off of it for a month and maybe I can do the 300 milligrams three of the capsules at night instead of 4. Is ridiculous I found out medication that they had me on for sleeping pills wait on me and I didn't know it was addicting. So I quit taking I lost 14 lb in 1 month of not taking it. But my anxiety is through the roof which Neurontin does to you have any of the anxiety panic disorders or it when you go off of it and it is horrible to the point that you can't really deal with it. So I was off of it for about a month and then I found out that was a big No-No that was just where all my symptoms are coming from because I quit taking it. I weathered it out for the month and then my doctor put me on a different one and he is gone up and down in milligrams depending on how I'm sleeping when I'm not on medication to sleep I do not sleep. I'm not sure why and it could be part of the depression and anxiety but I get to where I don't sleep I don't eat. Which at my age never going to be a size 0 again. yes you're supposed to wean yourself off very slowly I would talk to your doctor because he can reduce the milligrams that you're taking I have the capsules and I can't break them in half or do anything like that so I have to get my Dr to lower it. So I think it's worth it my feet don't burn anymore and I honestly believe it was the chemicals we were cleaning the floors with you know just a typical floor cleaner like Pine-Sol or mr. Mr. Clean or Murphy's Oil Soap. And then scrubber shower take a shower my feet start to burn and it was the stuff I used to clean the shower with so now if our bedroom floor or bathroom for its mopped it's just with plain water and I can go barefoot but if I go out of the bedroom socks and or shoes on. That's why I he up my Neurontin. I'm just tired of taking it Lord have mercy I think between my husband and I were like a freaking walk-in Pharmacy. So I'm hoping me going back on your rotten I'll take care of this issue in the vertigo and all the other ones. I wish you the best and take it slow I'm going to have to once I get it back in my system. You have a nice night
Shewholvs Meganpooch
Posted
Hello, I have been on Neurontin for Many years.! First it was 300mg two at bedtime., had to be at least 7 or 8 years. They it was increased two more so that's 4 capsuls at bed time. I gained weight but that was it. I decided I didn't need to take it along with other meds I wasn't too very off of. So I quit I have had some horrible things going on for a month now. I did not put two and two together. So this morning I started looking for answers. It started approx when I quit taking it. I have been bed ridden, nausea, dizziness, heart palpation, loss on appetite begun losing weight, having sweats, shaking, I don't dare drive the dizziness is so horrible. Can't stand up long. Heart burn, I know there are more but I thought I had a virus. But this morning looking I wondered if it was the Neurontin. Hope some one can give me some advice., I took one 300mg I will take 2 tonight going it will help. I really don't know. Kind of scary😢
Shewholvs Meganpooch
Posted
Hello, I have been on Neurontin for Many years.! First it was 300mg two at bedtime., had to be at least 7 or 8 years. They it was increased two more so that's 4 capsuls at bed time. I gained weight but that was it. I decided I didn't need to take it along with other meds I wasn't too very off of. So I quit I have had some horrible things going on for a month now. I did not put two and two together. So this morning I started looking for answers. It started approx when I quit taking it. I have been bed ridden, nausea, dizziness, heart palpation, loss on appetite begun losing weight, having sweats, shaking, I don't dare drive the dizziness is so horrible. Can't stand up long. Heart burn, I know there are more but I thought I had a virus. But this morning looking I wondered if it was the Neurontin. Hope some one can give me some advice., I took one 300mg I will take 2 tonight going it will help. I really don't know. Kind of scary😢
melody_78749 Shewholvs
Posted
Shewholvs melody_78749
Posted
Thank you for responding., I have been on it for about 10 years. I did not think about results of going off. I just decided I was tired of it and I wasn't taking any more. I believe the reason I have had all this going on I have lost weight even though I can stand to lose some weight.. I finally looked it up and most of what I have been going through. I have had many of the side effects of going off of it, which actually put me in bed. I took one 300mg yesterday and felt better. Then last night I took another one., I am to take 300mg capsule 4 of them at night., I took one when I went to bed. I feel a bit better., I will take 2 tonight and see. But I've been off of it about a month. so I am hoping that the large dose I've been on for quite some time that some of that has gone out of my system and the two 300 mg of which I will take it night will be enough. and definitely going to talk to my doctor because I didn't know it was addicting. But I do have depression anxiety and panic disorder. It's genetic my middle son has it my mother me kind of strange LOL it's always the middle kid. So I will definitely be talking to him. Thank you very much again I really appreciate the time you've taken hey. You have a blessed day and have a Merry Christmas
Shewholvs melody_78749
Posted
yes I've been on it for 10 years and I have started to go back on it cuz it's been about a month. so right now I'm supposed to take it at night but trying to get it back in my system a little bit I took one yesterday and I took one last night so today I started feeling really bad up at 5 so I took my Neurontin and I will take probably two before I go to bed. I was on 300 mg capsules four of them at night. I appreciate you contacting me I thank you so much. And I talked to my doctor now stupid I was and see what he says. Have a great night and thanks again. Blessings