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Wicked Drug - weight gain and side effects

Posted , 8 users are following.

dianne16494
dianne16494

I have been on this wicked drug at 300 mgs. 3 x a day for about 2 years now and am increasing it to 400 mgs 3 x a day but my neurologist wants to increase it a total of 3000 mgs. a day. I wanted to get off of it!!! I am on it for fibromyalgia pain and it works well the problem is that I have been gaining steadily and have gained 40 lbs. since last summer alone. I was on Cymbalta for about 10 years and it took me more than year to get off of it. I was hoping to get off of the gabapentin but due to the severity of my headaches my neurologist wants double it. I believe it is responsible foe my weight gain and also a myriad of serious of side effects. They include, dizziness, confusion, double vision, tremors, memory loss, and imbalance. They are very severe side effects and nothing shows on my MRI. Has anyone else experienced any of the side effects or weight gain? I am several other drugs. One of them is topirimate which I was told may be responsible for some of the side effects but I am almost off of it. I have been tapering off it for several weeks now.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • mary25674
    mary25674 dianne16494

    Posted

    I was on it for 7 yrs, all the side effects you mentioned and more.  I was on it for fibor too and insomnia. It is bad stuff.  I took my last 1/4 of a pill Nov 17,17  I still have memory problems.  Best wishes to you I and others send, we understand your problems .    Mary
    • dianne16494
      dianne16494 mary25674

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. Did you use any other drugs to support your taper or did you just slowly taper off of it alone? I tapered off of Cymbalta with no other drug but it took over a year. I had no withdrawal side effects at all. My shrink did not believe in counting the beads so I told him I was staying on it so that I could get enough to taper by counting the beads. I did it on my own by counting out 10% of the beads every 2 weeks. It was tedious but so worth it. Later when I ended up in the hospital for an unrelated matter he came to my bedside and admitted that after some research he found out that I was right.  I really want off of the gabapentin. I will not increase the dose if I have anything to do with it.My GP had me on diazepam and tryptophan while I was tapering off of Clonazepam but then I had to taper off the diazepam. It was a pain. 
    • mary25674
      mary25674

      Posted

      and Gaba sucks magnesium out of your body and all the Vit B . so I took mag and also Epsom Salt soaks 2x a day and got spray mag to spray on body thru out the day when withdrawal pains got worse.  Won't make everything go away  but it did help me

       

    • mary25674
      mary25674

      Posted

      I did smoke weed to stop the pain and sleep also
    • kelly55079
      kelly55079 mary25674

      Posted

      Yes, I have heard that it helps ease the pain and good for sleep.
  • james56587
    james56587 dianne16494

    Posted

    My VA Dr. put me on it for siactic nerve pain from my butt to my foot....on BOTH sides of my butt.  It comes and goes on it's own.  So I don't really know if it going away has anything to do with the gabapentin or not.  The weight gain is there...but I worry about the effects of getting off it!

     

  • kathy87887
    kathy87887 dianne16494

    Posted

    I have been on Gabpapentin for about 2 years and i have gained almost 50ibs. Was on 900 mg now down to 100 mg the withdrawal is worse than any of the pain that i have had. The depression is so bad some days I just want to stay in bed. Also short term memory loss, anxiety double vision plus eyes tears a lot and they just hurt. I had insomnia and headaches but they are tapering off now. I so want my life back to where it used to be.  If it were me I wouldn't increase the dosage but Im not in your pain so its hard to tell you what to do. I can't wait to get off of this 100mg. My body just won't let me quit this last 100 mg. Good luck to you. 

    • dianne16494
      dianne16494 kathy87887

      Posted

      I am trying to get off of all of the meds I can and find alternatives ie. MJ which I am on now but I think a need a higher dose than I am on. My wil soon be decriminalized here anyway so I will be able to get more on my on own without a prsecription. I son't plan on Increasing the Gabapentin if I can talk my doc out of it. I want her to take me off of it. I am on 1500 mgs. a fay so it won't be easy but it took more than a year to get off of Cymbalta so I'm sure I can handle it. I will just have to take really slow.  I have gained 40 lbs. on it so far and I look like a fat cow. I was down to 145 lbs. and so proud of nyself because I had not been weight in a long time and bought myslef a new wardrobe. Last night I had to go out and buy new clothes. I hate the way I look. It was very difficult to deal with. Thanks for your reply and good wishes.

  • Prz....
    Prz.... dianne16494

    Posted

    Hi. Read your message. Gab was originally a life saver for me after a horrible reaction to my one & only BOTOX treatment for migraines. I was then not diagnosed w/fibro. Took another year for that. Yeah, lots of Dr. jumping. My neurologist ruled fibro out & boy was she wrong. No I quit her. Gab stopped the mysterious body aches & pains & helped the migraines w/topomax (generic version). I am unable to do more things physically & have been gaining weight while on Gab. I couldn't understand why my headaches were coming back & body pain returned. Read info on this site regs. Gab & decided to quit cold turkey. Been off for 9 months w/one exception of hosp stay & my ignorance of meds being given. Yep, I lost weight & started to think clear. Still have good days & bad. Bad ones, I used icy hot on muscles or aspercream & take flexeral & tramadol when needed for pain. Gab is a medication that should come w/large warnings. Good luck & plenty of prayers sent ur way.

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