Gabapentin- has anyone else had it?

PetiteN

Hi everyone,

I've been having the worst pain levels in the thirty years I've had JIA/fibro, this week, as I'm on no treatment

As I'm allergic to all opiates, in an attempt to do something until my flare is sorted out (I've been in tears with pain this week, this has never happened before), my Dr prescribed gabapentin.

I've taken it for the last two evenings, and was disappointed that so far, it's done nothing for my pain, but I feel 'drugged', have a permanent headache, and it feels like the worst hangover ever. These side effects haven't eased off, even in the day time.

I don't know whether to persist with it in case it suddenly starts to alleviate some of the muscle pain, or not, I'm not sure if I can cope with how the drug is making me feel, on top of everything else.
But I'm also desperate for some relief.
Right now I still have all the severe pain, and with these new side effects just feel worse :-/

Has anyone else tried it? And if so, what are your experiences?

Thanks x

Ladybrown

Hi
I was prescribed gabapentin a little while ago and I had the same response as you - no relief from the pain but a very drugged 'high' feeling. I'm afraid I didn't persist with it because it made work too difficult. Even following instructions to gradually increase the dose, this stuff was not for me!
Hope you get some relief soon.
xx

barbara12

Hello PetiteN..I have been on gabapentin and now on the newer one pregabalin, they do make you very tired at first, but I soon got used to them, and are a life saver for my back and sciatic pain..people are so different with meds, but I would give them a little longer and see how you get on..hope they begin to help x

PetiteN

Thankyou both.

It's so true that people react very differently to meds.

At the moment my gut feeling is that I'm not sure I can cope with these side effects, and this is at a relatively small dose of 100mg.
I don't feel like myself at all, the spaced out feeling is in a bad way, sounds weird but feels like my head is full of anaesthetic, my head hurts and I feel low.

I might phone my GP tomorrow and see if I can get an appointment sometime.

x

hileena111

Hi
Lots of medication is given for different things......amitryptilin {spelling?} is a muscle relaxant on a small dose but on a higher dose it is and anti depressant,
Anyway back to your meds and side effects. That is an anticonvulsant as well as other things that it helps.
I have epilepsy {have had since I was 18 months old} I'm clear now.....since my last pregnancy and that's 35 years ago but I still need to take anticonvulsant meds to keep me stable.
The first I found out what it was used for was when I was having my first hip replacement and was given one to take the day before the op. At the pre op the nurse said you shouldn't be having that because you are already on anticonvulsants of another kind. Years later my GP prescribed it for me and I said they are contraindicted to my other tablets .....No they aren't he said. I persisted and asked him to check for me and then he said well on a higher dose they might start a seizure with you . I said on a lower dose????? he said Oh you should be OK. So I said no thanks !!! LOL
Sorry for the ramble........I'm not suggesting you have epilepsy but I'm wondering if that is the side effects? You don't have it but taking the tablet makes you dopey etc etc???? Just a suggestion.
I've had tablets that have made me feel like that.......tramadol for instance but other people can cope with them
Yes you get back to the GP and ask him for different pain killers
Love
Hileena

lavenderlady

I've been on Gabapentin originally prescribed for my spondelolthesis and nerve pain and have never had any side effects same with ammitriptaline and tramadol thank goodness but trying to stop ammitriptaline did send me into agonising pain making me realise how much they helped me

Boomer13

Hello,
I take it for nerve pain and it has made a major difference to my pain levels. That said, it was very difficult at first because of side-effects: the hangover effect you describe and, it made me very dopey yet hyper. It took quite awhile but these have settled down and I now have no side-effects to it. The nerve pain I have made living through the side-effects worthwhile. It was/is bad.

Wobblylegs

I have the same issue I am extremely allergic to Codeinne so other opioids are out too. I've been on Gabapentin for my MS pain, I increased mine very slowly and each time it took about a 3-4 days to settle down. People react differently to these meds and some only need tiny amounts to help them whilst others need a lot. But it takes up to 6 weeks got them to start to work. I increased by 100mg per week but only needed 600mg before it started working.

I came off it in the end as I gained a lot of weight, not so good with knee arthritis. But the newer, sister drug Pregabalin was used in hospital during my TKR 4 weeks ago to help with pain. I intend to give that one a try as its less likely to have side effects and I've been told I need to take something for life to prevent the occasional seizure I get as part of my MS.

Hope some of this info helps, my advice would be to give it a few days.
Wobbly xx

bubbadog

I've been on Gabapentin for a long while along with a lot more meds. I almost rattle when I hobble about!! So any side effects could be from any of the zillion meds I take!!