DISCLAIMER: iGuard is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. iGuard cannot and does not take into consideration every possible interaction or account for individual responses to medicine. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have before making any changes to your treatment. The use of the iGuard site and its content is at your own risk. The iGuard site and the information contained in it is intended for users in the United States and information in other countries may be different.
Global Patient Feedback for Gabapentin ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
don't suddenly quit taking it once on a steady daily dose.
56 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Just check for interaction with other medications you might be on.
56 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS.
47 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I ASK?
WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?
DID YOU EVER TAKE LYRICA?
Posted: 2008-11-18 14:11:45
Question/Comment:
don't hesitate
71 year old Male
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Just beware that it is not a cure all. Give it a honest try though
62 year old Male
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Try to take at the same time every evening, do not miss a dose or worse symptoms may occur
55 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
get all the facts-I was still in the hospital when given it, and not clearly in the best state of mind.
47 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
It is a life saver for me, without it I could not walk or stand for any length of time. I have been taking it for over 4 years. I haven't had any side effects at all.
70 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Only to follow the Dr.'s recommendations for dosage and not take more than prescribed.
59 year old Male
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
start it slow until the dosage feels right for you
55 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Just take it as prescibed
46 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
I've been taking neurontin for about 4 years now along with Xodol and Zanalex [at night only] The other two I take three times a day for the pain in my neck and back.
If it wasn't for these pills ;I could not work delivering the mail everday.
I get depre
ssed sometime;I believe that's because of the deaths in my family.
Good Luck
50 Year Old Female
52 year old Female
Posted: 2008-04-20 10:38:13
Question/Comment:
I have been on Neurontin for at least 5 years. I also take Paxil and Desipramine in order to manage my fibromyalgia and migraines. I have had no side effects as far as anxiety or depression.I already had been diagnosed with depression YEARS before I started the Neurontin. I have tried using Cymbalta and Lyrica for the fibromyalgia. I was sick as a dog for the entire time I was on them. Not only does Neurontin help with managing the pain, I find that I sleep better with it as well. I HAVE NO PLANS TO DISCONTINUE IT!!!
48 year old Female
Posted: 2008-04-14 16:50:33
Question/Comment:
I began using Neurontin to relieve severe diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain in my leg. The relief was almost immediate. After several weeks, I stopped the dosage and the pain returned. Back on the med and no side effects as of yet have been noticed. I appreciate the drug.
62 year old male
64 year old Male
Posted: 2008-02-28 13:53:48
Question/Comment:
I was on lifesupport for 22 days due to pneumonia in my left lung and that I am a severe asthmatic. While on lifesupport, I had an allergic reaction to one of or a combination of the medications I was on. When I came off of lifesupport, I was completely paralized for about 10 days, I slowly relearned to use my hands and as well as regaining the use of my legs(Through alot of Physical Therapy) . When I was able to take medication orally, they put me on Gabapentin(Neurontin) I have had some short term memory loss, however, I was in so much pain that the Neurontin was my lifesaver. I take 600mg 3 times a day and it helps me to function with less pain. I started out in a wheelchair when I left the hospital and now I can walk on my on two feet. I AM A WALKING MIRACLE THANKS TO THE LORD AND MY DOCTORS.
42 year old Female
Posted: 2008-02-16 17:09:05
Question/Comment:
I have been on Neurontin for almost 5 years now. I have never experienced the side effects listed here. I have, however, received substantial relief of my Fibromyalgia pain! I would be helpless without it!!!
35 year old Female
Posted: 2008-02-16 10:10:21
Question/Comment:
I have experienced anxiety increasingly since starting. Went to doc, got lexpro, no help even started feeling weepy, took cymbalta no help anxiety worse to point of near panic. Thinking I was going nuts.
Started prozac, and xanex, experienced some releif but the ie not panic level but really bad. Upp-ed Prozac to 40 and xanxex to 1mg. Better. Somewhere I stopped taking the neurontin , My nerve pain felt better. Didn't think about it till I started taking it again and had more panic and anxiety. This time I'm going back to doc today and tell them about this.
I hope this helps someone, your not losing your mind. Just stop the neurotin and tell your doctor whats happening. l will try to get back here to up date you on what the doc says..
Good Luck,
50 year old Male
Posted: 2008-01-24 11:00:24
Question/Comment:
Can Neurontin cause severe anxiety and panic attacks?
27 year old Female
Posted: 2008-01-05 18:12:21
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
A similar numbers of patients taking neurontin in clinical trials experienced nervousness and depression compared to those taking placebo - if you feel that this symptom was closely related to the use of this product, please let us and others know.
Posted: 2008-01-15 16:18:48
Answer/Reply:
I have found neurontin usfull but very intense as far as it makes me nervous, and I dont sleep so well with it.
As far as the pain it does help some, enough that im not willing to stop taking it.
53 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-22 11:38:35
Answer/Reply:
I'm so relieved I'm not the only one having this problem! (But also sorry you do!) I've taken Neurontin for 10 yrs, 1200mg at first, then 1600 for years; recently up to 2000, then 2400. In the past 2 weeks I've had severe anxiety, starting w/ a panic attack, then obsessive thoughts, crying, just a mess. I've had a lot of stress in my life lately, so I was attributing it to that, but the feelings are out of proportion to the issues...I'd wondered about the Neurontin, but not seriously until I read this. I will taper back down and try to remember to post my results. Maybe you should, too? Thanks, and good luck.
38 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-05 14:07:31
Question/Comment:
Combination of Neurontin, Dilantin, and Tegretol...Can this cause bleeding from the penis?
83 year old Male
Posted: 2008-01-03 15:05:49
Answer/Reply:
Rather than searching for an answer online, it is advisable that you immediately seek medical attention as bloody urine can be a sign of a much more serious problem.
25 year old Male
Posted: 2008-01-05 22:52:44
Question/Comment:
I seem to have an increased problem of finding words to complete sentences, can give defination but cannot remember the words. Also seem to have memory loss, short to mid term.
53 year old Female
Posted: 2007-12-23 02:39:44
Answer/Reply:
Neurontin (gabapentin) was prescribed for peripheral neuropathy after my stem cell transplant in 2005. I started at 2700mg per day and tapered down to my present dosage of 1800mg, which I still take. I still have the neuropathy, but it's not quite as severe as before. I also suffer from memory loss, especially short term, and the inability to think of the correct "word that I'm looking for" which causes me to speak more slowly than prior to the transplant. Although I must take several other medications daily, I believethe particular side effects described may be due to the gabapentin because they began shortly after I started taking it. You're not alone.
60 year old Female
Posted: 2007-12-23 10:33:01
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Hi been on gabapentin medication now for in excess of 10 years have experience the above symptoms ie unable to complete sentence or find correct word thought it was just me. Was put on gabapentin 3capulesof 400mg 3times daily have now dropped this to 2*2*3 plus also dropped other medication and now find that some of my pain has returned to a level of about 3 to 4 on a pain level of 10 being severe. Was used to treat sever pain after cancer of the osophehus (throat) Have found memory lose to be not as as it was Able to cope with okay with this level of pain
Posted: 2008-05-24 18:13:58
Answer/Reply:
After my third back surgery I was left with severe nerve damage. My doctor has me on 3,600 mg a day of Neurontin along with Oxycontin, Flexeril and many others. I too have short-term memory loss, the inability to find the right words to finish my sentences and sometimes depression.
I have done a lot of research on this drug and some of the scary side effects can be: Suicidal tendencies, memory loss, mood changes, headaches, nausea, confusion, extreme anger outbursts, crying and self harming thoughts, loss of word recall, fogginess, and the loss of the want to go out in social situations.
I definitely have the last one, but I don't know if it is the drug itself or that I am just embarrassed by the difficulty I have in finishing my own sentences.
49 year old Female
Posted: 2008-01-31 04:40:29
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
I was on 3000 mg of neurontin a day for about 5 years for trigeminal neuralgia and experienced very few side effects. When I started taking it I had diffulty concentrating and sort of felt like I drank too much coffee. Those effects went away within a few weeks of starting the medication.
At the time it worked very well for my pain.
I then went off of the medication for about 6 months in order to gauge my pain as I didn't want to be on such a high dose if I didn't need it any longer. Well, I am now being put back on it as I obviously needed it (I was an idiot for going off of it... wishful thinking, I suppose).
I am now up to 2200 mg/day and am having a VERY difficult time adjusting to the side effects. I haven't been able to work for almost a month now because I feel unable to function. I tried driving and it just doesn't feel safe.
My advice... DONT DRIVE ON THIS MEDICATION UNTIL YOU KNOW HOW IT AFFECTS YOU... it REALLY affects attention.
My side effects:
1. I am 4 weeks into starting the medication and am still feeling very groggy and am terribly dizzy. Especially when standing from a sitting position. I have a difficult time walking or standing for too long.
2. I have moments where I have blurry/fuzzy vision. I have a very difficult time reading anything (this is taking me forever to type, and I am usually very speedy at typing)... I'm not sure if it's a matter of concentration, attention, or vision problems?
3. I am also very tired but am unable to sleep more than a few hours at a time.
4. It's almost as if everything that comes out of my mouth is garbage. Like I try to speak and it just doesn't come out right. I also find that I am stuttering a lot. It sounds rediculous, but it is a problem that began upon starting the medication that wasn't present prior to starting the medication. It is good to hear that others are experiencing the similar speech problems that I am experiencing.
5. I've never had a history of depression, but I am feeling depressed. I think it is more a matter of feeling desperate that the side effects aren't going to go away than anything. However, I do have periods of time where I feel slighly manic or anxious, so for those with a history of psychological problems, I would be careful and increase your dose very slowly.
Overall, it does help with certain aspects of my pain, but I'm no longer sure it's worth the side effects.
Posted: 2008-08-19 16:27:32
Question/Comment:
Can Neurontin cause you to have restless legs?
64 year old Female
Posted: 2007-12-23 01:44:07
Answer/Reply:
I am a 53 year old female taking Neurontin for pain when walking. Due to a backsurgery in 1999, I still have some nerve damage and numbness on the outside of my left leg. I also suffer from RLS, I can say that when I ran out of the neurontin I had RLS and was miserable. When I am on it, I sleep well, no pretending to be a cricket with my legs constantly moving and no relief.
55 year old Female
Posted: 2008-01-19 21:21:00
Answer/Reply:
I take Neurontin for r.l.s. and it works well. I have however, gain ALOT of weight in a short period of time. Does this drug do that? I will continue taking it regardless, but it is discourageing.
56 year old Female
Posted: 2008-04-15 16:16:57
You may post comments for the benefit of other patients or post questions other patients might be able to answer. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Only your age and gender will be published with your comment, although your other user details will be securely recorded for verification purposes.
Comments may be either questions or answers to previously posted questions. Any iGuard.org user may post questions and reply.