Answer/Reply:

The neurontin put the brakes on my fibromyalgia pain on the second day after I started taking it. I was scared at first as well, because I am also on quite a few other drugs as well. I also take Cymbalta. I was unable to take Lyrica.
I take one 400mg capsule of neurontin in the morning and two at night. This drug has been very good at helping get to sleep and staying asleep. According to everything that I have read about neurontin you can take the doses at any time, but it can make you drowsey. So far the sedation is the only side effect that I have encountered. I needed that.
Good luck to you!
47 yr old female

48 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-21 19:40:34

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I am 44yrs. female. I've had two spinal fusions [L5S1 and L4] within the last three years. I am now having trouble with T11-12. This new neurosurgeon [NY] wants me to do injections first before a fusion again just to buy time and for pain. Injections scares me, the whole concept. This new neuro. does thoracics. [my dr. that did my other fusions is the best! He sets the bar high for all the other drs. he's in Ridgewwod, NJ.] I've been taking Gabapentin for the last 5 weeks or so. It has taken the edge off the tingling and burning in my feet and legs. I haven't noticed side effects as yet. I've been told the burning/tingling is not coming from my spine anywhere. I had every MRI to comfirm a clean spine nerve etc. What I have learned from my own research and talking with both my neuros. about this is that I took Amitripyline for 6 months prior to Gabapentin to helps with the neurpathy in my legs. Every time I took Ami. I noticed the burning/tingling become alittle worse alittle at a time. I thought I was going nuts! Seen a neurologist and he gave me cymbalta 30 mgs at night. Well I thought I was gonna die the first night. It made the burning/tingling a 100x worse. Only to find out Cymbalta is a stronger version of the drug of Ami. Nobody listens! Becuase everytime I increased Ami. the worse It got. Not to mention feeling depressed. What I found out about ami. type drugs are they put the nerves to sleep to stop the burning tingling etc. The only problem is you need more and more for the drug for the same relief. The myelin sheath around the nerve endings needs electrolytes and minerals to function right. Such as gatorade. I've also found out is some gatorade has aspartame[fake sugars under many names]. The Rain version does not have aspartame in it. Look up the 'Side effects of aspartame' you'll be shocked. It can causes tingling and burning in the body. It's been about 6 weeks I've stopped ami. 10/16/08 and about two weeks drinking a bottle of rain gatorade day. It has helped calm the overall stress feeling of the burning/tingling. I think it is replenishing what the nerve endings need to function right. I don't know how else to explain it, but I honestly think it is hepling. Both Drs. have told me that it will take at least 6 months to fully detox from the drugs' effects. I wish I would of looked up the side effects of Ami. before I took it for. Look at [ earthclinic.com] I am going to try to decrease the Gab. when I feel the nerves getting more of the electrolytes they need. Before I go though an EMG again only to tell me it's normal I am trying my research finds first. Does or has anyone else experienced this? For the overall pain my family dr. thinks I now have Fibomaygia [SP] and suggested Lyrica. From what I read about that I don't need the weight gain. For my experience the gab. helps me with out side effects so far. I just don't want to be on this stuff forever. Like I said drinking the electrolytes has started to help me with the neuropathy pain. I have endometriosis as well and I know hormones can give a rush /hot flash sensation through out as well. Trust your own feelings about a med. You know yourself the best and ask alot of questions at the doctors. You're paying them to help and listen to you. Figuring this out for myself has been very overwhelming too. If anyone has experienced this as well please respond. Thanks... "God answers Knee mails!"

Posted: 2008-12-09 12:26:09

Answer/Reply:

Take the Dannon activa yogurts 1 x a day for the IBS.

31 year old Female

Posted: 2008-12-15 05:35:20

Answer/Reply:

I have been taking 900mg 3x a day for neuropathic pain (Disc bulge at L4 and L5) for over 3 years now. I am also on Ranitadine (150mg) for GERD and have not had a problem with the combination. I take them both in AM and PM, and the second dose of gabapentin at about 1PM. I didn't notice any problem with sleepiness or any of the other side effects.

My wife (38) has been taking 900mg 4x per day for fibromyalgia and anti-seizure medication. She also has IBS and was also taking Ranitadine. She also noted no side effects.

100mg 3x is a low dose for gabapentin and you should not have a problem. Just keep the side effects in mind as you start on the medication, and notify your doctor if the side effects cause you a problem.

49 year old Male

Posted: 2008-12-24 10:59:56

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Start off by taking one at night. If you take other meds, take it earlier than those to see if it has side effects. It didn't seem to have any for me, except for maybe the first day when I was extra sleepy just after I took it. Do this for a few days at least and then add the others earlier in the day. If your pain is worse in the evening like mine, take it when the pain first sets in. This is a low dose of neurontin. I only just started on the same dose and am taking just the one two or three hours before going to bed, because I take quite a lot of other medication at bedtime.

My doctor advised going up to 200mg three times a day (obviously I'm not suggesting you do this because you have been prescribed a lower dose), but I'm going to do it gradually and if 100mg three times a day or even twice a day controls my pain I'm not going any higher.

I'm a 46 year old woman.

Posted: 2008-12-30 09:43:51

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I am a 57 yo with several complications and many medications. My Neurologist prescribed Neurontin for me several months ago for peripheral neuropathy. I found that it took several weeks to level out. I am dizzy, fatigued and suffer with mental fogginess and blurred vision for a few hours when I wake. However it has helped most of my pain and helps me to fall asleep and stay asleep. I am now on 800mg 3 times a day. I find that I am more calm on this medication and my back and neck pain is much less severe. I feel confused at times but for the most part, I can function much better without the pain.

59 year old Female

Posted: 2009-01-10 14:40:57

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I have been taking neurontin for migraines for seven years now and at first I had some dizziness and a little tiredness but just like any medication it takes time to get into you system. I take neurontin 200mg 3 times daily. I seperate my meds by 6 hours. morning, 9:00a.m.3:00p.m. and 9:00p.m. at night.-------------------------49 year old female

50 year old Female

Posted: 2009-01-14 13:36:07

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Are you taking Gabapentin for M.S.? The tingling went away after I found Neurontin.
I now take 900mg 3X day. I know when I forget to take it, the tingling returns and if I take the dose too late in the evening, my restless legs will be antsy and they won't settle down for an hour or so.

Posted: 2009-01-06 16:48:44

Answer/Reply:

I have been taking Neurontin for 10 years, and i can only tell you that i personaly have never had a burning sensation feeling. I am a 43 year old woman and i take 600mg, 3 at night, and 1 during the day if i need to.

44 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-20 08:31:57

Answer/Reply:

I was also prescribed Neurontin for Migraines, and it took about 1 year of just trying to find the right dosage before it started to help.Insomnia was a problem at first, and it took a higher dose to stop that. My Migraines are under control, and no more insomnia. The thing about Neurontin is that you have to keep going to a higher dose, i have been on it for 10 years now, and i take 3 600mg at night and 1 during the day if i need it. Good luck in finding the dose that works for you, and don't worry, you and your DR. will.

44 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-20 09:38:10

Answer/Reply:

I never heard of this drug being used for migraines. Have you tried Imitrex for your migraines? Tell, don't ask your doctor to try something else and if he still doesn't listen to what you have to say, you may need to get another doctor.

51 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-20 13:34:27

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Dear 27 year old female,

It has taken me many years of trial on diff drugs for my migraine, now on a treatment of 75mg Pamelor for control and Fiorinal w/codine when thry get to a level 8 on pain. Have seen a 50 percent reduction how often I get them, and a 30 percent lowering in pain. Just a idea you can throw at your doc. I know where your coming from.

49 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-20 13:42:38

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

find another doctor. if he has such little respect for you, move on.

Posted: 2008-11-21 22:18:35

Answer/Reply:

I also have chronic severe migraines. I've tried everything there is for prevention & treatment. For almost 2 years I've been taking neurontin. For a while drs had me on an insanely high dose of 4500 mg a day (1500 mg 3 x a day). I've since changed to another neurologist. I now take 600mg 3x a day for a total of 1800mg a day. I can say that it has helped with my migraines a great deal. Migraines are less frequent, down to 3 -4 per month as opposed to the almost continuous cycle I was in. Also they're more controllable when I do get them. I take Relpax & 500mg Naproxen & usually get rid of migraine in a couple of hours. In the past sometimes it didn't help at all & when it did it took several hours for relief, then headache would rebound within 24 hrs, sometimes repeating that cycle for several days. Side effects are that I am sometimes sluggish, but sometimes it's hard to distinguish as to whether that stems from meds or process of the migraine itself.
Don't let dr. dismiss your problems. I know it's hard because you begin to feel like a hypochondriac constantly listing all of your problems. But I've found that I had to keep looking to find a dr. who will listen & respond, or I've had to keep pushing the issue until they respond. Sometimes I think either they don't really know what to do about your problem, or they just think it's irrelevant. You have to keep yourself informed, don't just spend on dr. to "know it all". They will try to make you think they do, but they don't. Everyone's situation is unique.
Best of luck to you! It's taken me 15 years to find drs. & treatment that's working for me. Now with the vast resources online it makes it much easier. I know you'll be able to find the help you need much faster.

48 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-22 10:55:01

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I don't know how many answers you've received but you need to contact your doctor right away if you're experiencing side effects like these. Doesn't matter what the drug is, these are not the kind of side effects tha you want to take a "wait and see if they subside" attitude. I strongly encourage you to contact your Dr. right away.

44 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-17 20:02:33

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I AM A 52 YR.OLD FEMALE.I SUFFER WITH HERNIATED DISCS IN MY BACK, BULGING DISCS IN MY NECK, AND BURSITIS IN BOTH HIPS. DUE TO OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO BEGIN THERAPY TO HELP WITH THE PAIN. MY NEUROLOGIST HAD INCREASED THE GABAPENTIN I WAS TAKING FROM 300MGS 3X DAILY TO 800MGS 3X DAILY. THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT I EXPERIENCE ARE SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT GAIN /WATER RETENTION. IN THE PAST MONTH I HAVE GAINED 24 LBS. I ALSO EXPERIENCE TREMORS, DROWSINESS, MEMORY AND SOMETIMES SPEECH PROBLEMS. IN APRIL I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DCIS [BREAST CANCER] AND SUBSEQUENT SURGERIES. CLEARED OF THAT , PRAYING NOT TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN. I ENDURED 9 WEEKS OF RADIATION THERAPY. DEPRESSION HAS BEEN GREAT AND WAS PRESCRIBED CYMBALTA. ALONG WITH THAT CAME THE HOT FLASHES . I DONT KNOW IF THAT HAS REALLY HELPED MATTERS MUCH. SEEMS THAT THE DEPRESSION IS WORSE. I BELIEVE THAT THE WORST SYMPTOM IS THE SWELLING THAT I HAVE IN MY HANDS, IN THE A.M. ,FACE, AND ANKLES , LEGS AND FEET. I REALLY WANT OUT OF THIS DRUG. BUT NOW ITS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO REVERSE THE EFFECTS . I WILL FOLLOW DR.S ORDERS FOR DECREASING THIS DRUG.

Posted: 2008-12-08 23:53:39

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I had these at 3600mg per day and they had to take me back down to 1800mg per day. I still get the shakes and tremors but not nearly as bad.

Posted: 2009-01-03 03:38:21

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

The product labeling for gabapentin does not list gallstones as a side effect. Although gallstones are made of cholesterol - the cholesterol in the bile of your gallbladder where gallstones occur has no relation to the levels of cholesterol in your blood - so you can have normal cholesterol levels and still have gallstones.

Posted: 2008-10-22 14:37:30

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I stopped suddenly at doctors request. Starting next day I began to experience flu like symptoms and an inabity to sleep; even on sleeping pills. Finally ended up on massive doses of seriquil tring to get to sleep. Eight days later totally exhaused,and blood pressure at 600 and worse I had to start Gabepentin again because we determined it had to be the reason for all the problems I was experiencing. They were right, within hours of starting Gabapentin again my blood pressure dropped back to normal and four hours later after a second dose I was feeling almost normal again. I am still trying to get off this stuff but have not found any literature about proper withdrawal procedures. I just keep trying to reduce my dosage and if I find I have sleep problems I go back up to where I was and wait a week before trying again. I wasn't given any info about how addicting this product is or any of the problems you can have on it,

Posted: 2008-10-31 17:14:41

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

You need to ween off it takes a long time

Posted: 2008-11-16 15:40:26

Answer/Reply:

I would not recommend stopping Neurontin cold turkey. Talk to your doctor about a plan to stop. He or she will start by lowering your dose, but whatever the plan it will be a gradual one.

44 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-20 12:49:09

Answer/Reply:

although very rare, high blood pressure is a side effect of gabapentin. If this a drug you have been on for a while and you never had the problem before then you may want to make sure it hasn't been caused by something other than gabapentin. A number of different things can cause high blood pressure like diet, and family history.

25 year old Male

Posted: 2008-10-15 18:42:48

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

High blood pressure is not a common side effect of gabapentin.

Posted: 2008-10-22 17:37:58

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I had back surgery dec. 2006 am also a dibetic. I have been taking gabapentin for quite some time now. 600mg three times a day and I can honestly say it not helping

Posted: 2008-10-05 19:57:16

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The above sounds like what I would have posted about a year ago-- actually I did have another Gamma Knife and it was immediately successful. I dropped down to 900 mg. Gabepentin per day( down from 3600mg. per day) I am now up to 1200 mg. per day - all for general facial disturbance. Facial disturbances are tightness, heaviness, buzz like bee stings under lower lip and various spots in face and head on left side. I had recent dental work on that side ( although dentist tried to avoid disturbing that area) also a basal cell carcinoma near nasal on that side-- I wonder if this could have caused the new buzzing sensations. However I have never had any side affects from the gabepentin--- and doctor said I was ok even on the 3600mg. per day --- it also helps pain from sciatica and general aging. I have noticed memory problems in the past year or so---but so have my friends of this age who do not take gabapentin!!!

80 year old Female

Posted: 2009-04-18 14:26:15

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My mom was taking this and had the same problem, also a lot of ringing/echoing in ear. she stopped taking it and later tried it again, and the ear pain started right back up.

33 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-22 21:10:16

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Ear pain was reported by a few patients during clinical trials of gabapentin (Neurontin), but it is not a common side effect. In some people, side effects may be related to the amount of medication you take - and may improve if you reduce the dose or stop taking the medication. Please talk to your doctor about your concern with your ear pain and do not try to adjust or stop your gabapentin without talking to your doctor first. Suddenly stopping some medications may lead to more serious problems.

Posted: 2008-09-25 12:47:50

Answer/Reply:

I am sorry to hear about all the problems you have had with your back, but i wanted to let you know that i have been taking Neurontin for 10 years and i have had no problems, except with any medication, you have to up the dose every once in awhile. The insomnia, for me at least, came on when my dose was raised the last time. It was to much for my body, and i had to adjust how i took it. Instead of taking it all at night, i started taking 1 during the day and that fixed the problem. So now i take 3 600mg at night, and 1 during the day. After being on the Neurontin for 2 years, you would have noticed any long term effects from taking it, as for the insomnia, just tweek how you take it.

44 year old Male

Posted: 2008-11-20 13:08:18

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I am a 37 year old male, and I have taken Gabapentin for about 2 years. I could relate to your situation about the Seroquel, because I was once prescribed that medication, too. I decided the next day that I would NEVER take it again. The Gabapentin helps a lot with my anxiety and depression. I take 75mg of Effexor XR along with about 2400mg of Gabapentin. I would encourage you to try the Gabapentin by itself, as your doctor mentioned. It should not have the same effect that the Seroquel did. There are other issues with side effects from Gabapentin that you should be aware of though. With me, it often causes a tingling or numbing sensation around my forehead, and it also makes me tired. It works well to take at night as it promotes good sleep. Hope this helps a little.

Posted: 2008-09-19 16:06:20

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Although not a very common side effect, tingling is listed as a side effect in the product labeling for gapapentin (Neurotin). If you are still concerned about the tingling that you are experiencing, you should follow up with your doctor to make sure something more serious isn't going on.

Posted: 2008-09-08 15:55:32

Answer/Reply:

I take Gabapentin for Bipolar Disorder; it helps to stabilize my mood, and I have been on 1800 mg per day for most of the past 9 months. I was doing well on it when in March an insurance change forced me to change psychiatrists. Suffice it to say that the new psych decided I should go off of all of the Gabapentin cold turkey. I started to have tingling in my head that, over the next two days, became an unbearable itching over my entire body. Concerned, I called the Dr. to find out if I was in withdrawal. He got mad, said it was impossible, and refused to discuss it further. I returned to my previous psychiatrist, the one who had put me on the Gabapentin in the first place, and was put back at the same dosage level. The itching stopped immediately. I am still taking it and have also discussed what happened with my primary MD. He, too, felt it was not withdrawal, but the removal of a drug that had also been covering up a symptom of an auto-immune problem. The tingling always starts up when I am due to take my next dose -- then it subsides once I do. My current concern is that my psych wants me to go off of the Gabapentin, in favor of a different drug combination. Has anyone had a similar experience or felt this way upon a dosage reduction of Gabapentin? I will be discussing the current situation soon with my primary MD, and the psych is already aware.

47 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-30 01:10:55

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I have had to quit taking Gabapentin a few times during the 3 yrs I've been on it because of insurance problems and not being able to afford my prescription. I'm 34 yrs old and I'm taking Gabapentin for RLS and I have severe Carpell Tunnel Syndrome. Gabapentin has been a GOD sent by way of alleviating the pain in my legs and in my hands. I, too, had been told there was no side affects when you stop taking Gabapenatin. Although I have not experienced tingling in my head nor excessive itching per say, I have experienced "withdraws" where I start to sweat because my body will start to over heat and I will have shortness of breath, on top of feeling very lethargic and with very low energy. The pain in my legs will increase to overwhelming pain and ache-E-ness w/i 24 hrs. Undeniable symptoms, on the verge to the nearest emergency room but I was told Gabapentin has no side effects as well. Although Gabapentin has such adverse side affect, I still take the medication daily because of it great benefits of pain relief.

Posted: 2008-10-06 23:15:25

Answer/Reply:

I was on Prozac for about a month and it made me very aggitated I think that is what is causing your aggetation and sweating. Hope this helps :o)

52 year old Female

Posted: 2008-09-07 13:53:39

Answer/Reply:

I was taking 300Mg Gabapentin one morning & one nite...Nothing bothers me as I am very happy easy going person...I cut it down to one because one day as I became sucidal...My doctor wanted me to take calcium so I bought a vitamin with calcium, magnesium & zinc and had a very bad reaction to that with the gabapentin..my chest all the way down to my navel started to feel like I was in a very tight vice grip..I then read the drugstore notice of the med and you're not supposed to take it with magnesium!...Almost ended up in the emergency room.. I am 55 yrs. old.....female

56 year old Female

Posted: 2008-11-20 16:45:58