Burning Feet syndrome

Hi Iceblue, I too was diagnosed 18 months ago with SFN, I have the burning pain plus some milder symptoms mostly at night in my feet and hands. My neuro prescribed gabapentin 3xday originally but I experienced immediate short term memory problems, hives and dizziness so I cut back to 100 mg. at bedtime, and increased the dosage twice since then, now taking only 300 mg. at bedtime which puts me to sleep. I have avoided taking it during the day because the pain is tolerable and I also take R Ala 2xday and potassium which helps me. (plus some other vitamins and supplements). I also am able to exercise regularly. I am glad your drs. started you off with a low dosage of gabapentin but depending on your pain level and timing I wonder if you could even start with a lesser dosage, and see how that works out; just my 2 cents based on my own experience and the fact that gabapentin does have undesirable side effects.

What are the side effects? I just started on the Gabapentin & I started with a 100 mg & it didn't help so it was increased to 200 mg & nothing so now I am on 300mg & I don't want to take anymore. I heard this is a hard pill to get off of if you have to. I take 200 mg at night & 1 in the daytime. Once the drug gets in your system it is easier not to be so tired bc at first I was real tired & sleepy. That is why they said to take it at night & 1 in the day to take away some of the pain. Is this a pill you have to keep on increasing? I also take 60 mg of Cymbalta which helps me to cope.

I was told I have Burning Feet Syndrome, but burning certainly isn't the only sensation I experience. I thought I had arthritis in my feet (and that may still be the case) because I often experienced a deep and all-consuming ache (day and night), and various types of point specific pain. There is no predicting what sensation I will experience at any given point in time. Suffice it to say my feet have made me miserable for years. I've sought help from podiatrists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. I've purchased custom orthotics and various other types of inserts and I've done a ton of recommended foot exercises. Nothing helped.

I certainly do not want to over-medicate, and am very much a 'listen to your body' type of gal so I am paying strict attention. Of the 3 nights so far at 100 mg: 2 nights resulted in pain free, really good sleeps; 1 night resulted in not feeling tired until 4 hours after taking the meds, and then having a short (5 hours) disrupted sleep that included mild foot pain. It may be worth mentioning that I have suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember (yes - even as a child). The bottom line though - is that I would like to reduce the amount of time I experience foot pain, so nighttime issues aside, I am looking forward to taking it during the day to reduce the pain while I am awake - but that won't happen until he has stabilized my night time dosage.

The worse side effects for me are the short term memory loss which is identifiable because I play a lot of bridge and have noticed the difference, I also experience intermittent blurry vision, dizziness, dry eyes, mouth and skin and itchiness but don’t know if it’s the SFN or the gabapentin.

I also strongly believe in listening to your body. The gabapentin takes about 2-21/2 hrs. to kick in for me, some nights I toss and turn a lot due to a hip issue but often I sleep right through. My brother had burning feet syndrome so it may be somewhat hereditary, I also experience other SFN symptoms but the gabapentin alleviates them for me and some early issues resolved over time.

I found it made me very agitated / anxious, it messes with your head cos that's how it works educating your brain to Interpret pain differently. I stopped before I got too into it . I was given pregrabelin , but was too scared to take it

I have heard that some people have really bad experiences with it.

May I ask: How do you manage your pain?

I take Lyrica at night, 225 mg, and gabapentin in the day, 1200 mg twice a day. Gaba doesn't make me sleepy but lyrica does. I started out with 1 small gaba a day, that relieved the 'needle-sticks' and burning for a year, then my nervous system began dying at a faster and faster pace - the pain was very bad, more like red hot swords and fireworks bursting up through my feet about 8 times per second. My neurologist ramped up the doses gradually to relieve the pain, then referred me to a pain specialist who has upped the dose several times since. Neuropathy is in my arms now, it feels like hives plus wasps stinging for hours. We are discussing other remedies. I don't want anything that makes me sleepy. I've tried a few narcotics, all of them, except Tramadol, made me sleepy. The 'holistic' remedies in health stores didn't help at all. CBD cream didn't help either. Patches with Lidocaine numb it for awhile. When my condition breaks through the Lyrica and Gaba I'm taking now, I might try the lidocaine infusion. Peggy

I sure hope you feel better soon. Your message scares me because I know where I am heading.... Without Gabapentin I am mean as a snake and hurt a lot...
There must be some solution for us!!! Any more pain and discomfort and I will be unable to work... Best wishes to all

Oh my God. All these stories I am hearing. I just started on the Gabapentin & Cymbalta but I'm not going to take any more than I am now & that is 300 mg. I guess I will live in pain. I heard horror stories about Lyrica so I won't take that. I wish everyone the best. Genie