Do not take gabapentin, makes it worse

Lyrica made me gain 60 pounds and the dr said as long as it works we can deal with the weight later. Well it’s later and I’m stuck at obese! Doesn’t help all my autoimmune disorders.

Sorry you’ve had this happen to you.

Hello @elvans40 and @ngeorge4, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @harley22 and others. I only took gabapentin for a short period of time (less than a month) and stopped taking it after a short discussion with my primary care team about gabapentin for neuropathy when I only have numbness and no pain. It doesn't help with the numbness so I stopped taking it. The different side effects can be bad for some of us while others benefit from it's use. Side effects are something each of us need to have a discussion with our doctors so that we know what to expect along with things we may be able to do to lessen any side effect.

@elvans40 do you mind sharing a little more about your neuropathy diagnosis and symptoms? Have you discussed any other possible treatments with your doctor?

@ngeorge4 I know it must be difficult for you gaining 60 pounds and have the doctor just say we can deal with it later. Are you able to have a discussion with your doctor or care team and ask for suggestions that can help you with some suggestions on what you can do to help stop the weight gain or lose what you have gained?

I also stopped taking them. The benefits never were better than the downsides of brain fog and morning fatigue.

One thing i have learnt lately is to read up on every script before taking.I have refused 3 this year because of side effects.

Thanks

All of my 5 siblings have told me that Gabapentin worked well for them. Unfortunately it didn't help my CIDP pain. It was affecting my cognitive function. Lyrica was giving me some pain relief but my reaction to it put me in the hospital for 3 days. And on it goes with the very long list of medications various doctors have tried. I finally had a spinal cord stimulator implant in 2017, and had 80% relief for a year. It was wonderful! The next year it began losing its effectiveness and I had the rep make adjustments to the controller every few months. For the past few years I can't really tell if it's helping, but I leave it on for whatever help it might possibly be giving.

I started taking MS Contin and finally my pain level went down from 7+ to 3. Then my doctor cut it in half and it wasn't enough to handle the pain. Because of the hassle of the refill process, I finally gave up and tried Buprenorphine and Topamax with no effect. So I'm taking Dilaudid when the pain is intolerable, and waiting to get a pain pump. I'm switching from IVIg Privigen to SCIg with a new medication. I can do the SCIg at home on my own. I'm hoping it will help.

So, that's my take on Gabapentin - great for many but not for all - and the process that's still ongoing of finding effective pain relief.

If one doesn't work or has unacceptable side effects, move on to another.

Jim

I have chemo induced neuropathy with numbness and no pain. I am concerned about taking gabenpenton. I used it for two months and stopped because it didn't do anything for me, My last visit to my primary Dr., they pushed it saying it would work and to give it time. The oncologist told me it works for numbness 50% of the time. I said 15; No 50%. I told him it sounds like one of your miracle drugs like the opioids ya passed out like candy. He called in a prescription and said take or don't whatever you want to do. I called the American Cancer Society and they also recommended it but no guarantees. On a bunch of facebook groups, most people who have taken it say stay away it doesn't work. I don't want to get caught up in their pharmaceutical culture if I can avoid it. WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?

Welcome @jeffclaussen, Sorry to hear that you have the neuropathy numbness from your chemo treatments but I'm happy to hear you are not having the pain also. The numbness is bad enough by itself. I have seen zero research that gabapentin helps with numbness and I have not heard anyone with the neuropathy numbness say it helped but there may be someone out there with a positive experience. Before I was diagnosed I had been dealing with the neuropathy numbness that started in my toes and had been in my feet for more than 20 years. I decided to see if I could get a diagnosis and/or treatment. My primary care doctor gave me gabapentin which I took for a month and it did absolutely nothing so I stopped taking it. At my next appointment I discussed the gabapentin with her and that it didn't help. She went away for a few minutes and brought in others on her Mayo Clinic doctor team. After a few short minutes of talking to me about my numbness symptoms they all concurred that gabapentin does nothing for numbness. I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

I think you might find the following discussion helpful:
--- Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemotherapy-induced-neuropathy/

Another thing that might be helpful is discussing supplements that may help with your doctor. Here's some information that explains more:
--- Dietary Supplements in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A New Hope?:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8838672/
Have you looked into any complementary or alternative treatments?

Well if Gabapentin works 50% of the time, I wasn’t in that 50% because it did nothing for the pins and needles in my feet and legs.
Gave it over a year, and nothing!