Has Gabapentin helped anyone out there?

Yesterday was a rare day that I accidentally didn’t take my morning dose of Gabapentin (800 mg). By 2:00 in the afternoon I had a bit of nagging internal nerve pain that I thought was more than normal because it’s usually well maintained. My extremities were much cooler than normal, even when I sat out in 98 degrees to try to warm up. It was at my 2:00 dose that I saw I missed all of my morning meds because an extra early morning appointment altered my schedule. The missed dose of Gabapentin explained my nagging discomfort. Do I have brain fog from it? It’s a possibility, but I think my brain function is at par if not above a lot of my peers, so it could normal aging, I take a regular 800mg at bedtime too; I know some people say it helps them sleep, but it doesn’t help me there, but I’m glad it doesn’t make me dopey. I’d keep working with your doctor to see what the right amount, if any, is good for you.

Yeah. I took Gabapentin for many years to max then it stopped working. Now I'm on Lyrica max dose. Now that isn't working. I just started Nortiptyline. Too early to know if it will work.

Yes, one or two one hundred MG a day.i did six rchop treatments. Ate all the mylin off my nerves in my feet . Hands fingers too. Hands can be fixed, feet cannot. Use a walking stick wearing moccasins with soles.
Brayton

The neuropathy in my feet started 5 years ago, a year after I was put on Avorstatin. I stopped the statin ( 4 years ago, a cardiologist told me I don't really need it) but the neuropathy is gradually getting worse. So far just extreme numbness, only occasional pain.

Question: does the fact that stopping the statin did not help my neuropathy means it was not a factor/cause? Or is that impossible to say?

I took Gabapentin and then Lyrica, for years and I do believe that it helped in the beginning. I was ultimately diagnosed with an auto-immune form of polyneuropathy and a rare blood cancer, so needless to say, those drugs lost their effectiveness for me.

You are on a really low dose of Gabapentin right now. In drug trials for treating neuropathic pain the dosage was 1800-3600 mg/day in 3 divided doses. Because of the side effects doctors usually start off really low and titrate up until you get the results you need. The side effects suck at first, but they do get better with time. It might be worth it to go through the temporary side effect challenges to get to a dosage that will actually help you.

Good luck.

Sadly Gabapentin has never helped me, no matter the dosage. It was a beginning starter med for me that only led to other meds. Glad to see it has helped so many others. Just shows how different each of us are and how our reactions to meds vastly differ. There is no one single cure all.

I am not sure why I was prescribed Gabapentin and Pregabalin. Are they only for pain relief or do they stop or slow the advance of Neuropathy?

They have had no effect at all on me. Maybe that is because I have never had pain; just numbness, pins and needles, stiffness and stumbling. Drugs with so many side effects need to be taken with caution and I am considering asking my doctor to stop prescribing them.

I mean no disrespect, but perhaps you should ask your doctor why the drugs were prescribed and if they are not working what alternatives are available.

Hi Zaph, I have had neuropothy for 8 yrs now. I started with just slight numbness in feet. Progressed to burning, tingling and occasional stabbing pain in inner thigh area. The stabbing pain in thigh area started to become more frequent. Decided it was time to start Gabapentin ( I held off for 8 yrs. I take 1 100mg in am and 200mg in pm. I was shocked, no more burning or tingling at night! I am hoping that the stabbing pain is getting the message also. I have not had the stabbing pain since starting the regiment.I have been on it 5 days now. If you do not have pain, I would stay away from gabapentin as long as possible. It only masks the nerve pain, burning and tingling.I have been told, no cure for this disease. I also have bad balance which I am going to PT for, this is now my chief complaint. Best wishes to you, keep moving, exercise and try to stay away from Gabapentin.

@zaph @allegheny I, too, have taken Gabapentin. The lowest dose is 300 mg/day which I understand can be taken 3 times a day or 100mg each time or a variation of 200mg + 100mg daily. Most take it for neuropathy as it helps those painful moments. Before I took it, my Mayo neurologist had me take a EMG test which deals with muscles and nerve stimulation. I don't believe I would be taking any Gabapentin without first being tested, and there are various tests that are given. For the long term, this is not my drug of choice because of potential future side effects, so I chose to stop. Sometimes, you have to learn to live with this, but I do get my EMG test done annually to make sure it has not become worse. Fast forward a few years later where I had severe itching on my face and scalp, primarily, the nose, ears, eyes, and head. My Mayo dermatologist prescribed Gabapentin 3 times a day at the lowest dose, and it helped. I stopped after a week, but the itching is still there, but not as severe. The point to all of this is when you have pain, especially when it is long term, check with you doc to see if there is another solution by taking more advanced tests.