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How long do you take Gabapentin?
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Jul 16 6:04pm | Replies (139)Comment receiving replies
I’m trying to reply with as much support and sensitivity as possible. I’ve had constant severe pain since 1978, and it wasn’t until the late 1990’s that Neurontin became a drug of choice for chronic pain. My result was horrible… fatigue, confusion, loss of libido… but I KEPT A JOURNAL and used it for 6 months. Then I got with my Dr and TOGETHER we decided „not for me“. I can’t overstate how dangerous it seems to self-medicate and self-dose. I know the long nights and hopelessness, the effect on family and jobs, etc., that chronic severe pain can imply. I hope that you can find a way to team with your doctors and other professionals to have the best outcome. Keeping and sharing a journal is a start. Good luck.
Replies to "I’m trying to reply with as much support and sensitivity as possible. I’ve had constant severe..."
My experience with Gabapentin has been very good for chronic pain. I take 300 mg twice daily. She ordered 3 times daily. I would love to get off it at some point but my arthritis pain only gets worse
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I should have been a little more clear when I said I changed my meds on my own. My first gabapentin prescription for the high dose was prescribed by a pain management doctor. That’s the dosage that I found too high for me personally and not helpful. At that point, after several medications and procedures that were not helping, I stopped seeing a pain management doctor. I now do manual therapy for my back and have done so for almost 3 months. I will wait this out and see what the result is. It is my GP, who now handles all of my medication, who supported my gabapentin use for the neuropathy along with the change in dosage and ‘as needed’ frequency. I sometimes find what works for me for a day or two (so I did do it on my own, but not entirely and never with a serious med like blood pressure or statin) and then I either call my doctor or see him. Thankfully, I’m able to do this easily and he has been a great support whether he calls me personally at the end of his day or I go in. He’s not old, but he still reminds me of a Marcus Welby kind of guy (If you’re old enough to know who that is) I’ve been seeing him for a long time and together we make definitive changes. I wouldn’t make a permanent change without his approval. I also keep a journal from the time I wake up until I head to bed. I have dosages and side effects… Anything I can think of to help him help me. Your comments are spot on. I should have further explained my actions and thought process. I also should not have encouraged the changing of a medication entirely on your own. Mine is a very personal and individual situation. Thank you for pointing that out.