NYTimes: Gabapentin - The Painkiller Used for Just About Anything

Dieter, suggest you advocate for you by asking your prescriber if this drug is right for you. Please don't settle for the simple 'yes' but rather really explore the why, and IF there are better options for you. Good luck. Regards,

Hello, Dieter (@dieterreuther)

I have to agree with @gmoore36. You should talk with your prescriber, possibly your primary, about this. I have reached that stage in life where my medications are dizzying in number. I try not to pass up any opportunity when I have a follow-up with my primary to have a medication-by-medication discussion, asking of each: Is this still doing me any good? Might there be something else I can take instead? And the most important question of all: Must I continue taking this? I have a similar discussion with my primary about the various supplements she has recommended over the years. Fewer and fewer of each––medications and supplements––is my goal.

Best wishes,
Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)

I encourage folks to discuss meds and jnteracand side effects with their pharmacist. They are trained much more thoroughly in these meds and contraindications and side effects, vs MDs.

I stop taking Gabapentin is was very strange. I would feel weird. I could not tell if the pain was gone. I found myself asking myself hey are you in pain and I could not answer so I discontinued the use of the drug.

@terry1976, @ray666, @gmoore36

Although I get your point that we should always work with our physicians and/or pharmacists, we also have to challenge the status quo and be curious. My experience has been that most doctors and pharmacist typically push medications first instead of trying to find other ways to help with a condition or find the underlying reason for a condition. That's how the system works. One example: when my blood pressure meds lowered my potassium levels too much the pharmacist at my hospital tried to put me on an additional blood pressure medication and it took me lots of convincing to instead replace the one I was taking with a new one which kept both my potassium levels and my blood pressure at healthy levels.

Thank you @ray666. Fewer and fewer is my goal as well. You never know how the various medications and supplement interact with each other.

I appreciate you posting the link to this NYT article. I'm fairly new to using this medication and I'm really on the fence. As an aside when I tell people I'm on it, several have exclaimed "Oh, my dog is on that"!
I was initially prescribed 150 mg at bedtime by a Neurologist. I had negative results for peripheral neuropathy on a nerve conduction study. Since my insurance coverage was changing I did not follow through with the skin punch to R/O small fiber neuropathy. The neurologist said regardless the results of the skin punch, the treatment would be the same for my symptoms; i.e. Gabapentin and PT. My new PCP has me up to 300 mg. 3x/day. Initially I slept so much better at night. I struggle with staying asleep. After several months I seem to be back to the restless sleep pattern of waking up every couple of hours. And I have deep, deep aching in my feet and legs which is very uncomfortable. During the day I'm fairly comfortable although if I stop to notice I still have that constant feeling of numbness in my calves and I feel like I'm walking on pebbles. But with distraction it's tolerable and I can takes extended walks. I'm tempted to ask about weaning off Gabapentin and just using Ibuprofen a couple of times a day. Thoughts?

Hello, @dieterreuther. I had an interesting conversation with one of my doctors during a recent hospitalization. I noticed that two of my medications appeared to have opposite objectives, one 180º from the other. (I wish I could recall the names of the two medications.) When I questioned the doctor about this, he initially seemed a bit defensive ('No, no, Ray, you don't understand … '), but after he'd given the matter more thought, said, 'Mmm? 'That doesn't make any sense, does it?' ––Ray (@ray666)

Hello @pah17 - I am currently on 3x 200mg Gabapentin per day and am exploring whether I can reduce the dose. Like in your case, the nights are most challenging and in my case patches on my feet help. I like the Extended Pain Relief Numbing Patches from TIDL. They have just the right stickiness. I cut one patch in 2 pieces and apply one of the pieces on the bottom of each foot. During the day the Naboso Neuro Insoles are helping me as they overwrite the hyper-sensation caused by my PN. I replace the regular insoles of my sneakers with the neuro insoles. Naboso also offers Foot Recovery Socks which have the same Naboso texture inside the socks as the insole. Per Naboso: "With every step you take our neuro-stimulating texture acts like a mini-massage for your feet enhancing circulation, stimulating nerves and releasing muscles and fascia."

Curious if your PN is from statin use or some other underlying cause has been identified?