Gabapentin side effects?

I also space out my gabapentin over the course of the day. I take 1200 mg 3 times a day, usually around 10am, then again at 3pm, and finally around 9pm.
To be honest, I really don't notice any difference in my nerve pain after taking my meds. It all depends on how much time I spend on my feet during the day, which is not much any more.

Hi Jake. My name is Todd and this is my first interaction with Mayo group so, Hi y'all. Jake, You said a few things and reading some of the replies got my attention. I won't get into my issues and I hope this is all confidential. I take 300mg twice a day but I used to take more. But Doc lowered it and added celecoxib (celebrex) 200mg 1x per day , pregabalin 300mg 2x per day, duloxetine (cymbalta) 60mg 3x per day, and penicillin 500mg 3x per day. Also some unrelated pills for normal things.
That said, I'm tired most of the time because I don't get a lot of sleep. When I stop moving, I fall asleep. I fell asleep in the dentist chair getting a root canal. No joke. So it is hard to say if it is the drugs.
You said the doctors say or think you had Lymes disease, I think? I have found that doctors are way too busy to do research on my behalf, but, I was fortunate to find a doctor who, if I find something that I think might be relevant, I can send it to him to look into so by my next appointment we can discuss it. I think I blabbed on enough. Good luck and happy hunting. T

I too take Gabapentin for chronic pain in right side. I take1200 mg day and I too get tired, However if it helps with the pain I will take being tired than having constant pain each and every day

Made me feel drowsy or loopy. Tried it for neuropathy, but had to stop. I have found that taking 1000mg Berberine and 900mg Benfotiamine in the morning and night helps me to take away the tingling. Been doing that for at least 7 years now. My mother in law saw my success and tried it also to much success. Doctor won't pay for it, so I get it thru Amazon. Hope it helps you.

Hi there...For everyone prescribed this medication for severe pain , I really hope you experience relief with minimal side effects. I was prescribed this medication for a very different reason but I think the way it effected it me is relevant. I had a variety of different procedures for my face...full face lift, upper and lower bleph, brow lift, neck lift and laser resurfacing. A lot...of work so it goes. About three months out, I started experiencing the most terrible itching on my scalp I could ever imagine. Naturally, it was a result of the healing process but my surgeon never mentioned it...that I should be prepared for it etc. It was so bad I was actually tearing my hair out as I clawed at my scalp. My husband ran to CVS and bought several of over the counter products that did indeed provide temporary minimal relief. After a week or so, the itching became more intense so I called my doctor. He prescribed 300mg. of gabapentin to be taken twice daily. I felt immediate relief after the first pill. I was very relieved. The next day, I began to feel energized and developed a very peaceful mindset....I became feeling very calm and more engaged with others than usual. Since I've been treated for treatment resistant depression for most of my life, this was a welcome component. I felt energized, optimistic and capable...Very chatty and hyper-focused and interested in listening to music, watching the news, etc... I took the medication as directed for two weeks and even mentioned to my psychiatrist that I'd like to continue to take it in addition to my other meds for my depression. The itching was a distant thought. All was great until yesterday. I had been working on my computer for several hours and suddenly my eyes became blurry and I could not see. I continued to work as my vision got worse. I strained and strained to see until suddenly, I had double vision...I was sending a text and absolutely could not see what I was doing. It really worried me so I decided to take a break and go for a walk. So off I go...almost stumbling down the street. It seemed like I was tripping over my own feet. I continued to think it had to be my imagination. When I got home, I suddenly was very hungry and stuffing myself in a way that was not at all normal. I got on the computer and googled gabapentin. I looked at several sites...still straining... and it seemed I was experiencing just about every single one of it's side effects. I was relieved to know that my vision was only temporarily impaired but disappointed that I would not be able to continue to take it for mood enhancement. I share this story only because I thought I was imagining all of the side effects and it was very worrisome. I disposed of the medication because I have an addictive personality. For those of you who take it for severe pain, I hope it continues to be effective and that the relief it provides out weighs the side effects. Take good care everyone. Sorry about the length!

I have been taking gabapentin for back pain for about 14 months. No serious side effects. Was taking 100 mg 3x per day but pain getting worse so I have increased to 300 mg 3x per day. I researched dosage and found for myself that I could go to 1000 mg 3x per day but would not advise this without doctor approval.

Sounds like an awful lot of medication and why penicillin which is an antibiotic. I would get a second opinion on this medication combo.

Just saw your post and it caught my attention because this med appealed to me initially too for the same reasons. It really made me feel good. I took a tiny dose, but it had a big impact. I was quite pleased that it addressed my burning and stinging. However, the blurred vision was not something I could tolerate. I don’t really need it now, since my symptoms are so minimal, but if I did have to take something again, I might retry taking it. How about you! I don’t really have an addictive personality.

Oh, I am planning on a lower face and neck lift pretty soon.

I have tried everything and so many test and nothing shows so when my GI gave me Gabapentin to take I didn't hesitate. It makes me tired but to have the pain day in and day out with no relief I will go for the medicine gladly
So many doctors look at you like your crazy but if it were them some how they would do everything they could do find the reason.
Hope the Gabapentin is helping you some, It doesn't take all a way but it gives relief

Hey! I just saw your post. Not sure if you're still looking for a solution without going up in dosage, but I thought I could give you my 2 cents anyway. I currently take gabapentin as well, and have been on it for around a year to treat vitamin deficiency/alcoholic neuropathy. The pain has been so insanely severe, and it came on so randomly. All of my doctors keep saying cases like mine are puzzling and extremely rare so. I suppose do what you will with that. Either way, I went into the emergency room last year for something entirely unrelated. I had what turned out to be pneumonia with some pretty nasty edema in my ankles and my feet from being unable to sit or lie down for around 3 days (meaning no sleep either unfortunately). Either way I ended up allowing the doctor on call to admit me to be seen the next morning to have an echo performed on my heart (good thing since all other testing including EKG, Xray, as well as CT scans with contrast didn't pick up that I was in stage 1 congestive heart failure where my left ventricle was just starting to stiffen). Either way, I was also kept to be detoxed from being an alcoholic. I say all of that to say that well, when I walked into that hospital I had full nerve function of both my hands and my feet. I was there for a total of 5 days and while there they also used an ultrasound to run my leg veins because of the edema in my feet. All was normal except some small anomaly inside my left calf. I was discharged on day 5. On day 7, out of nowhere that morning I woke up with this searing pain, burning and tingling in both of my hands, in my feet, and halfway up my calves with also some dysfunction in my ability to control urination as well as bowel movements and also numb nipples. Previously I had none of this going on except a little trouble with being able to hold my bowel movements. I wish I had any idea what happened or when because every pcp I've seen within the last year has told me that I just don't make sense because neuropathy is progressive, it's not really an all or nothing kind of condition meaning it doesn't just hit you all at once one day out of nowhere the way mine did. Anyhoo. I was started out on gabapentin at 100mg 3 times per day by out of all people, my cardiologist because I was having a hard time finding anyone to help me with my alcoholism and history of opioid addiction around 10 years ago from being placed on pain killers after I broke my back and being abruptly ripped off them at the height of the opioid crisis and war on pain patients as I call it. After being abused in an emergency room because it was 4am and my er doctor had a hangover and didn't appreciate how loudly I was crying and being bounced around and told no everywhere because I was also experiencing hyperalgesia happening on both of my feet along with the numbness so inexperienced buttholes kept assuming I wasn't hurting or numb because I could still feel my feet but the nerves were so hot even a touch was and still is unbearable. Anyhoo (again) after my cardio properly diagnosed my neuropathy I was finally able afterward to find a wonderful pcp who has been working with me ever since. Now to the point (I apologize for the long story, but I feel that sharing how we got to where we are at as well as our conditions adds a piece to the puzzle we need as patients so we know if someone else's remedy will or won't work based on how similar the stories and diagnoses are)... I, too, am prescribed 1800mg per day. I was previously prescribed the same 600 3 times daily and hit a wall on pain but didn't want to increase. Have you considered instead asking your doctor to prescribe your medication in a different way, but the same dosage? That's what I did and it's helped a lot. I am now prescribed 400mg 4 times daily followed by 1-200 mg at bedtime every day. I found that splitting up the dosage like that allowed me to lose a lot of the exhaustion as well as helped a lot to carry me throughout my day better without having to wake up in searing pain every night or upping my dosage. I didnt want to simply because gabapentin already scares me in that frequent usage has a very high rate of extremely early onset dementia. I, myself and currently trying to research natural alternatives, and when I find one that works I plan to work with my PCP on weaning off the gaba. I am kind of afraid there too though as I've heard absolute horror stories about gaba withdrawal. Allegedly its worse than opioid withdrawal and on par with it being just as dangerous as alcohol withdrawal. We will see though I guess. I can't lose my brain early, I'm just 36 with 2 small sons. So. Yeah. Either way, I hope my super long post helps you or even someone else even if just a little. I pray happiness, love, and healing find any and everyone who happen to stumble upon my post. Please, feel free to reach out to me with any questions as well as suggestions. I'm really curious with other experiences as well as natural alternatives that work. I'm at the point that I truly am willing to try anything. I've even signed up for ketamine therapy in hopes that maybe if it rewires brain activity maybe it can stop my pain somehow.