Joint and Muscle pain while on gabapentin?

Definitely if you are on either Gabapentin or any benzodiazepine.

That's me too. I am also taking multiple medications, which makes it difficult to determine which might be the culprit for any side effects. Let's see...side effects??? How do I know what to do?

Since my back fusion surgery I’m suffering from muscle pain in my upper left butt cheek don’t know what is causing it .

I got terrible leg and foot cramps from 50 mg pregabalin (which is supposedly equivalent to 200 mg gabapentin). Not Im on 200 mg gabapentin with no grants. So you might try switching to pregabalin (Lyrica)

sorry for the autocorrect- with no leg cramps (not no grants)!

I'm 75, started on gabapentin on June 28th for pudendal neuralgia, and have been gradually increasing the dosage. I'm at 1,000 mg per day for the past 5 days, increased from 700, and I'll be increasing to 1,200 mg per day in 2 days. I'm not really noticing any bad side effects, but it's also not helping yet. After 3 weeks on 1,200 mg if it doesn't work I'll have to make a decision as to whether to start weaning off of it. I'm planning to try PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) if I still get no relief after that time.

Are there data on PEA for helping nerve pain? What dose? I have much nerve pain from a compressed femeral nerve at L4-5. I've had 2 epidural cortisone injection, and after a terrible 4-day flare from the last injection, am finally getting improvement such that I can walk short distances- yea! But I still have pain throughout my leg and in particular a numbness and burning on my lower leg. I suspect that will take months if not years for that to recover- but anything to reduce that nerve pain would be helpful. I have not been able to see what dose of PEA is used without a lot more digging- but it sounds like something worth looking into

AI summary- makes it sound like the best thing since blue cheese- but none of my doctors have mentioned it:
Modulation of the endocannabinoid system: PEA interacts with cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and the transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1) channels, influencing pain signaling pathways.
Interaction with PPAR-alpha: PEA activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α), which plays a role in regulating inflammation and pain.
Reduction of neuroinflammation: PEA reduces mast cell migration and degranulation and decreases the over-activation of glial cells (microglia and astrocytes), which contribute to inflammation and pain sensitization.

2025 Review: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40122-024-00685-4

Here is what I found on does of PEA:
Dosing PEA is generally available in 300mg or 400mg capsules. The maximum daily dose is 2400mg/day (i.e.8 x 300mg or 6x 400mg capsules). A simple regime for treatment is to take 1 x 400mg tablet three times per day. If this is not effective after a couple of weeks increase the dose to 2 x 400mg capsules three times per day. If after 1-2 months this does not provide a significant benefit then you may not be a responder to PEA and you can cease the trial.

For people that find 3x/day dosing difficult or would like to take things more slowly and alternative regime wound be 1 capsule twice daily. You can then add an extra capsule every 4-5 days until youget to the maximum dose above. An example would be to start with 1 capsule twice daily. Then increase to 1 three times per day. Then increase to 1 in the morning and midday and 2 at night. Then 2 morning, 1 midday, 2 night. The 2 capsules morning, noon and night.

For dosing we tend to prefer 400mg capsules to reach a therapeutic effect more quickly. However, some patients find the capsules quite large and difficult to swallow. In this case 300mg capsules may be better and the dose can be adjusted as is suitable for the patient. In fact increasing dosing to 4 or more times per day may allow for even better for absorption but tends to be easier to forget a dose.

@debbyswimmer, here's some guidance when getting information using AI. The information isn't always accurate:
- What is Generative AI? What does this mean on Mayo Clinic Connect? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/what-is-generative-ai-artificial-intelligence-what-does-this-mean-on-mayo-clinic-connect/

Excerpt
Fact Check Everything
AI tools do not replace human judgment or oversight. Any text, image, or video generated by AI should be used only as a starting point, not as verified information. It may contain inaccuracies, biases, and other problems. Generative AI tools can sometimes generate plausible-sounding answers that are wrong.

- AI tools can sound sure, even when they’re wrong.
- Always check AI answers against trusted websites or books.
- Look for links or notes showing where the information came from.

Mayo Clinic along with other research centers are conducting studies related to palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and neuropathy caused by chemotherapy. Here are the results of the phase 2 study.

- Treatment of Established Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy with N-Palmitoylethanolamide: A Randomized, Double-Blind Phase II Pilot Study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11674762/

A doctor recommended it for a relative in 2018, but it was only available at that time from a compounding pharmacy. He tried it for a while, but it didn't help him. I don't remember how much he was taking, but they recommend 1,200mg per day. I also don't know if his problem was nerve pain. It apparently has anti-inflammatory benefits as well, another reason I'd like to try it. I can no longer take any OTC NSAIDs like ibuprofen or Aleve, even a small dose, as it gives me gastritis.