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Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group

Neuropathy | Last Active: Apr 25 10:43pm | Replies (5972)
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@tigreyes2004

I'm on Gabapentin & at first it made me so tired I couldn't take it but now I take 300 mg at night & it makes you sleep better & I am on 100 mg in the morning & another in the afternoon. I'm new to this Neuropathy & I have seen no help with the Gabapentin butI am taking Cymbalta with it & it gets me to wear I do function so I guess it helps to a degree. I just don't want to increase it anymore bc if you stopped it suddenly you could have seizures I have been told. Does anyone know a good med that gives relief.

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iceblue | @iceblue | Oct 28, 2019

So - do you take 500 mg of Gabapentin in a 24 hour period - but space it out?

I know my dosage will increase over time, but like you I want to minimize it for as long as possible. I'm not worried about stopping the gabapentin as my doctor and pharmacist have both advised I am likely to be on it for the rest of my life. SFN is not reputed to be one of those health issues that spontaneously heals 😉

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Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Oct 28, 2019

@tigreyes2004

Finding a medication or combination of meds can take a very long time. All of the meds labeled for neuropathy either did nothing or I had unacceptable side effects, the worst one being Lyrica. It put me in the hospital for a few days. The bummer - it was actually helping with the pain.

I finally had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June, 2017, and it was wonderful!!! I had 80% pain relief. After a year, I started needing to have the stimulator settings tweeked every 3 months. I had been seeing a pain specialist, who took the next step in finding a medication that I could tolerate, and I tried a bunch of off label meds. I was taking morphine sulfate contin before the scs implant, and was able to reduce the dosage, but I still take it because it takes the edge off the pain.

A couple of months ago the pain specialist started me on imipramine, and as I increased the dosage it increased my pain relief. Normally I would have had the Abbott rep adjust my stimulator, but I'm not doing anything until my next appointment with the pain specialist, and evaluate the efficacy of Imipramine. My feet hurt, but it's bearable. I keep my fingers crossed.

So, I would say, don't be surprised if it takes a while to land on the medication that gives you relief without unacceptable side effects. It generally means taking a medication for six weeks to assess its benefit or side effects. My siblings all have taken Gabapentin with good results, but it didn't help me.

Jim

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