Gabapentin 300mg: what are the short and longterm effects?

I am on 900 mg a night. No negative affects.

I only take 300mg at night, I won’t take anymore even if I have break through symptoms. I’m not comfortable with this medication. I wanted feedback from others on secondary effects/side effects. How much are you taking and for how long? Does it work for you? CMR

Please be very careful when taking Gabepentin, even small doses. This medicine has some nasty side effects. Studies have shown that even a small dose can massively raise your risk of getting dementia. The Studies have also shown that the longer you are on Gabepentin, the higher your risk of getting Dementia. It's not called Garbagpentin by chronic pain suffers for nothing. It's partner Lyrica is also starting to show that it too raises your risk for dementia. And whatever you do don't let your dr. Proscribe Subloxone. This medicine, even at a low dose has been proven to cause massive dental issues. So much so that it can cause you to lose all your teeth.
I know as a chronic pain sufferer (several conditions) that there isn't much in the way of medications that help to lessen the pain we are in on a daily basis, so if you are able to avoid taking any of the above mentioned prescriptions thats great. But if you have run out of medication
Choices and the ones mentioned above your only choices, start with Lyrica as it doesn't have as high a dementia risk as Gabepentin. If you have to take Gabepentin or Lyrica because nothing else has worked, try to keep the dosage to the barest minimum that helps to control the pain. The higher the dosage of Lyrica or Gabepentin you take, the higher your risk of developing dementia is. If your dr. is pushing you to take one of the above mentioned medications, take a step back and do your own research on these medications. Check out Facebook groups about your particular diagnosis as well. Many of the members of these groups have already been in the position you currently find yourself in. Talk to the members in the group. It is one thing to take advice from a doctor who has never had to go through what you are currently experiencing, it is something else entirely when you speak to others who are going through the same type of health issues you are. The doctor gives you their opinion based on their medical knowledge while the members of a Facebook group give you their opinions based on lived experiences. Once you have done your own research on the medication, gotten your doctor's opinion on the medication he wants to prescribe you and the lived in experiences with the medications from the members in your Facebook groups, you will be able to make an informed decision as to what is best for you in that moment. Just remember to take the doctors opinion about the drug with a grain of salt. Many doctors have agreements with the Big Pharmaceutical companies to push their medications over others(they aren't supposed to but it still happens more often than the public realizes). Please explore what other medications (drugs, supplements) or other types of alternative treatment (Osteopath, Massage therapy, acupuncture etc) could be tried before agreeing to take Gabepentin, Lyrica or Suboxone. If nothing else has helped an you do end up having to take Gabepentin, Lyrica or Suboxone, start at the lowest dose possible and keep a record of when the drug was taken, any side effects you may have and did or didn't the drug help with your symptoms.

@brainhealth I've been on gabapentin since Sept 2025. I started at 300mg per day (100mg in morning, afternoon, night) and am now on 700mg (300mg at night due to severe muscle lockups but it hasn't helped). I have paraneoplastic syndrome along with SCLC (waiting for an accurate diagnosis of which syndrome) causing extreme leg stiffness which has put me on a walker since Aug 2025. I have not noticed any improvments from this drug but as my symptoms have worsened my neurologist keeps upping the dose. Paradoxically, I am working to improve balance and leg strength with a PT but the side effects from this drug can cause fatigue, dizziness, and balance issues so finding the right dosage is difficult or impossible. I am also on baclofen which seems to cause stiffness more than alleviate it. I hate baclofen more than I hate gabapentin but have been told my my local neurologist there aren't many other options. So I went to Mayo where they are in the process of hopefully providing an accurate diagnosis and more treatment options than these two drugs. Bottom line, I cannot tell whether gabapentin is actually helping me or not, but I do have extreme fatigue in the afternoons from it and now am afraid to go off of it in case that causes my symptoms to get worse. Vicious cycle.

@stevegrinstead and how does that feel ? 900mg at night? That’s Lit 🔥

@fdona58
I take 100 mg of gabapentin a night. If i don’t I have horrible pain from a compressed nerve in my head.

The most recent study also says: (anyone can google this - and should do their own research speak with their MD)
“Because this is an observational study, it cannot establish a direct cause-and-effect link between gabapentin and cognitive decline. It shows an association, not proven causation.
• Experts urge caution in drawing firm conclusions — it’s possible that the underlying conditions requiring gabapentin, rather than the drug itself, contribute to the risk.”

There’s more on the observational study.

@brainhealth I've been on gabapentin since Sept 2025. I started at 300mg per day (100mg in morning, afternoon, night) and am now on 700mg (300mg at night due to severe muscle lockups but it hasn't helped). I have paraneoplastic syndrome along with SCLC (waiting for an accurate diagnosis of which syndrome) causing extreme leg stiffness which has put me on a walker since Aug 2025. I have not noticed any improvments from this drug but as my symptoms have worsened my neurologist keeps upping the dose. Paradoxically, I am working to improve balance and leg strength with a PT but the side effects from this drug can cause fatigue, dizziness, and balance issues so finding the right dosage is difficult or impossible. I am also on baclofen which seems to cause stiffness more than alleviate it. I hate baclofen more than I hate gabapentin but have been told my my local neurologist there aren't many other options. So I went to Mayo where they are in the process of hopefully providing an accurate diagnosis and more treatment options than these two drugs. Bottom line, I cannot tell whether gabapentin is actually helping me or not, but I do have extreme fatigue in the afternoons from it and now am afraid to go off of it in case that causes my symptoms to get worse. Vicious cycle.