Can Gabapentin make neuropathy pain worse?

If you don't mind me asking, what to you take or do for your PN now?

@lisalucier
Neurontin/Gabapentin never helped my Seizures, pain or Neuropathic pain. I took various doses from 900-34 or 3600mg. The doctor said I could increase it as long as I was non-symptomatic for side effects. Since I got zero benefits from any dose I choose to discontinue it. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Best of luck,
Jake

@salsa, @cwallen9, @lauraj155, @johnbishop, @lisalucier This is a great discussion on Neurontin/gabapentin. It makes me realize that all of us have unique medication challenges and different reactions which must make it difficult for our medical providers to help us choose our treatments and medications wisely. The one thing they need is good feedback. Not only are we our own advocates, but we also have a responsibility to take notes and then inform our medical team accurately so they can modify dosages and medications based upon how our bodies responded. I remember my first few days on gabapentin. I was pretty fuzzy. My neurologist changed the time for taking the gabapentin to an evening dosage to ensure a restful sleep because I was consistently awakened by the zaps or electric shocks throughout my body almost daily at 5:30 a.m.

My body, within a few weeks, settled down and responded to that dosage and time with the eradication of the zaps and unfortunately, an introduction of the burning across the abdomen and chest. And so I requested the addition of one more 300 mg of gabapentin at bedtime. So far so good.....I am sleeping right through my hurdle of 5:30 a.m. I would never have gotten to this point based on my first experience with gabapentin.

I am now thinking that my providers have gotten it right. Introduce a medication "gently" as in starting with the minimum dosage.. Give my body time to adjust to the new medication. That may be 2 or 3 weeks. Or at least that has been my experience with everything including my MM program. After giving my feedback, the dosage and time may be adjusted as necessary by my provider. I think what I am advocating is to find providers who introduce medications gently, evaluating reactions which just might include symptom relief over a certain time and then adjust, eliminate or increase with attention to side effect management. It might also be the case that a new medication has been introduced which might be more beneficial and so a replacement plan is delineated.

In the case of medical marijuana for pain control, I have been my own provider and have had to evaluate, modify, enhance, increase, decrease, as my condition changed and the available products increased amazingly. Good luck on your journey, just don't try to take a short cut or give up on an option too soon. And please be free of suffering today. Chris

After reading the experiences, I now understand why the doctor probably thinks I am hopeless because I reject the drugs for my problems. If I can't stay awake enough to get out of bed, I quit the pills and don't try to stay on them. living alone means I must take care of myself and I can't do that if I am not awake. I can't stay on drugs that drug me for weeks waiting for me to get used to them. I don't intend to check into a nursing home so I can lay in an expensive place half asleep waiting for problems to improve. No, no, that is not the answer. I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuropathy, and prescribed 12 months of gabapentin after one painful attack. The pain went away and I have only had a couple of attacks in the past several years which I control with hand pressure on my face. The doctor never checked to see how I was getting along, and I have not mentioned it to him since. I have no problems with the face now, but have no idea why I am getting along well. I do have neuropathy in my left foot and take nothing for it nor do I mention it to my primary doctor.
The neurologist I saw said to take a wait and see attitude about the future. I eat carefully and exercise some, but not enough. My numbness never lasts very long, and is mostly at night or early in the morning. I wear socks to bed which seems to help. I have an uncharted future, I know, and take it one day at a time. I only took two gabapentin pills with that first encounter. I intend to be a tough old lady in the end rather than try to live half awake and unfed, unclean, and on drugs. Let me know when the docs learn how to successfully treat some of these neuropathies. I had back surgery and I can walk and bend over with a cage in my back. That's it for now. Dorisena

Hi cwallen9:

If you can find it , I use a PN anti-pain lotion called NeuroFreezee. I finley went to from michaels amazing botanicals website and if I remember her name correctly is Katelan. Sometimes it fully takes away the PN pain in my feet when I use it only 2X per day, however that is not typical.

I have to put it on a lot and many times today or when I walk alot, as I planted some shrubs for my lovely wife this morning, my feet r really hurting tonight. I think I used it about 5 times so far and one or two more before the day is over. But I am very thankful for fineding it as I have been using it for about 3 years now.

But I live a fairly productive life style, but I do get a few looks wearing my old Birkenstock sandals.

Anyway, without that pain lotion I would not like to continue anymore as the pain is so great, I would just have to increase my Tramadhal and oxycodone opioid pain meds a lot. Whowever the problem with that is FDA is making doctors cut people way back. That is very stupid as the druggies will get what they want on the street anyway and we who have pain like we do get less ....."HOW DUMB". Education on the use of Opiate/opioid drugs is a good very good idea as more information is good, but what are we to do for the severe pain like some of us have. When I read about others, I think maybe my pain is not as great as some have, which really hurts my heart a lot.

Anyway, you asked like several do what I do for my PN and if you can get them to send you a sample I would greatly recommend it for a much far lasting pain lotion. I heard that they even make it with THC in an extra streangth version including lidocane and benzocane in the lotion. I would like to try that! I use the cooling lotion for my knees, muscle pain and even my arthritis pain as well. Works well and good!

Right now I have gone from 6 tablets of Tramadhal a day down to only 4 tablets, which makes me have a better day and I can function and live a more productive life style.

Lets see; 6 tablets a day with a even stronger HD 2 opioids and about $600.00 a month for a prescrition pain lotion that works fairly well and a life laying down and a lot of drugged sleep time OR "the Pain Lotion that I use for about $40/month and 4 Tramadahl a day and I can function and have a near normal life at 72. Very Simple choice!! I use the Nerufreese lotion any day and I have tried most every combination of stuff and prescritions including Gabs!

Because of the Nreuofreeze, I can now work 8-12 hours most days and my wife and I still travel a lot and I still have (now better) snuggle time as I am not dead yet.

Like others, I can not find it on Amazon but it was there. Just go to that website as that is what I do. I am not really complaining about my PN, it just hurts a lot but I am very very thankful for that lotioon. I have a bad headache coming on so I can not speell very well right now. Everyone have a great or at least a better day! MicTim

Hi @mictin
I'm a little confused by your post.
Do you mean "Neurofreeze" or "Biofreeze"?
The first appears to be used for scientific research, the second is a product containing menthol.
Thanks

Hi jeffrapp:

I was not felling very well last night and I tend to ramble on a little. The name of the PN pain Lotion that I have been using is called NEUROFREEZE.

I have used both types that they make, one is called "Cooling" and the other is "Warming". I use mainly the Cooling type for my burning feet. Sometimes in the winter I have used the Warming type when my feet are way way to cold. I have talked to others who prefer the Warming type for muscle and Arthritis and joint pain and it really works well. That lotion does have Menthol like most topically applied creams lotion has Biofreeze does work ok for a very short time but I have been using the Neurofreeze now for years now and it works well for me anyway.

I am will attempt to do a tech thing here for the link here http://www.michaelsamazingbotanicals.com that may not be correct for a link to there website.

I just Google it and once it is in my pc then on the line I just use the word "michael" on the command line and it come up every time. Have a great day! MicTim

Wow,
Until reading that link, all of my doctors made Gabapentin sound safe and effective. I was diagnosed with PN(likely Parsonage Turner Syndrome) 6 months ago a month before ACDF level 2 surgery. Started at 300mg, 900mg, ramped up to 1800 and 3 weeks ago increased to 2400 mg/day. My skin is red and rashy and I've had diarrehea almost everyday for the past 3 weeks and before I had very regular healthy bowel movements. I have severe pain in my very little relief. My neurologist suggested that I go to Mayo for further evaluation so I guess he has nothing more to offer in confirming my diagnosis? What can Mayo offer?

Hi, @kimchi19 - I have taken gabapentin personally, for postherpetic neuralgia after shingles, and I had no ill effects and it helped control the pain and itching. You might check out this Mayo Clinic list of side effects for gabapentin https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/gabapentin-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20064011

@dorisena It sounds to me like the trigeminal neuropathy might be a nerve entrapment or physical issue if you can ease it by massaging your face. That can be caused by a misalignment of the jaw, neck and skull. You might want to look at our discussion of Myofascial Release and all the issues it can treat that are caused by tight fascial tissues that prevent normal physical functions. I was wondering if you have tried physical therapy? I think an expert level in MFR therapist might be able to help you. It helps me a lot. It might be what you need to take back control of your future and there is a lot you can do to help yourself. Back surgery would also create internal fascial scar tissue which can cause these restrictions and MFR can help that. I am a cervical spine surgery patient. Here is the discussion.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Here is a physical therapy article that talks about trigeminal neuralgia and jaw dysfunction.
https://mskneurology.com/true-cause-solution-temporomandibular-dysfunction-tmd/