@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

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