Can Gabapentin make neuropathy pain worse?

Yes, I took anti-anxiety medicine at bedtime for a few years and quit before my husband died. It was no problem going off the pills as i knew my stress was ending and I would be better in time. At least I slept pretty well but had nightmares for a while. It finally went away. I am blessed now. Dorisena

@pfbacon, @jmicoumiller48, @jakedduck1, @johnbishop Good morning....all. It is a very dreary, rainy day so it was time for Connect and I landed on this page where the issue under discussion appears to be the pros and cons of gabapentin. My experience includes the fact that gabapentin was the first medication I was given 5 years ago when my SFN (small fiber neuropathy) was confirmed with the skin punch biopsy. At first, I was taking 300 mg 3 times a day. The early side effects were right out of the textbook. What I didn't realize was that it was really helping with the tingles and needle-like pain in my arms, wrists, and especially my hands.

So..here is what we did. (a shared decision with my neurologist). We modified the daytime doses by adding nortriptyline in the morning and stopping the gabapentin. Pain control during the day was turned over to medical cannabis and the gabapentin was taken at night to diminish the numbness and needle-like pain. How do I know it works? My hands begin to tingle at about 8 pm every night. By 9:30 when I take the gabapentin they are pretty painful and useless. The gabapentin (900 mg) works within 30 minutes and my hands, wrists, and arms calm down by bedtime. I would like to taper off it but hang on because it works. Last year my PCP and I decided to cut the dosage to 900 mg from 1200 mg. That works very well. A little dry mouth and some light-headedness, if I get up during the night, come with the program.

We try and take so many medications. New ones take time for our bodies to adjust to them. Old ones may falter and need to be withdrawn gently and over time.

How would you approach managing your medications?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

I can't say they make them worse ive been on gab. Lyrics amitriptyline.pregab.and duloxtive fore I have small and large neuropathy those med made me quite forgetful space out set and just stare i haven't given up I just keep trying bottom line they don't understand that we need to treated differently perhaps and somebody else we are all not the same and how meds and how we handle meds it's wonderful if these things work for people but I can't sit around in a daze I need quality of life don't give up keep trying

I am on your team completely. What upset me when I was given gabapentin is that the doctor prescribed 12 months of the drug and never checked to see how I was doing on it. After a couple of them, and not being able to stay awake and out of bed, I quit and never got back to the doctor on it. The next month when I went to pick up other prescriptions, the drug store had filled the prescription and I had to argue with them to refuse the drug. The doctor never mentioned it in the future to see if anything was helping. Years later, I am having some tingling in my hands and one foot, but have not asked the doctor about it because he would perhaps give me more of those pills. I saw the neurologist who said nothing could be done about my foot because it was probably damage from back and knee surgery, but I exercise my foot and it seems to relieve tingling. No pills. I don't want to live in a stupor yet. Dorisena

Hi Chris, I too have every unwanted side effect from Gabapentin. I HATE them! However, the drug numbs my pain enough to tolerate it most but not all of the time.

I 've tried other meds but none of them worked.

Ug. Warmest wishes, Sunnyflower

Hi Sunny,
How long have you been taking Gabapentin and have your side effects decreased in severity since you started taking it.
Take care,
Jake

Hi Jake, I took it for a month or two about a year and a half ago but couldn't tolerate the pain, head to toe.
I 'm also on morphine and used to make my own CBD caps.

I decided to resume Gabapentin and have been on it fir a year and a half. The unwanted side-effects have not subsided at all. I have titrated my gaba dose so many times between 600-800mg per day, total, but take it three times per day.
As soon as I decrease my dose, by the 2nd day or so, my pain becomes worse so I go up to the 800mg. Per day.

I can't believe some take over 3,000mg. Per day!! I think it augments my morphine.

I have many diseases and conditions that are painful in nature besides my neuropathy.

Are you receiving any benefit from the gaba? I hope so!

All the best, Sunny

@sunnyflower
I took 3,600 mg a day but it never helped my Neuropathy or seizures.
I never had any side effects from it.
I wonder if you didn’t titrate up slowly enough.
i’m sorry you have so many painful conditions, one painful condition is one too many.
I took fentanyl and Norco and those helped more than anything else.
I am fortunate that my neuropathy pain is behind me, I only have numbness now.
Take care,
Jake

Jake, how is your neuropathy pain gone? The meds: fentanyl and norco? I started my gaba at 100mg.vand went up slowly from there. Do you have any other pain now? I pray not. I just can't help but wonder what this anti-seizure medication is doing to my brain? I don't like it. Thank you, Sunny

Hi Salsa,

How do you function on such a high dose of Gabapentine? I take 500mgs and that’s so strong for me. I have brain fog and can’t stay awake.