1. < Chronic Pain

Gabapentin side effects?

Posted by Sundance(RB) @sundance6, Apr 13, 2019

I am a regular on the Mayo Board! I don't know what I would do without it! Our doctors don't want to discuss openly the things about illnesses and side effets of drugs and other things. Anyway, my question to all of you is Gabapentin and it's side effects. I have been on it now for 6 months. My doctor raised me from 100mg. to now I am on 400mg. three times a day.
The problem is my tiredness! I happen to be in a friends office yesterday and she was taking some medicine. She said she was taking Gabapentin. I asked why and she said she had, had shingles back when and it still helped with the pain. I know the drug is percribed for many things that is why I take it for my issues.
I told her I had been taking it for about 6 months. She asked if I had been tired all the time, just out of the Blue. OF COURSE I SAID YES! She said it took her a year before she got out of the tiredness.
Let me know if any of you have experienced the same thing. Also let me know at what dosage you may be on? I know this is all confidential!
Again Thanks to The Mayo Clinic and Everyone who is kind enough to be open with their lives!
Sundance!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

bustrbrwn22 | @bustrbrwn22 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @wsh66 "I took gabapentin and Lyrica for neuropathy for a number of years and found them both..." + (show)
@wsh66

I took gabapentin and Lyrica for neuropathy for a number of years and found them both to be absolutely useless. I have however, gotten a great deal of relief by taking amitriptyline, 25 to 50 mg at 8PM in the evening. Talk to your doctor about amitriptyline.

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@wsh66 if you take amitriptyline you cannot take any other pain meds. Is that correct?

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1 reply
magneticcenter | @magneticcenter | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @spondi64 "My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up..." + (show)
@spondi64

<p>My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up at 3:30a.m. in horrible pain. Has anyone else experenced anything like this?</p>

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I have small fiber nueropathy I am to the point where I am in pain, sitting, standing, walking and exercising. I have tried gabapetin, nortriplin and cymbalta. They did not work for the pain they only added always being tired and not wanting to do anything. The pain I am experiencing is at the peak of all the pain I have had. I am interested to hear others stories and what has been successful. Thanks Richard

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2 replies
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @magneticcenter "I have small fiber nueropathy I am to the point where I am in pain, sitting,..." + (show)
@magneticcenter

I have small fiber nueropathy I am to the point where I am in pain, sitting, standing, walking and exercising. I have tried gabapetin, nortriplin and cymbalta. They did not work for the pain they only added always being tired and not wanting to do anything. The pain I am experiencing is at the peak of all the pain I have had. I am interested to hear others stories and what has been successful. Thanks Richard

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Hello Richard @magneticcenter - Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry to hear you have not found any relief from the normal pain medications that are prescribed for treating neuropathy pain. You might find the following discussions helpful.

- Member Neuropathy Journey Stories: What's Yours?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/member-neuoropathy-journey-stories-whats-yours/
- Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Have you tried any alternative methods for treating your neuropathy pain?

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @magneticcenter "I have small fiber nueropathy I am to the point where I am in pain, sitting,..." + (show)
@magneticcenter

I have small fiber nueropathy I am to the point where I am in pain, sitting, standing, walking and exercising. I have tried gabapetin, nortriplin and cymbalta. They did not work for the pain they only added always being tired and not wanting to do anything. The pain I am experiencing is at the peak of all the pain I have had. I am interested to hear others stories and what has been successful. Thanks Richard

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Amitriptyline for neuropathy helps. It will make you sleep so I take it at night which is when neuropathy visits. I also have a pain pump.

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @bustrbrwn22 "@wsh66 if you take amitriptyline you cannot take any other pain meds. Is that correct?" + (show)
@bustrbrwn22

@wsh66 if you take amitriptyline you cannot take any other pain meds. Is that correct?

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I have never heard that and I do use other meds. I have a pump.

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1 reply
eternityphysics1 | @eternityphysics1 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @wsh66 "I have never heard that and I do use other meds. I have a pump." + (show)
@wsh66

I have never heard that and I do use other meds. I have a pump.

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What is the pain pump? Is it an IV.?

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @spondi64 "My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up..." + (show)
@spondi64

<p>My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up at 3:30a.m. in horrible pain. Has anyone else experenced anything like this?</p>

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A pain pump is a surgically implanted pump with a catheter running up the spine to deliver tiny doses of narcotics or other meds directly to the spinal fluid. Search wsh66. I have written extensively about the pump on this forum. There is a process one must go through, at least there was for me, to first be accepted by a pain management clinic and then I had to be free of infections for one year before the surgery. I return every 10 to 12 weeks to have old meds removed and replaced as they lose their strength with time. This is considered palliative care which seems to be the magic word to unlock the access to narcotics. It doesn't mean that you are in the process of dying but rather that you will be in pain until you do die.

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1 reply
eternityphysics1 | @eternityphysics1 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @wsh66 "A pain pump is a surgically implanted pump with a catheter running up the spine to..." + (show)
@wsh66

A pain pump is a surgically implanted pump with a catheter running up the spine to deliver tiny doses of narcotics or other meds directly to the spinal fluid. Search wsh66. I have written extensively about the pump on this forum. There is a process one must go through, at least there was for me, to first be accepted by a pain management clinic and then I had to be free of infections for one year before the surgery. I return every 10 to 12 weeks to have old meds removed and replaced as they lose their strength with time. This is considered palliative care which seems to be the magic word to unlock the access to narcotics. It doesn't mean that you are in the process of dying but rather that you will be in pain until you do die.

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I took away all narcotics after ten years. I wasosinb cognition and it was frightening. Watched my mom lose the ability to think after 10bsurgerjes in 10 years, I've heard of the pumps.not one doctor suggested it.

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1 reply
Stephen | @wsh66 | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @eternityphysics1 "I took away all narcotics after ten years. I wasosinb cognition and it was frightening. Watched..." + (show)
@eternityphysics1

I took away all narcotics after ten years. I wasosinb cognition and it was frightening. Watched my mom lose the ability to think after 10bsurgerjes in 10 years, I've heard of the pumps.not one doctor suggested it.

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No one wants to deal with narcotics except a few compassionate Docs. 4 mgs. via the pump every 24 hours has the effect of 400 to 1200 mgs. orally, (which would kill you by the way), with none of the side effects. It is a wonderful thing.

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pfbacon | @pfbacon | Dec 16, 2020
In reply to @spondi64 "My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up..." + (show)
@spondi64

<p>My Dr prescribed Gabapentin 300mg caps last Friday. I took one at bedtime & woke up at 3:30a.m. in horrible pain. Has anyone else experenced anything like this?</p>

Jump to this post

I have to ask those of you who quit narcotics: Did you start taking the narcotics because you wanted to get high, or because you had neuropathy? If you had neuropathy, what do you do about the pain instead of using narcotics? My doctor has told me that when my condition progresses beyond the level that gabapentin and lyrica can mitigate, I will have to segway into narcotics. I am scared of that ...Peggy

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