No, I have been taking it for fourteen years. I have neuropathy from a non malignant tumor that the neurosurgeon said had been wrapped around my spinal cord for at least twenty years. It had done a lot of damage...left leg was completely numb and right leg was starting to get that way. Without the Gabapentin I would have a lot of 'jerking' from the nerve damage due not only from the tumor being there so long, but also the nerve and muscle damage from the two surgeries trying to access all of the tumor and having to remove three vertebrae in the process, (rods and screws in their place) I don't know what it would be like to NOT HAVE THE Gabapentin so I just continue to take the 600 mg morning and night along with low dose of Tramadol. That is how I am living my live along with the three Lidocaine patches along my spine. I don't like it....but I do what I have to do to exist with the least pain and jerking I can get. I feel blest that I am still able to see and enjoy my children, grand children and precious great grand children !

I have had Fibromyalgia for17 years. I was prescribed Gabapentin, and Neurontin. Within days I couldn't talk or think clearly. After I injured my back the pain had been sooooooo bad that I didn't feel the Fibro pain. After discussing this with my Rheumatoid Dr. we decided to take me off of Meloxicam, Neurontin and Gabapenton. Within three days I had increased clarity. I didn't forget words. I could finish sentences. Although I was elated, I didn't realize that Gabapentin was a drug mainly used for seizures, and Neurontin also affects cognition. I TOOK THOSE TWO DRUGS FOR 17 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!! I AM ANGRY THAT I LOST EFFECTIVE THINKING AND SPEAKING FOR ALL THOSE YEARS AND I BLAMED IT ON FIBROMYALGIA. ANOTHER HUGE LOSS UPOON MANY OTHER LOSSES. I DROPPED OUT OF ACTIVITIES BECAUSE I couldn't have conversations with my friends AND I WAS LONELY FOR A VERY LONG TIME. My hope is that you will read this and take heed to my words. Is Gabapentin and Neurontin helping you or hurting you.

Our doctors may be great but the medical establishment as a whole and the drug manufacturers in particular don't give a tinkers damn about anything but making money. This problem plagues our entire society. No moral principle, no law, no regulation, no sense of human dignity is allowed to impede the ability of gangster capitalists to make more and more money. What you suffered from more than your medical condition is what is referred to as "off label" uses of drugs. When you design or develop a new drug for one purpose you have to prove it is at least minimally better than existing drugs now in use or that it has some benefit for the purpose you declared. Once that requirement as been met, and the drug is assumed to be safe enough for human consumption, doctors can prescribe it for anything they choose to. They can also prescribe a drug to children that has only been tested on adults. This happens all the time because it is considered to be unethical to test drugs on children. You are right. Gabapentin is a seizure drug, not a pain med. It has not been tested for that use. There is only anecdotal evidence that it may work for pain as well. Well there is also anecdotal evidence for faith healing and the Loch Ness Monster. Anecdotal evidence is not science. If this drug was an effective pain med it's makers would do the tests to prove that, but it's not so they don't. Pain and how we experience pain is so subjective and so dependent upon our state of mind as well as being something which comes and goes from day to day that anecdotal evidence is absolutely worthless when it comes to the ethicacy of certain drugs for pain relief. Couple that fact with the present state of affairs and the pressure being put on the medical community to not prescribe narcotics for anyone for any reason, all sorts of things that those of us with years of experience in this area know are not effective are being pushed on the public with wild abandon. As my Neurosurgeon/ Pain Specialist put it, "It's a bunch of bull____". Pregabalin, successor to Gabapentin is priced by whether or not you take it. 50 mgs. per day costs the same as 1200 mgs. per day. If that doesn't raise a red flag with you I have a swamp I'm developing for luxury homes I like you to buy into. People with real medical issues, especially older people like me are not the problem that has led to the opioid crisis. We are the low hanging fruit however. We can be blamed and shamed and have our meds taken away so the politicians can look like they give a damn. If they do care, why did both houses of Congress pass and why did the President sign a law preventing the Drug Enforcement Agency investigating the drug manufacturers? Don't believe me? Google it The Washington Post among other news outlets wrote about it extensively. Wake up, fight back and sue your doctor for failure to provide care.

Don't we all know! Thanks for input.

I still find Tylenol to be very useful and Amitriptyline helps with my nerve pain caused by the combination of neuropathy and needed compression, both the result of cancer treatment and surgery. That is also an off label use for Amitriptyline but it is used because it is also an antidepressant and a sleep aid and many pain patients need both.

I'm not so sure about dope either as a pain med. I seem to remember it heightening every experience. Also, like many who use narcotics I have signed a contract which forbids the use of any street drugs or other pain meds not prescribed by the pain managers. I can be tested at any time. Failure would mean the immediate loss of my access. Plus, after heavy chemo, I have less than one functioning lung so smoking or vaping anything would be crazy stupid.

I was prescribed 300mg Gabapentin three times a day, and it did absolutely nothing for my sever chronic pain. The only thing that’s helped is opioids, and low dosages of morphine (long term tabs along with short term tabs). In today’s Anti-opioid political environment those that requires pain killers can’t get these medications prescribed as a result of those whom abused them and, or doctors whom over-prescribed for minor aches and pains.

What makes me think I need them? I’m 100% service connected disabled American Veteran who’s had both hIps TTL replaced, 13 titanium plates and screws inserted into my jaw / skull, both shoulders rebuilt, osteoarthritis in cervical spine and L4/L5, left knee requires replacement, and both Sciatica Nerves are compressed.

Good luck.

Get Gene Sight testing done and find out which meds will work for you. Then look into the Pain Pump. Search these chats for wsh66 and read about my experience, I answer your questions if you do.

I, too, had a bad reaction to this drug. It made me dizzy & I was disoriented. My doctor seemed angry that I would not take this any more.

I am taking GABAPENTIN and all I get is dry mouth, and most of the pain is still there. I did find out that you can take Tylenol, Advil, Aleve or Aspirin an hour after taking the GABAPENTIN ....will try for the NEURO left leg and foot...