1. < Chronic Pain

How long do you take Gabapentin?

Posted by ttibsen @ttibsen, Sep 9, 2020

My wife got a Rx for Gabapentin yesterday to deal with chronic pain affecting her lower right leg below the knee. They couldn’t find anything obviously wrong and I guess that in those situations they fall back on Gabapentin. The instructions simply said take as needed and I am somewhat sceptical of this as it’s my understanding that Gabapentin is not like an analgesic which you do take on an as needed basis. I thought that for Gabapentin, once you start the meds, you continue at least until the meds is finished. She was given a one month supply.

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rivermaya34 | @rivermaya34 | Jan 16, 2022
In reply to @ritchie "I was prescribed gabapentin/Neurontin 4 days ago for a pinched nerve in my left upper back...." + (show)
@ritchie

I was prescribed gabapentin/Neurontin 4 days ago for a pinched nerve in my left upper back. The prescribed dosage is 100 or 200 mg at dinner time each day. I haven't had any side effects, but I am wondering when I should expect my nerve pain to completely subside. I think there has been some improvement.

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Hi @ritchie, I agree with Ginger about meds affecting people differently and at different times. I'm so sorry to hear you are suffering, hopefully the pain will subside and dissipate quickly 🙁 I also have been taking Gabapentin for a year now, and I'll probably be taking it the rest of my life in order to function, which is ok by me. I'm not a doctor, mind you, but I do know that 100mg is a very low dose and in my experience I needed to increase that dose to feel its effects. It did take some time to feel it, but once I found my sweet spot, I have been able to fluctuate my doses as need be. My doctor said usually 300mg is where people will start to feel it working. I take 600-900mg at a time, 4x/day, but that's me - and my afflictions are very different, possibly. I would suggest staying in open communication with your doctor about it, because Gaba is a very easy and safe medicine to utilize and it has a large amount of wiggle room as far as dosage goes, and he/she'll be wanting to know what's working and vice versa. I wish you all the best of luck and many pain-free days ahead!

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1 reply
ritchie | @ritchie | Jan 16, 2022
In reply to @gingerw "@ritchie Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! As you may have read here, each person has their..." + (show)
@gingerw

@ritchie Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!

As you may have read here, each person has their own timeline in responding to medications. I will tell you, in my experience, that it took several weeks for my discomfort to be at a lower level than before starting Gabapentin. Like you, I was given a very low dose. That was due to my failing kidneys, and a higher dose would be detrimental to them. A lower dose means a longer time to see/feel effects of this medication. I wonder if that is the case for you, having other conditions that will preclude you from a higher dose?
Ginger

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I have no other physical health issues, aside from a little arthritis . I am a pretty healthy 69 year old woman and am very physically active. I am not accustomed to this kind of pain. I think I may have strained some muscles lifting heavy objects, possibly causing inflammation and nerve impingement. I did have some x-rays on Friday, and my doctor will go over them with me at my next appointment 10 days from now. He wants to find out what's going on in my back and neck before recommending further treatment.

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ritchie | @ritchie | Jan 16, 2022
In reply to @rivermaya34 "Hi @ritchie, I agree with Ginger about meds affecting people differently and at different times. I'm..." + (show)
@rivermaya34

Hi @ritchie, I agree with Ginger about meds affecting people differently and at different times. I'm so sorry to hear you are suffering, hopefully the pain will subside and dissipate quickly 🙁 I also have been taking Gabapentin for a year now, and I'll probably be taking it the rest of my life in order to function, which is ok by me. I'm not a doctor, mind you, but I do know that 100mg is a very low dose and in my experience I needed to increase that dose to feel its effects. It did take some time to feel it, but once I found my sweet spot, I have been able to fluctuate my doses as need be. My doctor said usually 300mg is where people will start to feel it working. I take 600-900mg at a time, 4x/day, but that's me - and my afflictions are very different, possibly. I would suggest staying in open communication with your doctor about it, because Gaba is a very easy and safe medicine to utilize and it has a large amount of wiggle room as far as dosage goes, and he/she'll be wanting to know what's working and vice versa. I wish you all the best of luck and many pain-free days ahead!

Jump to this post

thank you. I see my doctor 10 days from now. He is going to review the x-rays I had taken on Friday, and we'll discuss where to go from there. This pain came on rather suddenly and could be related to a strained, inflamed muscle that is impinging a nerve in my back. It could also be something going on structurally in my cervix. Who knows? Hopefully, we'll get to bottom of it and I will get back to my normal active self soon. He did mention taking up to 300mg, but instructions on the pill bottle say take 100 or 200 mg. Maybe I will call him on Tuesday if I'm not getting more relief and/or increase my dosage to 200mg. I'm not accustomed to taking medication, so I get a little anxious about introducing anything new to my otherwise very healthy body.

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2 replies
ritchie | @ritchie | Jan 16, 2022
In reply to @ritchie "thank you. I see my doctor 10 days from now. He is going to review the..." + (show)
@ritchie

thank you. I see my doctor 10 days from now. He is going to review the x-rays I had taken on Friday, and we'll discuss where to go from there. This pain came on rather suddenly and could be related to a strained, inflamed muscle that is impinging a nerve in my back. It could also be something going on structurally in my cervix. Who knows? Hopefully, we'll get to bottom of it and I will get back to my normal active self soon. He did mention taking up to 300mg, but instructions on the pill bottle say take 100 or 200 mg. Maybe I will call him on Tuesday if I'm not getting more relief and/or increase my dosage to 200mg. I'm not accustomed to taking medication, so I get a little anxious about introducing anything new to my otherwise very healthy body.

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I meant cervical, not cervix.

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marilynredder2367 | @marilynredder2367 | Jan 17, 2022
In reply to @ritchie "I was prescribed gabapentin/Neurontin 4 days ago for a pinched nerve in my left upper back...." + (show)
@ritchie

I was prescribed gabapentin/Neurontin 4 days ago for a pinched nerve in my left upper back. The prescribed dosage is 100 or 200 mg at dinner time each day. I haven't had any side effects, but I am wondering when I should expect my nerve pain to completely subside. I think there has been some improvement.

Jump to this post

Not enough meds. Increase dose or it will not help at all.

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jan 17, 2022
In reply to @ritchie "thank you. I see my doctor 10 days from now. He is going to review the..." + (show)
@ritchie

thank you. I see my doctor 10 days from now. He is going to review the x-rays I had taken on Friday, and we'll discuss where to go from there. This pain came on rather suddenly and could be related to a strained, inflamed muscle that is impinging a nerve in my back. It could also be something going on structurally in my cervix. Who knows? Hopefully, we'll get to bottom of it and I will get back to my normal active self soon. He did mention taking up to 300mg, but instructions on the pill bottle say take 100 or 200 mg. Maybe I will call him on Tuesday if I'm not getting more relief and/or increase my dosage to 200mg. I'm not accustomed to taking medication, so I get a little anxious about introducing anything new to my otherwise very healthy body.

Jump to this post

@ritchie Personally, I feel your doctor is doing a good thing by being conservative in your dosing. It is a simple thing to increase your daily intake, but it sounds like he/she wants to be sure to not go overboard at the beginning. And there may be some additional therapy of sorts that is recommended, in the realm of stretching, therapeutic massage or physical therapy.

I hope you let me know what happens?
Ginger

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ritchie | @ritchie | Jan 17, 2022

that's exactly how I feel, but I did take 200 mg with dinner tonight instead of 100 mg because the instructions on the vial say take 1 or 2 capsules. I won't exceed that dosage until I talk to my doctor again. I've read from reliable, reputable sources that it can take up to 2 weeks to experience relief. Thank you for your input. I appreciate it. I will keep you posted.

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markm5386 | @markm5386 | Jan 18, 2022

I was taking 600mg 3 times a day it did not help

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1 reply
lindes | @lindes | Jan 19, 2022

I took it for over 20 years 600 mg twice daily, and it allowed me to keep moving. I now have a spinal nerve stimulator installed, and don't need gabapentin anymore

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budo7 | @budo7 | Jan 20, 2022

I take 300 mgs 3 times a day and it seems to help. It does not work for me all by it self but combined with the other treatments...

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