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Can Gabapentin make neuropathy pain worse?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Jun 9 4:45pm | Replies (338)Comment receiving replies
I am incontinent, and recently I have been diagnosed with axonal sensory peripheral neuropathy. I have a prescription for gabapentin and thiamine. Can gabapentin worsen existing incontinence? I manage my incontinence by wearing diapers, and it seems as though I'm going through more of them. I forgot to mention that I also have lumbar spinal stenosis which I believe could also exacerbate bladder issues.
Replies to "I am incontinent, and recently I have been diagnosed with axonal sensory peripheral neuropathy. I have..."
@ch665296f Thanks Chris @artscaping for inviting me into this conversation. The simple answer is that spinal stenosis with spinal cord compression can cause incontinence. I had cervical cord compression, and the anesthesiologist who was doing an epidural injection for me told me that compression of the spinal cord in the neck can cause bowel and bladder dysfunction and incontinence. He said if that happened, it was an urgent situation to talk to a spine surgeon to prevent the damage from becoming permanent. I was looking to see where nerves to control the bladder exit the spinal cord, and that is in the sacral area. If you have central canal stenosis in the lumbar area above this, it may contact the same tract in the spinal cord because these nerve axons are very long with nerve cells that connect in a chain and are mapped to their function to get all the way to the organ they service, in this case, the bladder. It's likes a bundle of wire that makes a cable and you can damage that same internal wire at the top end of the cable or lower down and cause the same effect.
I apologize for the late response as I was away from Connect for awhile participating in an art related function. I don't have experience taking Gabapentin. I was looking for research about Gabapentin and found this study that says incontinence can be a rare side effect of Gabapentin. Wow. I didn't know this. Here is the link:
From the National Library of Medicine:
"Gabapentin-Induced Urinary Incontinence: A Rare Side Effect in Patients with Neuropathic Pain"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553197/
I hope that helps. Have you discussed this with your doctor to see if there may be something else you can take other than Gabapentin to manage your condition? A pharmacist may also be a good resource for this question, and then you can take the answer to your physician.
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Great to see your post @ch665296f. I find your comments important. And your questions are now my questions. I use 600 mg of Gabapentin at night for the tingle tangles in my hands and feet. I don't know about lumbar spinal stenosis and its possible impact on bladder issues. However, @jenniferhunter may have an important response. She will get back to you soon.
I am just wondering if you have ever explored "sling surgery" for incontinence. Let me know if you have and how it worked for you.
May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris