I have had good results with Gabapentin at 300 mg. dose ,twice or three times daily, for several mos. now. One resident here has been using Lyrica for over one year, a trade name, with success.

Try pain relief with acetaminophen too.

Hello @suzylulu

I am so sorry to hear that your neuropathy makes it difficult to walk. That must be so uncomfortable. If the difficulty walking because of pain or numbness or a combination of both?

Have you discussed with your doctor any other meds or treatments that might help since the Gabapentin did not work for you?

I'm going to invite mentor, John Bishop, @johnbishop to this discussion. John is a mentor who has also dealt with neuropathy a long time. He might be able to offer some insights for you.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Teresa

It is difficult walking because of the numbness. I tried gababentin for only 2 months. Does it take longer to help?

Hello @suzylulu

I have not started taking Gabapentin myself so I can't tell you how long it would take to make a difference. You might check with your pharmacist or your doctor and see what they have to say about that.

As I understand from your last post you don't have pain - just numbness in your feet?

Teresa

Hi @suzlulu,
I was put on gabapentin for a month before I went back to my Mayo doctor and told her it wasn't working. That was before I met with the neurologist and was diagnosed with small fiber peripheral neuropathy. I only have numbness and tingling with my neuropathy. I do not have the bad pain that others have. When I told my doctor it wasn't working she had a consult with another doctor who came in and asked about my symptoms. When I told him no pain only numbness he immediately said gabapentin only works for pain by blocking the pain signals in the brain. That's when they setup an appointment with a neurologist. After I met with the neurologist he told me there are no medications or over the counter topical creams/ointments that help with numbness. This is what started me on my search for something that would help me and how I found Mayo Connect.

I would have a discussion with your doctor about gabapentin. If you are not having pain with the neuropathy, I don't think there is a reason to take the medication.

Have you found anything that helps you or tried anything for treatments?

John

John, I too was told by a neurologist that my symptoms sound like small fiber sensory neuropathy. I've been on gabapentin for about 5 years, and it's helped me. It's also eased my lower back pain. However, since doing a month of physical therapy, I've been able to cut my gabapentin dosage in half--from 1800mg daily to 900mg. The gabapentin has also almost eliminated the muscle tremors and twitching in my feet and legs--at least I'm attributing all of this to gabapentin. I guess we're all different in how we respond to medication. I should add that I can no longer be as active as I once was or take long walks anymore. If I do, I pay the price later in the evening or the next day with exacerbation of the pins and needles and/or cramps in my feet and legs. What I've learned is that I have to pace myself and try to achieve a balance between exercise and rest, as being too sedentary will aggravate my symptoms also. On the bright side, I'm still ambulatory, can climb stairs, can drive, and don't appear to have any mobility issues, so I can't complain. There are some people who aren't so lucky.

Hello @magg

Thank you for adding your experiences. It appears that you have found ways to balance exercise, rest along with meds to deal with the neuropathy. I appreciate your sharing this. I'm just starting with neuropathy symptoms and I appreciate reading everyone's experiences.

Teresa

Hi Margaret @magg, thank you for sharing what works for you. Like you I've learned that I can no longer do a lot of things I used to be able to do but that doesn't mean I can't do something. I just have to know and understand my limitations and not over do it when it comes to exercise. I too count my blessings every day.

Hoping all my neuropathy friends here on Connect find some answers and something that works for them to get some relief.

John