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Anyone here dealing with peripheral neuropathy?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Oct 28 4:54pm | Replies (3050)Comment receiving replies
@hurtsalot Good evening and welcome. @johnbishop has asked me to share my gabapentin experience with you. As he mentioned, it does a good job of subduing the tingling and needlelike conditions in the hands and feet. At first, my neurologist wanted me to have a 300 mg tablet in the am and then 2 more an hour before bedtime. I happened to take all 3 of them one morning by mistake and so I experienced the dizziness. As a partner in this process, I sought a solution to the side effect. Because I am a medical cannabis user, I substituted a 2:1 CBD/THC tincture in the morning and again in the afternoon. I then took all 3 tablets of the gabapentin at night. At first, there was some disorientation but I learned to settle down for bedtime and I slept well. I also noticed that my body adjusted to the medication within a few weeks and the disorientation disappeared.
One side effect that does occur is dry mouth. There are OTC mouthwashes and sprays to help with that. I also carry a Contigo with ice water everywhere I go. Having it at the bedside for those times you wake up with cotton mouth is highly recommended. So...start slowly with one 300mg tablet. After a month, add a second one and then if necessary an additional 300 mg one month later. That cautious process really makes you feel more secure and gives your body time to adjust to the medication. Good luck and please keep posting to let us know how it is working. May you be free of suffering and have a lovely evening......Chris
Replies to "@hurtsalot Good evening and welcome. @johnbishop has asked me to share my gabapentin experience with you...."
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@artscaping @hurtsalot
On the other end of the spectrum, I was prescribed 100 mg capsules of gabapentin for my chemo-induced PN. I tried one and was unable to drive the next day due to extreme brain fog. I pulled apart the capsules and tried to take half the next day, and then a third the day after that... without success. I simply felt unsafe driving even in residential neighborhoods. I then was prescribed venlafaxine. I thought I was doing okay with that until I found myself driving about 40 mph on the freeway... totally oblivious to my (lack of) speed.
Alter a few more unsuccessful prescriptions, I knew that I had to find a non-pharmaceutical. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) was the answer for me. European neurologists have been using it successfully for a long time for neuropathic pain from numerous pathologies. It now is catching on the U.S. and has no known side effects of any kind. After the first three weeks, I began sleeping through the night for the first time in ages. I generally take one 400 mg capsule in the morning and one at night... occasionally one at midday if I have a flare-up.