Gabapentin side effects?

Have thoracic back pain and spasms x 4 years now. 2 months ago I started having numbness and tingling in my left arm and calf when getting up out of bed that resolves after I walk around. MRIs show issues in my lunar region however my pain in in the thoracic. I have used Therawork foam but it only works for a couple of hours.

* lumbar

I had a stroke in 2018. Lots of muscle spasms, muscle pain, etc.
I was given a script for gabapentin. Didn't do much one way or another. Don't take it anymore because I didn't want to risk long-term side effects. I have talked with other stroke patients who had the same result, but I recently met another stroke patient who swears by it.

Go figure.

My neurologist prescribes it for neuropathy. It does take the edge off the awful pain for me. But it definitely makes me sleepy. Often when I get that sleepy feeling I do sleep for about 20 minutes and then I wake up more alert. I set my timer bc sleeping more than that during the day is discouraged by sleep experts. Also it makes my forgetful and not as cognitively smart so I don’t take it on work days. I work part time. I do not take it routinely and will often take 1200 milligrams after breakfast and that’s it for the day. This way also I don’t feel I’ll get addicted even though the pharmacist says its really not addictive (but I wonder). Take care !

I tried Gabapentin when I turned 70 for back pain and had significant hair loss. I stopped taking it and my hair recovered.

I have taken Gabepetin for a few years now and am prescribed 300mg , 3x a day. It does make me tired so i have begun taking when i go to sleep. I also try to not take more than 600mg a day. All medications are addictive don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Do your own research . Ever person has their own unique reaction to medications and I personally don’t feel that it is too helpful to share unless there is a common denominator. Most of us have auto immune disorders but they all are very different. Gabepentin is a medication Dr.’s seem comfortable with for many disorders and it is also prescribed to pets. This med has been around a very long time.
One person mentioned hair loss , I have to say I also have experienced some of that however TNF blockers can also cause hair loss as well as methotrexate so now Inam unsure about which med is causing this. I will discuss this with my Dr. Wishing all Good Health!’

Everyone is so right on the tiredness, I used to take 600mg per day but it does make you tired plus I didn't find much relief. After 2 years I stopped it (I never felt the addictive side effects of stopping) and I actually felt better not taking it. I think we are all so different in the way some medications impact us you have to find what works for you. Lyrica was far worse for me as it made me very tired but others swear by it. Chronic nerve pain is such a generic term that is used, and the key is more about the reason for the pain and then finding the solution. My son has chronic fatigue syndrome and severe pain/tiredness and after so many years of different medications we lucked onto ketamine, and it was life-changing on the pain. He now has two wafers a day or 150mg and the pain is manageable plus no Gabepetin or Lyric needed. It is not for everyone but like THC/CBD it is such a misunderstood and forgotten treatment that only now are a few doctors trying it on patients with chronic pain in wafer form. It was a game-changer for his pain as it dulls the floods the pain receptors and makes it harder for pain to use that pathway. If anyone ever uses it, I must recommend goat thistle as a way to help manage the liver. Few know of this, but it keeps his liver function in the normal range whereas before a certain enzyme was high which is the trigger for some doctors to pull the plug on the treatment. His new doctor was amazed how much it helped and began to recommend for his other patients.

One of the causes of my liver cirrhosis was that use of gabapentin which my DO prescribed as if it was candy and in my ignorance I took it without research what it could do to my body. Now I research each drug and if it can affect my liver that is now damaged I tell my doctor that I can't take it and he has to look for something else. The same thing a few days ago with my primary doctor, I saw his APRN , because his patient load he doesn't see new patients. But the ARPN had to go ask him about an antibiotic she wanted to give me and when I asked her if it would hurt my liver or interact with my Fentanyl patch she said she had no idea. Why are these people so uninformed? We are putting our trust in them and their careless attitude is hurting us.

@lildiva4jc
You mentioned, “One of the causes of my liver cirrhosis was that use of gabapentin.”
What were the other cause/s of the Cirrhosis?
What makes you believe Gabapentin played any part, direct or contributory, in your
diagnosis?
That surprises me since Gabapentin is not metabolized in the liver.
You should talk to your pharmacist before taking any medication and thoroughly read any literature that comes along with that medication.you should talk to your pharmacist before taking any medication and thoroughly read any literature that comes along with that medication
Jake

I believe it is more any of the steroids or corticosteroids that negatively affect our livers. Looking to see if anyone has had any luck with dexamethasone?