Neuropathy: Anyone have any experience with gabapentin?

Posted by sjhedcon @sjhedcon, Mar 21, 2020

I have loss of feeling in my feet and tingling sensation. My doctor prescribed gabapentin. I read the side effects and decided not to take this med.
Anyone have any experience with gabapentin?

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I was just put on Gabapentin for tongue cancer pain. I also have neuropathy from chemo in feet and hands. They say walking helps neuropathy. What did yours come from??

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@wascaly

This may not be related to your post, but I decided to bring it up anyway.

I’ve been on Gabapentin many years, even though I never had pain, only numbness. Needless to say, I never got any relief after taking it years and years (27,000 mg per day). I kept taking it, in hopes it would help my ever-so-hbothersome numbness. Well, of course, it never did.

When I finally decided to call a halt to taking useless Gabapentin, I stopped it waaaay too fast. I had insomnia for DAYS. Truly, I didn’t know if I’d ever sleep again - it was that bad. So, to counter this, I reintroduced a small bit of Gabapentin into my regimen, which helped a little. At least I don’t feel like the Walking Dead anymore, but I’m kind of leery to try stopping it altogether.
Anyone have advice on the weaning process?
Thanking all who respond.

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Being on that high of a dose you do not just quit. You quit there can be a lot of nasty side effects including seizures. You need to ask your doctor to slowly taper you off of your current dosage. I can’t take gabapentin due to I am allergic to it. There are times I take 75 mgs in a vegan gel capsule with two Benadryl. My mouth swells up and I itch really bad. The doctors gave it to me after my bacterial spinal meningitis. I thought I was losing my mind. A side affect is it effects your memory I could not remember anything. When the doctors stopped it I could remember. Yet there are times that my body gets in so much pain it feels like that is the only thing that can reset my body where it does not hurt so bad.

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@artemis1886

Being on that high of a dose you do not just quit. You quit there can be a lot of nasty side effects including seizures. You need to ask your doctor to slowly taper you off of your current dosage. I can’t take gabapentin due to I am allergic to it. There are times I take 75 mgs in a vegan gel capsule with two Benadryl. My mouth swells up and I itch really bad. The doctors gave it to me after my bacterial spinal meningitis. I thought I was losing my mind. A side affect is it effects your memory I could not remember anything. When the doctors stopped it I could remember. Yet there are times that my body gets in so much pain it feels like that is the only thing that can reset my body where it does not hurt so bad.

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I am so sorry you had such a horrible time coming off Gabapentin. As I said, the only thing I experienced was horrible insomnia, which I thought would never end. To be honest, I can’t say for sure it’s actually “ended” now, since I’ve have had sleep issues all my adult life. Let me say, THAT, in itself, is torture.

The so-called “sleep clinic” in my town is a joke. They want to ascribe every single sleep problem to apnea. My response to that is, “Don’t you have to actually be ASLEEP to have apnea?” The NP just laughs.

But, I digress. Anyway, I hope sooner or later, you get SOMETHING to relieve your pain. I realize how helpless you must feel, especially when you cannot get medical professionals to listen to you.

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@rca

My neurologist does not recommend the gabapentin because it won't be any good for just numbness. Mostly it helps pain.

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I'm a patient who has tons of pain. I just started using Norro foot massager which is flat but has 7 different modes and lots of different strengths . You charge it like gour phone. I think and hope your feet will have a reaction. Good luck !

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@davidhpress

Gabapentin didn’t do much of anything but Lyrica with a few over the counter supplements has helped me a lot with the neuropathy in my feet. Good luck to you.

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Would you please tell us what over the counter supplements did help you? Thanks

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@davidhpress

Gabapentin didn’t do much of anything but Lyrica with a few over the counter supplements has helped me a lot with the neuropathy in my feet. Good luck to you.

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Also what mg and when do you take your Lyrica? I am taking 100 mg at night and most of the time 25 mg in the morning; but, still am having pain - I hesitate to taking it in the morning because I just want to go back to sleep!!

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I don’t intend to make light of any of our .. well misery..
But my neurologist seemed to think cranking up the voltage on the test would change the result. & what’s with the stabbing needles if it’s not a treatment attempt with acupuncture.
I have really crappy pain specialists & neurologists.
To the actual subject..they’ve tried me on that script more than once. No pain relief. Abdominal pain: liver response =required removal.
I have a low dose norco.. for my multiple issues. I’d be curious, but I feel no side effects other than reduced pain levels.(plus genetic testing results-I have ultra-rapid metabolism for that med). All others give me neurological issues, or are completely ineffective.
* sorry for strange punctuation..autocorrect hates new words.* and the rant..my service animal has an upper respiratory infection, has quit eating over the weekend. But it may be the prescribed antibiotics the vet gave me last week. Please send good vibes..she’s miserable and such a good girl..
Hope everyone has an ok week. No stubbed toes, smashed fingers or falls.(tmi=my personal menus for my weeks..lol) Feel better. Stay safe. And thanks for helping me not feel so alone.

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@rowun4

I don’t intend to make light of any of our .. well misery..
But my neurologist seemed to think cranking up the voltage on the test would change the result. & what’s with the stabbing needles if it’s not a treatment attempt with acupuncture.
I have really crappy pain specialists & neurologists.
To the actual subject..they’ve tried me on that script more than once. No pain relief. Abdominal pain: liver response =required removal.
I have a low dose norco.. for my multiple issues. I’d be curious, but I feel no side effects other than reduced pain levels.(plus genetic testing results-I have ultra-rapid metabolism for that med). All others give me neurological issues, or are completely ineffective.
* sorry for strange punctuation..autocorrect hates new words.* and the rant..my service animal has an upper respiratory infection, has quit eating over the weekend. But it may be the prescribed antibiotics the vet gave me last week. Please send good vibes..she’s miserable and such a good girl..
Hope everyone has an ok week. No stubbed toes, smashed fingers or falls.(tmi=my personal menus for my weeks..lol) Feel better. Stay safe. And thanks for helping me not feel so alone.

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Terrible side effects, its a mood drug.

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@gba

Terrible side effects, its a mood drug.

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Gabapentin at its max dose is the only drug that decreases my neuropathy. If I miss a dose I'm in terrible pain. It's a life saver for me.

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@bettyg81pain

Also what mg and when do you take your Lyrica? I am taking 100 mg at night and most of the time 25 mg in the morning; but, still am having pain - I hesitate to taking it in the morning because I just want to go back to sleep!!

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I have not had sustainable relief from gabapentin and quickly was taking almost the max dose which would bring the pain from a 10+ to a 7-8 which to me was an unsuccessful pain management regime. I’ve recently started on Lyrica and tapered then stopped the gabapentin. I’m currently up to Lyrica 150mg capsules which I’m taking 2 capsules in the am and bedtime then 1 capsule (150mg) midday. I have to use oxycodone 5 mg 2 tabs in the am and bedtime for breakthrough pain as it seems the Lyrica takes about 2 hours to have any effect.
Currently most days I’m running about 4-5 on the pain scale which has made life so much better. I’d like to find a pain regimen that doesn’t use the oxycodone for the long term but the neuropathy pain is significantly better on Lyrica than the gabapentin for me anyways. Hope this is helpful 🙂

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