Gabapentin side effects?

@artscaping
Thank you for responding. I am so glad to hear you have found the right regimen for your pain control from SFN. I have been on the same dose of 600mg/ day of Gabapentin for over 3 years. Side effects have been steadily increasing, especially cognitive impairment. I now have been diagnosed with gastroparesis as well. I have pudendal neuralgia as well as SFN, and do need pain management. I have been with Mayo Clinic for 3 years, seeing GI, PT, pain management psychologist, pain management course, pudendal nerve block from anesthesiologist, and a host of tests. At the end of 2023 they are no longer taking my insurance , so I now have to start over with new doctors. I would love to get off Gabapentin, Your experience with medical cannabis is encouraging. I have only tried a small amount of CBD oil and that was several years ago, and it made me very irritable, Do you have any side effects with it. I can’t take ibuprofen due to stomach irritation. I would also love to be able to locate a pt who does myofascial release. I appreciate any fir their info you have to offer. Thx.

Thank you for responding. I have been taking 600 mg/day of Gabapentin for over 3 years. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis only 2 months ago, so I’m not sure there is a connection, tho it’s possible I had it long before the actual diagnosis thru the gastro emptying test, I would like to get off the Gabapentin due to increasing side effects. I do see a pain specialist, but he won’t refer me for back stimulator. He doesn’t approve of them. Let me know what you find out. I understand that there is a new stimulator more directed at nerve pain. Mayb there is hope.

@jenatsky
Gabapentin itself is not a dangerous drug like the fear mongers on the internet claim. Sure mixing drugs can be dangerous if abused especially with other powerful substances or used in some people who take opioids. This is why I recommend that gabapentin and other drugs be titrated more slowly or take time release drugs to help decrease the possibility of side effects. Gabapentin itself is a safe drug for a great many people. Admittedly, some people have side effects and some have to discontinue using the medication because of those side effects. Also, taking opioids and Gabapentin together can be perfectly safe. I took gabapentin three separate times from 900 mg to 3600 mg and always took opioids with it, including Percocet and fentanyl without any issues. Many people with seizures and neuropathy take gabapentin and benefit greatly I hope the internet fearmongers don't prevent people from trying gabapentin.
Jake

I took it two nights to confirm the graphic, violent psycho dreams were from the drug. Scary stuff.

My doctor put me on Gabapentin after he performed surgery on my spine. The dosage was 300 mg. at bedtime. It wasn’t prescribed for pain but to help me sleep. And I did sleep…..sometimes for 10 hours. When I would wake up, I would be terribly off balance and forced to use a rollator. So, my Internal medicine doctor reduced the dosage to 100mg. At bedtime but that dosage did not help me sleep. So she upped it to 200 mg. at bedtime and that was the right dose, I still have the off-balance problem but I am not certain that the problem stems from the GABA but from the actual spinal surgery. Not only do I have a balance problem but I also get very sleepy in late afternoon which never happened before the surgery or taking Gabapentin, I don’t know what to do because now I have to use a rollator to get around because I have fallen three times without it and since I also have Osteoporosis, I cannot afford to break another bone (which I did on two separate occasions. ). There do not seem to be any answers for my problems, so I just live with them and I ask God to get me through each day . I am sure nothing I have said will help you but now you are on my prayer list and perhaps my prayers will be answered for all your problems to just go away! God bless!!!
Yvie

Do your research very carefully on that spinal cord stimulator I read up on it and I decided not to get it goes right into your spinal cord🤔🤔🧐

I was on gabapentin for three years. It causes you to be off-balance sleepy you’re like living in the zone all the time I finally got off I think it causes more pain. It was OK when I got off until I had other procedures done numbing shot and the pulse radio frequency, it made me worse now I’m back on Lyrica but I gotta get off of that now too. It’s not good.

Romans,
I told the doctor 6 years ago I didn't want it, because spinal surgery is what caused my neuropathy. I'll just keep using the compounded cream and very minimal gabapentin.
I wish you well.
Carol

It's just crazy to me, that with all the medical advancements, nobody can fix neuropathy!

Good evening @romans8. I am so devastated to hear about your insurance denial. I have been caught up in that issue also. To maintain my financial support for my "neuropathic itch" situation I cannot change my insurance in any way. To receive support for my new and helpful incontinence medication, I must change my insurance. So I feel like I am being caught between that famous rock and a hard place.

Let's get you some MFR information. As you and I both know, SFN and other neuropathies are progressively painful. Two years ago I realized that it was time to add another MFR session to my weekly calendar. I also now have two therapists at every session. To introduce you, @jenniferhunter has created a discussion about MFR on Connect. Here is the link.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
I have counted on MFR for 10 years to keep me active and physically self-supporting. At one point, I jumped away......thinking I could just do more of my Mayo rehab routines. That was quite a lesson and I will no longer be caught trying to deny the increasing pain.

So take a look at MFR and I will see if I can help a little bit more with medical cannabis. Because you create your own prescriptions it does take some time to learn how to stay on top of the available options. I use only tinctures and topicals. Gummies are popular and yet I find them more inconsistent.

I use a get-up-and-go tincture "recipe" for the morning, combining CBD and THC at a 1:1 level. Then in the evening, I slow it down a bit to a 2:1 CBD/THC which permits an uninterrupted and restful sleep. Do you live in MN? If not.....where do you live? I try to keep a state-by-state list of the legal issues. I do strive to make sure that I include enough THC to create the entourage effect.

In the last year or so, I have reduced my Gabapentin to 200 mg at bedtime from 2400 mg. Together with my PCP, we are keeping up with the demand for more control without side effects or irritants.

So....that's about it. Let me know if you have additional questions.

May you hold yourself in great compassion.
Chris