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Gabapentin use for neuropathy
I just want to know if anyone has used or is still using gabapentin for neuropathy. I had foot surgery in 2015 and l had nerve pain so my surgeon put me on gabapentin and it wasn't once a day or twice a day. He said 3times a day.. So this Monday on the doctors Dr. Stock was talking about the gabapentin and how he was taking it after his surgery and he read about people who were trying to wean themselves off off it and it was hard to do it and if you are taking an opioid it intensify the opoid has anyone had that problem. Because l sometimes take tramadol and l always ask if it's an opioid and everyone says no but when l went online they said it was so l am trying to not take them and when l went to the doctor this week l told them l am only taking the gabapentin 2times a day because l forget the third dose. I told her l am only use to taking meds twice a day so l want to know if anyone had a reaction or difficulty get off gabapentin?
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Hi, yes I do have neuropathy. "Diabetic nerve pain",is what I have been told. 1800mg/dy Gabapentin.
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2 ReactionsThank you!
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1 ReactionThere may be a better group/thread to ask this about neuropathy. I still read about what others experience with this uncomfortable problem. I can take the 400 mg. PRN and only if I am not going to be around others as it does mess with my psyche and I can become cruel with no control over my tongue. Anyone else have this problem with Gabapentin???
I have no idea what causes the discomfort. So many things trigger it and I fear driving as when it hits I cannot feel the steering wheel or gas pedal. I have to be able to drive!!!
Okay, enough drama. Does anyone with thyroid issues have difficulties when the medication dosage changes-with neuropathy. Since I do not always have thus it may not be appropriate to label it neuropathy. What I experience is not the same as stress that can cause numbness in a person.
I am learning still.
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2 ReactionsGabapentin doesn't make me sleepy so I take it in the morning. Lyrica makes me sleepy, I only take it at night. Peggy
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1 ReactionJohn, this is so helpful to know. I've had chronic tingling and numbness in both feet and legs.
I finally got a work up. Labs are normal. Muscle & nerve conduction studies are normal.
The neurologist said we could do a skin punch to confirm small fiber but regardless of result treatment would be the same; i.e., Gabapentin 100 mg at bedtime and PT. I'm really not in pain per se, just uncomfortable. I feel like I have socks wadded up in my shoes. I like to walk and when I get a stride going, I'm OK but it does make me tenuous in my steps. So, the PT is to work with balance. At first I was just going to take a wait and see approach. I'm 71. But I decided to give the Gabapentin a try because the idea that I might sleep better was appealing. It seemed to work for one night in that respect but as for the physical symptoms, I almost feel things are worse. But right now I'm pretty sedentary and somewhat anxious because I'm helping my husband to recover from hip replacement. That might be a contributing factor.
I'm almost at the end of the 30 day Rx and now that you mention it only addresses pain, I will forget about that. My initial PT eval last week was very thorough and informative. I will have a second visit next week and receive more exercises to strengthen my balance.
Due to insurance issues I have to change PCPs and get new referrals.
May I ask when you progressed from numbness to pain? The Neurologist thinks I probably do have neuropathy. It's just under the radar at this point.
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1 ReactionHi @pah17, My neuropathy symptoms have only been numbness with a little tingling but never had any associated pain with the neuropathy. My symptoms started in my mid 50s and I'm now 80. Although I still have the numbness I do feel as though I've had some feeling returning to my feet since I was diagnosed in 2016 and started looking for things that might help my symptoms. I posted my neuropathy journey in another discussion here if you want more details - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/
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2 ReactionsGabapentin and tramadol make my world livable . I had been on Lyrica . It almost killed me . It is an evil med.
Gabapentin (so far) is the only thing controlling my neuropathy symptoms. I take 600mg, three times per day. I space them as close to eight hours apart, and I definitely notice if my timing of a dose is off by more than two hours. Missing a dose negates the effect for me, and I find myself struggling with my symptoms until the medication is steadily back in my system. You may want to have the conversation with your doctor about the difficulty in adhering to a three dose per day schedule. It is valid to bring up.
My doctors have always told me that if I wanted to transition off of gabapentin for another drug, I would have to stair-step down from the doses I am taking over several days to a couple of weeks. I was also introduced to my current doses in stages, with pauses to gauge effectiveness.
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1 ReactionWould you please tell me how you feel differently taking the gabapentin vs the Lyrica? I'm on Lyrica and do take tramadol. Thanks!!
We have a similar experience with Gabapentin. I take 600 first thing in the morning, 600 in mid-afternoon, and just 300 at bedtime. Lyrica did not help at all though I didn’t have side effects. The 3 doses a day has finally been easier since I set my phone to give a pleasant alarm at 3:30pm.
The Gabapentin does not totally relieve my symptoms, but it does make them tolerable. I only take 300 at bedtime because the night’s rest relieves a lot and not moving around while asleep, there’s no rubbing on my skin which is a main source of pain for me.