Gabapentin side effects?

I also have fibro so am curious if you take any medications for it that are helpful? My Dr prescribed 100mg of gapabentin, 3x a day, but I never started taking it because I read that such a low dose doesn't do much and your body builds up a tolerance to it so it usually needs to be increased down the road. And it can be difficult to wean off once you start taking it. Thanks.

@ripley
I know a lady who has fibromyalgia, and she takes Lyrica and swears by it. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to help you. As far as seizure medications/gabapentin are concerned it's best to start them slowly because it helps decrease any potential side effects that may occur and seizure medications have to be started slowly. But 300 mg is a very small dose. Many scientists/researchers claim the reason that gabapentin only has a 40 to 50% success rate is because doctors are not prescribing large enough doses. I believe this is true because I know a man only received relief when he started taking 7200 mg. I took the maximum dose of 3600 mg a day, but it had no effect on my seizures or on my neuropathy. Since I had no side effects, I should have asked that the dose continued to be increased. As far as hard to get off of many people go off of it too quickly and so naturally, it causes withdrawal effects and the claim its hard to come off of. Although, There was a member here who was taking an infant testimony, tiny dose, and still having withdrawal symptoms so it does happen but it's not common. as far as needing to be increased down the road, I haven't noticed that with anyone I know who takes it. My brother has taken it for about 20 years and he has always been on the maximum dose of 3600 mg because that was the only dose that worked It worked just as well when he started and it worked just as well now. Me
Best of luck,
Jake

I’ll just add what I experienced with Gabapentin. Last year I was prescribed 100 mg per day to start. I only took it for two weeks and had to stop due to blurred vision. However, it was quite helpful to me. I had no burning in my foot, which was intermittent, nor stinging in my hands during the night. PLUS, it really helped me rest at night and during the day I felt very good…..difficult to explain, but it was a warm and happy feeling. It really helped my anxiety. I loved the med at 100 mg a day, but couldn’t tolerate blurred vision. I did get my eyes checked afterwards and they were ok. I don’t think it is a common side effect.

So, maybe it was a placebo effect, but I can see why people like this med. And, why it might be difficult to wean off of it.

@celia16
Visual side effects are not uncommon in many of the nearly 40 anticonvulsant drugs.
It is possible your blurred vision would have eased or disappeared after taking it a few weeks.
Sorry you had a bad experience.
Take care,
Jake

Thanks, @jakedduck1, I agree with your comments. I, too was taking Gabapentin for at least two years. Along came some pretty disorienting experiences. At first. I replaced it with Medical cannabis during the 6 months or so that it took to get Gabapentin side effect relief. Near the end, my PCP suggested that I stay on at least 200 mg of Gabapentin at night because that would enable me to have nerve pain help created by my SFN.

Well, she was absolutely right. It has been about a year now and I have Gabapentin assistance with the nerve pain, without the craziness of Gabapentin.

Chris

I may be one of the few people that’s helped be gabapentin without side effects. I’m thankful. 600mg twice daily works

I have been taking 1000mg, FOR 3 MONTHS and it has done NOTHING FOR MY SEVER NERVE PAIN IN MY RIGHT QUAD,
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Even though I kept my A1C numbers well controlled, I still got PN. I was prescribed Gabapentin 1000 mg 4× daily for shooting pains in my feet. I still have tingling in my feet and lower legs. I took it for 6-7 years until I learned it, the statins and Metformen destroy the Mylin sheath on nerves which makes PN worse. I was able to cut my dosage in half and started looking into other less destructive aids.

Did NOTHING for me at 3 x 300mg daily. One side effect was ED. A hospitalist doc switched me over to PreGabalin [which my pain doc wouldn't/couldn't prescribe]. Still have the ED, but the neuropathy symptoms have subsided greatly. Late in the evenings I would itch like crazy all over and that is gone.

I have taken gabapentin 600mg daily for chronic pain I really have no problems with it but I am weaning myself off it. I am now taking Half that dose along with 50 mg tramadol twice daily. My pain seems only moderate on most days. I have chronic pain from osteoarthritis and post knee replacement. Accupuncture has been helpful