Gabapentin side effects?

Posted by Sundance(RB) @sundance6, Apr 13, 2019

I am a regular on the Mayo Board! I don't know what I would do without it! Our doctors don't want to discuss openly the things about illnesses and side effets of drugs and other things. Anyway, my question to all of you is Gabapentin and it's side effects. I have been on it now for 6 months. My doctor raised me from 100mg. to now I am on 400mg. three times a day.
The problem is my tiredness! I happen to be in a friends office yesterday and she was taking some medicine. She said she was taking Gabapentin. I asked why and she said she had, had shingles back when and it still helped with the pain. I know the drug is percribed for many things that is why I take it for my issues.
I told her I had been taking it for about 6 months. She asked if I had been tired all the time, just out of the Blue. OF COURSE I SAID YES! She said it took her a year before she got out of the tiredness.
Let me know if any of you have experienced the same thing. Also let me know at what dosage you may be on? I know this is all confidential!
Again Thanks to The Mayo Clinic and Everyone who is kind enough to be open with their lives!
Sundance!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

@lpcongas

I’ve had 4 back surgeries from my S-1 to the T-12 and I’ve been on Gab since 2021 and now reading all of this confirms where all my energy has gone! I’ve been just about everywhere with my family and soon as I get comfortable I start nodding out. It’s been prescribed for my pain and nerves that I’m still having issues with. Now after seeing the surgeon yesterday because of being in a lot of pain it’s my T-11 just above where he left off at the T-12! Now he wants to start all over from the S-1 to the T-10 and also tie in to my pelvis with two screws there to support my entire portion that is an will be fused! I’m not feeling that surgery looking for some help!!

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RUN- don’t walk to the nearest Dr.sounds to me you need a second opinion fast! If the Dr. wants to start all over- either he misplaced your medical chart or he’s
Getting dementia- either way GO Get another Doctors opinion …..fast- before he decides to operate -am sure there’s other alternatives
Funny , I was using gabapentin (for nerve damage) until I took my dog to the vet -Do you know what they prescribed? Yes , indeed
Gabapentin
Cost twice as much at the veterinary
Do your research
Wish you luck & good health

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@jip499

I had intolerable side effects from both gabapentin and pregabalin. I could not walk or talk: I wandered walking (like a drunk), and my words were garbled when I talked. Could not live with those effects so I slowly discontinued.

I’m surprised I have not heard more reports of the effects I had from other users of gabapentin drugs.

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Aaww that's terrible too!! 😢

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@hearthealth00

RUN- don’t walk to the nearest Dr.sounds to me you need a second opinion fast! If the Dr. wants to start all over- either he misplaced your medical chart or he’s
Getting dementia- either way GO Get another Doctors opinion …..fast- before he decides to operate -am sure there’s other alternatives
Funny , I was using gabapentin (for nerve damage) until I took my dog to the vet -Do you know what they prescribed? Yes , indeed
Gabapentin
Cost twice as much at the veterinary
Do your research
Wish you luck & good health

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Oh thank you, and I already have another Dr. that told me he wouldn’t necessarily have to do that as everything there looks good and solid. He would only go to where the other doctor left off at the T-12 and go to the T-10.
Oh and about the GABA for the dogs you’re absolutely correct. My daughter’s dog had to go for X-rays and they weren’t sure as they didn’t see anything wrong but they gave her the same GABA I have and I told her don’t get that again it’s the same mgs I have so she used mine.

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@lpcongas

Oh thank you, and I already have another Dr. that told me he wouldn’t necessarily have to do that as everything there looks good and solid. He would only go to where the other doctor left off at the T-12 and go to the T-10.
Oh and about the GABA for the dogs you’re absolutely correct. My daughter’s dog had to go for X-rays and they weren’t sure as they didn’t see anything wrong but they gave her the same GABA I have and I told her don’t get that again it’s the same mgs I have so she used mine.

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Am so glad you found another
Dr. sounds like your doing a lot better with this knew Doctor- less stress, less worries-this knew Dr sounds like a keeper…sorry to say perhaps the other Dr should be looked into … as far as the gabetin for the dog am glad you looked at the mg ( not too many people look) and just give any amount & there back at the vet’s office.
Wishing you & the pup the best

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@jip499

I had intolerable side effects from both gabapentin and pregabalin. I could not walk or talk: I wandered walking (like a drunk), and my words were garbled when I talked. Could not live with those effects so I slowly discontinued.

I’m surprised I have not heard more reports of the effects I had from other users of gabapentin drugs.

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me too, the same tried gabapentin and pregabalin.
nausea and as you say, drunk in the head also and walking was difficult. what diagnosis do you have? i have neuropathic pain in the whole body especially feet

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I am just starting the higher dose of Gabapentin. I will be anxious to see if it makes me tired and if there are any other side effects. I saw new neurologist and she changed a lot of my meds. I guess we will see.

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@jana13
May I inquire what dose your starting?
Take care,
Jake

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@wsh66

I am appalled that he was given those drugs for cancer pain. I was given Lyrica for the tingling in my feet caused by large doses of chemo. I was in a very compromised situation when this happened, not thinking clearly and definitely experiencing "chemo brain". Lyrica is really expensive and they know damn well it doesn't do much for pain. Lyrica is no better than gabapentin but costs much more. What is really insidious about the scam is that if you take 25 mgs. per day and I take 1200 mgs. per day, which was my actual dose,m we both pay the same price. There is no relationship between how much you use and what you pay. You pay for the privilege of using the drug. Lyrica was instrumental in inspiring the now common term among honest Doctors and Pharmacists, "There are no new drugs, just new names. The thing with pain is that it can really vary in intensity from day to day based on your activity, your mood and the amount of stress you are experiencing due to Medical personnel treating you like a drug addict. It's one thing to pull this smoke and mirrors game on someone with a bad back but to do it to someone with cancer is absolutely unconscionable. Most things like off label uses for drugs that don't work for pain, CBD oil, stretching, meditation, back braces and all forms of electrical stimulation are mostly snake oil and lies that at best will trigger a placebo effect, which can be very helpful but there are better, more effective and cheaper ways to use the placebo effect to improve your health. I am treated for chronic and persistent pain resulting from cancer by one of this countries most respected authorities on pain treatment and deep brain stimulation. According to him, implanted stimulation works for some people with back pain, the rest of it is a bunch of b.s. I saw him yesterday to have my intrathecal pain pump refilled. A little ritual we repeat every 12 weeks. I get the miniscule dose of 3.5 mgs. per day of hydromorphone. It has the effect of about 1000 mgs. taken orally. It has the side effects of 3.5 mgs. or no side effects at all. No sleepiness, no constipation and certainly doesn't get me high. The patient is beyond the suspicion of half assed doctors and nurses who think anyone on pain meds is a drug abuser. That's the best part right there. The availability of these pumps is increasing and just about all insurance and medicare pay for them. I don't think the availability will continue to increase as the number of Medical students pursuing the field of pain management is dropping. When the truth is known about the opioid crisis it will be revealed that the manufacturers were selling these drugs out the back door to organized crime and that well meaning doctors were not the cause. That's what we learned about Quaaludes in the 1970's. If you don't use opioids to get high, you don't experience the euphoria they can create and you do not get addicted. Truth, Love and Blessings

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I see this post is about 4 years old, but I will reply anyway. Took GabaPentin for a time for back pain, but was of no help with ED as a side effect. Got switched to Lyrica/PreGabalin no help for the back pain, but gives a lot of relief for neuropathic pain, but still with ED as a side effect. Enter Baclofen which is a derivative of GABA just like Lyrica and GabaPentin are. So awhile back my pain doc put me on it. Had to quit after 2 days since it made me really tired along with Lyrica and Tramadol. It costs about the same as PreGabalin. Unfortunately the Rx was for 3 months worth so a lot of $$$ down the drain.

Has anyone REPLACED PreGabalin with Baclofen and gotten similar benefit from it? Baclofen is supposed to be better at muscle relaxation.

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Thanks for your post. I have been on 300 Gabapentin twice a day. I have painful foot neuropathy without it. Yes, I deal with lethargy because of the drug, but when I weigh the benefits, I live with the slight fatigue that Gabapentin causes. Perhaps some other product will be developed that treats neuropathy successfully without causing tiredness.

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Good luck to you. Blessings for all of us plagued individuals !

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