MayoClinic.org
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?
Chris (@artscaping), Thank you for sharing your experience with gapabentin. It helps a lot. Are you getting ready to head west or are you still here in Minnesota? Wished I could escape the winter sometimes although I think it makes me appreciate the other seasons a little more.
Have a great weekend! John
Just arrived in Idyllwild——sunny on the mountain. I really like MN and I LOVE my mountain. Best of both worlds.
I spent a couple of summers at a church camp in Idyllwild – beautiful area. If I remember right we use to take a drive through the mountains on the Rim of World Highway in the summer and it was a real treat for us kids.
There are quite a few churches with camps here. Most are tucked away in a valley surrounded by mountains. Timothy Leary had a compound here. There is a Ronald MacDonald camp for kids with cancer where my granddaughter taught horsemanship. Also the states largest Boy Scout camp and a separate one for the girls. Maybe soon they will join hands.
I take 1200 mg of Gabapentin and 50 mg of tramadol 3times a day for PN and they help but sometimes nothing helps near the end of 6to7 hours.
I’ve backed off Gabapentin from 600 mg 3/day to 300 mg 2/day after almost a year when I realized that I could deal with the pain but not the numbness in both legs and up into the groin and finding that Gabapentin did nothing for the numbness. I’m researching the possibility of having hand controls installed in my car as driving with the numbness is a dangerous nightmare. Has anyone had experience with hand controls?
Not to be alarmist, but I have had two things happen with Gabapentin. First, when my father was seeing a neuro doc for his cognitive impairment, she told him to stop taking Gab. immediately as it causes brain fog and impairs short-term memory. I was taking 4000 mg/day and weaned myself off it. I could never tell that it really helped with my pain (pancreatic), but my pain management Dr. said it would allow my opioids to be more effective, but I have noticed no difference w/out it in regards to my pain medication. I have, however, been more alert and my memory is not as fuzzy from day-to-day. This may just be the effect it had on me and my dosage was extremely high.
Been researching hand controls for 6 months, and here in Florida it’s quite a process. You have to be evaluated by a professional licenses evaluator, who then gives you a prescribed if approved. The hand controls can be installed either as temporary or permanent, but most mechanics prefer the permanent ones (which cost a bit more.) After installation you are required to take a test from DMV. I have not begun it yet, but like you my legs are dangerously numb and hand controls will be necessary to retain independence. I don’t know what the procedure is in your state…I really don’t want to sound negative or discouraging, but there are quite a few requirements in Florida. Good luck. I admire your tenacity.
First I called Kempf which seems to be the top of the line for hand controls, but when I was told that cost is usually between $9,000 and $11,000, I realized that I’d have to explore less expensive (WAY less expensive!) options. A call to United Access here in Missouri revealed a process similar to Florida’s: 1. Letter from a doctor (I said I’d wait until I saw a neurologist in St. Louis because I expect/hope that he will be more knowledgeable about small fiber polyneuropathy than most neurologists.) 2. Referral for a “Driving Evaluation” at one of the local hospital systems. No mention of a DMV test, but I suspect that’s part of the process. I asked about any insurance coverage, but he couldn’t give me anything. I’ll stay in touch with you, keeptrying, and share any further information.
@steeldove, @keeptrying, @annmayo79 — losing the ability to drive was the alarming thing for me when I started researching where my PN was going. It had gotten to just below both knees when I finally stopped ignoring it and got tested to get my diagnosis – idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuopathy. That was in March of 2016. I’m fortunate because my PN is only numbness. I’ve never had any associated pain with the PN. The discussion I had with my Mayo neurologist sent me to doing my own research. He basically told me there are no oils, creams or topicals that will make the numbness go away.
I am not a doctor, have no medical training or experience so the only thing I can tell you is my own personal experience. I found and started taking some over the counter vitamins and supplements that have helped with the numbness. I started taking the protocol of supplements and vitamins last Sept 2016 and by Dec 2016 the numbness was just above the ankles instead of just below the knees. Not much but enough to let me know it was helping and it had stopped the PN from getting any worse. There are a lot of scams out there so you really need to do you own research. If you want to more information on what has worked for me, here is a link where I shared my story with all the links and associated information.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anyone-here-dealing-with-peripheral-neuropathy/?pg=43#comment-65985
I would not wish PN on anyone and if yours is idiopathic, well, in the words of an 80+ year old neurologist from the University of Minnesota that I heard at the Minnesota Neuropathy Associations 20 year celebration meeting in Sept 2016 — the term idiopathic when referring to PN is named after an idiot neurologist who diagnosed it. He was my favorite speaker of the meeting. One other tidbit of information he left us with — if you live long enough, everyone gets neuropathy – nerves die. Love his humor and his research studies that he’s still working on. Interesting read if you like research — here’s the link to his lab and research project list:
http://kennedylab.med.umn.edu/project-list
John
Not wanting to be an alarmist either. Gabapentin turned me into a ferocious she dog without a conscience. Had not a clue what had happened to me. I deal with the neuropathy. Meds and I do not mix well.
Yup…mess with the mind they do.