Has Gabapentin helped anyone out there?

I have idiopathic pn. Mostly numbness and tingling. Internist started me on 600 mg gabapentin at night several years ago; then increased the dosage to 900 mg at night several months later. Now I'm under the care of a neurologist. I decided I'd like to see how I feel w/o the gabapentin. After consulting with the neurologist and with approval and cautions to decrease the dosage VERY SLOWLY - no more than a decrease of less than 10% every two weeks, I've started decreasing. I'm taking 800 mg at night and am starting on the 3rd week of the decrease. What do I notice? I feel more like myself. I don't think there is any increase in pain, but I have serious back pain which has nothing to do with pn. I plan on decreasing down to zero if all goes well. If I find there is a good reason for me to be taking Gapabentin, I'll check with the neurologist, go over the data, and pick out what dose looks good for me.

Certainly, didn't help me!

@blowerk1216
Considering Gabapentin is one of the 5 top selling medications with over seventy million prescriptions written last year and only two FDA approved uses. Over 80% of prescriptions are written for off label uses. For conditions other than postherpetic neuralgia and Focal epilepsy seizures.
I know many who benefit taking it for seizures and neuropathy . Unfortunately it didn't work for my seizures or my neuropathy.
Jake

I took it for a year; then Pregabalin for a year. I’ve stopped both due to no improvement. I have small fiber neuropathy, Sjögren’s syndrome and RLS. Sinemet 25/100, Pramipexole and Tramadol help much more than the Gabapentin or the Pregabalin. When my legs are extremely aching I also apply topical Diclofenac.

I take it for RLS in Horizant form. My neurologist has many RLS patients and he told me that the Horizant does seem to work better than plain gabapentin. But I don't use it alone. I used to use it with a patch but I replaced the patch with the NIDRA machine.

@steveinarizona I tried Gabapentin 100mgs once a day for one month and my doctor increased me to 400mgs per day. I had a really strong reaction with awful panic attacks and anxiety. I didn't sleep for three nights. I wasn't near my doctor at the time so I started weaning myself back slowly over the next six days to one per day for a couple of days and saw my doctor as soon as I returned home. She took me off of it completely. I have to see her again soon.

Has anyone had resultant panic attacks and insomnia when taking Gabapentin?

I have trouble sleeping and relaxing, but don't know if Gabapentin at bedtime helps or not. Doesn't seem to make much difference if I take it or not.
What to do?

@grrranny
I think it all depends upon the dosage you are advised to take. I was on a very large dose of Gabapentin for many years and it worked really well, especially at bedtime. I know this as when I finally stopped the Gabapentin in order to have a nerve stimulator fitted, the pain returned in a powerful way until the nerve stimulator took effect. It appears that Gabapentin works for some and not others. I initially tried Lyrica (Pregabalin) with near disastrous effects including being suicidal. Yet other folks have had success with this drug. I guess your doctor might assist with a change of dose, and perhaps the lack of sleep and anxiety might not be associated with pain.

@jakedduck1
I just started taking it 5 days ago. But, years ago for my hysterectomy the dr hit a nerve and Gabapentin helped me then.