Connect
Joint and Muscle pain while on gabapentin?
I’m a light-weight when it comes to medications. While stopping the .5 mg at night of lorazepam for RLS, my doctor put me on 100 mg gabapentin, then increased to 200 mg. I know these are baby doses for many, but not for me. I’ve started having major joint and muscle pain.
Could this be the gabapentin? I take no other meds.
I’m 74, and other than the relentless RLS, in pretty good health.
Thanks for any input from our members.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.
Connect
@ginger123 When I started on Gabapentin, along with Tramadol and diclofenac K for severe pain, I felt all wonky and dizzy for the first few days. As I recall I was on 100 mg three times a day. After a few days everything calmed down and I felt so much better. Today, much of my pain has returned and I am on 600 mg three times a day. Yes. 600 mg. I have peripheral neuropathy, so I'm not sure how much the Gabapentin is helping. Hang in there for a while to see if you acclimate to it, and, most importantly, if it helps you. Wish you well in your journey!
Having been on a benzo (first Xanax 1 mg and then switched to Klonopin 1.5 to 2 mg), taken as directed but for far too long (almost 29 years) before I learned from a Jordan Peterson video that they're supposed to be taken no more than 2-4 weeks, I asked to stop them ASAP. I requested a taper. Was told I didn't need to taper this drug, that I should "just stop."
So I stopped cold turkey, had horrific withdrawal that lasted six solid months, day and night, before any improvement at all. Now I'm diagnosed with "idiopathic small fiber peripheral polyneuropathy." I think the cold turkey withdrawal damaged my nervous system and caused this problem.
In my opinion, your joint and muscle aching is not due to the gabapentin at all. It's the benzo withdrawal. You'll have symptoms, even when slowly tapering off it, but tapering is a far greater solution than cold turkey.