Joint and Muscle pain while on gabapentin?

@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.

I've been taking 1200mg 3 times a day for a few years now, and all it does is dull the pain, which is exactly what my doctor told me.

No significant side effects I hope. I’ve read about some folks having bad side effects from it.

Daughter has been on gabapentin 3 years for herniated disk.

She is slowly coming off it,
She had side effects of muscle and joint paint in both legs. That is listed as a side effect. She also had weight gain and breast size increase which are symptoms. She is now a size G.

Seems to have osteoarthritis in both knees and is only 46.

Stick to your taper, don't stop cold turkey.

Wishing you well.

I'm currently taking 9 different prescription drugs, so if I am having any side effects, I wouldn't know which one was causing what.

I was on 200 mg once a day for three weeks. Do I still need to taper?

I was referring to tapering your benzo. Is that what you meant also?

I have the whole works for the pain, including metal spine, hip, knee, put a slowly healing major wound in my food when in a wheelchair, this and that and some recent skin cancer. I guess I "get it." I take 1200 per day, plus the kitchen sink. I am 71. My physician told me that Gabapentin is well tolerated and can be increased well beyond the 1200. Keep in mind, for chronic pain I have not found a solution, only management in a very wide sense. Talk to your doctors, do research, see if there are alternatives. Other meds are more easily tolerated in general-like Buspar, Tramadol. It is all individual reactions. Do not play doctor. If you are self tapering from benzos then I urge you to be very very careful, as you are really rolling the dice in a big casino. Only a qualified physician should be consulted. That is even in a wide sense, like Chinese acupuncture.