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Gabapentin -Diarrhea

Has anyone found a good way to combat the worst effects of Diarrhea?  I eat only 2-3 oz food at a time and I take fiber tablet 1/2 hour before each meal.  I can sort of deal with the gas/diarrhea - I just need to get rid of the urgency to go to the bath room.  I travel for work so it is a big issue for me. My pharmacists did nto know of anything that could help.
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Avatar universal
I have been on heavy levels of neurontin for years to help with neuropathic pain. diahrrea began several years after starting so this is different from other posts. Digestive clinic included 2 colonoscopies, never put it together with the neurontin as cause of diahrrea.  I take capful of pepto bismol immediatedly before neurontin tabs to successfully offset the symptoms.  Assume faster acting than pepto tabs but will try those.

Lyrica is something u might consider, more effective for some than neurontin for certain pain and easier on the digestive system

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Avatar universal
I too am taking Gabapentin. I am having extreme Diarrhea as well. My dad is a MD.  Imodium a-d is over the counter and has been working for me thus far. My stomach still hurts a little and is not right. But the explosions have stopped lol. Diarrhea is not common with gabapentin so doctor's don't seem to associate it with this drug. I'm seeing it all over the internet on blogs like this. It's listed as an unknown side affect. Hopefully it stops as our body gets used to the drug.
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Avatar universal
4800 mg. gabapentin daily for nerve pain, for past 3 years.  Chronic diarrhea ever since.  Dr. swears it cannot be from Gabapentin; I am having a colonoscopy on Monday to rule out?  whatever.  But I think it is a damn coincidence that my diarrhea began exactly when my dose of meds jumped up dramatically.

I will not ever go off Gab, no matter what.  I would have to take morphine to combat the pain in my fingers, and the gab. is a miracle drug for me.  

But it is a bit of a relief to see all these posts from other people with the same problem.  

I have tried immodium, but not much help.  Maybe I will try pepto bismol....
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Avatar universal
Has anyone had diarrhea so bad that they can't make it to BR in time while taking gabapentin in larger doses? This is the most humiliating thing I have ever been through! Kris61gran
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5955127 tn?1377309366
ugh, I just started taking Gabepenin for fibromyalgia, I can't stop pooping, I cant even trust a fart, i will think i passed gas unil i go to a restroom and see diharea. I take anti dihrea pills and wear pads, i dont know wha to do and I have to run to the bathroom what feels like every 10 mins. I am a stay at home mom, but I want to take my kids out,dog for a walk,exercise,clean,shop etc. and I cant, please someone help me!
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1 Comments
You need to go on the brat diet. Eat less and drink more and try Ant diarrheal meds.
Avatar universal
haha, whatever works, I suppose! I would love for a gene-specific medication! But I suppose you would have to get passed the stem cell research laws first. I don't see how else you could really do it, aside from soemthing resembling a skin graph, where they take your DNA and form a medication blended with it... Someday, hopefully in our lifetimes!

With some of my pain I've done my weird things. When I was fainting, I used to hit my head against the wall. Not very hard, but I did, because it was better than passing out or having a headache.

It's good to hear things worked for you! I remember when I went to Motley Crue last June, I was freaking out the whole time because I thought I was going to get sick. Thankfully I didn't, and got to see Nikki Sixx all the way through...
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Avatar universal
Thanks! I am still working on it, but getting closer- seem it like 2-3 immodium per day to control. I am waiting for the 'multi symptom' type to arrive so that should fix the discomfort too.  Went to a heavy metal concert and did survive without problems -so that was great!!!.  Medication; I know what you say; I was happy to finally get permission to stop taking seizure medications (had a grand mal seizure right after brain surgery).  There is always side effects - I look forward to the day they can make gene-specific medication so they are tailored to suit individuals; no more side effects!  When my back pain was severe (could not walk without crothes..) I used to bang on top of my hand with a metal bar so the brain at least temporarily would only notice hand pain an not back pain. A little extreme, but it worked LOL
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Avatar universal
Sounds good :) Thank you.

I go in to neuro on Tuesday. I'm going to ask about this for sure. It sounds like it could be able to work. I'm willing to do anything at this point that doesn't include upping my medication. I'm not big in to medicating unless is absolutely needed, and at this point I fee like there's still more that I could do to help myself without drugs.

So how is your condition going? Are you feeling better?
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Avatar universal
School: I can not imagine why the would not allow you to use that one all day in school; it has less electronics than an I-phone...and all together harm less/tiny and can be hidden under clothes.  Mind you  am am not familiar with the School system - I grew up in Europe (Denmark) .
The unit does block some of the nerve signals to the brain and should therefore work for you. Most physical therapy have these unit - so you could opt to go there for a couple of hours try...My knee pains are 'bone' related and I can feel the pain go down when I wear it. Also keep in mind; any pain in an areas cuases the mussle to be real tight/unhappy. Just getting them to relax cut back on pain & irritation.
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Avatar universal
We have Blue Cross Blue Sheild and it's been really gracious to us so far (we get blood work for free, low copay for emergency room visits, etc). Good to hear it can travel easily.

I was wondering if this is just for musculoskeletal pain or if I put it over an area that hurts internally will it still work? And do you think my school would allow me to have a small unit kept in the nurses office if I have a note?
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Avatar universal
Funny stuff; but I think jokes helps the body heal it self a little; like "mind over matter"  My small portable one (like 6 oz - which can hand in your belt or around your neck) I never had any problems with that one in the airport. You can always keep the invoice/packing list in the pouch so you can proof it is medical equipment. I have PPO insurrance and it was fully covered. I got mine 10 years ago and they still repair for free...not that it breaks much.  I also purchased a really big unit (16 pads) on my own accord for home use. Cash price was $500.  A lot of the time I wear my portable constantly - the battery easily last all day.  And yes easy to do your self at home; just put the 'sticky pad' on where it hurts and the other one right next too. It has to be on soft tissue (not bone) for the electrical current to be effective. It is like a really deep massage and at the same time the electrical current prevents some of the nerve signals from reaching your brain.  My friends actually comes to my house just to use my mega-unit when something hurts - sore back etc. While empi sells the sticky pads - you can often find them cheaper online www.medicalproductsonline.org  I got a HUGE bag there for $60 - which will probably last me 2 years. I love TENS because it cuts back on the pain making it more durable and at the same time NO SIDE EFFECTS! YEAH!
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Avatar universal
I like the jokes :) That's what I try to do though few people either pick up on it or actually find them funny. I have one two friends who do as much of a medical relay as I do, and they'll laugh. My mom is one of the best, though, because she'll sit there talking about which doctors she prefers, parking times---everything that is absolutely irrevlevant to what we're actually at the hospital for. It deffinately comes in handy on surgery days. The first time I had my arms operated on there was an emergency on another patient so we got in later, and the whole time she's sitting there making jokes about how zombies have taken over the hospital like in "28 Day's Later"...

I'm deffinately going to talk to my neuro about this TENS thing. From my understanding of what I've gathred online, you can do this at home without problems? And do you know how much of the cost is covered by insurence? I'm also guessing that when it comes to traveling this is covered under the Medical Equiptment Act for air travel, where you can take all needed equiptment with you... Or so I would hope... :) (Those airport people can be such a pain sometimes. They tried to confinscate my massager for my arm. I actually had to pull out my note from my neurologist saying I needed it to calm down the security people...)
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Avatar universal
It just seems sometimes like you knock out one thing, and a new thing pops up,; Oh yeah I know that one!  frustrating!.  I tried very hard to make humor out of it...makes it a little easier.  Just posted several jokes about diahrrea on my FB last nite...which actually had me laugh out loud; Like 'spank me (if you dare!)  or '"hence forth all my jokes wil be ******" BTW; a number of OTC's are cheaper on drugs.com.   TENS:The equipment is an RX item - and you have life time free repair. See web site: www.EMPI.com   . Same electrodes  are also used to control parkinson and other symptoms of the brain..as in operated in.  I use my TENS frequently as pain blocker. It does not kill the pain but it makes it durable and one can avoid the narcotic pain killers.
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Avatar universal
I hear ya:) I've gotten quite a few looks at the grocery store when I'm shopping on my "medical re-stock" days---bandages, tapes, various medications that are OTC and RX, special waters and drink mixes. These people probably think I'm a hypocondriac or something!

I've never herd of TENS before but I'll do my research and ask my neuro next week. The shaking is just so annoying. At first, my mom was saying it's probably just whatever happens with my dad's side of the family---they shake pretty badly, 24/7, but the doctors claim there's "nothing wrong", though sometimes I think there might be a dopamine issue... Anyway, when the shaking kept getting worse she asked my dad when his set in, and he said  not til his 30s, hence our worries... It just seems sometimes like you knock out one thing, and a new thing pops up, you know? Very annoying.

Thanks for the tip :)
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Avatar universal
Sorry to hear about your problems. I think there is a way to  prevent elctrolyte problems. If you drink gatorade (in lieu of all the water) with your fiber tabelets - at least then the minerals gets a chance to absorb into your system..before they are flushed out.  Pain/shaking; ask your neurologist about TENS unit they can block some of the nerve signals to the brain. In servere cases they can also implant near your spinal cord to block much more effectively there; perhaps the solution for shaking?  After my back surgeryright side of my body was shaking so bad I could not even make it to the bathroom; The tens unit pads took care of like 80% of it..  I fun dthe imodium has a 'multi symptum' tablet that also deals with the cramps - I am going shopping!
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Avatar universal
For the speech, take a pill before you go up to hold things off. That's what I do before I go to school. I've noticed it really helps.

Sadly, its not so easy for me. I did not have a brain tumor, but the tumor was on my arm. It's called a benign dermal fibrous hisitocytoma. It hurts like crazy and it's horrible to deal with. My dad developed this shaking problem when he was in his 30s, but now I'm shaking a lot at 16 and I don't know what I'm going on. I'm bringing it up to my neurologist next month because it's bothering me :/

I've had headaches, dizziness, and fainting spells since I was little due to an electrolyte embalance. Unfortunately, I think that may be what's happening, only its getting worse.
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Avatar universal
Thanks! Misery loves company so great to get your feed back.  Also good to know there is hope ahead.  In two weeks i have to do two full day presenations for big crowds of people and i can't run to bathroom very 30 min! LOL.
Odd about the tumour; was yours a brain tumor?  I had a beneign brain tumor removed in September last year. While it helped the headache some - a lot was left and I ended up on gabapentin after trying 6 other medications.  Your shaking; Might be seizure related if your tumor was a brain tumor. I was shaking really bad initially but it went a away when they upped my KEPPRA.
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Avatar universal
The anti-diarrhea pill that I take is just a generic one from wal-mart. It literally just says "Anti-Diarrhea" on the box. I found it on a whim, actually. I was out of the liquid and I was desperate because I didn't want to take it, so I bought the first pills I found.

I also had the dizziness and blurred vision. I have some problems with electrolytes, so it messes all that up. It's a bit of a pain, but I find that the easiest thing to get through. Just push through it, that's the way I see it.

I've been on Gaba for about a year and a half now. I've got the diarrhea totally under control. I've got some intestinal issues and when they "flare up" I've noticed the Gaba makes it worse. But this is rare. I originally ttook gaba for a surgery I had to remove a benign tumor and now I think the pain is coming back. I've been shaking at lot lately, so I think I might have to do another medicine change :/

I've noticed that when the dosage increased last time (I'm on 600mg three times a day) I had the worst stomach pain EVER. But milk seems to help, as well as apple sauce. I think something about the liquid helps it absorb in the blood or something faster, but you don't get the serious side-effect.
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Avatar universal
I hate the liquids too! What pills do you take?   I have only been on gabapentin for 3 weeks  2400 mg/day. The drowsines/blurred vison one can get pass relatively easy - but the dam diarrhea is a *****!.  So after a year do you see the diarrhea  is less intense?
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Avatar universal
I have this same problem with my gabapentin! I do the same things as you, but I also take an over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication as soon as the cramps start. There are pills that you can take (which is what I prefer) or you can take liquid, like Kaopectate or Malox. I'm not going to lie, the liquids are like drinking flavored chalk-water, but they work so well I just put up with it.

How long have you been on Gaba? It tooks me almost a year to fully adjust to the medication's side-affects.
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