Stopped being stubborn!

I have just increased my Gabapentin from 900mg a day to 1200mg a day after resisting this for ages (even though GP and doctor on drug trial suggested it). I think that part of me did not want to up the dose yet but I thought about what I would have said to someone else on the forum and realised that I needed to listen to my own advice!  "Don't live with pain and discomfort...it uses up your energy!"

After 2 days it has helped with the tingling and pins and needles and pain is not breaking through so early before next dose so hopefully this small increase was what I needed to do.

Cheers for now

Sarah

[Sarahsmom46]

We can be stubborn to a fault sometimes.  I am taking 1200mg a day of gab having started off at 600.  I have noticed that it helps and have been stable on that dose for the past 2 months.  Hope it stays that way, knock on wood.

I used to think thathaving to increase a dose means the med isn't working any more and I couldn't handle the idea that it wasn't working or maybe it meant my symptoms were getting worse.  But I realized as time went on that any medicine can lose its effectiveness especially when you take it every day. We see that with antibiotics all the time.  So if that happens, we up the dose and thankfully we can do that with these drugs.

The part I hate more than increasing the dose is to have to quit it altogether and start a new drug.  Feels like the whole process starts all over again.

On the bright side, and there is a bright side, I appreciate having a medication that can help me function and keep my quality of life at a reasonably good level.  

That said I am happy you made a decision to listen to their advice and give this a try.  And the best part of all is that it is helping you.  

Take care and continue to feel better.  

Julie

[Sarahsmom46]

We can be stubborn to a fault sometimes.  I am taking 1200mg a day of gab having started off at 600.  I have noticed that it helps and have been stable on that dose for the past 2 months.  Hope it stays that way, knock on wood.

I used to think thathaving to increase a dose means the med isn't working any more and I couldn't handle the idea that it wasn't working or maybe it meant my symptoms were getting worse.  But I realized as time went on that any medicine can lose its effectiveness especially when you take it every day. We see that with antibiotics all the time.  So if that happens, we up the dose and thankfully we can do that with these drugs.

The part I hate more than increasing the dose is to have to quit it altogether and start a new drug.  Feels like the whole process starts all over again.

On the bright side, and there is a bright side, I appreciate having a medication that can help me function and keep my quality of life at a reasonably good level.  

That said I am happy you made a decision to listen to their advice and give this a try.  And the best part of all is that it is helping you.  

Take care and continue to feel better.  

Julie

[RedFlame]

I'm so glad you are allowing yourself to increase the Gaba.  It's actually a sign of taking care of yourself.  Like you said,  living in pain depletes not only your energy but also your immune system.

((((Hugs))))

[twist330]

Hi Sarah
I'm glad the gabapentin is working for you. I'm afraid that after 9 months of not being given any medication to relieve ny neuropathic pain when offered 900mg of Gabapentin I jumped at it. I was sure it was the answer to my problems. Unfortunatley it made no difference so last week my dose was up to 1800mg a day so far it still dosen't seemed to have touch the pain other than knocking me out for a few nights sleep.

At my last appointment they also talked about talking amitriptlyne before I go to bed but I must admit that I couldnt see the point of talking more drugs at that time of day when it is during the day I have the problem. Is this me being stuborn or practical? LOL.

I could not be offered any explination as to how this extra drug taken at night would help with pain during the day.

[Quixotic1]

Well, you are over thinking how an additional med might help.  the addition of a low dose of Amitriptyline at bedtime is a well-established tool in controlling both chronic regular pain and neuropathic pain.  the combination of the two drugs is far greater than either drug alone.  I recommend that you try it.  Many people here have been helped by it a great deal.

The explanation is that A is synergystic in it's pain relief capabilities.  The pain relief often continues all the next day.  Don't ask how here, it just does.  

See if the bedtime addition is helpful and if it wears off, perhaps an additional smaller dose (A causes sleepiness) might be used during the day.

Treating pain is really more of an art and it pays to look to what has worked for a lot of people, even if there is not a good logical reason for it.  Believe me.  Adding A at night is a proven step.

q

[Sparkysarah]

Thanks for all your helpful and supportive comments. I jsut wanted to add to Quix's response to Twist330 that I fully endorse taking the Amitriptyline at night. Again I  was resistant to this at first (more drugs was not appealing) and particularly as I was fierecely against the idea of taking an antidepressant. I had taken them on and off for 3 years, ten years ago for depression.

However, I listened to the advice I was given from my GP and neuorologist, and other people's comments and realised and understaood that I was not being given it because I was depressed, but that it was to help with neuropathic pain and to make me sleep better.

I think that when it is combined with Gabapentin it gives my body the rest it deserves and needs at night. I started on 10mg, then went up to 20mg which for me was too much as I felt too drowsy in the morning and so I am now back to a very small does of 10mg. I would strongly recommend that you try it, give it a few weeks and then reflect. You have choice and control of what you take and if it does not help or work then you could always stop taking it.

So thanks once again to you all...I feel reassured and realised that sometimes however much we want to fight this condition, it is not sensible when there is an easy solution to make life more comfortable.

Love S x

[twist330]

Thanks so much Quix & Sarah for the explination of Amitriptyline (I wish drug names were easier to spell!).
I have to ask myself why the Dr didn't explain this too me (it was actually his registar I was seeing on that occassion). Good job I have this forum to get the facts.

I go back in 2 weeks so I will be quite prepared to give it a go.
Thanks again.

[Mike_Shuswap]

Good for you Sarah. I'm glad you chose to try to lessen the pain rather than learning to live with it.

I too am at 1200 mg Gabapentin now. I was instructed by the relapse nurse to go from 900mg to 1200mg to help combat TN pain, so I did.

A couple weeks after the TN was more or less under control, I went back down to 900mg.....big mistake...the TN came back full force and I had to increase to 1200mg again.

Now, after a couple months at 1200mg, I'm considering another increase to 1500mg because I'm experiencing what I think is more TN related pain (ear aches and stabing pain in my temple)

I'll check with the relapse nurse first. I don't know if I hope it's just that my sx are getting worse, or the Gabba's effectivness is dropping for me.

Either way, I know one can safely use up to 3600mg a day. At the rate I've been increasing, I'l be at 3600 within 2 years....then what?

Take care

Mike

[Csativa]

Hi Sarah,

Good decision Sarah. Not that my opinion really matters all that much.  However, here's my two and ½ cents worth, although it's probably overpriced!  I don't think it is being stubbron at all.  Not wanting to take too many drugs can be a healthy response.  In my case, however, I took it to an extreme.

I had been taking a daily dose of gab - 2700 mg daily, for about 10 years (my total daily count is 47 pills + 1 injection daily 11 for high BP alone.)  The high BP is probably from stress from too many copays.   LOL

So in all of my “infinite wisdom,” or should I say lack thereof,  I decide to be a bonhead and slowly reduce the gab. from 2700 to 900 mg daily (w/o telling my doctor.)   And "lo and behod," just as I expected, it did not work. LOL    

My reason for the reduction - I felt I would eventually become acclimated to the gab where it would no longer be effective and there would be nothing else available.  I failed to realize that I had been taking it for about 10 years with relative success.  My GP/neuro basically gave me the same advise as you gave and received - why deal with the pain/discomfort when you have an effective tx at your disposal.  So, for better or worse, I finally concluded that if I were taking the drug anyway, why not take it at an effective dose.   It's not as if an extra 900 mg was going to kill me.  

Overheated, confused, overdrugged.

Frank