Side affects and Gabapentin?

[Udkas]

Hi I know we have had this discussion before but now it's relevant to me. :-) so please forgive me if I ask a question that has been asked before.

I have always taken Gabapentin without any real side affects but my dosage was only 900mg a day.  I am now taking 1800mg a day and feel incredibly ordinary on it.  My Dr tells me that my body will adjust.

How long will it take for my body to adjust.  I have been taking now for two weeks and it does seem to be helping with my symptoms that were making me very miserable but instead now I feel doped and really dry in the mouth, like I have a hangover from hell.  I feel incredibly sleepy and I am finding it difficult to concentrate and stay awake in the afternoons.  I am still experiencing some burning and pins and needles, numbness etc. I have to weigh up the pros and cons, I hate taking medications but I must admit I was desperate for some relief from the burning I was experiencing...

Any input is appreciated,
Udkas.

[doodah1114]

I've been on gabapentin (tethered spinal cord nerve pain) for a year starting at 300mg/day. Dry mouth started after about a month and has increased dramatically to include dry eyes also. I dropped back to 100mg about a month ago which helps, but need to find some alternative to the drymouth. I will not go the rest of my life like this.Any help?Alternatives?

[meregoddess]

Hi,

I've been on Gabapentin for over a year.  I am taking 2400 mg. per day.  (Doesn't that seem like a lot??   (But hey, somebody's gotta keep the drug companies working for us) IGabapentin  works wonders for me.  No more pins and needles in my legs, my feet don't hurt, so I don't complain.  Not unless I develop a tolerance, because I ain't gonna take any higher dose   *hand on hip and stating this in my well defined southern accent*

Each time my neuro raised the dosage I would have a couple of weeks adjusting.  But I've been taking 2400 mg now for about 6 months and have no complaints.  The occasional dry mouth, but I never know if it's the Gabapentin, the other medicines I'm taking, or the tooth fairy getting even with me for not giving her my teeth. (I gave them all proper burials by burying them in the sand and giving them little headstones)

As for the sleepiness, I don't have that problem anymore since I take provigil.  But I must admit, I have absolutely NO problem going to sleep at night.  Once in a while I have no problem going to sleep while reading my emails during my planning period at school, much to my consternation.  I keep praying that I don't sleep THROUGH my planning and my students catch me sleeping on the job........

I have found that that particular sleepiness  can be attributed to me not getting enough sleep the night before, or what I call my "MS" days where no amount of drugs will keep me going, get rid of the fatigue.  I wonder though if methamphetamine would work.........oh wait, that's illegal...........

I apologize for rambling, I seem to do that very well.  But I honestly think your body will get used to it, and it shouldn't take too long.  I hope you take provigil or something for fatigue, because I do believe without it I would tend to be sleepier with the Gabapentin.  

Of course it could be the muscle relaxers too......and the Klonopin at night......*shaking head*  But again, I digress.

I hope I kind of answered your question.  Hang in there, see if it doesn't settle down as your body adjusts, if it doesn't, ask your neuro about it.

Good luck, I hope it works for you!

mere

[PastorDan]

My neuro-ophthalmologist put me on gabapentin for the pain behind my eyes, which had grown pretty bad.  My firstt dose of 300mg wasn't too bad, taken at bedtime.  However, each step up (600, then 900) had to be made for at least a week, and I think two wouldd have been better, before my body didn't have that zombie-like feeling all through the day.  I am now on 900mg/day, but contrary to instructions, I take them all at bedtime.  I'm likely to try moving one of the three capsules to mid-day to see if it better manages the pain in the afternoon, but i will admit I am afraid of becoming too sleepy at work or while driving.  It will be a transition I make in baby steps, if I try it at all.

[goofysmom1]

I know that you & I have had conversations about Gabapentin (and my intolerance to it) and I have learned through my own trial and error that it does take time for your body to adjust.  I also know (through googling many different medications) that each time you adjust the dosage, that your body can have side effects.  The side effects should get better as your body adjusts, but if they don't, you should definitely talk to your doctor about it.

We definitely have to weigh the pros & cons - if the medication is making us feel worse (or worse in a different way) than the symptoms for which we are taking the medication, then we need to decide if it is symptoms we would rather deal or side effects.

Maybe there is another medication that would work better for you?  After trying the Gabapentin with disastrous results, my doctor put me on a low dose tricylic antidepressant for the numbness/tingling/burning.  It seems to be helping, but I have only been on it for 3 weeks and I am still titrating up to the dose she thinks I should be at.  Each time I increase the dose, I have some side effects, but they get better after a few days.

She wants me to be at 25 mg, once a day, and she initially started me at 12.5 mg. I had such bad insomnia that she lowered the dose to 5 mg and I am titrating up by 5 mg every 7 days or so.  According to my MS neuro - I have a "very sensitive nervous system"... I have now heard that from her, my GI doctor and my Internist.  The MS neuro did say that Gabapentin, antidepressants, etc. are very powerful neurogenic drugs and that they need to be treated as such when starting a patient on them.

If you have any doubts about whether or not the Gabapentin is worth it, then talk to your doctor about other alternatives.

Good luck,
Chrisy