New med possibility

Hi guys! It's been awhile. I'm doing pretty good! Actually, not suicidal anymore. Woohooo! Since I've been off Cymbalta it's been amazing. I had no idea how bad it was affecting me the past 8 years! BTW, as you know, the Lithium worked for mood but was awful on my body. Then my pdoc put me on Depakote. I literally felt no change and it made me gain weight. So, I'm only on my Lamictal (been on 8 years) and my small dose of Xanax.

So, here is the situation. I feel agitated and angrier than I did before. It's almost like there is live wire under the surface. I could verbally go off on someone if I felt justified (not violent, etc). Also, I'm in so much physical pain. I didn't realize how much the Cymbalta was helping with my bone pain (actually didn't even know I had bone pain!).

So, my pdoc mentioned Neurontin. Anybody familiar with it or been on it? She said it's a seizure medication like Lamictal but they have found it works for mood stabilization, anxiety, and pain management. Sounds awesome, but I can't put on anymore weight. Since I was diagnosed in June, I've put on 20lbs playing around with meds. I was already heavy!!!

Thanks!

I'm on Neurontin for anxiety and it works fine. I didn't put on any weight from it.

Did it help with mood stabilization at all? Thanks!

I'm on that. Works great for my anxiety. I'm not anxious at all. However, it's made me gain roughly twenty pounds so far! But I think that's a rare side effect. I'm going to have to go off of it because I keep on ballooning, which is sad because it works so well. If you start expanding you can always stop it. I really wish it wasn't making me gain so much.

Nooooo! Once I gain weight, it's nearly impossible to lose it due to my Hashimoto's. I just can't take the risk!

Oh no! I don't want you to not take it just because it's making me blow up like a balloon.

No, I asked. It's good to know the good and bad.

BTW, it's also known as Gabapentin.

Actually I don't think gabapentin and neuronton are exactly the same because when I was hospitalized they put me on both of them at the same time.

If they were the same they would have put me on one or the other not both.

Gabapentin is generic neurontin.

That's what I thought. Hmmm

Oh hey! I have good news if you still want to start gabapentin, hashi. I had my pdoc appointment yesterday and when they weighed me I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't gained as much as anticipated and appear to have leveled off (I was 119 when I started it and am now 131).

So... I really do recommend it. It helped me so much with my anxiety. Always made me feel so warm and cozy on the inside. I'm trying buspirone now for my anxiety instead, but if that doesn't work out I might go back on it and deal with the fogginess and always bloated feeling.

Anyway, so not too big of a weight gain.