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View Poll Results: would you recommend neurontin / gabapentin to others? | ||||||
yes | 5 | 50.00% | ||||
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maybe | 3 | 30.00% | ||||
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no | 2 | 20.00% | ||||
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never | 0 | 0% | ||||
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Voters: 10. You may not vote on this poll |
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Grand Member
Member Since Jun 2008
Location: WYLTK
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#1
this med has been suggested to me, and I just want to get a little feedback/thoughts from those who've tried it.
(I understand each experience will be different in some ways) |
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Legendary Wise Elder
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Member Since Jul 2011
Location: Tennessee
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#2
Neurontin /Gabapetin was the first Med I tried.. I think it might have helped a little, but gave me cognitive problems. Flipped to Lyrica which helped a little and I didn’t get the terrible cognitive problems.
My husband has severe neuropathy and Lyrica really helps me. __________________ Helping others gets me out of my own head ~ |
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jrae
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Junior Member
Member Since Feb 2020
Location: United States
Posts: 10
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#3
I voted Maybe because I think Neurontin is (over) prescribed for a broad range of painful conditions and while it may help with nerve-based pain (neuropathies, neuralgia, pinched nerve, etc), it is far from the panacea the medical establishment seems intent on using it as.
I've been on a high dose of Neurontin for about 4 years. I never struggled with anger issues until I started it. For about a year I had a hair trigger hostility thing going on, now I am just plain hostile in general. My poor husband. Then I also gained 50# in the first year (and can't lose that weight to save my life). I have experienced severe psychological issues which I never dealt with prior to taking this med - stuff like suicidal ideation, which was just never something I even considered before. I also now have borderline glaucoma in my eyes - basically my inner eye pressure is ridiculously high at a really young age... and other negative stuff added to the already frustrating and life-changing medical conditions I was being treated for. Thats just the some of the stuff that came about when I started on gabapentin. Is it the drug's fault? I think so, but I can't absolutely prove that claim, so... About a year ago, I decided to taper myself off the drug (yeah, yeah I know you aren't supposed to without dr approval, but... I had reasons). Within a few weeks, my neuropathy was far worse, like fire ants biting my bone marrow worse. So I shifted the dosage more, wondering if I had tapered too fast. And adding back the missing dosage improved things right quick... much less fire ants. But all the nasty side effects remain. I hate being fat. Hate. It. I hate that I already have glaucoma - its so unfair. Hate that my moods resemble a game of ping pong where nobody wins. But gabapentin really does seem to help the sensations of having an acid IV of running straight to my extremities... I just don't notice how much it helps until I stop taking it as much. So yes, if I knew a person with nerve pain issues I would at least tell them about all the nasty side effects, but also how much it helped my pain. |
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*Beth*
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*Beth*, Cocosurviving, jrae
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Grand Magnate
Member Since Aug 2014
Location: North Carolina
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#4
Have you tried it yet? You're right each person will react differently to any medication. If the doctor suggests taking it there must be a reason. If it's not a good fit for you then talk to your doctor. Good luck.
__________________ "Caught in the Quiet" |
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jrae
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catches the flowers
Member Since Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
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#5
Gabapentin never gave me any benefit whatsoever. It did cause me to feel off-balance, though.
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Cocosurviving, jrae
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Grand Poohbah
Member Since May 2019
Location: USA
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#6
It helped me sleep. It helped my anxiety. It did not help with depression (felt like it might have made me more depressed) and increased my appetite (I did not gain weight but it also made it impossible to lose any weight). I stopped asking for it to be refilled but still have a bottle of it left. I am not having insomnia issues anymore but if they come back, I have a bottle full to help me on an as needed basis. Also, I notice this is posted under chronic pain support, it is supposed to help with nerve pain (I had nerve pain for a while after a 2015 surgery). Not sure it targeted my pain but my pain is always worse when I get tired. It would help me fall asleep and I always felt a little better after getting some sleep.
Last edited by TunedOut; Jul 10, 2020 at 04:08 AM.. |
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jrae
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Grand Member
Member Since Jun 2008
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#7
yes, i am currently on it. gabapentin is actually an anticonvulsant medicine, which means it's used to treat seizures. and it's also used to treat nerve-pain. there are other things it can be used for.
it was suggested to me last year as a nerve-pain medication. but i pushed it off due to the 'check-ups' that doc would then have me do (long distance). and right now, i'm actually taking it as a migraine prevention medication. still at a lower dose, so not sure if it's doing anything just yet - good or not good |
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TunedOut
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TunedOut
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Elder
Member Since Sep 2012
Location: Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation
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#8
I agree with Seiche. I feel that several medications are commonly prescribed for multiple conditions. I have also found that many healthcare providers do not disclose possible side effects. I have multiple disabilities and I am well aware that I am my best advocate. Healthcare providers seek to prescribe medications for commonly everything. It’s constantly pushing big pharma.
To answer your direct questions. My aunt was on gabapentin for over a year. It was prescribed to her to assist with her arthritis. She was taken off of it because it was causing her several side effects including severe weight gain. I have read in medical newsletters many of the medications usually prescribed for pain and fibromyalgia have the possible side effects of increasing depression for individuals that have a history of depression...also possible suicidal ideation. Which I declined all the commonly prescribed medications for Fibromyalgia. I’m not into medication shaming at all. I have just found, I usually get several of the side effects. We are definitely all allowed to have different opinions and their based on our personal experiences. I have not had healthcare providers that are forthcoming on possible side effects. I also experienced really bad angry, increased anxiety and depression with other medication. I believe Gabapentin was one of the medications that was pulled off the market and later put back on the market. What I do personally is visit the manufacturers website for possible side effects. The FDA can tell you if a lot of individuals have reported side effects with blah blah medication and what side effects. I’m not a gambler, so I get that pharmaceutical companies use the terminology of possible side effects. I just don’t gamble. __________________ #SpoonieStrong Spoons are a visual representation used as a unit of measure to quantify how much energy individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses have throughout a given day. 1). Depression 2). PTSD 3). Anxiety 4). Hashimoto 5). Fibromyalgia 6). Asthma 7). Atopic dermatitis 8). Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria 9). Hereditary Angioedema (HAE-normal C-1) 10). Gluten sensitivity 11). EpiPen carrier 12). Food allergies, medication allergies and food intolerances. . 13). Alopecia Areata |
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TunedOut
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Grand Member
Member Since Jun 2008
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#9
i was only at 600mg daily. then i titrated off of it to determine if it was helping at all or if maybe it was making my headaches worse. (done under doctor guidance and supervision) what i DID find out was that it was actually causing my decreased appetite and along with that some increase in nausea! hadn't even considered that to be an option. but some reading online found that it's happened to others as well.
it's just interesting hearing about how different medicines and even dosages have various effects all over the range, from good to bad and mild to serious! thanks all -> keep 'em coming |
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TunedOut
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Member
Member Since Jun 2020
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 48
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#10
I take it for diabetic neuropathy - it works wonderfully but I do develop a tolerance over time and the dose has been increased many times. The only side effect I've noticed is sexual - I am not sure how explicit we are allowed to be so I'll stop there. But, YMMV.
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