[leomama]

I'm taking 200mg a night so I don't wake up in the middle of the night but I'm tired during the day. I'm not sure what to do. I got off 25mg of seroquel because I felt it made me too drowsy. I guess I could try to stay at 100mg. I work full time and sing in the choir so I only have one morning a week I don't have to be somewhere .

[Fresia]

I take it for nerve pain but the drowsiness, "brain fog", and memory issues were impacting my job. I had to cut it back at one point so as to function but I also found that I was taking gabapentin too late in the evening and was still drowsy during the day. I started taking it earlier in the evening, having an earlier dinner between 4:00-6:00, no later than 7:00 to take it with, and sleep better at night with it being less drowsy in the day. It is unfortunate that drowsiness is one of the side effects. I just did a trial of Lyrica having heard there were fewer side effects being a close cousin to gabapentin, newer generation. For me, it did not go so well and I have started back on the gabapentin; however perhaps it may be an option as many have benefited from it with fewer side effects such as less drowsiness during the day.

I do have caffeine in the morning to jump start the day but found that I can have it only up to and as late as 12:00 or 1:00 or I won't sleep at night. Perhaps I am just sensitive to it but it does help me get through the day to a point.

I hope you find what works best for you soon.

[still_crazy]

hi. I've mostly stopped gabapentin because it Napalms my brain. I just can't do much of anything on it, even when I use a low-ish dose (100-300mgs) as a night time sedative. Lame.

There are other sleep aids out there, of course. I largely stopped taking sedatives because there was a big splash in the media not too long ago about some big study that found that regular sleeping pill users get all kinds of cancers at a higher rate than non-users and there's also a higher rate of fatal accidents, too. If I recall correctly, the correlation held for drugs from all different classes, too (benzodiazepines, "z" hypnotics, sedating antipsychotics, sedating antidepressants, antihistamines...).

Have you ever tried supplements? I've been taking "suntheanine" brand of l-theanine at a high dose, and now I sleep quite well, no hang over, and I'm in a better mood, too. I imagine the other brands of l-theanine are quality, too, I just read that the "suntheanine" people have pumped some $$$ into research, quality control, etc.

Sorry about all this. I drink coffee like a champ, and it never helped me with the gabapentin-induced stupidity. I was on high dose wellbutrin, too, and that didn't help much with the cognitive and overall slowing, either.

Hope you and your doctor can find a work-able solution. :-)

[ECHOES]

Originally Posted by leomama

I'm taking 200mg a night so I don't wake up in the middle of the night but I'm tired during the day. I'm not sure what to do. I got off 25mg of seroquel because I felt it made me too drowsy. I guess I could try to stay at 100mg. I work full time and sing in the choir so I only have one morning a week I don't have to be somewhere .

I take 300mg Gabapentin for the same reason that you do. I absolutely love it because I get the best sleep. But if I don't allow myself enough hours for sleep, I do feel tired all day. I think it's crucial for everyone to allow 8-9 hours for sleep every night, especially when taking Gabapentin.

If you don't do that now, try it for 2 weeks. Every day for 2 weeks, and see if you feel better.

Also, talk to your doctor. Have you ever had a sleep study to see if you might have OSA - Obstructive Sleep Apnea? That can also make a person tired during the day.

Good luck to you!

[leomama]

Originally Posted by Fresia

I take it for nerve pain but the drowsiness, "brain fog", and memory issues were impacting my job. I had to cut it back at one point so as to function but I also found that I was taking gabapentin too late in the evening and was still drowsy during the day. I started taking it earlier in the evening, having an earlier dinner between 4:00-6:00, no later than 7:00 to take it with, and sleep better at night with it being less drowsy in the day. It is unfortunate that drowsiness is one of the side effects. I just did a trial of Lyrica having heard there were fewer side effects being a close cousin to gabapentin, newer generation. For me, it did not go so well and I have started back on the gabapentin; however perhaps it may be an option as many have benefited from it with fewer side effects such as less drowsiness during the day.

I do have caffeine in the morning to jump start the day but found that I can have it only up to and as late as 12:00 or 1:00 or I won't sleep at night. Perhaps I am just sensitive to it but it does help me get through the day to a point.

I hope you find what works best for you soon.

I don't get off work till 7:30pm, and I take it for insomnia, plus I work as a barista so caffeine is available to me 9.5 hours a day. I'll ask my p nurse about lyrica.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

hi. I've mostly stopped gabapentin because it Napalms my brain. I just can't do much of anything on it, even when I use a low-ish dose (100-300mgs) as a night time sedative. Lame.

There are other sleep aids out there, of course. I largely stopped taking sedatives because there was a big splash in the media not too long ago about some big study that found that regular sleeping pill users get all kinds of cancers at a higher rate than non-users and there's also a higher rate of fatal accidents, too. If I recall correctly, the correlation held for drugs from all different classes, too (benzodiazepines, "z" hypnotics, sedating antipsychotics, sedating antidepressants, antihistamines...).

Have you ever tried supplements? I've been taking "suntheanine" brand of l-theanine at a high dose, and now I sleep quite well, no hang over, and I'm in a better mood, too. I imagine the other brands of l-theanine are quality, too, I just read that the "suntheanine" people have pumped some $$$ into research, quality control, etc.

Sorry about all this. I drink coffee like a champ, and it never helped me with the gabapentin-induced stupidity. I was on high dose wellbutrin, too, and that didn't help much with the cognitive and overall slowing, either.

Hope you and your doctor can find a work-able solution. :-)

OTC don't work, I'm going to have to go off the gabapentin. Great.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by ECHOES

I take 300mg Gabapentin for the same reason that you do. I absolutely love it because I get the best sleep. But if I don't allow myself enough hours for sleep, I do feel tired all day. I think it's crucial for everyone to allow 8-9 hours for sleep every night, especially when taking Gabapentin.


If you don't do that now, try it for 2 weeks. Every day for 2 weeks, and see if you feel better.


Also, talk to your doctor. Have you ever had a sleep study to see if you might have OSA - Obstructive Sleep Apnea? That can also make a person tired during the day.


Good luck to you!

Lol! I have insomnia. I don't know what to do.