Gabapentin side effects

I had heard that many people with fibro got relief with Lyrica so on Friday I asked my doctor to prescribe it for me. He's a little stubborn so prescribed Gabapentin as he said it was from the same family as Lyrica.

Last night I took my first tablet before bed as prescribed. There was no problem overnight, but this morning I was very unsteady and felt sort of "out of it". Nevertheless, I took my morning dose which actually made it slightly worse.

Is this normal? Should I keep taking it hoping that the symptoms will go away, or stop now? The pain of fibro has almost disappeared.

My doctor left yesterday for a 3 week vacation.

afterglo,

I also take Neurontin (gabapentin).  When I first started taking it, I felt crazy (well, crazier than normal-LOL .  But, as my body got used to it, it didn't faze me at all anymore.  However, I don't know if it's helping anymore either.  I'm on a really low dose (300mg at night), so maybe I need to have the dosage increased.  That's one thing on my long list that I want to ask my doctor.

I'm sure (or at least hope) that you can get some info from someone at you doctor's office.  Also, you could try calling your pharmacist.  I always save those inserts that come with my Rx, and it says that the side effects of gabapentin are: tiredness, drowsiness, dizziness, tremor, back pain, dry mouth, constipation, increased appetite, or an upset stomach.  It also says that if you have these severe side effects, you should check with your doc ASAP: decreased coordination, double or blurred vision, back & forth eye movements, flu-like symptoms, persistent sore throat or fever, swelling of ankles, memory loss, or trouble speaking.  Also, if you experience mental or mood changes, or suicidal thoughts, contact you doc immediately. (This is all info from Walgreens, BTW).

OK, I don't know if this info helped, but I still think you could call your pharmacist for further info.  I hope I helped a little.  Good luck!

PS-I totally wrote this before reading Karen's (getting by) post.  So, I guess I could have just typed, "Yeah, what she said."  LOL

Thank you so much, Kelly and Karen. I did phone our pharmacist late yesterday afternoon. He agreed that my symptoms are exactly some of those described in the pamphlet I got with the drug. I did read the whole thing before taking a pill, but incorrectly assumed I wouldn't be bothered by any of them. Wrong!

My cousin comes from Ottawa once a year to see friends and relatives, and yesterday she stayed with us for the evening and overnight. We are both only children and have been more like sisters than cousins. I should have waited until tonight to start the new med, but being overly optimistic, thought it might make our visit more enjoyable for both of us if I was relatively pain - free. Wrong again.

This morning I feel better than I did yesterday so maybe the side effects will subside. If not, Plan B which involves taking only one capsule per day will be next.

Has anyone who tried this drug had kind of a "space-cadet" feeling? I feel like I'm here, but not all here mentally .