Gabapentin - my experience

Just thought I'd share my experience.

I have had nerve pain since end of 2013 - thank you lyme (or bart...or both)

Decided to give in and try a pain killer...so my Dr. gave me script - I asked for 100 mg caps so I could titrate up and take the lowest effective dose.

It was shortly after I started treatment with Mepron that I started the Gabapentin.

I had an increase in nerve pain...thought it was all from the new protocol...upped the Gaba...didn't help...upped it until I was on 300 3X daily.
Then instead of upping it again...I did the opposite and weaned off of it (I was only on it for about 5 for 6 weeks)

And the nerve pain lessened - back to previous intensity.

I don't know why the Gabapentin made my nerve pain worse...but wanted to share this with you...in case you have the same reaction.

PKitty - is that 5 of the 100 mg or 300 mg?

I was surprised it made my pain worse - I thought at worst - it might not work.

be careful calling it Gaba, that's the name of another med/sup.

I started on Gabapentin when I first got severe stabbing pains in my knee at night, and neuropothy in right leg got so bad I had to pull over after driving only 20 minutes of my 45 minute commute to walk it off.
The gabapentin did take the edge off so my PCP sent me to a neuro who could find anything and ruled it out as Lyme related. Stayed on the Gabapentin thru another year with a rheumy and for my first five year of lyme treatment. I mostly took it only at night for pain and sleep aid. Mornings were like a hang-over sometimes.

I quit taking it about three year ago to reduce my Rx costs and see if it was really just masking sx. Now its tough to compare todays pain without it to what I had three years ago while on the gabapentin. For some folk I heard it makes them a little too loopy in the daytime.

I never heard about your issue with increased pain with increased dosage. Pain management is a secondary use of this Rx originally developed for siezures.

Post Edited (tickbite666) : 5/24/2017 2:10:16 PM (GMT-6)

I was on 3200 mg of gabapentin a day. I'm currently down to 2400 mg per day. It took a while to adjust to it and I do very well on it; not everyone does well on this drug.

Very interesting, thank you for sharing Girlie, I'd never heard of that response.

I reluctantly started taking gabapentin when my neuropathy shot through the roof. I was just so desperate - constant pain, not sleeping - I was willing to try anything. It did help, but I had to take about 1200mg daily for it to really tamp down on symptoms. While it helped with pain, it turned my brain to mush, I was zombified, I felt comatose all day long. Granted, I preferred feeling that way than constant burning neuropathy that was driving me to the brink. I didn't like thinking about what the implications might be for my brain health if a drug is doing that to me, but at the time it was worth it given the pain.

As the nerve pain softened, after about 8 months I was able to get off gabapentin. I had to wean slowly as the withdrawal was super nasty for me. Very happy to be off the drug, but I am grateful that it did provide me a bridge to get through some of the worst pain I've ever experienced.