Gabapentin - Yay or Nay?

Gabapentin is the only thing conventional doctors ever offered me. I know it’s for nerves.

What does it do?

How does it work?

Since it’s a pharmaceutical, I’m guessing it isn’t something I would want to do. I turned it down in the past for that reason.

Do LLMD’s use gabapentin? If so, why and for how long?

What are you using it for? Why are they offering it to you?

I hate gabapentin. I was on it for 3y for headaches and had no idea it was causing my "fibromylagia". then when i restarted it in 2020 i got scalp allodynia which felt exactly like the "fibromyalgia" i had before. stopped as soon as i stopped the gaba. It makes others dizzy and stuff. dont like it

Sara,

Yes, what you said about ongoing pain can mess up the limbic system and exacerbate other symptoms is the reason I brought it up. I see two sides to that, though. If you’re under a comprehensive long term treatment plan with an LLMD, then it seems safe and ideal. If you’re not and you depend on symptoms to identify the state of your health and alert you when you’re in danger, then camouflaging symptoms with something can be scary and dangerous.

That’s interesting about the CBD. I had forgotten about that. I have never used any kind of drugs or alcohol in my life, so of course, the marijuana stigma has been a deterrent there. There’s so many different terms and I don’t fully understand what each is.

The CBD you refer to has none of the constituents that are mind altering? Are there brands you recommend? Does CBD really have any antimicrobial benefits? If that’s true then it might be a safer option in relation to the concerns I mentioned above.

I know many here use or have used CBD with good benefits, but the marketplace is saturated and makes it seem like a big moneymaking fad. It’s like the pot version of vaping. It’s cool (insert eye roll).

Oh I agree that camouflaging symptoms is bad news unless you know what's going on and are addressing it. I was just thinking that if a low dose of gabapentin at bedtime helps you get a good night's sleep, then it might be overall a good thing for you. Definitely understand your reservations!

CBD contains no psychoactive compounds. Some believe it has antimicrobial properties. I use the Vital Plan Select brand (by Dr. Rawls). They also make a topical balm. They are pricey, no doubt about it, but I find it tough to tell which other brands are legit. Ideally I would grow my own CBD-prevalent cannabis strain someday! Sometimes people have to take fairly high doses for relief. CBD has a half-life of six hours, so you might want to take it every six hours at first to have a consistent stream of it in your system, to see if there's a benefit.

Girlie - Did you try the Lyrica? Does anyone like gabapentin? :-/ Seems like most people feel weird at best on these drugs.

“ Oh I agree that camouflaging symptoms is bad news unless you know what's going on and are addressing it“

You may get some relief but I don’t think it would completely take away the pain - so I don’t think it’s masking the pain entirely anyway.

Pain apparently (according to DrJ) can get in the way of healing.
They weren’t happy about me abandoning the gabapentine - wanted me to try higher dose first.

But he then went on to ask me if I would be interested in a compounded topical pain cream - which I agreed to.

I take the lowest dose of Gabapentin 3 Times a day and its has been a saviour for all my nerve and pain issues. Gabapentin has an advantage over anti depressants or benzos, it doesnt mess directly witt your neurotransmiters, it does work trought an indirect way in the brain to produce gaba transmission, trough the calcium channels in the brain. I also take magnesium valproate PRN as needed, it the most tolerable form of valproic acid, at least for me. Valproate suppresses cytokine storms. When my neuro symptoms flare and gabapentin doesnt cut it, instead of raising gabapentin, i simply pop up a 200 MG valproate to do the job.

I took it for a week in the hospital did nothing for my pain. Its given post surgery for just about all major surgeries.

Another one here:

Quote:
"Our study showed that the levels of activated microglia and the inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ) in the spinal cord tissue increased after the SCI, which were linked to the BSCB permeability and the neurological function scores. The inhibition of HDAC activity following the VPA treatment promoted the phenotypic shift of microglia from the M1 to the M2 phenotype, as well as inhibiting microglial activation and reducing the expressions of inflammatory cytokines in vivo. The NF-κB is considered to be the central transcription factor of inflammatory mediators, where it plays a crucial role in inflammation [8, 9]. The VPA treatment significantly weakened the NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and its transcriptional activity following the SCI, which showed that the VPA exerted neuroprotective effects."

Source:
https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-018-1193-6