Wondered if anyone can give me some advice on medication - Gabapentin etc? I'm new :)

yI usually post in chronic pain but when I came across your post I need to reply. My pain doc put me on gabapentin and it was to block nerve pain. It helped somewhat but I gained 48 extra pounds. When the pain doc discontinued the med I immediately lost 50 lbs. over 3 months. Beware of side affects and I hope it works well for you.

Betsey Ross

I have OA and have been on a bunch of different pain meds including percocet at high doses. None worked. I am now on Tramadol, Cymbalta and Gabapentin. The Gabapentin took the edge off, but never did away with the pain. The Tramadol/Cymbalta helped immensely. The Cymbalta is a kick in the but to get off of and to go on, but once on it all of my pain subsided. I only have pain, now when I do something like shovel 8-10 inches of snow off the drive at one shot. The cymbalta also gives you a really good shot in the arm to improve your outlook. Like my doctor said, you get so negative because having pain non-stop. The cymbalta and tramadol help both problems. It also helps with weight loss or at least it did for me. You have to remember that every person is different and what works for one doesn't work for another. I have had an excellent experience with the combo of the three...Tramadol/Cymbalta/Gabapentin. Hope you feel better...who knows you might be able to put off the major operation of having your hip replaced... [email protected]

wapitona

Hello Amy and welcome to HealingWell.  I am wondering what tests you Dr. has ordered for you in the past.  I would guess you have had a CT Scan or and MRI - if so what were the test results.

I will be watching for further posts from you and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

 

I am new to this forum but as soon as I read this first post I wanted to warn you of something that changed my life. I have always known I had some moderate level of scoliosis in my lower back since childhood but never had it cause enough problems to worry about. about 3 years ago I started getting sharp shooting pains in my hips at times but then they would go away so I did not do anything, but it did start to worry me when I had a hip lock up on me for a minute and my hip would just give out and I actually fell on my face.

At the time I was walking almost two miles a day and having no problems before that started. I decided to go see a chiropractor my best friend had used and he did confirm the scoliosis just from looking at me from the back and feeling around a bit. He was able to adjust me from a side position I would do lying on the table and it hurt like hell when he did it but afterwards it was almost like instant relief for a few months and then I'd go back and did this routine for over a year.

At one point he told me that it was definitely out of place in the worst way and he had a very hard time adjusting me and even though I did have relief the next day I hurt so bad I had I to soak in a tub with epsilon salt for hours because I was so sore. Eventually it felt better and the next time I went to him he said it was "as bad as it gets" and suggested I have an MRI performed.

Glad I did because when I went to my doctor for the results he said I had advanced stages of AVN (can't spell the full name but you can look it up on the internet) and I needed to go IMMEDIATELY TO AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON. This is a disease that I'd never heard of but when I researched it I read it tends to hit younger people (30-50) versus those that are more elderly and that is why it so hard to treat. See, a hip replacement typically will last anywhere from 20-30 years depending on the type of hip used as a replacement. That means that if younger people have a hip replacement they can easily outlive their new hip and that causes more problems and more surgeries later. If not advanced enough to require a total replacement they have some procedures they can do to improve quality of life but the disease does not have a cure so all they can do is control your problems until eventually you are old enough or in bad enough shape they will do the full hip replacement(s). I had it in both and 80%of people that get it have it in both hips as stated in my resources I read.

Well, the AVN was already so advanced that the only option was to have both hips replaced. The surgeon actually got me on his schedule for the first one within a month of when I first saw him, and he wanted to replace the one that was causing me the most problems first. Rarely can they do both hips at once because it's so hard to rehab with no way to use either leg and since I was already over 50 years old they wouldn't even try it because the risk of me falling after surgery was too high since I'd have so little control of either leg and then that would lead to more complications.

I had started on Gabemtin earlier due to the pain and was actually dosed at 2400 mg a day (4 pills a day each 600 mg). I was told the advantage of gabby as i call it is that it is not addictive and has fewer side effects than many pain pills and as a plus it helped control my anxiety I had from all this news that hit me to the point I think I was almost in shock and denial. My legs had been my signature body part and I was even an amateur body builder in college and men and women all were jealous of how well my legs were cut and defined and so it was hard to think of having 2 surgeries that would likely affect the look of my legs for life.

To try to summarize here, the Gabapentin can be a good pain med if it is a nerve-based condition, and it never really caused me to notice any major side effects but I was on other meds so it was not a controlled environment to assure what med was doing what to. However, it did not control my pain any longer because AVN eats away at your bones and joints so I had to get major narcotics for quite some time to help with the pain and I felt pain was never controlled adequately but I can't change that now.

BUT, THE MAIN REASON I WANTED TO RESPOND TO YOU is to make you aware of the potential risk of AVN. I had never heard of it and most people haven't until they get it. It can spread to other joints and the sooner you get it checked the better. I might have been able to control mine had I gone for an MRI a year earlier than I did. Luckily my replacements are titanium and I'm now 53 so I doubt my hips will ever need any work before the end of my life. I just wish I had not had to have 3 major surgeries within 6 months because I lost my job and had to file bankruptcy and now I'm still having some swelling issues that increase my pain so I tend to limp and have to sometimes get narcotics still and it was HARD AS HELL TO GET OFF THOSE after being forced to be on them with the disease and the surgeries. It was so hard that I still feel I'm not normal without them but luckily I'm doing better now and if I can just get a job that will keep me busy because too much free time recovering made it easy to lie around and think of all the things to worry about.

I lost most of my life including my 13-yr. relationship because I came to Atlanta to use Emory facilities and the meds all together made me like a different person so my partner decided she was happier without me and started seeing somebody else, and to make matters worse she was keeping my two dogs of 12 years while I had my surgeries and now I can't get them back because where I am living now has stairs and they can't do those from back surgeries they already had. Imagine, losing your job, your money, your ability to walk, your partner, your babies (my dogs)), your sense of mobility, and your car ! All this happened so it set the scene for drug addiction to escape the pain and it was easy for me to get them with my situation. I still feel I need them at times but I'm doing better now have a second interview this week for a great job so I'm praying I get it and I can start over and finally be free of all this pain and depression and pills and loneliness. Gabby may work for you but it all depends on what's wrong with you and that is why it's so important to get an MRI immediately and start looking for a well-reviewed orthopedic surgeon on your insurance plan (I certainly hope you have it some and if not get some NOW before the MRI in case it does show some major problem like AVN).

Sorry for the length of this but it's all related to this situation and I want to warn people that may be facing a disease I never knew of that almost took my life because I did lose everything for a while but I got help and now have a second chance.

who wants all my gabapentin and tramadol will lok myself up go cold turkey what can go wrong been dead 3 times already near a coma once lol life eh ? throws a few curves

hi , started on 100 then two days later 300 then increases to 400/600 etc now up to 2700mcg a day ontop of other stuff so that being 900mcg 3 times aday must say the effects are wearing off now or does the extra 300 mcg make a difference already ? even the tramadol has been increased with edition of 30/500 solpadol and extra boosts of tramadol when needed
so hope this works better but wish they would just send me to pain clinic so i can get patches how many pills do i need to take a day had to buy an diy organiser just to sort meds !!!!!!!!!!!!

Many of the doctors (54 total consulted of various expertise) were pushing the Lyrica, Cymbalta, Effexor and many other anti-depressants (I am thinking kick-backs from the large pharmaceutical companies to peddling their drugs knowing the horrible side effects). Some of the possible side effects are seizures, stroke, weight gain,heart attack or death. I still have a young child to raise, so I can't take these risks.
The Walgreens pharmacist luckily caught the possible drug interaction with the Effexor and Tramadol and refused to give it to me the Effexor ( I was very thankful). I was not too excited to being forced to take it, but the Rheumatology Dr. insisted. The pharmacist faxed the Dr. the reason why I should not take it and I will never go back to that doctor. My current PCP refuse to increase the dosage on any of my current medications and I agree with him. As soon as you increase the dosage, the body gets used to it and you will need a higher dose. It is a catch 22.. I learned to manage my condition with the minimum dose, I am never without pain and if it gets unbearable, I take the Tramadol and sleep for 3-4 hours. That is all it does for me - makes me sleepy.