Gabapentin Question? Hope you all can help!

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 12:34 pm

      I have a question here! The doctor’s placed me on Gabapentin and I have been on it a while. I really don’t like the drug but it seems to be the only drug that works for nerve pain. It makes my head feel funny though. We tried other drugs and I even tried Buspar. That worked good but the dose was just way to low! So I don’t think that is going to work unless I end up on a very high dose. They started me out on 300mgs 3 times a day. So we are looking at 900mgs. I have seen some of you mention much higher doses like 3800 mgs etc.
      How did the doctors start you out taking this high of a dose? Was it instantly started and how many hours apart? Or did you have to go slowly on this medication building up to that? That 900mgs is just not enough for me. I take it and a few hours later, I am in pain again. Do they go by your weight also? And last of all, can a person overdose on this med with it being that high? That’s my fear! An overdose or bad reaction because it was too much my body could handle!

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 12:50 pm

      Hi Linda, here is the info I received from gene months ago about Gabapentin, which is generic for Neurontin:

      [B]”you need neurontin for your pain. many of us take neurontin [gabapentin], a non-narcotic, for peripheral neurological pain. neurontin is specific, it can work even when ordinary pain killers do not, even the opiates like methadone. great success w many. v safe. start at 300 mg 3X/day [900 total] & increase by 300 every other day till pain stops. taking it 6X/day instead of 3X/day gets more bang for the buck. 3600 is theoretical max/day that your body can absorb. 5600 is practical absorption max/day. the only reason for the slow build up is it may make you sleepy till your body gets used to it.”[/B]

      I asked my neuro about it and he said “Good Idea”. So I started out at a low dose then worked my way up, 900mg (300mg 3x a day) was not working. So I am now on 1800 mg (600mg 3x a day) and I can tell when it’s time to take the next dose. Neuro said 1800 was a good dose w/o side effects. Fanily doc just told me yesterday that 1800 is really about half of the “safe dosage” and that I could go up to 3600. But for right now 1800mg per day is working most days…

      Hope this helps some. Best wishes!

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 2:04 pm

      Thanks Smiley! I just printed this out and will show it too my doctor on Friday. I sure hope they increase my dosage. I took one pill over an hour ago and nothing! Still in misery! My hands right now feel like I placed them in a hot frying pan and they got burned. It’s like the drug makes my head funny but don’t take the pain away. So the dose has to be too low. Thank-you so much for sharing this. I was wondering how it was being taken. This was very useful information to me! Thank-you! 😉

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 3:13 pm

      Hey Linda you are very welcome. It makes me happy that I had some useful info for you 😀

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 6:00 pm

      I took one Neurontin this morning and was too weak. Took the second one two hours later and wham! I was falling alseep at my computer! Almost 6PM now and the pain is coming back. Head is drugged up and pain still there. Going to try taking 4 today and see how I do. Hope this works for me. I called my doctor and asked him if I could try 4 out instead of 3. Then I will add another until I see how I do pain wise. Going to keep a log! Thank-you again! I really appreciate you helping me out!

    • Anonymous
      August 20, 2008 at 9:16 pm

      Good Idea, keeping a log! I wish I’d have done that when I was released from the hospital. When you take one day at a time, you focus on that day and the previous days are a blur. I would have liked to look back sometimes to see when I had little improvements. Good Luck!

    • Anonymous
      August 21, 2008 at 1:54 am

      Hi

      I have taken Neurontin for about 3 years now – it is great. I take 2700 a day – 900mg/3x day. Gareth Parry started me on it as he is part New Zealander and comes down here once a year or so – I get to see him on top of my regular neuro. His comment is that neurontin is only about 60% absorbed by your body, so although you can take moer than 3600 mg/day, it is almost pointless because after that dosage the effective absorption percentage comes down.

      I started similarly to what has been already described, and had no side effects, really. Just abit of sleepiness. But, Linda — you said you were having trouble sleeping, maybe this might help you if you take it at bedtime!!!!

      Debs

    • Anonymous
      August 21, 2008 at 7:48 am

      I took the two last night and slept like a baby! 8 hours of sleep! Not going to get too excited just yet for normally there are at least 2 nights out of the week that I sleep okay because of total exhaustion. But last night I took those buggars and they put me out! 😀 Seems to be helping the carpul tunnel pain too some. I slept with those carpul tunnel splints on my wrist last night to and that seemed to help some. Hands are like fire this morning like they have been. Maybe this is going to be the trick. Just hope the med stops making me so drousy during the day though. Last night was a good night for me. Will see what tonight brings before getting two excited. Thanks for all the great information you all have given me. Maybe this is what I should have tried months ago. The only thing I don’t like about that drug is the weird head feeling it gives me. I feel like I am high on dope! A doppy feeling! Will that eventually go away or is that something I will have to deal with?

    • Anonymous
      August 21, 2008 at 9:36 am

      Hey glad to hear you had a good night leep! People react differently. Some it does help at all. I never felt the dopey feeling with Gabapentin. I also take Alprazolam 0.5mg 3x a day along with the Gabapentin. Let us know your progress. Take care!

    • Anonymous
      August 21, 2008 at 3:41 pm

      Thanks Smiley! Will do! So far today it’s not as bad as yesterday! May take a while getting larger amounts in my system but going to give it a shot! Thank-you!

    • Anonymous
      August 21, 2008 at 9:51 pm

      Hi Linda

      Yeah, Gabapentin has a slightly sedating effect. I found that as I increased the dosage I had a few days of feeling like that – but it certainly wore off fairly rapidly. Not as bad as some of the meds I have tried in the past!!!

      I am lucky that I have virtually no side-effects from my meds (knock wood!). I guess I have fuond a formula that works.

      Of course, there are days when abit of dopy-ness is welcomed. Just don’t drive!!!

      Cheers
      Debs

    • Anonymous
      August 22, 2008 at 4:05 am

      Not driving as much as I used to. Only to my local doctors office and back. Other than that I pretty much stay home bound. And miss my driving alone! Driving made me feel independent! Now I feel dependent on others. Which can really make you feel useless! Maybe once I get on a CPAP machine that will help with the sleeping problems and the gabapentin will ease the pain some and I might just get better. We shall see! :confused: