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Post by Karen on Feb 18, 2009 18:06:48 GMT -5
I did a search and nothing came up. I was just prescribed it today.
The way my doc described it, it does something to the way the brain perceives pain? Supposedly, it was originally an anti-seizure med but didn't work out that well, but they found that in small doses, it's good for managing pain. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but I'm crossing my fingers. Anyone else on it/try it? Anything you care to share about it?
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Post by Karen on Feb 23, 2009 10:00:24 GMT -5
Can I just say I'm LOVING this stuff?! I'm on 300 mg (I think) 2 times a day. Granted, my pain levels have been much lower after my lap, but still constant every day. Now I'm feeling almost next to nothing most of the time! I still feel something, almost more just like pressure, but not much pain at all! I find the pain sneaks in here and there throughout the day, but it's much more muted than before. It seems to appear more at night, too, but one tramadol nicks it in the bud. So far, haven't really noticed any side effects - a bit groggy the first day or two but I was fighting the start of a head cold, too, so who knows what's to blame for the grogginess.
I haven't felt this good in months! Still not perfect, but I'll take it!
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Post by italialynn on Feb 23, 2009 14:00:15 GMT -5
Wow...that's great! I'm glad you've found something that works for you. I've never heard of it but I'll be sure to look it up!
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Post by Karen on Mar 3, 2009 7:56:16 GMT -5
Hmm, I'm really starting to doubt this med now... The pain was HORRIBLE last week and neither the gabapentin nor the tramadol did a thing to touch it. The last time it was horrible was 4 weeks ago so I suspect it's tied to my cycle, but since I have mirena I haven't had a period so I'll just have to see if that pattern continues in another 4 weeks...
Anyway, this week, the pain isn't that bad, but it's still there all day. I'm feeling a bit foggy on this med, a little unstable when I walk sometimes, and my hands and feet fall asleep very quickly and they seem tingly all the time. And because I'm feeling goofy, I'm feeling very antisocial, don't want to be around anyone. The first week when I seemed to be feeling fabulous, I could have cared less about the side effects, but now that it only seems to be taking the edge off but not really doing much more, I'm getting quite frustrated... Might call my doc today to see if I should go off it completely or if we should adjust the dosage or something. If I'm going to have pain either way I'd rather do without the goofy side effects!
Physical therapy starts next week. If I don't get relief, I'm off to a kinesiologist. A friend of mine swears he works wonders but since insurance doesn't cover it, I'm going to give all the insurance-covered options a shot first...
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Post by staceys on Mar 3, 2009 12:04:56 GMT -5
I was prescribed that med back in November. I was told only to take it when I needed, which by mid-Nov was almost everyday. I hated that drug. Not only are one of the side effects weight gain (since it was originally made for diabetes peripheral neuropathy, the company was not too concerned on it's effect on insulin since diabetics will adjust their insulin levels anyway), but it started making me worse. I think one of the side effects was also nerve pain, which is what it is intended to solve. I started feeling crazy when taking it and then the pain would actually worsen. I was only taking the lowest dose too. It's now sitting in my med cabinet with a zillion other meds.
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Post by Karen on Mar 3, 2009 13:55:11 GMT -5
Thanks for your feedback! It's only been 2 weeks so I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions, but I've been feeling VERY unstable lately. I mean, I know I'm depressed, but the last few days I feel almost out of control. I'm going to give it a few more days and then call her up. Honestly, I'm not one to take meds if I don't have to - I always seem very sensitve to side effects and HATE them. If it gives me some relief, I'm willing to give it a try, but if it makes me worse off in other ways, forget about!
Just out of curiousity - what did your doc say about weight gain? My doc gave me gabapentin or another drug as options, but I ruled out the other drug since one of the side effects that she told me about was weight gain - I told her that was a BIG concern of mine! (With everything going on, I stopped working out and barely even fit into my fat pants, and my budget is tied up with doc bills so buying new clothes is out of the question!) How much did you gain in how long of a time period? Just curious!
Thanks again for your input!
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Post by staceys on Mar 3, 2009 15:23:24 GMT -5
My doc didn't say anything about weight gain; I heard about it somewhere else. I wasn't on it long enough to gain any weight, so I was thankful. It did make me feel out of control too... I was getting some really bad mood swings on it. I can sympathize with the fat pants thing, mine are starting to get tight too... it's such a pain not to know what you will fit into on a day to day basis. Good luck with your decision and I hope you feel better soon!
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Post by Karen on Mar 3, 2009 22:24:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback! I talked about it with my therapist tonight. Since I started gabapentin at the same time as Tramadol, she suggested I go a few days just taking one, then taking the other to see which gives the best pain relief and figure out which one is causing the crazy. When she said gabapentin is often used to reduce anxiety, I scoffed since it seems to have the opposite effect on me! But, she did say some people really don't react well to it so it was nice to have some validation. I'll post my findings when I have some. Glad you're off it now and hopefully feeling less of the moodiness!
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Post by jjuls22 on Dec 8, 2010 16:37:46 GMT -5
Hi Ladies -
I've done a search on neurotin, which is generic for gabapentin and couldnt find anything, so mods if this has already been discussed could you direct me to the thread? Has anyone tried these for endo pain? What side effects did you experience, what dosage were you on and how long were you on it? Did the side effects out weigh the amount of pain you were in from endo? Did you have to wein yourself off of it? Any info would be great!!
Thanks! ;D
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Post by cherry on Dec 8, 2010 19:18:00 GMT -5
Also interested in these responses, it will be the first thing they try me on the pain clinic as neither my GP nor gynae want to prescribe without an 'expert' opinion. But they gave me morphine pills haha. I'll be honest, never fully looked them up... will do now!
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Post by Karen on Dec 8, 2010 19:36:40 GMT -5
(I moved your posts over here. I thought there was another thread somewhere, too, but can't find it at the moment.)
If you read through my experience with it, you'll see how quickly it snuck up on me. I know I was severely depressed at the time but I was absolutely crazy on that stuff. I remember driving home from my dad's house and sobbing so bad that I thought I'd have to pull over and vomit from crying. I had huge huge HUGE mood shifts on that. At one point, I even considered driving into oncoming traffic and walking on the lake by my house as it was melting... I realize everyone reacts differently to meds, but please please please keep an eye on this one. If it hadn't been for my therapist suggesting I go off it for a bit, I would have stayed on it for a while and it would not have been good. Within a few days being off it, I was back to my normal depressed self without the mood swings and thoughts to end it all.
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Post by hellsbells on Dec 9, 2010 7:58:23 GMT -5
I tried it earlier this year, after having used amytriptilene for several months. I just couldn't hack the drowsiness, didn't stay on it long enough to see if there was a pain relief benefit.
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Post by Karen on Dec 9, 2010 8:02:55 GMT -5
For me the dizzy/drowsy feeling was awful. I remember having to hold my hands out to steady myself when I walked!
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Post by Heather on Dec 9, 2010 14:17:44 GMT -5
I was on it after trying Celebrex and Topamax. Like the others, it worked for a couple weeks, then stopped. I didn't notice any side effects, but I am not usually sensitive to side effects in most drugs. Pretty worthless in my case.
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Post by Tara on Dec 9, 2010 17:00:24 GMT -5
I tried it and had an awful reaction to it, I became so moody I couldn`t handle the slightest thing, I also got headaches and body shakes, and I didn`t last long on it, not to mention it did nothing for my pain. My doctor suggested it again, and I said not in this life....
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