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I advise you to speak with the physician that ordered it telling them your side effects and seeking clarification regarding dosages.

I took Gabapentin for several years at 1800 mg, in a single dose in the evening. The side effects lasted through each dose increase up to 1800 mg, but then generally retreated.

Are you taking anything specifically for pain? Often rheumatologists prescribe an NSAID in addition to the Gabapentin.Many also prescribe physical therapy and water aerobics to maintain range of motion and increase flexibility.

Exercise is the last thing any of us want to do when we are experience physical pain, but it is one of the best counter-measures for pain.

Good luck.

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A former pdoc prescribed 4000 mg as a one time dose at night (I don't have this pdoc any more!), didn't make me sleepy though. Could have been because it was increased from a low amount, and the side effects wore off as it was increased. I felt out-of-it on 4000 during the day. A former neurologist basically made me go off it/wean down though because of the high dose. During the weaning down period, the med must not have been working because I had no side effects. I eventually came off it, but do remember that it was a bitch on the lower doses weaning off. In retrospect I think I came down off it too fast, maybe, and that was why it messed me up.

I would definitely ask your DR about how you are feeling on it.

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I take 1200 mg all at night for fibromyalgia pain, and it seems to help tremendously. I tried taking a 300 mg dose during the day, but found that I could not function on it at all. I can't remember how long I stayed on the daytime dose, but it did not get better.

Without Gabapentin, I was not able to do any exercise because I was in too much pain. I tried the water exercise classes and they just made things worse. Now I am able to walk great distances.

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I've been taking between 900-1200 mg of gabapentin a day for four years. The sedation and dumbness generally wore off after about a week, as noted above. I did notice that the dumbness kind of lingered longer at 1200, which is partly why I am down to 900.

But yah, the first week at a new dose felt like being really stoned.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Gabapentin for me is NIGHTMARE to withdraw from, as it is for some people. Some people are fine getting off of it.

It changed my 'gait'. I lowered it it by 100 mg, I began to lose words, and after 3 days I lost total word recall. Seriously. Scary stuff. THEN some very very scary stuff was happening, things I have never experienced before in my life...

I raised it the next day- and all of those withdrawal symptoms were gone.

I now lower it by .25 mg. whenever I am brave enough. At .25 - confusion, worse insomnia, cry, frustration, lower functioning for sure, too confused to pay for groceries or drive. This starts to pan out in about 5 days. At .25 mg. it's going to take a while. Not fun. Haven't lowered it for a while now, and am dropping it tomorrow. (Yay- let the fun begin.)

As far as those taking it for pain- I hope it works for some, and those who don't - I hope you can find what helps. I know it is prescribed a lot for pain. I have great empathy for you.

It's so wierd how different drugs and dosages can affect a lot of us so differenty.. and experience going on it and withdrawing from it... not an exact science unfortunately. (Makes me tired too.)

I wonder if it affects memory....

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I take 900 mgs a night for menopausal hot flashes / night sweats. It works great. I started trying to take a split am/pm dose, but it made me too sleepy. The only side effect I had was the first night I took it early before bed, and was nauseous. I haven't had any dumbing effects, although maybe the occasional word-finding trouble I have is partly from the gabapentin. I've been blaming it all on the Lamictal, but maybe they both contribute.

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Gabapentin for me is NIGHTMARE to withdraw from, as it is for some people. Some people are fine getting off of it.

It changed my 'gait'. I lowered it it by 100 mg, I began to lose words, and after 3 days I lost total word recall. Seriously. Scary stuff. THEN some very very scary stuff was happening, things I have never experienced before in my life...

I raised it the next day- and all of those withdrawal symptoms were gone.

I now lower it by .25 mg. whenever I am brave enough. At .25 - confusion, worse insomnia, cry, frustration, lower functioning for sure, too confused to pay for groceries or drive. This starts to pan out in about 5 days. At .25 mg. it's going to take a while. Not fun. Haven't lowered it for a while now, and am dropping it tomorrow. (Yay- let the fun begin.)

As far as those taking it for pain- I hope it works for some, and those who don't - I hope you can find what helps. I know it is prescribed a lot for pain. I have great empathy for you.

It's so wierd how different drugs and dosages can affect a lot of us so differenty.. and experience going on it and withdrawing from it... not an exact science unfortunately. (Makes me tired too.)

I wonder if it affects memory....

I second the withdrawal effects of gabapentin ... it was extremely difficult to get off of.

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  • 4 weeks later...

both neurontin and its more potent relative lyrica were superrrrrrrrrr difficult to get off of - read: hellish withdrawals. they also made me super depressed and super stupid. like, i had the memory of a goldfish.

those side effects along with a whole host of others made for those meds some of the worst i've ever taken.

Edited by basuraeuropea
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  • 3 weeks later...

Currently, I take 600mg in the am and pm for neuropathic pain and other nerve pain. At first it made me really drowsy, and I still have some (possibly) related memory problems.

Although now, after about six months, it isn't giving me the same pain relief as when I started. Apparently bioavailabilty goes down as the dose increases.

You never said how long you've been on the drug?

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  • 1 month later...

I just started the 1800mgday regiment so after reading all this, it looks like I am in for a dumb, stoned, memeory loss, stupor.....sweet!! I can't wait!! I have been struggling so hard with my chronic pain for so long now and I am hoping this works!! I am a Veteran that is still fighting with the VA for treatment and it is exhausting. I am too young for this...

I am glad I found this forum today so I can see I am not the only one and what I can look forward to. I have had a fusion in my neck, synthetic disc in my low back, a Neurostim in my upper back, and every pain management injection and physical therapy program out there that I know of. From '07 to now, I have been fighting my own battle to stay upright and functional.

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I just started the 1800mgday regiment so after reading all this, it looks like I am in for a dumb, stoned, memeory loss, stupor.....sweet!! I can't wait!!

Like crtclms, I had no problem titrating off gabepentin and as Catnapper stated, "I haven't had any dumbing effects..."

Recently I had to stop the drug and went off 1800mg without much more than a headache and some insomnia.

However, it has been my experience that we I anticipate side effects, I get them.

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I hate the mornings!! My nerves are firing off and my spine feels like bricks but I still have to get moving and get to work!! Blaa!

Is it something that you could stand under a hot shower, just not full force so it doesn't hurt when it touches your skin? There has been one time my spine felt "locked", and I stood under a hot shower for 25 minutes before it starting helping; but it did relieve the pain.

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  • 1 year later...

I am also taking GAbapentin and it is helping me a lot , if you want then i can recommend you the doctor who prescribed me this medicine he will surely help you out or i can also recommend you an online pharmacy from where you can buy this medicine at lowest prices and also get solution to your problems.

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I am also taking GAbapentin and it is helping me a lot , if you want then i can recommend you the doctor who prescribed me this medicine he will surely help you out or i can also recommend you an online pharmacy from where you can buy this medicine at lowest prices and also get solution to your problems.

 

maxwolter, I know that you are very new to CrazyBoards, but please note the following:

 

(1) this thread is two years old.  The person who started it hasn't logged in since 2013 and is therefore unlikely to see your response*, and

 

(2) we do not encourage members to recommend online pharmacies to one another for cheap medication. 

 

* you can tell this by rolling your cursor over the username of a person.  A box will show up that indicates when they joined, and when they were last active on CB.

Edited by MiaB
clarity
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