posted
Has anyone tried gabbapentin(not spelled right). My doc prescribed it for my nerve pain but after ready side effects not sure if I want to take it.
Posts: 14 | From maine | Registered: Mar 2011
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posted
It's pretty rough stuff. I can't handle it myself. It works, but.....
You can start slowly and gradually increase it.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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desertwind
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25256
posted
Worked very well for me for both nerve pain and sleep. I took a low dose and maxed out at only 300 mg.s a day. Not many side effects for me besides some drowsiness but everyone is different.
[ 09-18-2014, 08:45 AM: Message edited by: desertwind ]
Posts: 1671 | From Tick Infested New Jersey | Registered: Apr 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Some seem to manage it okay. Still . . . not all. Not me.
It can be very hard on the balance system & on the kidneys. Be sure to drink water throughout the day, not all at once.
I tried and tried, many times, with time in between. It made vertigo so much worse, and also increased falls with legs just giving out (likely due to the vertigo "drops" - or sudden drops in blood pressure are likely with this for those with POTS or NMH).
I was not getting any treatment for lyme at that time, as no LLMD available to me. Just "band-aids" - this will not address the cause.
Injuries added up. Glad I did not break a hip with all the sudden drops. But it actually caused so much more pain due to the injuries.
The drowsiness is a factor to take into account as I could never really wake up during the day, even with a tiny dose from the night before, and then even trying it earlier in evening. totally unable to function.
Good thing by then driving was out of the picture as if you drive, you'd need to be sure it works okay before trying to drive.
So, I wish I had known then that there were would be far better options I'd find over time. Some of those include - and I'm hoping your LLMD has talked about ALL these first with you as options, even necessities for pain relief.
Excitotoxins; MSG; Aspartame; & "Natural" Flavors (that are not likely natural at all).
GMO foods that destroy the GI Tract; Gluten explanations here, too.
Gluten can cause so much pain, sure did for me. So glad to have a great deal of pain lifted by avoiding gluten. And how / why certain foods &/or additives contribute or even cause pain. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- I wondered if there might be some hint in your posting history as to if you are a candidate for this -- or if the opposite, contraindications may exist for your body
(and that seems the case but, really, IMO, no one should ever talk any drug that is ototoxic unless it's absolutely required and the, only with the very best liver / kidney support but that's not guarantee).
You posted before that you experience really bad tinnitus. Gabapentin is ototoxic so it could cause tinnitus to get worse (&/or hearing / balance systems to experience damage that could be permanent or creep up later).
As I recall now, tinnitus for me went to the moon. like the lady in the article below, a doctor had told me it would help. Argh! And that's why it can set vertigo to the spin cycle.
Bauman is the expert on ototoxic and vestibular toxic drugs. Get his book, 3rd edition. You won't find a lot of this on the web.
. . . Gabapentin causes tinnitus in a good number of the people that take it. In fact, Gabapentin is quite ototoxic.
According to the PDR, it can cause hearing loss, hyperacusis, tinnitus, ataxia, dizziness, vertigo, and ear pain among other things. . . . -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
It's a tough drug to handle. That being said it does help with nerve pain though. I was not able to come close to the amount my LLNP prescribed, nor did I want to. I reserved it for night time only. But even the small amount left me with poor memory, eye twitching,and some weight gain.
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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posted
My PCP prescribed Gabapentin in 2008 when my sudden piercing pain started in my knees mostly at night. This was the start of my more serious Lyme symptoms.
I have been on it since for pain management and as a sleep aid, and take it only at bedtime. I went deaf in one ear in 1992 and have had tinnitus since, so I'm not that concerned with side effect.
Posts: 119 | From ground zero | Registered: Mar 2014
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
i pretty much need it most days now...for years i only used it when tri gem neuralgia pain hit
i only take 300 during day but sometimes 600 at night im lucky tho...dont work and have many days i dont have to drive
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Remember that some side effects are not just "effects" but can be damage.
(I thought I already posted this earlier but guess not - must have forgotten the last click.)
With ears, this is really important to know as tinnitus is very often not a side effect as much as a sign of damage, according to many ear experts.
Liver support can often help with prevention, although it's unclear when that will be enough. And there are often other ways to approach, too. Always look first to magnesium. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Has anybody tried GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid)?
Is there any difference between gabapentin and GABA?
Same side effects?
Posts: 37 | From maryland | Registered: Mar 2011
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- In theory, on paper, close but not the same and not the same effect, gabapentin and GABA.
I have tried both and neither was good for me. As I recall, both did provide a hangover, dazed and dizzy effect for me. At first, of course, GABA was very relaxing. A very nice "ahhh" but it just didn't work out.
For me, both lowered my seizure threshold (I had more seizures, with the sensory triggers so much more hair-pin trigger than usual), opposite of the effect I had hoped. I was miserable with both, and the next day after a dose, could never really wake up.
Could be - my reaction - that even GABA relaxed my vestibular system too much and created intensified vertigo and that always interferes with the seizure threshold for me.
I tried GABA several times over the years, on it's own and also in with some good quality sleep formulas. It just is not something I can do.
Of the two, for others - GABA would be a much better choice, IMO, but it can be hard to start low enough for consistency. Best if you have a LL ND to guide you. They must be LL because most other NDs just won't have the knowledge required for how lyme changes the brain, the body.
If you try GABA, read up on it . . . start with a very low dose. Depending upon why you want it, there are many other better options, too, such as if for body relaxation. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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droid1226
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Member # 34930
posted
I've been taking it 3 yrs at a dose of 2400mg daily. I ramped up obviously but I have nerve damage all the way down both legs and one arm. It's the ONLY thing that helped with that.
I guess you weigh your options. I was experiencing relentless pain daily for months. It helps me walk. I stopped for 8 months, when I was at a lower dose and those were the ones I needed a wheelchair or cane.
The side effects for me are dry skin, occasional rash. My old nurse took a much higher dose for over a decade and quit cold turkey. No damage.
Any pill you put in your body is somewhat toxic, and gabapentin is a little tough on your liver. But if it helps you stay/get active like it does me, it's worth it. I'm starting to believe activity/exercise is as important as antibiotics in some cases.
GABA did nothing for me.
Everyone is different. Don't be scared out of it because of listed side effects. My advice would be to try a very small dose, maybe a quarter of a pill and see how it goes.
And of course, doesn't hurt to megadose magnesium like was said above.
lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
I still love it for pain and sleep but found out it can raise homocysteine levels and that is a new problem for me
After many years of use i dont seem to have hearing or liver problems
I do have weakness standing and one knee giving way...i didnt relate this to neurontin. I will have to pay more attention
When neuro prescribed it years ago he said only take it when pain is bad and never more than 900 mg a day and i wont have side effects
When in hospital for surgery a year ago they said i had to take specific dose each day wether i had pain or not. I tried to do that so am taking more than i think i need and now having problems that may be related
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I didn't read the side effects because I knew I wouldn't take it if I did. I have been taking three pills at night, and so far all is well. I think antibiotics have done more for my pain than anything else.
-------------------- Lyme flare June, July, August of 2013. Diagnosed September 2014 Lyme, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Mono Posts: 595 | From Texas Crossroads | Registered: Oct 2014
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droid1226
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34930
posted
Not taking a drug (that could improve the quality of your life) because you're scared of the side effects is like not driving because you might get into an accident.
The idea of taking neurontin for is to get me through pain, to do physical therapy and eventually weaning off.
Honestly, that list of side effects is very small compared to any of the the other new pharmaceutical drugs.
Look up advil side effects or tylenol. The list of side effects is much longer.
posted
I take 600mg at night, really helps my neuropathy that isn't as bad in the daytime.
I tried it years ago during the daytime and my feet swelled and I had falls. That's why my LLMD decided to give it for nighttime only.
Posts: 245 | From Texas | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
Same here, I take 600 mg at bedtime with 10mg Melatonin. I use to take more through the day but as the real bad nerve pain diminished with ABX treatment I reduced dose to night time only.
Recently I've experimented with seeing how I do with only 300mg at bedtime. I do feel less groggy the next day, but have more sleep disruptions 2am thru 5am
Posts: 119 | From ground zero | Registered: Mar 2014
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