posted
I take 300mg Neurontin for the unbearable head pressure many of us get, and it's made the difference between functioning or not.
While the pressure is still there, it's manageable most of the time. The Neurontin also has the advantage of helping with sleep, so I take it at night.
Unfortunately, it also keeps you sleepy during the day, but I would rather have that than the pressure.
As for curing Lyme, I can't imagine how it might do that, it certainly doesn't kill spirochetes.
posted
Neurontin is an anti-seizure medication. It's prescribed, off-label, for nerve pain.
Sorry - forgot to add that Neurontin has worked very well on the burning pain I experience. A couple times I've weaned down on it to to see if I could stop taking it only to find that the nerve pain came back. You NEVER just stop taking it.
It doesn't "cure" anything - it treats the symptoms, either pain or the prevention of siezures. There may be other off-label uses but I'm not familiar with any.
[This message has been edited by rena (edited 09 November 2004).]
Posts: 31 | From Tampa Bay - Florida | Registered: Jun 2004
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
I doubt it cured someone. Maybe they didnt have lyme and it inadventerly cured what they really had. Isnt neurotonin a anti anxiety med> Myabe they had anxiety. Dont know
Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Actually, Neurontin was recently approved for the treatment of nerve pain. As others have said, it won't "cure" Lyme or anything else. It just treats symptoms.
Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
hi, drs put me on neurontin back in june for something called RSD (that's before anyone knew i had lyme disease) RSD is an autoimmune disease. Basically to make a very complicated story short it's when the pain pathways don't shut down after a trauma. So the drs. have me on 300mg 4x/day which is a lot, however, it does manage the pain somewhat. It keeps the edge off. regards, lp Posts: 298 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
600mg makes me sleep like a baby. The last 2 nights I didn't take it, but tonight I sure will. Posts: 252 | From NJ USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
This drug helps me alot. I take 600 mg each night. I have tried to stop it by slowing decreasing the dose, but if I get below 600 mg, I get severe pain in the front of both shoulders and some autonomic nervous system symptoms - very cold hands and feet, intolerance to cold, fatigue, chills. And my blood pressure goes up, probably because of the constriction of the blood in the extremities. Last time I tried to go off this drug, I had a real Raynauds' (sp?) syndrome attack where one of my fingers turned totally white and got numb. I hate that I am so dependent on it, but it makes a HUGE difference in the way I feel.
I have had Lyme/Babesia for about 6 years, but went untreated for a very long time. I am wondering if my problems are actually related to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which may be the result of permanent damage to my nervous system. I even think my cognitive skills improve somewhat on this drug.
At least I know for a fact that I am on the lowest effective dose, and am not overdoing it.
I have researched it, and for what it does for me, it is worth any risk.
And it will be a big help in the wintertime, as I can hardly stand cold at all. Even if I am all bundled up, it's like the core of my body is just COLD when I am off this drug. Gives new meaning to cold feet in bed.
For anyone who has those autonomic nervous system problems from Lyme like I do, it's certainly worth a try.
ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
quote:Originally posted by dsiebenh: 600mg makes me sleep like a baby. The last 2 nights I didn't take it, but tonight I sure will.
Be careful with this drug. You need to decrease the dose slowly. Taking 600 mg some nights, then stopping the next could be dangerous. You need to be consistent with your dosing as it can cause seizures. Think about talking to either a pharmacist or your doc about this.
Sorry to sound bossy! But I had a client who stopped it abruptly and had a seizure and ended up in the hospital.
posted
I was on it for several months for pain and seizures. It had no effect on pain at all, and if anything seemed to make seizures more frequent.
This is one of those drugs, it really does seem to help some people and does absolutely nothing for others.
My LLMD recently had me start Gabatril, another antiseizure med. This one at least registers with me - Neurontin never really did - but I think I'll have to up the dose a good bit before it actually helps.
Posts: 199 | From Santa Cruz, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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