kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
My primary doc prescribed gabapentin (sp?) in place of lyrica because insurance will provide the one and not the other.
I have been sleeping well since taking it.
But, am wondering if it is helping or not as far as pain.
I am up to 3 pills a day.
But, have been lower functioning than usual.
There are other factors to consider too.
I just know I stopped taking it one day and was in a lot of pain the next.
but, it also could be because I had been on my feet more than usual the day before.
The brain is also not workign well enough to figure things out.
So, just wondering what your experience has been while on it.
I am weak. Sitting upright and standing and being on my feet is very limited with or without the gaba pentin.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
You are taking the generic form of a drug called Neurontin. My LLMD prescribed Neurontin for my severe neuropathy pain and it is definitely helping. While it is helping my nerve pain, it does seem to make me a little loopy. I've been told by other Neurontin users that this "loopy" feeling will get better the longer I take it.
-------------------- My comments on this site are not intended to be taken as medical advice as I'm not a physician. Posts: 206 | From Georgia | Registered: Dec 2008
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cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
kam,
Gabapentin is one I used pre-Lyme diagnosis.
It seemed somewhat useful for pain, in that it seemed to lessen daily pain levels to a degree.
But it made me loopy, dizzy, and prone to falling.
I took it for almost a year, and this feeling never went away.
After stopping the med, I found that the pain level was not terribly different - but that the absence of the loopiness, dizziness and spacy feeling was quite a relief.
I think it depends on each of us, individually.
Hopefully, it will prove useful for you.
But if you find that you are having more days with the spacey, foggy feelings... please don't just chalk it up to Lyme, and consider that it could be the gabapentin.
Sending you warm, healing thoughts, cactus
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I had a terrible experience pre-lyme dx with neurontin. I made drool, stumble, slur my speech. I couldn't handle it at all. It even made my fingernals and toelnails stop growing, weird huh.
Lyrica is a cleaned up version and works well for sleep and nerve pain but does little for the other things.
I hope you can tolerate neurontin. I hope it works for you.
Posts: 199 | From utah | Registered: Jan 2009
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
I thought that the increased fogginess, off balance, dizziness, etc might be associated with the gaba.
Now, I am wondering what to do.
I think taking a break from it and seeing how things go again.
thanks for the replies.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Go to: www.askapatient.com There are people who have taken Neurontin (Gabapentin)for years. I don't think it is as safe as the doctors say it is. I had a terrible time with it. Double vision, lights would flare making driving at night not possible. In fact - I can't honestly understand why people taking this drug are allowed to drive at all! If you think you need to stay on it - please use only the lowest dose possible - that works. Try to "ramp down" to two and eventually to one. You must ramp down because this drug will wreak havoc with you when you try to stop. Terrible migrain like headaches - etc. I always worry - when someone says they are taking this for reasons other than what it was designed for - it was designed for people with seizures, like epilepsy. Please be careful. -p
Posts: 641 | From So. CA | Registered: May 2008
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posted
Neurontin works well for me, however I have alot of head pain and I am willing to put up with the side effects.
This drug is absorbed directly into your CNS and not through your liver, so it has very little drug interaction.
That's why I take it, it helps the pain and doesn't make me worse like most of the other migraine / neuropathy drugs.
That being said, i will take anything that helps a little but doesn't make me worse. The side effects can be debilitating I know. I was able to build up somewhat of a tolerance to where the side effects aren't to bad, or I know how to deal with them. Maybe dose up slowly?
Posts: 33 | From Chicago | Registered: May 2008
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
KAM, were you able to get your Biaxin and Amoxicillin? Please let me know,
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
sending pm tracy
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Took 2 pills last night before bedtime.
Did not take the one in the morning this am.
I am in pain now but not sure if it is due to the 3 days of zithro and then no zithro or the hour and a half to 2 hour outing this am...mostly in the car...or not taking the gaba.
I just know I don't have the off balance and dizziness thing going that stops me from functioning more so than the pain does.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
I had the same effects as did cactus: "But it made me loopy, dizzy, and prone to falling."
My muscles turned to jello, too.
Some do fine. Some do not. Whatever, I caution you to either take it or not. This is not a drug that you can decide just not to take one day.
Since it is an anti-seizure drug, it affects the brain. By stopping it one day - or altering dose - your brain functions will be affected.
True, it may take a while to figure out a dosage that works or if you can even really take this at all. But, be very careful of the effects of its absence if the brain gets used to it.
Be especially careful if you are driving until you are on a steady course and it is working for you. At that time, then, is it very important to take the medicine on schedule: same dose, each day at the same time.
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
"But it made me loopy, dizzy, and prone to falling
Took it this am..and the above is happening.
Wondering how long it will take for the above to wear off.
In the past, I took it during my down time so I was OK.
But, have company coming during my down time this morning so took it first thing.
On the positive side....I was able to sit in my power chair as the maintenance man cut my hair without a problem yesteray.
The last time he cut my hair I was in a lot of pain and had trouble sitting long enough for him to get the job done...which really doesn't take him long.
I just can't sit long.
But, since taking the gaba I also have been out driving the car for an hour or two. Not straight driving. I am stopping and either walking for a bit or sitting for a bit.
I was just taking two at night before. Then doc suggested two at night and one first thing in the am.
I was taking the one first thing in the am after my morning outing and that was working out OK because I needed to be down anyway.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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