Gabapentin - How bad is weight gain? Can diet help? How good for sleep and pain?

24 May 2012

I take gabapentin. I switched to it from Lyrica. I did gain weight with that. The gabapentin doesn't seem any worse then my usual battle with weight. Without sleep you won't ever feel better. What are you doing to encourage sleep? I don't know that gabapentin does much for sleep, other then make you a little more comfortable. If you're going to bed hurting, you're not going to sleep.

24 May 2012

Hello Kale45. 3% of adults taking taking Gabapentin gain weight. Diet certainly can be a help. Regards, pledge

24 May 2012

This has been asked before and a lot of people said they gain weight.
Take care

24 May 2012

I take gabapentin & Lyrica. I have found Lyrica helps with the pain as it has 2 meds in it & gabapentin had only 1. I have severe insomnia ,& pain. I am now taking Seroquel 150-300mg at bedtime & it knocks me out & decreased my anxiety in the daytime. Nice thing about it is that it is not addictive, non-tolerant, but it can cause weight gain but now I'm awake during the day to be more active. I was originally rx'd the gabapentin for my anxiety I was experiencing last year during an extra difficult time in my life & its was 600mg & it did help a bit with getting drowsy for bedtime. Wish you all the best.

25 May 2012

I have taken 900 mg 3x day for the last 6 yrs I was told the same thing but I did not gain any weight from it. Alot of it does depend on the dosage you take. Usually the dr. will start you out on a low dosage. If you are in this much pain you really should consider at least trying the medication & monitor your weight. If you find that you are gaining weight then you can weigh the pain relief against gaining a few pounds. I am sure if you exercise more that is always beneficial if your are able to.
You also mentioned that you stopped Paxil did they put you on another anti depressant ? If not & you still need something you might talk to your dr. about Cymbalta it is another anti depressant that has been approved for FMS & I found it to help with the pain alot
.i hope you find something to help you, best of luck, Kathy

31 May 2012

Gabapentin was my miracle drug. I was dancing away on 3600mg/3/day!! No need for pain meds!! I also thought that I was eating too much. Now after all the damage was done, I found out that fluid weight is a rare side effect of the medication. I still take only 300 mg at night to help me wake up with less pain in the AM, but be careful! Now, I have so much fluid weight all over my body, I will NEVER lose it again. I have to wear compression hose daily to make sure that I don't develop clots and my hands and arms and face are always swollen. It's a pain. Wish I had been more astute at the time, knowing that I wasn't eating any more, and I was still exercising. If it works without the side effects, it is a great medication. Just be aware of the side effects.

6 Jun 2012

Hi kali... thanks for posting this question. It is exactly the info I am looking for. I was just put on it for trigeminal neuralgia and having lost 60lbs... was also concerned about the potential weight gain. Congrats on 85!!!
I read about people gaining 25 - 30 lbs and it scared me. I'll keep you posted if I find out anything more... sleep well!!

27 Jun 2012

Good Morning,
I have been on Gabapentin for a couple of years now, as well as trazadone for sleep. I have GA, Depression, Insomnia (since 2007), & Fibromyalgia, along with a few other problems. I tried Lyrica & gained alot of weight from it. Got rid of that fast seeing I lost 200 pounds, I don't need to gain any back. I have been taking Gabapentin with Trazadone and find that I sleep alot better & it helps with the anxiety. I think I have only gained about 10 pounds in as many years from this. Talk to your physician about trying that combination. Let me know what happens. Good luck.

27 Jun 2012

Hello Kali45! Gabapentin is a great anti-depressant and gosh, it really helps pain. I also take Lamictal and Klonopin, which keeps me stable. The combo works wonders for me. I haven't gained any weight from Gabapentin. The only reason I gain weight is because I LOVE sweets, especially chocolate. Hardy Har Har! I have to tell you that I've tried almost the entire drug market of meds in the pain family. ALL of them made me gain weight. As far as pain I couldn't ask for a better med than Gabapentin. I take 1800mg per day. That's a lot, but some people have to take that amount to kill pain AND sleep. I'm so glad to get away from narcotics. I sure hope you start feeling better. It sounds like an awful situation to be in. I'm so sorry. I forgot to ask you if your taking anything for insomnia. I sure hope so. Please take care and may God bless you with faith, hope and love, Anna

12 Jul 2012

I've been on Gabapentin for about 4 1/2 months for nerve pain due to a large tumor on my brain stem (not removable). The meds seem to be helping, hard to tell honestly since I'm still in a significant amount of pain 24/7 but I don't want to risk not taking them yet. I've lost 9 lbs since I started the medication, with a minor change in activity level/diet from before I started. I'm doing 30-45 minute walk 3-4 times a week and cutting out the fast food and losing weight slowly.

14 Jul 2012

Kali45... I have been on large doses of Gabapentin 2400-3600 mg a day for postherpetic neuralgia and have not had an issue with weight gain. I do seem to be hungry more often but try to be smart with snacks. This high of a dose can cause you to be dizzy, drowsy and a tad confused so, watch yourself driving, operating machinery and making important decisions until you know how you are going to react to it's use. Good Luck to you !

17 Jul 2012

I have been on 2nd level (900mg daily) of Gaba for a month and I've gained about 4lbs... didn't have much of an appetite before, but once I started that second level of Gaba I just can't seem to satisfy my hunger. I also started having some awful acid reflux that I thought was caused by the Gaba, but my Doc says it is caused by a different pain med compound not the Gaga. (50yrold/Male)

17 Dec 2012

Hi, i have had bad insomnia for years too.. hello fellow sufferer... neurontin affects me differently, it revvs me up, so I can't take it for sleep... I find I have mild weight gain, not like seroquel or remeron

24 Jan 2013

I think gabapentin does help you sleep. I have taken in for 10 years (well first neurontin but due to cost switched) for neuropathic pain. When I don't take it I don't sleep as well. Maybe this is dose related.