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

I have been Gabapentin for 6 years. I have severe nerve disease in both arms and legs. I believe I have gained weight from being inactive. I am on the keto plan to get healthy but I can’t walk like I used to and just sitting or being less active can put on weight because of the pain you are in. When I started taking it I didn’t have a problem with weight gain but I also was moving more. Now, the pain is bad and I get out of breath easy so I sit a lot. I hope this answer helps you!

I take Gabapentin for anxiety. It helps but it makes me sleepy and tired. After work I sit on the couch and fall asleep where I used to go home and do laundry, clean, etc. I have gained about 30 pounds, maybe partly because It makes me tired and I sleep. I take 400 mg. three times a day for over a year now.

Gabapentin is for nerve rejuvenation. It I believe is to calm your nerves that are traumatized. Meaning surgeries, accidents. It does seen to make people tired. Of course now people have found a way to get high off the stuff . It is not a narcotic . But people are taking large quantities of it. Thus another medication being pulled off the pharmacy shelves.. Lyrica seems to be a very good medications 4 nerve regeneration

I have taken Gabapentin 4 x a day, 800 mg for 13 yrs. I cannot take prednisone or steroid injections. I gain atleast 30 lbs.if I take either of two treatments. I am afraid I have developed an immunity and they can only prescribed 3500 mgs a day but am afraid to come down and pay a higher pain price. Good luck.

I have now been on gabapentin for 1 month and have never had such an enormous appetite. A month ago I was 125 now 141. It’s not a coincidence and I feel it’s definately the gabapentin. I’ve always been in good shape and somewhat thin, I just can’t believe I gained so much. I’m doing physical therapy now and it’s really helping along with some massage therapy for nerve pain from narrowing of every disc in my neck except for c-1. I don’t want to continue on gabapentin if this side effect is what I have to look forward too. I’ll just deal with the pain.
So in answer to your question, I have personally experienced weight gain but that was only because I failed to recognize how bloody much I was eating. I don’t see much in the way of water retention however.
Good luck!

Hi Kali45!
I'm sorry you're not feeling well--prayers ascending. As for Gabapentin... I have Fibromyalgia and take Gabapentin (800 mg morning, mid-day, and evening--total 2400 mg) for pain. Gabapentin doesn't act like a narcotic; it takes about an hour to "kick in". However, once it does, my pain is greatly reduced. As for weight gain, I've not experienced any.
Be well and God bless.

marzboy777

I did not gain weight on Gabapentin. I mean, *at first* yes, about five lbs. I also started having breakouts (I'm an adult acne problems, so some medications do). Eventually, however, when I started feeling better overall I began to take the weight off.

I am not a person with weight problems, however. I'm not naturally thin, but I'm really good at dieting.

The thing is, however, that what I'm reporting here and everyone else is reporting is anecdotal. There is no evidence that Gabapentin causes weight gain, and so just like many other pills, people taking it think they gain weight from it when in reality there could be a bevy of reasons to explain their weight gain, including being stressed about potential weight gain (LOL!).

I hope you're doing alright on gabapentin and that it's working out for you.

HI! I'm so sorry you are suffering so much!! I was given Gabapentin this past Summer for nerve pain. I am recovering from two herniated discs and a pinched nerve and was given this to ease the pain. One of the main side effects is drowsiness..so this helped me sleep through the night. I wasn't able to sleep for two months because of the pain. I was given 300mg to start, but I didn't have to have more. It will put weight on you somewhat, it did me, but I couldn't be active anyway. If your doctor prescribes it and you need it, take it. Just follow the directions on how to take it and you'll be fine. Hang in there!!

Congratulations on losing 85 pounds from Paxil! That's amazing. So I gained weight on Gabapentin. I think I was only on it for a month or two because I could not stand it any longer. I was always hungry and I think I gained around 20 pounds. I lost it though right after I got off the meds. It honestly seemed to shed right off. So I hope that brings you some solace. I don't know, however, what the numbers are for people gaining weight on the medication but I experienced that and everyone I know who has taken the medication has experienced weight gain as well.

Unfortunately Gabapentin will slow your metabolism regardless of diet, although I diet still will help.

I know this because my weight loss surgery would not be approved if I wasn’t off gabapentin for at least 6 months.

Hi Kali, I have been on 2700mg of gabapentin for about 3 years with no weight gain. I am taking lithium for treatment resistant depression. Now that did cause weight gain! Even with that I have managed to lose 25 lbs. I read on another post that trazodone didn’t help for sleep. I take 300mg nightly and it works extremely well. Because my insomnia was so bad my psychiatrist also gave me an ambien for occasional sleep difficulties. Thank God for my Dr. She understands how helping with sleep problems makes everything else more treatable. I wish you the best.

I take Gabapentin 100mg. It helps me with pain. I, have arthritis. And high blood pressure. I also have severe panic attacks. Like I'm having a heart attack its a horrible feeling. I'm taking alprazolam 0.5 baby xanax. 3 times a day. Now my doctor wants to start me on paxil 20mg. Im on 10 medications. As for gaining weight.No i do ketosis no bread and no sugar. 5 minutes exercise.In my sit .

I take 600 mg Gabapentin 3x a day for Fibromyalgia. I've been on it for almost a year and have gained 40 lbs so far. It helps somewhat with my pain but doesn't help with my insomnia. I was on Lyrics before and gained 35 lbs in 6 months so I was switched to the Gabapentin. I have hypothyroidism as well, so I know that affects my weight as well. Good luck to you and I hope you get relief from pain as well as some rest.

I’ve been on a very low dose. I’ve been taking 300mg every night for a couple of weeks and then two nights ago I doubled the dose to get to the 600mg my doctor prescribed.
I’ve been gaining weight for a while due to different psychotropic medicines I’m on, but the last two and a half weeks I’ve gained 15 pounds. That’s crazy! Especially for the low dose to cause that amount of weight gain! And it’s not like I’ve changed any other medicines in this time to cause this much weight gain.
Also, taking this higher dose has messed me up the past two days. I’ve been drowsy, light headed, and very out of it, to the point where I can’t drive until I get this out of my system.
I know this question was posted 6 years ago, but I figured others will continue to find this when looking for answers, like I did, and I want to share my experience with this medicine.

Hi Everyone,
Know this thread has been going on for awhile but wanted to add my "two cents". I took gabapentin (Neurontin at that time) for epilepsy a number of years ago and did not gain weight on the Neurontin. I was able to get off of it when my epilepsy went dormant. I have was started on gabapentin two years ago for a headache that I have had since Feb 2016. It has helped with it and my back pain, but I am now 60lbs overweight and cannot seem to get it off. I am not able to exercise due to my back, but am getting exercise taking care of my honey who has CHF and has had strokes. I watch what I eat, do not use salt and watch my liquid intake. I take 300mg three times per day. I have not gone off of the gabapentin again due to the headache, but sure wish I could figure out a way to control my weight but right now the pain control (and possibly preventing the return of the epilepsy) out weighs the potential side effects.