I have nerve pain in my ankle due to a permanent foot contracture (I have MD). Surgery is not an option due to lung issues. Anyways, I felt sharp stabbing pain along with tingling in my ankle (area around pain is numb) so my doctor prescribed gabapentin 100mg a day along with physical therapy. The pain continued a week later so I had doctor raise dosage - he upped it to 600mg/day. It has been a week but pain is still there. It is hard to tell if pain is less or not. Tylenol or Advil helps, but it doesn't last forever. Would 900mg/day of gabapentin help? Is the jump from 600mg to 900mg enough to be effective? Thanks!
Gabapentin not helping for nerve pain.Dose too low?
Question posted by harsh_one on 27 Dec 2018
Last updated on 19 April 2019 by Hnicolap
Added 27 Dec 2018:
One of my other doctors suggested botox injections, but insurance doesn't approve botox.
4 Answers
Hnicolap
19 April 2019
I would avoid Gabapentin if possible and try everything else first. Gaba seems to have become the go-to pain med often prescribed by dr.’s without regard to side effects when there are other options available. Just my 2 cents.
blue-sky
19 April 2019
Hello there,
You mentioned your insurance doesn't cover botox. My doctor told me insurance WILL cover botox if you try other remedies 1st and build your case for trying botox. Once you have tried other things, they submit to insurance for botox approval. I have Cigna and they approved me for botox when shots didn't help enough.
I too have tried Gabapentin and it only helps pain minimally but makes me sleep for too long and I don't see the need taking it every day to become dependent on a medicine that is not really helping. I don't want to take more of it. Doc suggested and wrote script for Lyrica but I haven't tried it yet and really don't want to. Thinking I would rather try Prednisone. Good luck and hoped I helped with the botox situation.
Salliet10
17 Jan 2019
Originally I was prescribed 3 X 300gms per day for severe nerve pain running all the way down the front of my right leg from my thigh to below the knee. (The pain occurs due to a spine problem)
It definitlely took away all my pain within the week and I was very relieved!
However, after I had taken this dose for about 3 months I realised it was 'knocking me out' a little and I had become very slow starting my day. I then reduced my dose to 2 X 300gms per day for 2 months and began to feel quite a lot better still with no pain.
After another 2 months and not really liking putting chemicals into my body, I thought I'd try only 1 X 100 gms per day.
It worked and I continue only to take 1 per day and am pain free in my leg. Oddly enough, the pain in my spine is still there. My understanding is that apparently, Gabapentin doesn't relieve nerve pain in backs! What about asking if you should try higher dose for few months and work down like me?
I'm happy now on my dose and very relieved not to have my leg pain which had become quite debilitating and depressing.
Good Luck.
harsh_one
17 Jan 2019
I could try that, certainly. Currently I take 2 x 300mgs per day, and the pain is finally gone. I don't feel any side-effects so it seems I'm able to tolerate it well so far.
Anyways, it would be difficult to go down in dosage anyways. The 600mg tablets are difficult to cut down to a third for 200mg. Cutting in half is easy, but not a third. I could request my doctor in future refill that I wish to go down to 2 x 200mgs, and pharmacy can give tablets in different size. For now, I will just stick with 2 x 300mgs since it has been working.
Anyways, thanks!
Mrs-sanders
6 Jan 2019
The thing about Gabapentin is that it will work if u take enough. I am prescribed 600 mg 5x's a day. However I wish I never started. I've been on that dose now for 6.5 years. It doesn't do a thing for my anxiety anymore. It's completely useless and I only take maybe 2 300 mg pills because my body is now physically depending on it and if I don't take it I get leg pain that is so severe that I cannot even sleep at night. Proceed with caution and beware of your body going through withdrawal if you take it for a long period of time and then decide you don't want it anymore
Related topics
pain, neuralgia, gabapentin, dosage, tingling, muscular dystrophy, nerve, ankle
Further information
- Gabapentin uses and safety info
- Gabapentin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Gabapentin (detailed)
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