I just started taking this medicine gabapentin. For pain in my neck.
I hope I don't gain weight.
Thank you
Gabapentin - does everyone taking this medicine gain weight?
Question posted by franky65 on 29 Dec 2012
Last updated on 26 June 2023 by TKMarsh711
This question has also been asked and answered here: Does gabapentin cause weight gain?
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20 Answers
I gained weight. I'd like to taper off of it. But, most people say you don't lose the weight just by getting off the meds. I eat very little but I don't have much energy so I don't exercise.
No, actually very few people do:
"Metabolic
Common (1% to 10% of users): Weight gain"
The bad comments and reviews are written by the folks who have gained weight but 90-99% of users do not.
Do NOT stop taking this medication abruptly. Many people will experience mild to severe discontinuation symptoms:
:"Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly, even if you feel fine. Stopping suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms. Follow your doctor's instructions about tapering your dose."
I gained 40 pounds from taking this medication. Great for anxiety but massive weight gain
Yes I gain weight and lots of it when on gabapentin. I'm on 600 mg 6 times a day a prescribed by my dr. For femoral nerve pain. I rapidly gained 60lbs. Over 8 months.
I don't know if everyone taking Gabapentin gains weight but I sure do.
It is notorious as a "weight gainer". Just like other drugs used for psychiatric purposes (as well as other purposes), it seems to me that one could gain without even eating.
It is very good at its job, but???
No, only a minority of patients:
"Metabolic
Common (1% to 10% of users): Weight gain"
This means that >90% don't experience weight gain.
There is no guarantee that you would, It may depend on the person
I have been using Gabapentin and tramadol for two years due to a fractured arm and right leg, but I noticed my weight ballooned from 8-11.5 stone.
I had various tests in hospital and other tests, but they came back okay, so my doc says to come off them slowly as they are the cause of it. easing off gradually now and I will see what happens
I am a 50 year old female . I have Trigeminal Neuralgia. I take gabapentin 600 mg twice-daily. I have noticed weight gain. Couldn't figure out what was causing it. Never dawned on me to research this medication. I have been taking it for 3 years I have gained about 20 pounds and I am unable to lose it. I was always very thin never weighed over 125 lb until I started taking this medication. Now I weigh 145. Very unhappy but need the medication for pain from the condition. I've guess there's nothing that can be done because I can't stop taking the medication. :-(
I have been on Gabapentin for about 5 years, first for mild dementia (300 mg./day) and for the past 2 years (an additional 900 mg./day) for diabetic neuropathy. The drug has not helped with dementia, but has shown some small improvement of the neuropathy. I have had some serious side-effects, including anorgasmia (possibly from the Gabapentin). However, I have not gained weight; in fact I have lost 70 pounds (31.8 kg.) over the past 18 months.
I took gabapentin for fibromyalgia and movement disorder. Within about 4 months I had gained 80 pounds. The pills worked beautifully but that much weight gain caused additional pain. I asked my doctor if the pills could be causing it and she said she noticed the weight gain too but didn't say anything. I quit taking them and the weight gain stopped but after a few years I still haven't been able to get off all that weight. I have to add that I reduced caloric intake and increased exercise when the weight started to pile on but it made no difference. I would still try it because it really worked well but if your weight goes up significantly I'd stop way before you gain as much as I did.
Do NOT stop taking this medication abruptly. Many people will experience mild to severe discontinuation symptoms:
:"Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly, even if you feel fine. Stopping suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms. Follow your doctor's instructions about tapering your dose."
I started taking Gabapentin in September 2016 for a nasty herniated disc that caused nerve damage. In December, I had a 3 level neck fusion that was supposed to correct the nerve pain. Unfortunately it didn't and the surgery left me with terrible neck discomfort, so I continued taking my 900mg Gabapentin at night before bed. This drug caused me to gain 20 lbs rapidly. It is now July 2017 and I stopped taking the med and lo behold, my neck pain went away! I don't know if it was related to quitting the drug but I fell 1000 times better than I did while taking it.
Other terrible side effects I had with Gabapentin were brain fog, lethargy, feelings of doom and gloom, no sex drive. Gabapentin would literally knock me out flat about an hour after taking it, so my Dr had me take it before bed. Even with 8 full hours of sleep, I would wake groggy and it would take a few hours to come out of it.
I'm sure this like every drug has different effects on different people, but I would try something else if you're experiencing nerve pain. Again, it didn't really help me after the first couple months but I continued to take it hoping it would make it all go away. I only hope now that I can lose the weight I've gained... good luck!
I hope not either, but I did. And a friend of mine also gained weight.
I took gabapentin for the last 13 years for cervical stenosis but chose to take a break from it about 6 weeks ago. I've gained 35 pounds since I stopped taking it, most likely because the pain has prevented me from walking or even getting out of bed most days. I just started back on it yesterday, hopefully I'll be up and around and losing the weight I gained while abstaining from the gabapentin. There are balances and trade-offs with any medication, but I've found that the gabapentin seems to help me keep the weight off by allowing me to move around.
No-it didn't cause me to gain weight--- And it helped me greatly
Related topics
anxiety, benign essential tremor, pain, restless legs syndrome, fibromyalgia, periodic limb movement disorder, gabapentin, weight, medicine
Further information
- Gabapentin uses and safety info
- Gabapentin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Gabapentin (detailed)
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