Gabapentin for Neuropathic Pain User Reviews (Page 2)

• For...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2019

"This medicine did not work for me. It put me in a bad mood, and I just felt bad overall. I couldn’t think straight, had no drive to get stuff done, tired all the time, and still hurt from the pinched nerve in my spine. My upper back all the way down to my pinky was constantly burning and aching."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2019

"I began gabapentin 100 mg nightly for nerve symptoms in my middle back after spine surgery. I was hopeful it would help me sleep and end the twitching. The first week I slept but had a headache. The second week I seemed to be adjusting. No more headaches and sleeping well. By the end of the third week my mouth was parched and I was starving in the middle of the night, so I stopped taking it. My appetite returned to normal, and my mouth was no longer dried out. A short time later I experienced sciatica in my right leg, so I tried gabapentin again. It helped the pain in my leg, but after just three days on it, I experienced horrific lumbar pain like I had been hit with a shovel. I discontinued use of gabapentin again. I could only take it as needed at bedtime, 100-200 mg, for sciatica. Taking it during the day was not good for me as it caused me to become anxious after the med left my body. I took gabapentin sporadically for five months."

• She...
• August 18, 2018

"I have degenerative disc disease. For over 5 years, I have tried everything to get my life back. Currently, I am taking codeine 100 mg 2x, trazodone 100 mg at night & Celebrex 200 mg 2x and still in terrible pain. Five years of life slipping away & have bad sleep. My doctor is always trying new meds to help me, but often I get a reaction or they make me too sleepy to work in the day. Finally, she gave me gabapentin! I started low dose: 100 mg for 7 nights-with food! That is a must, then up by 100 mg & so on until my current dose of 400 mg. It has taken some adjustments with other meds, lowering the trazodone because I was totally dopey in the morning! I have also been taking melatonin before bed to help me sleep through the pain. I don't need it anymore. I woke up one morning & realized my back didn't hurt! I only needed half the dose of codeine that morning. I know that gabapentin isn't for everyone, but try it. It's an investment in your pain recovery."

• con...
• November 30, 2016

"My husband has been taking 3600 mg of gabapentin for about 4 or 5 months now. He has been on a lower dose (1800 mg) in the past. It has helped lessen his nerve damage pain but still in pain. I have noticed severe behavior and mood changes. He has become very irritable, aggressive, moody, depressed (confused, numb, lost), lower back pain (as if his back doesn't decompress when he lays down), trouble sleeping, suspicious, and distrust. This medication may help nerve pain but is a huge relationship killer."

• Per...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 21, 2019

"This continues my earlier comment on this drug, which I have taken for over 19 years for relief of continuing pain resulting from a surgical open procedure in 2000 to repair an aneurysm in my descending aorta. It works. It recently became a controlled substance in VA for some reason (Schedule V), and my doctor wanted to simplify things by moving me to amitriptyline, 25 mg per day. I tried that for a week, but its side effects on me were unacceptable (mental dullness, weakness, mood, physical abilities including small motor control being lost-- I could barely write and sign a check!). I switched back to gabapentin last night, and all those unwelcome side effects of amitriptyline disappeared. At once. I cannot understand the favorable comments on amitriptyline as a pain reliever."

• cha...
• October 23, 2014

"I've got 2 slipped discs in my lower back resting on nerves and affecting my bladder. I was in agony for 6 months and was given drugs that didn't help at all. Just recently I've been put on pregabalin and gabapentin, and the pain has gone, but without them I'd be in agony. But the drugs do make me feel like I'm drunk and can't walk, and my vision and memory short term, but better than being in the agony I was in."

• Cat...
• November 14, 2019

"They don't give people Xanax or Klonopin for anxiety because they say they are too addictive. I have been on gabapentin 300 mg 3 times a day for 3 years. I did not initially get on gabapentin for anxiety, but I have PTSD. I can't stop taking it because of the withdrawals. I can't get a doctor to give me anything for my anxiety because of the gabapentin I take. Doctors do not give out Xanax or Klonopin if you have anxiety, they want to give you antidepressants, worst withdrawals ever. I guess if gabapentin is working for your anxiety, then that is wonderful for you, but for the rest of you, I'm right there with you. I struggle every day with my anxiety, and gabapentin doesn't help! Also, I wanted to say if they're not giving out Xanax or Klonopin because they are addictive, then why are they giving out gabapentin because it is more addicting, and the withdrawals are worse."

• Per...
• June 12, 2022

"I have had the weird effect of it causing back pain that is worse than original back pain and pain on the sides of lower legs above the ankle, feeling like a tight band ready to rip. Has anyone else noticed this effect?"

• peg...
• October 26, 2017

"I have neuropathy in my legs, feet, hands, and arms. I take 300 mg of gabapentin and 10 mg of Valium, and OMG, that is the only thing that works. Nothing takes it all away, but this has been the closest relief I have come to. Then my doctor took my Valium away, and now I'm back where I was. The bad thing is people who abuse their meds cause us patients who take them properly not to be able to get them anymore. So now I hurt all the time."

• Noo...
• January 14, 2017

"I have been having back pain for years, maybe 6+, I also have mild scoliosis and sciatic nerve pain. Usually, prednisone for a short period will work for a year or so. My back started at a 9 pain level on a 1 to 10 scale. My pain was so bad I could only stand for 5 minutes. My husband got me a nice bar stool with a back while I cooked. It helped. My GP then prescribed Gabapentin Capsules, starting at 100 MG, 1 cap at night for 2 nights, then added in the AM. I have had immediate relief. I can stand to cook, do dishes, etc. Today I have added a 100 MG midday. That puts me on 100 MG 3 times a day. I see that others are taking 300 MG or more 3 times a day? The first time I took 2 by mistake, I was supposed to take one for 2 days. I woke up druggy and loopy."

• Ros...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 4, 2018

"I have had chronic back and neck pain for years due to severe scoliosis. I was hit by a drunk driver while on a motorcycle and my right knee was shattered (9 surgeries), my neck broken (1 surgery), my hips displaced, and chronic neuropathy. It took 5 years to walk again, and I was diagnosed with GAD & PTSD. I am a special ed teacher and need to be physically functional. I have had chronic pain for 30 years, and due to the high rate of opioid abuse in the nation, doctors want to take me off of my hydrocodone. I did my own research and learned about gabapentin. I asked for a prescription (300mg 3x/day), and it is working well for the nerve pain. I still have joint pain, so I don't know what to do yet. I have had more energy and have been more motivated being on the gabapentin."

• Ste...
• August 24, 2018

"BAD DRUG. I took this drug for only a couple of weeks due to pain that I had from a hard fall that I had. It didn’t help my stretched nerve pain at all. It’s only a matter of time before this drug pops up on the list of “narcotics.” There are absolutely withdrawal symptoms that are terribly uncomfortable (much like an opioid withdrawal). It’s not even close to being worth it. Take ibuprofen instead and save yourself the discomfort."

• Jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2016

"I have spina bifida, scoliosis, osteoarthritis, and I am on the BuTrans patches. I have been in severe pain, even my eyeballs hurt, every joint and muscle agony. I have tried so many medications and was almost at the point of giving up. I was put on gabapentin, and it has been a wonder drug and lifesaver. After only taking two, all my pain went completely, and I feel 20 again."

• fog...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2021

"Worse medicine ever. Nine years ago, went to the ER with symmetrical, extreme burning pain going from both elbows to middle fingertips. MRI revealed a bulging disk between C5-C6. Doctor discharged me the next day with 30 days' worth of gabapentin. RUINED MY LIFE. It did nothing for the pain; I could only sleep 3-4 hours per night in 1-2 hour spurts; extreme confusion, forgetfulness, and 'brain fog' during all waking hours; and brought on extreme depression and anxiety. It was so bad I had to drop out of college my senior year because my mind was not functioning (I had a very demanding degree). Here it is 9 years later, and I am still dealing with issues and the fallout. Only 30 days on this 'medicine' 9 years ago... Stay away from this chemical. P.S. Lyrica is not much better."

• Van...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2021

"I have been taking gabapentin for two weeks, and it has been a wonder drug for me. The itching and tingling from shingles on my face have all but disappeared. I am sleeping better, I could not tolerate Lyrica. I also have cervical dystonia and, over the years, have tried many drugs to ease muscle pain and tremors. This drug has eased all of the above. I hope I don’t have any side effects further down the track. I am coping better than I have for a long time."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2019

"I was put on this for neuropathy. 5 weeks in at 900 mg a day, I’m no longer taking it. I broke out in hives all over my body. Things that looked like mosquito bites but no red dot in the center. That lasted a month. Blisters on my skin. Dry skin, always thirsty, my well-being was off - like I never had before putting this pill in my mouth."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 25, 2017

"I have been on temazepam for sleep for years due to childhood violence in the home. With gabapentin now for 3 weeks, I haven't had to take it and have no withdrawal. I have extreme neck pain from a car accident and an old cervical fusion (as a result). The fusion put me back to work and highly functional. Now I am 71 and all neck vertebrae have degenerated, and this drug is the difference between functioning or not functioning. I also bring calm and serenity. My son says I am more able to follow the conversation quickly and don't talk so slowly. That's from getting away from temazepam. It served me well for years, but gabapentin is working so much better. I am grateful."

• Eas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2016

"I was on a low dose of 300 mg a day for a back condition which causes burning in my leg and foot. It was not effective for my condition, so the dose was doubled. I began having episodes of anger and rage, which was totally unlike my character. As soon as I stopped the med, I was back to my good-humor self."

• fed...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 7, 2022

"I had been on gabapentin for eight years following my stroke. All it did for me was destroy my stomach and cause severe constipation after weaning myself off it, reducing by one tablet at a time. I took months because my dose was 3600 mg per day. I would not recommend this pill to anyone."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 1, 2020

"On gabapentin for nerve pain at a dose of 2400 mg a day. The NHS doctors only gave me 300 mg a day. Went private, I saved up, saw a fibromyalgia specialist in London. London pain clinic tried for 2 years, with Pall Mall Surgery in Essex. 20 doctors, only 4 helped a little. This was no good, kept me in a lot of pain for years, which was a waste of time, money, and pain. If you are in pain, I hope you don't go through this. My lawyers want me to make a case and complaint, I only want to have a life."

• Sur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

"I just started taking pregabalin for nerve pain from a nerve pinched in the pathway to my left thigh. I was unprepared for the fact that my social anxiety dropped to near zero. All of a sudden, I am picking up on social cues that I don't normally and feeling a social connection I have never felt before. I hope this continues, but it tells me I have been suffering from social anxiety all my life where I thought I was just introverted and of slightly defensive EQ. I'm quite high IQ though. It is the sudden strong feeling of social connection that is really disconcerting. Is this what people really feel? Wow!"

• Day...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 8, 2018

"I have been giving this medication to my daughter for 3 years, she was prescribed because she was diagnosed with neuralgia from one of the chemotherapies she received. Before knowing what she had, she had cramps and numbness in her arms, hands, and legs, pain in the body, and tiredness. We could not cuddle or touch her, much less embrace her, because she said that she felt we would break her bones. Now, since taking this medicine, the pain has gone away, she has the courage to play, and I see her more active."

• Nik...
• March 31, 2016

"I have C-2, C-3, C-5, C-6, and L-3, L-4 herniated in my back and neck. I was on painkillers which did nothing! 10-325. When I finally got into the spine specialist, he put me on this, and it is a godsend. I am still in pain all the time and have lost use of my right arm, but it is bearable whereas before I wanted to cut my arm off! Nerve pain is like nothing I have ever felt, and I have had three children. This is the only medicine that I am scared to run out of. I have been on it since April 2015, I lost my job and insurance, and so I lost my doctor and had to cut back from 1800 a day to 600, and I wanted to die!"

• Kka...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 7, 2018

"I have neuropathy not related to diabetes and was having trouble walking because the pain was so severe. I would tape my feet at night to sleep. I have been on gabapentin for 10 years now and it worked amazingly, but I had to go back every couple of years for more. More, more, more! Now I take the maximum and have gained a lot of weight and have trouble with memory loss. I have to find something else, but weaning myself off was a non-starter because the pain is triple bad. Still trying to get the Dr. to change it. He says everything causes weight gain."

• Bra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 21, 2016

"Never, ever, ever let your doctor put you on this! It has the worst discontinuation withdrawal I've ever experienced. I've been through some rough opiate withdrawals before, and this is five times as worse as that! Stay far away from this, it will consume your life!"