Gabapentin for Peripheral Neuropathy User Reviews (Page 4)

• Ron...
• June 11, 2016

"I have been having such a bad time with my left thigh and down to my left foot, the burning, shooting bolts of the worst burning pain I ever felt! On a pain level, a 12! Out of a 10! I took a 300 mg GABAPENTIN and in 10-15 minutes the pain is a 6-7 out of a 10, I usually get the PN at night, it's 2:33 p.m. right now! Thank God and do for this medicine! I have controlled diabetes type 2 and severe back ruptures and spinal stenosis! But, I DON'T want operations as I am afraid of being paralyzed, doctors told me it was a slim possibility of that! They have to go through the front to get to my back, C-4 to L-5, otherwise, split like a trout! Thanks, but no thanks!"

• Anonymous
• February 5, 2012

"I have been taking 1200 mg twice a day for approx. 10 years for peripheral neuropathy. The doctor that gave it said that some days it works very well, some days just so-so, and some days not very well. She was a user and told me that was her findings. She was right on the money. But I'm going to go up to 3000 mg a day. Best medicine that I ever took!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2012

"Started with 300 mg at night with no significant improvement in symptoms. Second week 300 mg night, 300 mg day. The daytime dose knocked me out, feeling drowsy, dizzy, and fuzzy thinking. Cut back the daytime dose to approximately 150 mg - same results. On top of that, the burning and tingling got worse. Doc had me stop all medicines. Glad that many get wonderful results, but not me. (By the way, I'm not diabetic, no thyroid problems, and no alcohol use)."

• kma...
• April 6, 2012

"I suffer from paresthesia in both arms, sciatica, and anxiety/PTSD. I am currently taking 1500 mg gabapentin/day. Results have been amazing. Numbness and tingling in arms reduced by 70%, sciatica pain gone, and as a bonus, the sedating effects are incredibly effective for my anxiety. Also has improved the quality and quantity of my sleep. The biggest side effect, which if it gets worse, I will discontinue gabapentin, is the weight gain. I gained 15 pounds in 8 weeks. Slight blurry vision. Great medicine overall with some mitigating side effects."

• Nig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2017

"I was prescribed Gabapentin before because I was having nerve pain in my right arm. Without that medicine, I couldn't go one second without being in pain. Now my doctor prescribed me Gabapentin again because I'm a Type 2 diabetic who was recently diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. I can barely walk without taking this medicine. It helps make the pain more bearable. This medicine is a lifesaver."

• Gol...
• August 23, 2017

"Had surgery 17 months ago, L2-S1 bulging herniated discs and severe spinal stenosis. Doc scraped too close to the spinal canal; had to repair the spinal fluid leak. Ended up with foot drop and severe neuropathy below the knee to toes. Surgeon ordered Gabapentin before surgery; increased gradually out of desperation after surgery as pain was unbearable. It is still bad two times; often a sign I've missed a dose. I take 200 mg two times a day and 900 mg at bedtime, total daily dose 1300 mg. I also take Baclofen and Meloxicam. I'll say I would be out of my mind from pain if not for Gabapentin. I've had some blurry vision early a.m. that hangs on for a short time, probably from the higher bedtime dose, but otherwise no problems. I'm so, so thankful for this medication."

• Kil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 24, 2012

"Took for several months with no improvement to the peripheral neuropathy. In fact, the symptoms have increased in severity. It does make me drowsy, which helps with insomnia, but I really need something to control the spreading numbness."

• Gab...
• May 13, 2018

"I've been on it for over a year, and here's the scoop: I was doing 300 mg 3x a day, but taking it in the morning made me 'uhhhhhh' at about noon. Since I have intermittent insomnia, the doc said it's okay to take all 3 (900 mg) in the evening. You can bet that helps me sleep! About 3 hours after I take it, I can feel it kicking in. I start to feel spacey, and by about 4 hours after I've taken it, my thoughts get more disconnected, and my speech can on occasion get slurred. Some nights it seems to hit me much harder than others, and I'm not sure the determining factor. I think if you don't have as much in your stomach, maybe? Some nights, wow, I get so loopy that it's home and straight to bed. An interesting side effect, too, is that I've found myself getting a vague compulsion-like thing if I don't make myself power down when I'm really feeling sleepy. I do want to add that also -- I have severe cervical spine stenosis, and this also helps for that pain, like a lot. A lot."

• Not...
• December 18, 2015

"I have been taking gabapentin since the 22nd of November and am currently on 900 mg 4 x a day along with co-codamol (30 mg of codeine & 500 mg paracetamol) for neuropathic nerve pain and damaged nerves in my left ankle. At first, it worked really well, but it's been almost 4 weeks now since I started taking it, and the pain has returned both during the day and breakthrough pain at night. The pain is horrendous, with shooting pain up and down my leg, with a burning sensation, especially at night! It is really making me fed up and is affecting my work - is there anything else out there that would be better to take and will work for this problem!!! It's driving me mad as I have to work, and the pain can be just too much."

• Bus...
• January 11, 2017

"It was given to my 91-year-old mother 3 times a day for the nerve damage in her feet. The medicine relieved her pain, but she became very lethargic. There were days when she was so out of it she could not sit 5 minutes without falling asleep. She had swelling in her knees, hand tremors, and was not able to communicate properly. Only after I read about the side effects did I realize her condition was possibly because of the Neurontin. The doctor changed it from 3 times to 2 times a day, and in a matter of 2 days, my mother was back to herself, and her foot problem was much better."

• Rob...
• March 5, 2011

Gabapentin "I've taken Neurontin for many years now, and I know without it I wouldn't be able to walk. I know this because I tried not taking it, and after 18 hours I was climbing the walls, and I was in horrible pain. I'm not exaggerating either. I've tried Lyrica, and it didn't help at all. I'm still in a lot of pain, but I know without it the pain would be a lot worse. I do have a few side effects with it: some confusion and loss of words at times, but I'd rather live with the side effects than the pain I'd have without it."

• Gar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2019

"Was put on Gabapentin 600 that I cut into 4 pieces. First 4-5 weeks, it was great! Wonderful med. I have knee pain and in physical therapy. At PT, they were amazed how well I was doing. BUT at week 6, take a quarter and sick to stomach, acidy and HIGH AS ONE CAN BE! Almost passed out in grocery store. Cutting back and seeing the doc on Monday. NO THANKS, find something else and it will not be Lyrica."

• And...
• March 5, 2016

"I tapered up to 1200 mg/day, starting in September of 2015. I have noted some stabilizing of my night restless leg syndrome and a near total absence of stabbing pains in the lower legs that would occur at intervals. I don't note adverse side effects; just happy my sciatic nerve pain has markedly decreased in the process. Some constipation noted at first, but that has resolved. I've had bladder incontinence for some time and that continues as I had no expectation of that being altered by Neurontin. Life goes on and I'm functioning slower now, but still get out."

• Pop...
• January 20, 2012

"I have taken it for a week now on a start-up schedule for my peripheral neuropathy in my feet, hands, and face, and even my tongue. I have had great relief of the pain in my face and hands. My feet are much better, I still have to increase the dosage yet to cover the in-between pain that comes back in the afternoons. Currently, I am at 1500 mg a day, I expect that my dosage will be most effective for me at 2100-2400 mg and should not be more than I need for the elimination of the pain we all experience. My sleep has been better, usually, I would be up all night in pain. Creams and NSAIDs don't help as well as the gabapentin has. My motor skills have improved greatly, freedom of movement. I use a cane for balance."

• Kik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2019

"I have numbness in my lower legs and feet, but no pain. My PCP referred me to a neurologist who prescribed gabapentin 100 mg. Take one at 8 pm for the first 7 days, then increase to 2 a day, 1 in the morning, 1 at night. After 2 weeks, no improvement at all, afraid of side effects, will stop taking it."

• Anonymous
• May 28, 2008

"I have taken gabapentin for about 10 years for peripheral neuropathy. For several years, I took the maximum dosage per day. I found my memory slipping and becoming more severe as time passed. I finally quit for about two months, only to return to 300 mg four times daily. This stopped almost all of the memory problems, and the lighter dosage keeps the pain down to a low roar. Gabapentin is the best I have found for the pain."

• pba...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2020

"I had a bone spur on my back causing pain, and gabapentin helped, but I felt my feet going numb. I read it causes neuropathy and tried to stop taking that drug. My one spot on my calf is still numb. Now I have been prescribed it again. I thought I recognized the name and began looking it up. There are no longer those comments about it. I am positive I read this! I am now taking it short-term for nerve pain in my jaw, and my feet are getting tingly. Hopefully, I won't have to take it much longer."

• Anonymous
• April 23, 2016

"I have neuropathy from chemotherapy treatment. The neuropathy is so bad that I can barely walk. I started this medication about 3 weeks ago. At this time, it has done nothing for me. I am taking 100 milligrams three times a day."

• Ken...
• August 26, 2016

"Gabapentin tends to dull the sharp pains of peripheral neuropathy, but it doesn't actually get rid of pain. That said, the more generalized sensation can make it easier to do ADL tasks as needed since you *might* be able to feel other things in the same area as the neuropathic pain. That said, mine is related to MS... on bad days, it seems the gabapentin does nothing at all."

• TJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2017

"I have arthritis in my neck, which causes severe nerve pain. I am not a fan of medications. I normally use only alternative medicine. I am taking 300 mg at night. The first night I was knocked out. When I opened my eyes, my first thought was no pain. I got up, and everything started spinning. The dizziness lasted until 3:00 pm. I was glad it was Saturday. I hated the feeling! I thought, okay, I give it a couple of days... During the day, the constant pain was almost not persistent. It started hurting only in certain movements. Overall, pain was a 3. I was able to do all my exercises. 2nd day, dizziness reduced, pain level 3. Still not comparable. Mood is better without the severe pain. I was given an anti-inflammatory, celecoxib 200 mg."

• Jay...
• February 9, 2017

"I am 43 years old. I was recently prescribed gabapentin for morphine withdrawal maintenance. I'm kinda happy with gabapentin, it really calms me down and helps with nerve and bone pains. I really only have one major side effect from gabapentin, which is if I stand up too fast, I feel kinda lightheaded. Sometimes I have to sit back down or I might fall down, but that's something I can learn to live with. This side effect, I'll stay on it for a while to see what long-term use is like. I've had a lot of friends prescribed gabapentin, and they seem okay. One thing I really enjoy is how calm I am on them."

• Gui...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 14, 2017

"I'm supposed to take 900 mg 3x per day. However, because of the dopey side, I've cut it back to one 900 mg dosage at night. I'm currently taking 30 mg Norco, 20 mg Zoloft, and an anti-inflammatory at one 10 mg N in the morning with the meloxicam. The rest at night. I also supplement with cannabis. This has been going on for 3 years. My pain is barely breached, unless it is a VERY nice day outside. When the weather changes, the pain is intolerable. Arthritis sucks. My pain is a result of extreme body use. Sports, military, and work options have beat me down. But the Zoloft and Gabapentin work well together, and I can focus (kind of)."

• tnl...
• October 22, 2009

Gabapentin "Tried for several months. Wasn't sure if the problem had resolved or the drug was actually working. Stopped slowly, and within weeks noticed a return of symptoms - starting back tomorrow - slowly up to full dosage."

• ksq...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2017

"Effectiveness of the drug for neuropathy in hands and feet was negated by side effects, including: severe 24/7 headaches; wild, crazy dreams that woke me up at night. The pharmacist said these symptoms usually went away after 2 weeks, but after 2 months they persisted, and other side effects seemed to be increasing. I had taken Neurontin in the past, and Lyrica, with no problems whatsoever. When researching side effects, I was very surprised to read that these side effects were specific to the generic formulation. Went off, and all the side effects slowly subsided, taking about 2+ weeks to completely end."

• Anonymous
• August 2, 2010

"This medication worked well to relieve my pain. However, the negative effects were bad. I could not think, I stumbled, had no energy, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I stopped taking it. I have neuropathic pain in both my feet and hands (at times worse than others). However, I need to be able to find my car keys and arrive at my destination without getting lost. I have to work, and while taking this medication, I am unable to function."