Gabapentin and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Poo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 5, 2015

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I'm answering a question from a lady who has recently detoxed from drugs, and as an ex-user myself (all opiates & tablets), I offer my sympathy. Restless leg syndrome is a horrible condition that I have struggled with for years. Gabapentin hasn't helped for me, so I was put on Pregabalin 300 mg twice a day. I must say it has been heaven to sleep through the night, although they can make you drowsy if you are on a high dose, which I am. But I'm sure your doctor will find the correct dosage that suits you best. I certainly hope that I have helped in some way. Good luck."

• Pre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2016

For Pruritus "Prescribed for intense itching of the forearms caused by nerve damage at the C5-6 level. 300 mg 3x per day for 3 months. Took approximately two weeks to reach maximum effectiveness and completely blocks the itch that nothing else could stop. Only drawback is possibly some unknown mild brain fog/mental fatigue: difficulty expressing a thought because the appropriate (common) word escapes me, difficulty with information recall (short-term memory), 'spacing out.' The initial sleepiness experienced when taking a dose passed within a few weeks. Other than appearing as, and feeling like, an occasional 'airhead', this medication has been a tremendous asset."

• Anonymous
• December 13, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I was started on 300 mg at night for a week, then 600 mg, up to 1800 mg at night. I loved it in the first week and a half (it erased most of my pain and my anxiety!), but then I got headaches from the 600 mg dosage. I stopped for a week, then began again with 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg in the afternoon, and sometimes 100 mg at night. It works! A lot less pain, a lot less anxiety, and my negative thoughts seemed to have mostly disappeared. I exercise, work, and live like normal. I recommend this medicine highly, but start slow. I like taking it midday when my pain starts to kick in, taking a huge dosage at night makes me groggy in the morning."

• spr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2019

For Hot Flashes "Started on this last weekend as I've been majorly struggling with daytime hot flushes and night sweats. Could not believe the result after just two doses. I'm only on 100 mg tablets and can take between 1 and 3 a day. Because of the drowsiness side effect, I've chosen to only take them in the evening. I took one at 7 and another at 9:30 and went to bed at 10:30/11. Woke up at 9:30 the next day. Didn't wake up ONCE with hot flushes and slept all the way through. It's a miracle! LOL. I woke up feeling amazing and so well refreshed. My only advice would be to be careful with your timing, as I took it late last night after coming back from the cinema, and I'm feeling really sleepy today. But - so far, so good. No hot flushes since starting the drug and really good sleep."

• She...
• August 18, 2018

For Neuropathic Pain "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."

• Chr...
• July 31, 2011

For Anxiety "I was prescribed gabapentin when I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was for my panic attacks and anxiety. I went crazy with it the first couple of weeks, taking way more than prescribed, but that was the only way it worked for me. My doctor then upped my dose when I told him about it. He just started me off with the small dose to see how my body reacts to it. I love this medicine! Not to the point of addiction, but because it calms me down and makes me think clearer whenever I freak out. There are no side effects at all for me. No dizziness, no grogginess, no sleepiness. I function normally, I can even drive, work, and study. It has helped me a lot. The dose that works best for me is 1500mg, I don't take it every day anymore, just as needed."

• Chr...
• July 31, 2011

For Anxiety "I was prescribed gabapentin when I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was for my panic attacks and anxiety. I went crazy with it the first couple of weeks, taking way more than prescribed, but that was the only way it worked for me. My doctor then upped my dose when I told him about it. He just started me off with the small dose to see how my body reacts to it. I love this medicine! Not to the point of addiction, but because it calms me down and makes me think clearer whenever I freak out. There are no side effects at all for me. No dizziness, no grogginess, no sleepiness. I function normally, I can even drive, work, and study. It has helped me a lot. The dose that works best for me is 1500mg, I don't take it every day anymore, just as needed."

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

For Peripheral Neuropathy "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)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2020

For Alcohol Withdrawal "Been on the gabapentin for a couple weeks now to help with alcohol withdrawal. I believe I have hereditary AUD and have been strong with my alcohol intake for roughly 15 years. My psychiatrist recommended the doses of 900 3x/day. I take only 300 at around the typical time I would have a drink, and it really does work. I tried the full recommendation of the dose, but the side effects were too powerful... sleepiness being a major one and not being able to sleep a full cycle at night. I find 30 mg at dinner time is good for me, along with some willpower. I’m sensitive to medication also, so it will be different for everyone. Give it a try, it does work."

• Tam...
• November 22, 2019

For Occipital Neuralgia "I have chronic vestibular migraine (diagnosed by Neuro), and 8 months ago developed a new, constant pain in the back of my head, which starts at the base of my skull and covers the full back of my head. I described my pain to my primary doc, and she said it sounded like Occipital Neuralgia, then she looked at Neuro's notes and it said I possibly had Occipital Neuralgia. Primary doc said to add Gabapentin to my migraine meds for the constant headache. She started me on 300 mg a day, then upped me to 600 mg. I have been on Gabapentin for 6 months. I recently had to increase to 900 mg, then 2 weeks later to 1,200 mg, but I'm dealing with a lot of stress right now. I hope to be able to go back to 600 mg. I have learned stress causes neuralgia flare-ups. This med has been great for me. Gave it a 9, not 10, since I had to increase it so much. The only side effects I had were bloating/fluid retention, which resolved in the first month, and some sleepiness in the first few days."

• Anonymous
• August 24, 2011

For Anxiety "I've been taking Gabapentin for three years to relieve my anxiety symptoms; 1800 mg twice daily. Although I started at a much smaller dose in the beginning and did feel groggy at times, my body is now completely accustomed to it. This is the only medication I have tried that allows me to function normally on a daily basis without feeling side effects. I highly recommend it to patients with GAD who don't respond to other medications."

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

For Peripheral Neuropathy "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."

• Anonymous
• April 18, 2011

For Anxiety "I love this medicine. I have moderate anxiety and sleeping problems. I get the 100 mg tablets and take a couple if I'm feeling anxious during the day and up it at night if I can't sleep. I love the ability to determine how many mg I am taking, and since I weigh only 100 lbs, most prescriptions do make me sick. I highly recommend this medicine. It has not made me feel drowsy or foggy at all. It simply calms everything down."

• Anonymous
• October 4, 2009

Gabapentin for Pain "This stuff is great for nerve pain. I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back and 1 in my neck along with a pinched nerve. It takes away my neck pain when narcotic pain relievers and muscle relaxers combined didn't. Taking it alone causes drowsiness."

• yar...
• August 20, 2016

For Pain "I typically have a severe flare-up of sacroiliac joint pain with attending sciatica once a year or so. Mornings are truly the worst; I gave birth med-free to three babies, with 'back labor' each time. That pain is about 2/3 of what this sacroiliac/sciatic pain can be, particularly when standing, walking, and sitting in the morning. Debilitating, searing pain. I'm a nurse, and I also avoid pharmaceuticals in general. The MD suggested gabapentin for sciatica; I am also doing PT. So far, this has given me a good night's sleep with less rotisserie-like spinning. I felt groggy upon rising, kind of fuzzy. The morning dose was taken-- it left me very uncoordinated, blurry, kind of 'spinny'. I won't continue the med. I need a clear mind; also, no real pain relief."

• Ric...
• June 3, 2016

For Insomnia "Zolpidem (Ambien) plus melatonin didn't work very well. I had pain from various conditions, and 5-10 mg of hydrocodone (Norco) helped with the pain, but I don't want to be on narcotics the rest of my life. I tried GABA to help out, at the advice of my sleep doctor. At 600 mg each night, the GABA had no effect at all, so I discontinued usage. Now, however, another doctor has said maybe my dose should be higher, so I've taken 1200 mg each night. Very strong effect at that level, and I slept 9 1/2 hours! However, it took a while before it had any effect, and it left me groggy and dizzy the next morning. Next, I'm going to take 1200 mg at 7 pm instead of 9 pm. I suspect that after a few weeks at this dosage, I'm going to become accustomed to it."

• Emi...
• February 15, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I was prescribed gabapentin at 300 mg three times a day. After one week, I'm feeling some relief from my fibromyalgia pain. My upper arms, for example, used to hurt just raising them to brush my hair. That pain is gone. It does still hurt, though, to be pinched in one of the key areas for fibromyalgia pain, like near the elbow. I've only been on the medicine for 10 days and will stick with it to see if in time, all or more of the fibro pain disappears. As to side effects, dizziness and drowsiness are all I've experienced, and those symptoms are annoying, but I can live with them as long as the pain is gone. I've come to accept that to get rid of the pain, I'll have to deal with a couple of inconveniences."

• Str...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 6, 2020

For Pain "I have muscle issues with spasticity and contractions. First night I took my gabapentin 300 mg before bed. I woke up feeling very good, not stiff. Usually, I wake up walking like a robot and in pain everywhere, and fingers stuck close. No. I had relief. Come bedtime, my weak leg started dragging again, burning feeling back, and my left arm bent, so I’m looking like a monster again. I immediately took my pill and went to bed. I was surprised I saw my fingers relaxed and open while walking. I am happy today. I’m in bed typing this, not drowsy or sleepy yet. I drank 8 ounces of water with the pill."

• CHE...
• December 24, 2016

For Pain "I was prescribed this prior to needle surgery for my lower back. Now I have been referred by that doctor to a pain center and have been scheduled for that type of ambulatory surgery on my neck. I was in a car accident where I had a crushing injury to my neck. Later, I was rammed into by another car and had whiplash. My lower back had Lumbar surgery that left my left leg with a fairly numb left leg that occasionally had shooting pains. The shooting pains have been helped, and the feeling of pains and needles has been greatly reduced too in that leg and foot. I am taking 300 mg tablets. It does have side effects of drowsiness, a clumsy effect, but the sleep I get is wonderful. Standard pain reducers were highly ineffective."

• Kat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 2, 2013

For Anxiety "600 mg three times a day. I was taking Gabapentin for 3 years, but I stopped it because it has too many side effects, including numbness on my whole body, weight gain is a major fact, more headaches than usual, sleepy, tired, active but with a tingling sensation on my tongue, and so on, depression when I didn't take it, intolerable, anxiety, sweats, withdrawal symptoms, but it does help with pain and many things, but the consequences of it are horrible. Memory loss is another fact, definitely, it is a very dangerous medication."

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

For Peripheral Neuropathy "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)."

• Anonymous
• August 2, 2010

For Peripheral Neuropathy "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."

• the...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 16, 2016

For Alcohol Withdrawal "Just found this site. Was prescribed gabapentin 3 yrs. ago for neck pain. Made me too groggy and sleepy, so didn't take the 1200 mgs daily as prescribed. I stopped using it. It was also to help neuropathy. Drs. never mentioned it would ease anxiety or withdrawals from alcohol. As a binge drinker for 25 yrs., I'm willing to try it again to stop alcohol cravings. BUT have read withdrawals from gabapentin are severe, as bad as withdrawals from 1) alcohol and 2) opiates. Anyone off gabapentin, and if so, how bad was it? I'm not going to start them until I hear pros and cons of stopping them. Only took sporadically. None in 2016. I'm a 57 yr. old female with a prescription. Thanks."

• Emm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 29, 2022

For Spondylolisthesis "I’ve been taking gabapentin for about two years for an L4/L5 spondylolisthesis. I was about 10 days from a scheduled fusion surgery, and unable to walk comfortably for much more than a block or two, when I decided with my primary care doctor to double my dose of gabapentin from 600 mg a day to 1200 mg a day at bedtime. The pain and sciatica lifted. I canceled the fusion surgery, and I’ve been substantially pain-free since then, about 18 months. Since that time, I’ve also strengthened my core muscles with the help of a physical therapist. I also walk a lot and work out on an elliptical. I’ve tried to back down on the dose, but it always seems to kick up the pain, so I’ve stayed on 1200 mg a day. I’m not aware of any side effects, it does help me sleep at night. Maybe wake up a little bit more groggy, but that disappears within the first 30 minutes."

• Kip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "By far not everyone’s experience, but my brush with gabapentin was scary. I was only prescribed 300 mg per day. The first day I took it, I felt sedated. The second day is when I experienced my first intrusive suicidal thoughts. This scared me, but I continued to take it as prescribed, thinking that with all the positive reviews here, things would surely get better. The third day was spent daydreaming about my suicide. The fourth day had me thinking about death. By the fifth day, these effects subsided along with any anti-anxiety effects the medication had on me. This is a black box warning for this drug, by the way."