Gabapentin and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2025

For Pain "I started today. I am prescribed 300 mg 3x per day. Took one at work about 11:00. Did seem to reduce pain but felt very tired and a bit high. Suggest you take in the evening only until you are used to it. Driving was hard work also."

• Ale...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 23, 2024

For Bipolar Disorder "Could barely tell I’d taken anything other than being slightly tired and being in a generally pleasant mood for no reason. Good with mood balancing for me and also prevented seizures I’ve suffered from for years. No noticeable reason not to try it. Didn’t feel any bad side effects…"

• TET...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 5, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "Gabapentin has made my life livable and manageable. When I first started taking it almost a year ago, the only side effect I had was that I was extremely tired, and I pushed through for 3 days. After those 3 days, I had no side effects at all. I no longer have symptoms of mania and depression that are unmanageable. Whenever I do feel some very mild depression come on, I can combat it and care for it with the appropriate coping skills, thanks to gabapentin (and therapy). Now I am functioning on a level I never thought possible for myself. Gabapentin has made me able to live life and not just feel like I am existing."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• June 17, 2009

For Migraine "I've been suffering from horrible migraines with stroke-like symptoms for years. I didn't think there was anything out there but painkillers for this condition. I have been taking gabapentin for about 4 months, and I love it. I have never felt so good. No migraines now. Aside from a few heart-racing episodes and tiredness in the beginning, the medication is working well."

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

For Neuropathic Pain "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."

• sal...
• October 16, 2016

For Postherpetic Neuralgia "I've been on gabapentin 900 mg 3 times a day for a month for the shingles. It does help calm down the nerve pain, but it makes me tired. You just have to force yourself to keep physically active. If you are age 50 or older and had chickenpox when you were young, I HIGHLY recommend that you get the immunization shot. I'm into the tenth week with the shingles. I'm going to miss almost the entire deer hunting season because of the way I feel. Since I've been on gabapentin, I feel better though."

• Sul...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 15, 2016

For Pain "My doctors keep pushing this drug on me. Doesn't do a thing. I have osteoarthritis in my left knee after being assigned to USMC units for a number of years as a Navy Corpsman. Carrying over 80 lbs of gear on your back, not including weapon, flak, and Kevlar. Doing multiple humps and running like the wind has taken its toll. But this drug does not work for me. The only thing it does is make me tired."

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2020

For Pain "Was prescribed 300 mg for pain due to previous hip surgeries. Although it helps me sleep, I’m tired all day, increased heart rate, and have had stomach issues. Unfortunately, it hasn’t done anything for the pain. My doctor agrees this isn’t the med for me. I’ll be tapering off starting tonight."

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 31, 2018

For Pain "I was on gabapentin (2700 mg/day) for not quite a year, due to post-stroke nerve pain. Gabapentin made me lethargic and foggy-headed, but did not alleviate any pain. Tramadol did not alleviate any pain either. Neither gabapentin nor tramadol proved to be beneficial for me."

• Gre...
• March 22, 2016

For Neuropathic Pain "I started on 100 mg at night for about 1 week. Then increased to 300, 600, and finally in about a month, I was up to 1200 mg a day in increments of three. For the first 6 weeks, you are tired, but it's worth it, as soon as it kicks in, your pain is gone! I feel a little loopy some days, and I forget a lot of things, but my arthritis and bulging discs are pain-free, and I can live a great life. I dread getting off of it, though. It's going to be hell. If I ever run out, it's bad diarrhea and anxiety. Don't run out or take more than you're prescribed. Gab is a great drug for nerve pain, and I have no anxiety."

• Bro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2018

For Pain "Been taking 300 mg twice a day for 2 weeks after breaking my shoulder. I am having a hard time sleeping because I have to sleep sitting up. Makes me kind of tired but definitely not putting me to sleep. I would kill for a high dose of Xanax so I can get one good night's sleep."

• Anonymous
• May 16, 2010

Gabapentin for Peripheral Neuropathy "Makes me feel very tired and quite unwell (low mood, upset, sad, etc.). Don't seem to get much pain relief, although it takes the edge off the worst pain. Not sure about it, but think I am negative towards it because it is an anticonvulsant drug and I am using it for neuropathic pain. Positive comments from this site may make me try and think better of it!!"

• Kim...
• September 23, 2009

Gabapentin for Migraine "I used this last night for migraines. I took two pills and felt like I was drunk, even when I woke up. It knocked me out cold for 10 hours, and I still felt like that when I woke up. I have been exhausted all day also. My migraine is gone, but I can barely keep my eyes open."

• Bet...
• January 10, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I'm 51 and was put on gabapentin for fibromyalgia. I take 900 mg at night, then lie there exhausted but so agitated that I can't fall asleep. The most horrible feeling imaginable! I wake up completely unrested and spend the whole day exhausted to the point at which the agitation starts again by about 6 pm. I have never been so miserable and would not recommend this as a first-choice drug for anyone with fibromyalgia!"

• RJa...
• March 17, 2015

For Neuropathic Pain "I was given 300 mg of gabapentin to take at night (I also take 400 mg daily of carbamazepine). The gabapentin is very strong and knocks me out, but since it's at night, it's not so bad. Completely by accident, I discovered how depressed I was, because these pills are giving me a new lease on life. My negativity and suicidal tendencies have all gone pretty much. I'm more focused, happy, and get on with things. Side effects I get: tiredness, mild confusion/forgetfulness, and a hand twitch that makes me almost drop things. P.S. I'm from the UK, so no insurance, I pay for prescriptions yearly."

• itc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2021

For Pruritus "Severe itching in the thumb and forearm, right nerve root impingement at C5-C6. Gabapentin is a lifesaver, gradually increasing at this point. The itch is terrible, as the more you scratch, the worse it gets! Don't scratch!!! The only side effect I notice is tiredness and dry mouth."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2010

Gabapentin for Pain "I recently started Neurontin after trying oxycodone with a bad allergic reaction. Initially, I was tired non-stop with nausea and vomiting the first two weeks. Now, I have no nerve pain as long as I take it at 300 mg three times a day. I do have a nonstop haze that does affect my reading, so reading isn't too enjoyable anymore. I have also packed on 10 pounds. I still have horrible joint pain that I treat with 800 mg Advil three times a day. My gait is still the same and I still cannot walk without a cane, but the side effects are tolerable."

• Te ...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 19, 2017

For Pain "I broke my wrist a year ago. It was bad, both wrist bones displaced! This was caused by my abuser pushing me as hard as he could. Anyway, it was, as now, the holidays, so I had to be in a cast a total of 10 weeks. After months of therapy and continuous pain, I was sent to a pain specialist. He prescribed gabapentin and tramadol. I could not stomach the tramadol but found the gabapentin did help with the dead aching feeling I was left with and still do in my arm and wrist. I would like to stop taking it, but if I go too long, the pain is unbearable. I feel the loss of memory, lethargic, lost, foggy feelings taking it though, and I hate it! And the depression! I don't know what to do.. Many specialists, ??"

• Cra...
• October 19, 2015

For Neuropathic Pain "My nerve doctor prescribed this awful medication for me without knowing exactly what is wrong with me. I took 300 mg at night and woke up feeling tired, drowsy all day, headache, sore throat, and I didn't even have the energy to take a shower. The side effects are not worth it. I stopped taking it after 5 days. I would rather deal with my pain than take this medication. Do not take this drug. It is awful."

• Ste...
• July 17, 2016

For Neuropathic Pain "Had surgery for Morton's neuroma in March 2013, which resulted in nerve pain in the left foot. Prescribed gabapentin with various other drugs over 2 years in order to achieve the right mix. This was a disaster. Side effects were intolerable and frightening. Eliminated the other drugs and am now (after a 2nd surgery in 2015) on only gabapentin, but at a ridiculous dosage of 4800 mg daily. This gives a tolerable level with the foot pain and numbness, but does nothing for any lower back or sciatic pain relief. I have the usual side effects of blurred vision, tiredness and drowsiness, and instant memory loss, which has become quite annoying. Started to reduce the dosage to a more sane level. Hoping for 1800 mg per day but doubt it. We'll see how it goes."

• Jhu...
• February 5, 2016

For Anxiety "My doctor just prescribed this to me today, 300 mg once a day for 2 days, and then 2 a day for 2 days, and then 3 a day thereafter. He said it would make me really tired, as I am also on methadone. But I took the one before I was gonna go to bed, and I cannot sleep at all. I am so anxious and on edge right now. This medication is definitely not for me. I took it a couple of hours ago, and I'm thinking about making myself puke because it's time release, so maybe it's not all in me yet? That is how bad this anxiety is. And since I'm on methadone, I no longer am prescribed Valium. So this really sucks as I don't have anything to take this edge off."

• Anonymous
• May 9, 2010

Gabapentin for Pain "I have a bulging disc and low back that has displaced nerves. I live with pain every day due to fibromyalgia and arthritis, but this back pain is off the charts. Nothing helped. Just started Neurontin this week. Makes me feel a little tired, but tends to keep me awake. So far, it has knocked pain down to a level I can live with. If I take pain medicine with it, I don't feel any pain. I'm noticing my hands feel swollen, hope it doesn't get worse as I tend to have the rare side effects on any medicine I take."

• Reg...
• August 18, 2015

For Neuropathic Pain "I experienced severe back pain for more than 5 years, with some relief with Naproxen and chiropractic care. I finally retired because I could no longer cope with the pain. After going to a Sports and Spine practice, they finally diagnosed me with subcostal and intercostal nerve pain in my right rib cage and put me on gabapentin: 300 mg, 2 times a day. Within about 5 days, the pain was gone. It does make me tired, and I've gained a couple of pounds after being on it a month, but the benefits outweigh the side effects. It's been a miracle drug for me after suffering so long."

• ded...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2018

For Insomnia "I've tried everything for insomnia. The doctor wanted me to try gabapentin. First night I slept 3 hrs., and then a couple 2 hr. times. Next day by 5 o'clock I was very restless. I couldn't do anything till after 2 a.m. I took the 100 mg. at 9 and didn't get to sleep until about 2 and then awake every hour or two. Last night was also horrible. I was taking trazodone. I'm going to call the doctor and tell her I don't want to take gabapentin anymore. I think I want to try Elavil or just stay on the trazodone. I've got to get some sleep somehow! I can take a quarter of Tylenol with codeine, which I cut into quarters and take one of those a couple nights till I get rested, then I don't have to take it anymore. I don't want to be hooked on drugs!!!"