Gabapentin for Postherpetic Neuralgia User Reviews (Page 2)

• salmo...
• October 16, 2016

"Ive been on gabapentin 900mg 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 chicken pox when you were young i HIGHLY recommend that you get the immunization shot. Im into the tenth week with the shingles. Im going to miss almost the entire deer hunting season because of the way i feel. Since ive been on gabapentin i feel better though."

• Ncgirl
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2018

"Was given medicine for itching due to shingles. Within 3 days of taking it developed sore throat then coughing, runny nose and sneezing. Doctor claimed it was not from medicine but these side effects are listed. Very miserable to deal with pain of shingles and then this."

• Farfe...
• February 25, 2008

"I started trying gabapentin for fibromyalgia and it has worked really well - I had been on small doses of amitriptyline but that was awful - made me feel stunned in the morning. Gabapentin, on the other hand, has a shorter half-life and I wake feeling OK."

• nickn...
• February 2, 2016

"Does not make me dizzy or overly tired. Most doctors don't know how to dose it or prescribe it. A lot of doctors don't know much about shingles either. They know it is for pain so they treat it like a narcotic. It is not habit forming and not a controlled substance. It does take 2 or three days to start working though. I was misdiagnosed at the ER after I told them I thought it was shingles. They said I had facial cellulitis and put me on the wrong meds for two days, during which I suffered through the peak of the attack. "

• Mayr
• April 18, 2016

"A month and 53 days ago I had a case of the Shingles. Two weeks after the Shingle rash started to go away I experienced sharp stabbing nerve pains at the main Shingle sight. I was put on Gralise (gabapentin) by my Neurologist moving from 600 to now 2400 mg at night. I have found very little relief so far other than the stabbing pains are not so severe. I was told it could take 60 days or more to work. I have had no side affects from using this drug at this level."

• Nicky...
• February 25, 2016

"I had a cyst removed from my spinal cord, cervical (neck) region; I recovered well, but the cyst had permanently damaged my spinal cord. I was eventually given this drug, Gabapentin, which I take 1800mg per day. The pain and other sensations are not completely taken away, but I can do basic household chores for 20 minutes at a time without feeling too hampered. I can also sleep through the night. Side effects for me (female, 38 years) are slight constipation (handy, as I have double incontinence!) and more fuzziness/clumsiness than usual. I felt dizzy and 'doped-up' at times when I first started taking the meds, but this sort of thing improved over the weeks. I recommend trying this drug if typical strong pain meds haven't worked for you."

• alexa...
• April 4, 2014

"I started gabapentin 600 mg 3x daily after I had 2 bulging disk removed from my neck that had crushed my spinal cord. I was a paraplegic but I could feel nerve pain. I couldn't even have sheets touch my legs without pain. It's been a year now I've been on it. I can tell when I'm late taking it. What a life saver. I get blurry vision sometimes and have gained weight (might be because my movement is limited). Might have to take it the rest of my life, but it beats pain pills."

• GwenL
• July 20, 2017

"I am a week into taking gabapentin, the pain from Postherpetic Neuralgia brought me to my knees and for the first time in my life I had to take to my bed. Now I am feeling a little better but don't know if it is the medication or bed rest. I am still on bed rest. But getting up for short periods."

• Jmomma...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 6, 2016

"My 81 year old mom w/dementia got Shingles on rt head/ then Postherpetic Neuralgia. Dr. started her on 100 mg Gabapentin, told to titrate up to 300 mg. Taught mom Lamaze breathing which reduced the pain duration from 60 min episodes down to 5-7 min.& reduced pain from Level 9 to 6/7. I showed Dr a video of mom during Level 9 - I said"Dr. you keep calling it Shingles. I call it Postherpetic Neuralgia!" Dr then said, "I am calling it PHN. Titrate her to 3,600 mg!" Mom is now taking 1200 mg 3 x a day + 3000 mg ExStrength Tylenol. It took10 days to conquer side effects (dry mouth, scratchy eye, constipation, blurry vision, stability, confusion) Bedwetting began at week 4 but is getting better Pain is now 3-5. Now in 5th week of Gabapentin"

• Lisa
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2020

"I was prescribed Gabapentin at the lowest dose of 200mg a day, and increased the dosage all the way to 800-900mg a day but still felt no relief for my post viral neuropathy. It seemed to provide me pain relief for the first hour, but it didn’t do much afterwards. I am currently trying Cymbalta right now. Good luck to all trying out Gabapentin :)"

• ember
• March 14, 2008

"I was having horrible tingling and pain in my legs and feet because of Diabetes. But I took 1 pill, and within a few hours the pain and tingling were gone, I felt more relaxed and calm, it's wonderful! I feel normal!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2023

"Started Gabapentin 2 days ago for PHN post shingles. I was fortunate that I was put on an antiviral early enough to minimize the shingles rash and duration of the shingles, but I developed severe pain in my right side once the rash started crusting. I now have burning, sharp and electric shock feelings on the whole lower right side of my body where the shingles presented. My doctor has prescribed my Gabapentin for the nerve pain. So far I have felt some light-headedness, tired, feeling "stoned". I've not had any pain relief as of yet, but I believe it is to soon to tell. I am started at 300 mg a day, titrating up to 1800 mg a day. I really hope this medication works for my PHN. I will only rate this a 1 because it's too early for me to know and because of the side effects I have already experienced."

• gbate...
• April 15, 2016

"I've been on it for almost two weeks... started the day after I found out I had Shingles, so probably three or four days into developing Shingles. It does not seem to be helping with the pain I have in the immediate area of my Shingles (entire left torso), but it has seemed to lessen the neuralgia I was experiencing higher up in my body due to the Shingles infection, namely the trigeminal neuralgia. I'll probably be on it for a while and my hope is that it prevents or at least lessens any chronic or ongoing pain post-infection. I was told it would."

• daily...
• September 6, 2015

"I had many symptoms at first, especially imbalance, and drowsiness. I could never drive my car during the use of this medication. But overall, it helped with the sharp needle-like stabbing pain all over the area in which my shingles spread. I was worse case my doctor and neurologist had ever seen. When the shingle scabs had fallen and my doctor said the episode was over, I had no pain. Then suddenly from nowhere terrific pain began to increase to the point where my doctor had to prescribe this medicine. I've only been on this medicine since June. It is now September and dosage has only been increased once ( to 1800 mg per day)."

• Westc...
• June 12, 2017

"700 mg gabapentin at night allows me to sleep approx. 6 hours then another 100 mg gabapentin then back to sleep so I'm up around 7:30 am & take 100 mg gabapentin with 300 mg extended release tramadol. At 2 pm take 100 mg gabapentin with 400 mg advil & 1300 tylenol."

• Pretty...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 3, 2022

Gralise (gabapentin) "Had been on regular gabapentin for years, with terrible side effects, for some reason I don't have problems on the Gralise. It isn't perfect, but I do not feel loopy. Not 100% pain relief with either form so I'll do the Gralise thank you very much. (cost is a problem though)."

• June
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 18, 2021

"I am a 74 year old woman and I got shingles in Feb. of 2021. Mine started as excruciating pain in my forehead, as if a horn was trying to push through my skull. Two trips to the ER before the lesions came out and I was diagnosed. I now have PHN and was initially given OxyContin, but while it helped minimally I was afraid of becoming addicted. I called my doctor again and asked to be put on something non-addictive. She prescribed gabapentin in 100 mg 3 times a day. No relief. She upped me to 300 MG 3 times a day. No relief. Finally I was put on 600 MG 4 times a day, so 2400 a day total. Finally I can say I'm pain free! My pain has changed to extreme itching now though, but the gabapentin takes care of that also. I've been on it for 11 months, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. But at least I can live normally with this miracle drug. The only minimal side effect is I get drowsy about a 1/2 hour after taking it, but nothing serious. Also occasional word lapse. Miracle drug!"

• NERVE...
• November 6, 2013

"For 3 years now I've been getting these electrifying, stabbing pains in my r-breast, very erratic. They come and go. Sometimes for months at a time. They are completely crippling. I cannot use my r-arm, hot showers will trigger it, certain movements with my r-arm, interferes with my sleep, rolling over in bed etc. UNBEARABLE.... When I first went to my primary about this I was sent for a mammogram & ultrasound which of course showed nothing. They chalked it up to hormonal changes and never investigated it any further. I might add I was 49 y/o when this started and now 52. I finally went to a neurologist (after doing my own research) and for the time being he is calling it PN. I've taken my first dose of Gabapentin. Praying this helps."

• Moyajor
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2016

"I was prescribed 300 MG in the early stages of Shingles, for what I don't know. Since the Shingles kept getting worse, they changed my prescription. It started out as an "ear infection". It didn't do anything for or to me. Crazy....."

• Nicole
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 18, 2018

"My hands have had a severe rash I thought I tried everything! Finally got a biopsy done and during the time I was waiting for the results. My hands broke out in hives. I ate sushi and figured it was the sushi! Had no idea what do just my hands are all of a sudden worse ! The rash was only on my hands up until I did UV light therapy and the rash has now broken out all over my body! I finally realized two days ago it is the medication and I stopped suddenly ! The rash is so bad and I have been living with it for so long! I can not wait to get my hands back!"

• Lynne
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 6, 2023

"Taking Gabapentin for 19 months now at 3600mg a day. The capsules are quite easy to take. While the terrible pain, like electric shocks, has lessened I still experience pain. The side effects are constant tiredness and a dull foggy feeling in my head. I have also gained weight. I guess I expected more after all this time."

• Jamie...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 1, 2013

Neurontin (gabapentin) "I'm on 300mg 3x a day. It's my lifesaver for neuropathy and restless legs. It allows me to sleep at night. I find the only side effect is increased appetite."

• mhmama
• March 9, 2014

Neurontin (gabapentin) "I am on Gabapentin for nerve damage due to chemotherapy. I am now up to 600mg 3 times a day. I am not having a lot of relief and have a lot of dizziness, joint pain headaches, and unsteadiness."

• 64nco...
• August 15, 2010

Neurontin (gabapentin) "It relaxes me so that I no longer hold my upper body rigid and the pain is lessened. I am able to get much needed REM sleep."

• brand...
• August 20, 2009

Neurontin (gabapentin) "Do not like the weight gain."