Has anyone been on Gabapentin for pain?

[Lutricia]

My doctor has prescribed Gabapentin for the pain I experience in the mornings and almost constant pain (when walking) in my right foot. Has anyone has any problems with this med? I know this seems vain, but I don't want to start anything that may cause my hair to shed. I know this seems petty but I would just like to hold onto what little hair I have.

[REG53]

Hi Lutricia,

I have taken Gabapentin for yrs. for burning pain even through I still get the pain off and on.

At first it made me feel spacey, now I don't have that problem and I didn't lose any hair.

[DorOMA]

I have taken gabapentin for years. No hair loss. Any changes in your body is not petty!

[Karenkay]

I have been for several years. Haven't experienced negative side effects but I do wonder how effectively it is helping me ... or not. Recently, I asked Dr for additional pain meds, I want to try medical Mariana, and he politely laughed me out of the office. I asked for and received Baclofen, 40 MG a day. After a month my pain has not abated one iota.

I've been with current Dr nearly 15 yrs. I've tried many of their suggested meds over the years including ms drugs with no positive outcome, I won't go into the negatives. It is time to move on and find Dr who will listen to me.

[J-Bo]

I was up to 3600 mg/day of Gabapentin, and still had/have a full head of hair. The grey matter under the hair did not fare so well, though. It turned me into a human dial tone when I tried to participate in conversations. Also, it didn't help the pain (neuropathic).

Now, the good points: I didn't gain weight, and I'm someone who can gain just by looking at recipes. And Gabapentin does help a LOT of people with pain, so it could possibly help you. You didn't say how long you've been on it--it takes some time to work, too. Good luck--I really hope it works for you.

[Kimba22]

Sorry to hear about your pain. I've also taken Gabapentin for nerve pain for many years. It seems to help me most with neuropathic itching, but not so much with the burning pain (which has intensified lately). My MS Specialist recently prescribed Doxepin instead, but after only one dose, had tons of weakness over the next two days. Hard to describe, but also made me feel out of it for the next few days. So that one's out for me.

Never had hair loss from the drug. It's listed as an "incidence unknown" side effect, so it has shown up before. You may want to report it to the FDA https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scrip...reporting.home. Helped me to get my iron levels back up when it happened to me on Tysabri. Don't know if that will help you or not, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

If Gabapentin doesn't work well enough for you, you may want to ask about Cymbalta next. Best of luck,

[Karenkay]

Cymbalta

Gave me really weird dreams

[Lutricia]

Dreams

Thanks for your reply. Hope I don't get any weird dreams. I haven't started it yet because I become hesitant since I read the side effects. And as far as the Medical Mariana, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!! I have never smoked that stuff or done any kind of drugs when I was young, but since I have been plagued with this rotten condition it has crossed my mind more than once that's for sure!! The only draw back is the cravings!! I don't want any problems with my weight, at least not anymore than I already have!

And as far as your doctor not listening to you I have had plenty of that but not with the doctor I have now. If you lived near Springfield, IL I could probably help you with a Neurologist that specializes in MS. He is wonderful!! Have a nice day and thanks again!

Gave me really weird dreams

[WillyNilly]

I'm sorry to hear about PAIN!

I've been in the major chronic pain boat since an accident in 1985, before MS reared it's very ugly head.
It's been years now since I used gabapentin for a couple of years, but I don't recall any hair loss.

About that marijuana though...have you ever smoked pot?
If you choose to try it I just want to warn you about some of THOSE possible side effects!

Hallucinations is one of them- I KNOW because I'm one of those "lucky" victims! NOT FUN! Personally, I never got what people call "the munchies", I'm sure that's a good thing.

Also be aware of the time you puff, it can take quite awhile for there to be effective relief- this is what my "smoking" friends tell me, AND be extremely careful with the edibles, especially if this is something you haven't tried before. Some of those can be several "servings" and people don't realize it.

Whatever you choose, I hope one or the other (or both) will get you some relief!

** Moderator's note - Spaces put between paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **

[Karenkay]

I'm sorry to hear about PAIN!

...have you ever smoked pot?
If you choose to try it I just want to warn you about some of THOSE possible side effects!


** Moderator's note - Spaces put between paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **

I'm not interested in smoking pot. Never did those recreational drugs when I was younger, certainly not interested in them now.

I want to try the oils or chewable candies/pills.

[WillyNilly]

Sorry Karen, it sounds to me that you're offended by my response. I don't mean to offend you!

I'm in Washington State- one of the what...two? That now consider Marijuana a legal "recreational" drug, it's been a "medical" drug here for quite awhile longer.

Did someone tell you that you won't "get high" with chewable candies/pills or oils?

I've never been big on recreational drug use. I just get concerned when people assume Marijuana is a benign substance- in any form.

[Karenkay]

Sorry Karen, it sounds to me that you're offended by my response. I don't mean to offend you!

I'm in Washington State- one of the what...two? That now consider Marijuana a legal "recreational" drug, it's been a "medical" drug here for quite awhile longer.

Did someone tell you that you won't "get high" with chewable candies/pills or oils?

I've never been big on recreational drug use. I just get concerned when people assume Marijuana is a benign substance- in any form.

You didn't offend me. It's all good. No one has told me about not getting high using non-smoking methods. I was just saying what I was thinking and I'm sorry , to all, if I came across terse.

But, I'm am more interested in the oils or candies.

[bethadele]

babs

I've been on Gabapentin for several years for leg pain. I take 1800 mg. per
day and it definitely helps me. I haven't lost any hair or gained any weight.
Sometimes I feel a little spacey but that may even be related to the drug.
good luck

[miwealia]

Gabapentin for headache

From the day that I was diagnosed (May 2013) I've had a non-stop headache. During the first 18 months I thought I was doing well if my headache was down to a level 5, with 0 being no headache and 10 being unconscious because the pain is so bad.

There were way too many days where it hovered around 8, meaning I was barely functional. I would go to class (I was a teacher in China) and then immediately return to my apartment after class where I would crash for several hours on my bed. Only the support of my wonderful wife kept me even semi-functional during those rough months.

Ibuprofen Migraine would take the blunt edge off, but I didn't want to take it too much for fear it would damage my stomach. My neurologist in Thailand finally prescribed neurontin, which is supposed to be a form of Gabapentin, but it didn't touch my headache.

In Feb. 2015 I finally had to leave China because I knew that I wasn't able to do a good job at what I had been hired to do, and it wasn't fair to the university where I was teaching.

Upon my return to the U.S., almost immediately my headache dropped a couple levels, and I'm sure it was the change of environment, and I'm not just talking about the difference in pollution levels, which were definitely significant and I'm sure also played a role.

No, the main thing that I'm talking about is the fact that China is a LOUD place! You can never get away from people, and the normal volume that most Chinese people use to do just about anything is significantly louder than the average American. Also, the location where we moved to in the U.S. is on the outskirts of a rather small city in the Midwest, so the loudest noises that I usually hear when I go outside are birds, with the occasional car. :-)

But even then my normal headache level was still around 5-6, which meant I usually avoided anyplace where I knew there would be loud noises, because I sure didn't want a level 5 headache bumped up to a level 8 due to sustained loud noises.

Enter my new neurologist. One of the first things that she told me was that my bad, never-ending headache was unacceptable to her. She put me on Gabapentin, first 300mg/day but gradually working up to 300mg 3X/day which is my current dosage.

It has been several months since my headache has been more than a level 5, for which I'm extremely thankful! It's usually around a level 1.5-2, so even though I can still detect the headache, I can comfortably participate in just about any activity, even if I know there's going to be significant noise involved, like watching the Packers-Seahawks game last night with my son and several friends. 😊 And yes, by the end of the game it was pushing level 4, but before Gabapentin I wouldn't have even considered participating in that type of activity.

So overall, while not discounting the huge difference that the change in environment made, Gabapentin has once again opened up many, many activities to me that I thought were permanently closed. I can't tell you how grateful I am for my neurologist!

[KateA2]

Gabapentin is a lifesaver drug for me. Without it, I can't stand or walk for more than a few minutes due to maddening, incessant burning/stabbing pain in my legs. Right now I take 3200mg/day. I taper to 2400/day when I am also taking Carbamazepine for TN (else I am too derpy to function!)

I had sedation when 1st started taking Gabapentin, but oh, the blessed relief! I have pain still, but it is a 3-4 most days instead of a 7-8. It also helps with migraine prevention, another plus! I didn't gain weight or have any hair loss. I hope it never stops working, as it's a very safe (and inexpensive) drug overall.