Side effects with gabapentin

This is the "main" forum that contains new introductions and other topics. A place to talk about your experiences, thoughts and advice.

Moderator: gloria

Post Reply
Pam
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:03 pm
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Side effects with gabapentin

Post by Pam »

Hello, my name is Pam and I have been an OT sufferer for about 12 years, but just recently, I have been officially diagnosed. I have been started on Gabapentin 300 mg and I am to increase by 300 mg every other day until I reach the desired effect or 4800 mg. I am currently at 1200 mg and I really think it is helping. I have noticed that I feel tired after taking the medication. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this tiredness, and if so, does it eventually go away? I would appreciate your thoughts on this and any helpful advice?

Thanks!
Chris
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2004 2:28 pm
Location: Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

side effects with Gabapentin

Post by Chris »

Hi Pam
I have tried Gabapentin a few times and lots of people seem to tolerate it well. I unfortunately had an adverse reaction to it when I increased my dose over 1200 mg per day. I mentioned what happened to me in the column in this forum called "Some Great Success".
It really was annoying because when I was at high doses my tremor was a lot better but the side effects were not great and not how I wanted to live my life. I am not on anything at the moment and am putting up with the shaking......very frustrating!! Maybe I will try it again sometime or some other drug.
Good luck and hope it works for you. I never really noticed any tiredness but probably was because I was having other problems.
Take care and let me know how it goes for you.
Chris :D
gloria
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:10 pm
Location: New Jersey, USA

Post by gloria »

Welcome Pam: I see you have started Gabapentin and your planned trial of it. I've been on it for almost 6 years. One important thing I have learned with gabapentin is to make certain you space your doses at even (as possible) intervals day and night. The length of the night dose is sometimes spaced a little bit more but no more than 12 hours works for me. There is nothing on the market that I have heard of, that makes our symptoms go away completely so keep your expectations reasonable and feel that it is better than without. If you keep your body and mind active as possible during the day, you will fight off drowsiness. When sitting and doing nothing it is easy to doze off. I'm very busy and move my body at a good pace however by evening we are naturally more tired than people without OT.

Your OT Partner, Gloria
Last edited by gloria on Thu Mar 02, 2006 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
stella

ot

Post by stella »

Hi Pam
Yes i too am on 300mg of gabapentin.
I feel it helps. I sometimes feel drowsey but i dont give in to itand after an hour or so it goes away.
I dont see a huge difference but there is alittle and i will take that.
I dont see any other side effects.
Pam
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:03 pm
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Post by Pam »

Thanks everyone for your responses. It's nice to know that I'm not alone with my side effects. I have also started taking the gabapentin at night and that seems to help too. I can actually stand up to take my shower in the morning, which I was not able to do when I was taking the medication in the morning. It sounds like the key is just try to stay busy and not give in to it, and then it passes. I know the medication is working because I purposely went a day without it, and wow! what a difference. Thanks again for your encouragement and helpful advice.
gloria
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:10 pm
Location: New Jersey, USA

Post by gloria »

Hi! Everyone: Please read again my Feb. 24 reply(above) about the use of Gabapentin. The daily dose divided evenly 3 times within the 24 hour period, has worked the best for me, thus the amount of medicine in your body is kept at a constant level. I think the same quieting control of a perhaps dysfunction of the nervous system is still operating at night but we are just not challenging the symptoms to occur by standing however taking one of your doses at night makes for a better start in the morning. Gloria

PS: Every dose should be taken with a full glass of water.
Last edited by gloria on Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jack E Foulke
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:21 pm

Post by Jack E Foulke »

I am new to this forum and I am hoping I can add to it. I have suffered with OT for over 6 years and was not aware, nor could I find any Dr who could correctly diagnose my case. That is not until my Dr was at a loss as to what my problem was and he knew of Dr Jankovic. Hence I was able to get an appointment with him and his staff just recently. He knew what my problem was in a minute when I was standing at attention, so to speak. I was put through more testing and even was documented on a video camera. I am taking Gapapentin 300 mg three times a day. I noticed results right away. I am not sure whether he will want to increase that as I will not be seeing him until July next. I am glad I have found a forum where others with like affliction as mine can trade their trials and tribulations. I am 72 years old am semi retired. Glad to be able to stand in one spot unsupported for a change.
stella

re new member

Post by stella »

welcome, jack to our group,
We are very thankful to Gloria for this forum.
I too am taking 300mg of gabapentin 3 times a day.
Your Dr. may wish to increase it.
I have been on the same dose for a year now.
Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing
candyse
viabrodolini
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Connecticut & Germany
Contact:

Gabapentin

Post by viabrodolini »

Hi there: I had a very unpleasant reaction to Gabapentin about 5 or 6 years ago so,,congratulations on your tolerance. Jerry
Patty R
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:03 am

Re: Side effects with gabapentin

Post by Patty R »

I was off the forum for awhile and just found these postings about Neurontin/gabapentin. I started taking this drug shortly after Gloria posted her success about seven years ago. I take 900 mg, three times a day and 1200 once a day and only have one side effect that really bothers me and that is remembering and saying the correct word. I find I will often say something like, " I am going to the helicopter" when I meant to say "I am going to the airport". This gets worse as I get tired. When I have to speak in public, I write every word down (in larger and larger letters) I want to say and then read it so that I don't get the wrong word. If I wonder from the text, I will almost always get stuck for a word or say the wrong one!
I guess we have varying degrees of OT as I seem to be taking a much larger dose than others, but I still can't take a shower standing up! I can only stand for a very brief time before I have to sit down.
Incase you are wondering my age, I will be 60 in October and have been dealing with some symptoms for 12 years but full blown symptoms for the past 9 years.
I have essential tremor as well and am really getting tired of our touch phones and computers as I tend to hit the same key more than once. This makes it a long ordeal to dial a phone number without hitting a key too many times. I also asked at my bank if it was ever alarming to have someone who's signature appears quite different from one day to another. I found out that they seldom look at the signature unless given reason to do so. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. My Neurologist told me that I could keep increasing my doseage of Gabapentin until my hand tremor went away but I decided not to go to a higher dose incase I need a higher dose for OT in the future. I was told that 4500 is the highest recommended dose and 6000 is the highest experimental level.
I still thank Gloria everyday for having this forum and telling me (us) about this drug as I had bad reactions to other drugs before taking Neurontin. I think I would have an even more limited life without it.
Patty R (formerly Patty G) from Juneau, Alaska
gloria
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:10 pm
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: Side effects with gabapentin

Post by gloria »

Hi! Patty & the" rest of our gang" : It is always good to hear a healthy discussion about something, in this case Neurontin/gabapentin. After all these years, my evaluation of this drug is still the same and I too wish that we had something that was better. It is far from eliminating our symptoms but it is better than not being on anything at all. I can clearly remember what it feels like before I started gabapentin and I'm reminded if I'm off schedule for some reason. Even though I can say that I have not had any serious side effects, Patty, I too experience the wrong word popping out and it is very annoying but in my case I can say that it is a" senior moment" but I agree with you I think that it is from our medication. I don't feel that the trade off is worth stopping the use of this medication for me. Having said that I do feel that there are other people that might have other health situations or different chemistry and do not tolerate medications the same way. Patty I'm so glad that you are coming to the meeting. We will be able to put faces to the names of people that we have communicated with for years. My very best to all, Gloria
stella R
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:51 am
Location: winnipeg, manitoba, canada
Contact:

Re: Side effects with gabapentin

Post by stella R »

HI All,
I too have noticed i say different words sometimes than what i mean to say.
I say my neurogolist yesterday and i did disuss that with him
He did not agree that it was from the drug.
However we know our own bodies and we are aware of changes that happen.
I am on 300mg a day and i do fell it does help.
One VERY IMPORTANT think gabapentin has done for me is relieved me of my legg cramps at night. I am sooooo thankful for that.
I actually had to go to imergency twice because of this happening.
I try now to think a little more before say certain words.
My husband just looks at me and smiles.
Will see you all next month,
take care
stella
Joyce Rayburn
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:29 pm
Location: Cleveland Tennessee

Re: Side effects with gabapentin

Post by Joyce Rayburn »

HI STELLA,
I AM ALSO TAKING GABAPENTIN 1200M A DAY. I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS HELPING. I JUST CONTINUE TO TRY TO BELIEVE MAYBE THE SHAKING WHEN STANDING WOULD BE WORSE IF I DID NOT TAKE IT. THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT DISORDER TO KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT. I JUST PRAY TO BE BETTER EACH DAY. SHOPPING AT ANY RATE IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME AS WITH MANY OF YOU I AM SURE. STANDING FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME IS SOMETHING I JUST CANNOT DO .
IT JUST HELPS TO HEAR FROM OTHERS WHO EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING.
JOYCE IN TENNESSEE
Post Reply