Gapabentin

[BrokenButFighting]

I take that as well for fibromyalga. The only thing that I noticed with it, is I have the twitching of body parts sometimes. They other side effects I don't notice but some of them I already had before I started taking it. I take 900 mg x3 a day. I haven't really notice any weight gain either. Hopefully that stays away, I have enough going on not to have to worry about that.

[Flatbroke]

Pete, I was told that I would have to try Gapabentin until I hit the max of 3600mg per day before they would let me try Lyrica if the Gapabentin was not doing me any good. I almost got over to Lyrica but a Dr. caught the residents recomandation and changed it. Since I have not had a PCP since Nov 2010 I have had to catch an appointment in the clinics and most of the time with a Nurse Practioner. There is a couple of good ones where I go to the clinic at the fort but I asked for a primary and had to take one two and one half hours away. But he was my doctor before he transfered back to Columbia where he lived. I will talk to my new - old primary in Feb when I see him.

Ask about changing gabapentin to lyrica it is new generation and less side affects. Its been oked for for fibromyalga

[SP4RVN1971]

I was about 1800 on Gapabentin with Cymbalta and you could sent me to funny farm." Maybe I should anyway" But my point was Gap. was BAD.I take about 750 Lyrica and no Cymbalta, and the Cymbalta cause bowel problem my Cancer Doctor figure that out.The lyrica does causes nerves to jump around. Va will give you Lyrica, but you got to getin there face- nicely

[Teac]

Thanks for all the replies guys.. One of my problems with taking this medication, is that 900 MG three times a day seems like a lot to start of with. All that I read indicates to increase the dose gradually until reaching 3600 MG day or until reaching a lessor dose that helps with pain. If I am started off with 2700 MG day, how do I know if only 600 or 1200 MG would help... especially since this was never approved for nerve damage/pain , and there is a lot of serious side effect associated with this drug no matter what it is taken for. I guess the first thing I need to do is to speak to a doctor and not the glorified medic (PA) that I just saw. If she has presented herself in a different way thay perhaps I would not be so concerned, But when a fat person says to me you need to lose weight, even before knowing the reason behind the weight gain, I lose all respect for that person from the get go......after all she was twice my size and has the gal to say that my weight is causing my pain. Hell I was a skinny kid when I was tossed from a moving jeep at 145 lbs........ so the weight damn sure didn't cause all my pain issues.. but I degress.....

[Michellee]

Yes Teac, I actually am perscribed 600 mg every 8 hours of this medication. I still have really bad spasm and and can feel them in my arms and legs. However, it's a lot better than what it was when I was not on this medication. It was way more painful and debilitating. There would be times I couldn't move my legs for hours the cramps were that bad. Like a supersized jolly horse on steroids. Sometimes it would start in my bottom cheeks and go all the way down to under my foot. So the drugs do offer a big improvement. The only bad thing is the drugs make me very groggy and does affect my concentration quite a bit. Things like forgetting I turned the stove on etc. Forgetting I turned on the bath water. So you need a good PDA and lots of reminders and alarms.

[Pete53]

When patients discuss meds there can be mistakes. Many of us take many different combinations of meds and they all have there side affects and things that happen when combined, Not to mention food we eat and last of all our opinions.

For me gabapentin has worked and I don't know what I would do without it. Weight gain can be attributed to many of the depression meds we take so I would not be to quick to say that gabapentin caused my weight gain. I have gone up and down while using it.

Quality of life not how much we weigh must be considered. In my heart I do not believe I could make it without gabapentin and I doubt that a VA Doc is going to give you Lyrica if the only reason is weight gain.

In 1995 I talked VA into prescribing gabapentin. It was not easy cause it was expensive even as a generic.