Gabapentin And Mood

[jefmil50]

Gabapentin has been a life saver for me for the past 8 yrs or so. I have nerve pain/itchiness from my M.S. and it hs done wonders keeping that sensation at bay. Now it looks like I need to see about upping my dose because that itchines sensation is now in my chest and is unbearable at times.

I take 600mg 3x a day so it appears there is room to adjust. The only side effects I experienced was drowsiness in the beginning.

[john999]

I notice that a host of these drugs affect sexual functioning. All the SSRI's do and pain meds as well. I wonder about all these drugs. The VA is great at handing out this drug or that drug and then deciding it was all a big, bad mistake like with narcotics for chronic pain. I was watching national news tonight and they were raking the VA over the coals for prescribing narcotic pain killers for pain. What the heck. The imply that we should all be doing yoga and getting acupuncture. I am not driving 20 miles to do yoga at the VA.

John

[ArNG11]

I'm not telling you what to do but man Venlafaxine is an evil, evil drug. I had the wackiest dreams and nightmares. My sleep was all backwards on this and I actually almost died from it. I would talk with your psych doctor about this because you could be having a reaction to it like I had. Then on top of that do not stop taking Venlafaxine cold turkey because you will regret doing that. That drug is for those who are in nuts houses, not us on the streets. Picture a person who sits there with drool running down their bottom jaw, that was me on that crap. Now I made sure it was on the Do Not Take list the VA keeps tabs on us.

The Gabapentin is a drug that helps the nerve pain. It was originally created for people with seizures but it was found to work with people with nerve damage. The high the dosage the better it helps. Some docs will say 3600mg is the max but its not. There are people who take 5000mgs a day of it. I take 3900mgs and it helps a lot.

I was on venlafaxine for a time, in my case it actually helped my anxiety and depression while I was on it. Of course I will state that each person reacts differently to certain medications and the mixture of medications currently prescribed. I was on a med that was meant for depression and it caused suicidal thoughts. I think it was called Pristiq not sure on the generic name though. Again different people's internal chemistry along with other factors can cause adverse results, hence, the warnings on all scripts. Later I was put on venlafaxine and clonazapam by a military doc. That rx mixture, tapered me down. Not happy, not sad, just kind of blah and indifferent, however, it helped the extreme ups and downs which was its intended effect and no suicidal ideations from it.

I think the best thing that helped was behavioral modification. And the sort of reprograming of your outlook and moods. Kinda of like the glass is not half empty but half full of sorts. That was just my experience though.

I will love the day that a drug is manufactured that works the way it is designed with no side effects.

[retiredat44]

the va is pulling all kinds of b.s. up here in Oregon, with me,, they totally screwed up the good thing I had going with the va in San Diego... wherever the medical school is that is sending these doctors out needs a good ass kicking... don't get me wrong, there were very good to me in the past, at a different va, but some of them up here in the North are messing up people whop were doing fine.. even with chronic disease, I miss just the crhronic disease, and having someone making me suffer even more is intolerable... thing is who you gonna tell? Who's watching the watchers?

Edited February 26, 2014 by retiredat44

[john999]

Yes, I have been on opiates and clonazepam for about 7 years at the VA. Now I am getting pressure to change what half-azz works for me. The VA wants to wean me off the drugs that work and teach me to do yoga. I tried that and fell in my driveway and busted my head open because my legs were hurting so much. I am 64 years old. I am just trying to get by to be 65. I don't care if I am addicted. I am not going to OD. To get into in-patient pain program you have to be off all opiates. So I have to be in pain when I deliver myself into the tender hands of the VA? No, no, no!

John

[subvet]

John...same here, my Percocet is now 42 of the ,5mg this month, then to zero, and my pain is very sharp...yoga..are they kidding....movement causes pain, can't imagine what yoga will do to that. I am fir looking into civilian doctor , hut also get morphine from VA...treading carefully when I see civ Dr. At almost 60 now. This new policy of VA PROBABLY due to abuses and OD...which literally hurts vets that actually use opiates for real pain management. Aaarrrgg.