What is the maximum daily dosage of Gabapentin?
Question posted by shanonpieroni on 23 April 2013
Last updated on 18 May 2023
49 Answers Page 3
I am taking4500 mg . Day
I am currently taking 2400 mg a day for my neck, shoulder & arm. It doesn't help at all. I take cortizon shots in my shoulder as well. NOTHING has helped me. I've been on a few meds but still no relief. Had shoulder surgery 7 yrs ago and it has just gotten worse. The whole right side from my neck to my hand nothing but pain. Something bad is going on. I need relief geesh. Can't even carry a purse anymore. Don't want anymore surgery...
I had neck surgery in 2014 fusions at 2 levels (C4-C5 & C5-C6). Came out of the surgery with frozen shoulder. Have had relentless pain ever since. Had a 2nd surgery (foramenotomy, to check nerves exiting from my neck for impingement. The only relief I've experienced thus far was when I was all numbed up following the surgery. On 120mg (4X) oxycodone & 600mg Gabapentin 3X a day). I feel trapped in my body, and so frustrated and angry to have had 2 surgeries, and in more pain then when I started. It is true, that I had a bad neck (shape changed from an unhealthy 'S' shape, to a 'C' shape. Looks beautiful on film. Feels like hell every day.
As a note, the Gabapentin does seem to help with shooting pain, on the back of my arm. Doesn't do anything to help the neck & shoulder pain, but I definitely notice a difference in the constant 'shooting' pain in my arm. I frequently forget to take it, and reminded when I start noticing that specific pain.
You sound exactly like me! I haven't been on gabapentin but a few months just increased to 900 MG a day. It does nothing nor do pain pills been on 3 different ones. Everyday I think maybe tomorrow it won't hurt and it always doe.
I'm currently on 1200mg, 3 times/day. Over the last 16 years dealing with nerve pain in my lower back, including the butt area, I've tried every medication out there. I've been on and off Gabapentin several times. Most recently this July I went off it. My doctor gives everyone the freedom to increase or decrease the dosage as I see fit. Anyway, I once again discovered that the intense nerve pain( you know that burning sensation) followed by severe muscle spasms, we're so bad I wad unable to function. I tried Lyerica but was unable to get to past 25mg which put me to sleep for 2-3 hrs. Now that I'm back on gab, the intense pain has reduced. As with ant pain management program, it's finding a mix that works for you. Btw, I also take Endocet(a generic Percocet), and have been reducing those too. I'd love to not take any meds, reality is, meds are here to stay until something new comes along. I'm scheduled for several facet blocks, fingers crossed!
I take 1200 at the moment and I'm increasing slowly by taking an extra 100 at each dose but I am now wondering is it better to take an higher dose maybe in the morning or keep each dose at the same level?
I am taking 1800mgs/day of Gaba in hopes of combating the spasticity and nystagmus from my MS. It has not started working, yet. Any info is appreciated.
I've been on Gabapentin since 2007. I have MS, Lupus and RA. I have spasticity and neuropathy from the MS. I take 3600 mg a day. I take it 3x a day at 1200 mg each time. My doctors have increased the dosage a few times over the years which is why I'm at this dosage now but they say there's still room to increase it if I need to. It all depends on how your body breaks down the medication. My body metabolizes the medication quickly so I'm able to take higher doses. They figured that out when doing blood work for other tests that showed my body also didn't absorb vitamins and other medications that I take. I can take some medications and within a couple of hours my blood work will show little to no levels of the medications in my system. It's not something that they come across on a daily basis do they don't always check it. I'm just blessed to have a doctor that thinks out of the box.
I'm telling you all of this because it's a possibility that you have the same problem because you should've felt some sort of relief shortly after starting the Gabapentin. There's also the possibility that it's just not the right medication for you. Sit down with your doctors and tell them about your concerns. A good doctor will listen to you. Please don't ever change the dosage on your own. That can be dangerous rather you go lower or higher because you never know how your system will react. At one time I decided on my own to quit taking them and I ended having grand mal seizures. I hope this helps you. God bless you and I'll be praying for you
Gabapentin is a great nerve pain reliever. Exercise is better. The side effects of Gabapentin are more severe than I thought. When I was taking opiods I thought they were making me lose my balance. Nope, It was the Neurontin. Double vision and drowsiness were also side effects that weren't noticeable over the opiods. Exercise works better than Gabapentin and if you are able to exercise you can wean off the drugs.
Hi all, I rarely rely to comments nor take any drugs at all. But I can tell you that my sciatica starting from my quad down is sooo bad I nearly teared up. And I have a high tolerance for pain. I can only speak from t he short term, which is 60 days or less. And I would say that I currently need 2400 mg per 8 hours, totaling far more that you are recommending. But I will also say that I am OK with it- and in fact in severe pain without it. We all know that I cannot continue that in the long term, but so grateful to have it and able to barley walk even then. I recommend talking such a high does only during the first 8 PT visits to get through the shocking pain. My two cents
I just came upon this commentary. I have a family member post back surgery with him peripheral nerve injury and on
Gabapentin 3x a day 900 mg doses. With PT intensity pain got a lot worse. Saw above someone had added Lyrica and wondered if that might help. For severe pain jolting episodes I find moist hot compresses work.
Wondering if Tens therapy in other muscles areas may distract overactive hyperalgesia in current affected areas. Also family member on B12 and Magnesium but want to see if essential oil applications work you would work ( those designed for neuropathy).
What is the maximum amount of gabapenten allow in 1 day
I'm on 800mg 4x a day. works great for me
What is the effect if 36000 of ran-gabapentin is taken at one time
I think you would die taking that amount :) I'm guessing you meant 3600mg..I don't no what the effect would be..I take 3600 a day but I think it'd probably be dangerous taking them all in one go because of the sedation effect.
well actually, because of the way gabapentin is absorbed, its quite hard to overdose on it. 3.6g of gaba a day will give some people lots of anxiety relief, for me it seems better for anxiety then any of the benzos i've tried. also a couple hours after i start taking staggered dosages, i just start feeling and hearing my neck and back spontaenously popping, and the relief from the popping feels great. i'm only on 1.8g a day, but my doctor said i can double up when needed, so i usually use them on about 2/3rds of the days on average, and a couple days off will let the anxiety
600mg 5times a day
How does the 600 mg 5 x a day work for you? When do you take them at what times of the day? I am taking 600 mg 3x addy if need more relief.
I take it 6 times a day; every 2.5 hours, starting at 10:00 am.
Pls tell of your delief?
The information I've seen indicates a maximum daily dosage of 3600 mg but I was prescribed two 600 mg tablets four time daily and I've taking it for 10 years with no problems. However I rarely take it except at night and for occasional anxiety which is common for people with my disease. I was diagnosed with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy 14 years ago.
I am so glad you posted that you have been on Gaba for 10 years , I am going on 4 years this fall and was worried that it might be too long. I am on a much lower dosage for TN and it is great to see that you have had not ill effects... nor I have I to this point.
I was prescribed 300mg tds and I asked if I could go up to 400mgs as nothing was working .Crazy or what. I've been making the mistake of taking 1200tds but the good thing is it actually has got rid of my pain which I've had for over 16 years feels like heaven ,I've been taking 3600 daily .Is that too high a dose?? Please advise.Dont want to go down a dose now as pain will come back.
I have trigeminal neuralgia, nerve damage in my face and I haven't found a dose of gabapentin that has been effective... currently taking 900mg tid but no real relief... I'm in so much pain when I have a flare up... maybe another med is needed??
I feel you pain as I have Glossopharygeal Neurologia. I'm maxed out on Carbamenzaprine and at 3000 of Gabapentin. My doctor told me was time to call the Mayo Clinic. I'm surprised they haven't sent you there. Good luck as I've heard these pains are the worst one can experience.
I was upped to 1200 for TN and gradually reduced to 900. I am now at 600 but have to be very careful about my triggers, however, by and large it works great..but it took a few weeks.
I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia , I was put on 300 mg a day of gaba before surgery which helped me tremendously, no pain at all, had the microvascular decompression surgery and all was well for 2 months and now it has come back with a vengeance, doc just physically looked at my head and said he makes no mistakes after I complained of pain again, gave me a 900 mg a day of gaba which I have upped to 2400 with no relief, and he released me! says I need to see a dentist, dentist says no problems???
I am so sorry for you... I have had this disease on and off for 25 years.. Sure would like to talk to you about it..
Hi..I also have TN :( iam on 3600mg daily..I also have anesthesia Dolorosa as a result of a failed brain surgery..I have has 8 surgeries now with no real relief..iam also on a cocktail of other drugs to.
I, too, have TN. For 8 years now. Gabapentin helps but not enough on the huge flareups. Hoping to get on medical marijuana, as the state just approved it.
genturnquist how have you gotten relief from Glossopharyngeal neuralgia?
My wife has trigeminal neuralgia also she's on the max dosage of gabapentin and sometimes drops things still no relief from pain especially at night try different methods of taking the 3600 mg but nothing seems to work we were going to try a needle procedure that goes inside your job to the nerve maybe that might help God help us please
My neurologist has prescribed me @ only 900mg a day (1 300mg 3x a day)... This is a medication neuropathy and other things, I'm guessing. So far from what I've read, I am on the smallest does here. And I have a question also: does THIS particular med help with jitters (or ticks)? Or make it worse? I'm real jittery and have this annoying "ticks" (involuntary spasm movements) and it drives me crazy. You guys have mentioned sides effects if "forgetful" & "dropping" things, and I have both of those but idk if it's from just this med or a combo of this and others that I take! I take a crapload of things from diff diagnosis!
My Dr. Had me on 300 a day... Well I talked to someone, who took 1,800... So, I'm going to increase to 900 a day?? So no.. I'm the lowest..lol.
Every since i started ive had continuous ticks & muscle spasams
Another important point on Gabapentin:Those of you on lower doses should NOT be comparing yourselves to other patients on this board whom have been given higher doses.Obviously, no two patients are the same and some folks can get relief on 300mg 3 times daily.Not everyone needs 1200mg three times a day!But you need to remember that this medication, like other medications, may not work for everyone, regardless of the dose.
I have this involuntary body movements also. Have had it for 5 years. Just upped my gabapentin to 1800 a day. My body jerks me the heck all over the place. Have bad hand and arm jerking also.
I have cervical spinal stenosis with myelopathy in my neck, spondylosis and degenerated discs with 3 fusions completed in less than 2 years. Basically my whole neck is crashing down and pinching my spinal cord in various places. I didn’t find Lyrica to be helpful but gabapentin was a miracle drug for me. I am also on various other drugs for pain, fentanyl patch, Effexor (anti-depressant for nerve pain), muscle relaxer cylobenzaphrine (very effective too) and Celebrex for arthritis. It was trial and error until finding the right “cocktail” mix that worked. Higher dose of gabapentin helped me the most, over 1800, until I was on 2,400. I had few side effects. The dropping items while trying to grab them on occasion and being forgetful, out weighted the pain relief I received.
I take five(5) doses (6000mg) of 1200mg spread out through the day and evening. My first dose starts when I wake up and the last dose is before going to sleep. I have an acute burning throughout my body even though I'm taking this crazy daily dose. My doctor says its nerve damage. Double vision is something I've experienced since I started this dose. Is there anything else that anyone knows of that I can take which will reduce the burning feeling and do away with my double vision? Any help is appreciated.
The blurred and double vision goes away with time eye drops saline drops help and from the really bad burning pain a muscle relaxer helps my doctor put me on one called Zanaflex that really helps and Percocet with tramadol. Also smoking marijuana when the pain and burning sensation gets really bad helps I use to judge people who used drip until I started having chronic back pain.I have a pitched sciatic nerve bulging disk severe arthritis so does my husband three small children he takes 1600mg of gabapitin a day I take 900 but I am asking the doctor to increase my does at night
I have been taking 14,000 mg for about 2 weeks. 24 of the 600mg pills. I am freaking out that I am about to run out. I started with a few and went up to this.
I was prescribed tegretol for the burning along with the gabepentin and I function just fine. Paraplegic and drive, live alone etc.check that out. The greatest neurologist ever, Dr lahari gave to me 11 yrs ago, I'd die without it.
I am also on a healthy dose of gabapentin as well. I have nerve pain in my face, neck, shoulders, etc.
Lately, I have been getting acupuncture a couple times a week. The cupping helps with blood flow to tingling areas. It's short term, but I like going. The needle treatments can be painful initially but they can really alleviate discomfort. I was just treated for sacroiliac pain, and it really helpedit go away.
Good luck.
A dosage of 6000 mg I wouldn't even consider taking when actually the maximum dosage is only 3600 mg. I myself only takes 1800 mg and deal with side affects blurred vision, weight gain, I fall a lot, and I'm not willing to go up in dosage so I started using CBD oil which seems to help along with my gabapenton and pain meds. I've also been diagnosed with first stages of Glaucoma and I'm only 56 yrs old.
I have found CBD oil to work for my pain. Finally allowed me to get off Gabapentin.
I have the same burning pain throughout my body and have been on 3600 Mg of Gabapentin
For the past 15 years for sciatica and FM. Sometimes I have tried to lower the dose or not take it and the pain just crushes me. Only recently after all these years has it started to not be as effective. Recently my Dr, added Nucynta 50 mg and I take it three times a day and that is pretty good at tapping down the pain but it all makes you very tired. I also avoid taking the Nucynta when I have to drive.
My biggest worry now is what am I going to do when the Gabapentin really stops working.
That aside, I wish you the very best in managing your pain. I also try to walk on my treadmill for 30 min a day when I can. I used to love to walk our side but I fell on wet grass and broke my arm so now it’s strictly the tread mill. I do yoga stretches 3-4 times a day and that helps if I’m consistent. This is a tough journey but as my mom says it could be worse so we need to just keep on going and constantly check on new research and new meds that help our “condition” as it’s called.
That’s how I came to the Nucynta. So best of luck I’m sure you will find an effective way to move forward. And yes Lyrica and Gabapentin both add weight. I gain 40 lbs on the Lyrica.
3600 seems to be the magic number. I've been on gabapentin only a few weeks but already I've jumped from 900mg a day to 2400mg. I take it 600mg in four doses, breakfast, early afternoon, late evening, and bedtime. It really help with the sciatic leg pain and back pain. I have a herniated disk and I am waiting to have surgery as soon as they can schedule me. I think gabapentin is a great pain reliever, although it does make me very drowsy and clumsy. I would say don't drive while you're on this med.
Thank you so much. I'm going thru the same problem
I've been on gabapentin over a year now and it has been a blessing. I take 800mg at wake up, lunch, evening and bedtime. It really helped with my sciatic leg pain and back pain. I have a herniated disk and myofascial... I think gabapentin is best pain reliever even better than all the narcotics I was on for 13 years. I think more doctors ought to offer this at a higher dose for their pain managed patients. Just my thought.
Hell I have a pinched nerve in my neck,also just had foot surgery. Anyways I grow an organic herb called kratom here in Maui, Hawaii. It is 100 times better than gabapentin. No drowsiness, no clumsynes... give you energy, makes you aware of your surroundings of anything, best part of it is it relieves your worst pain also anxietyou (It's a natural aphrodisiac too). Best of all you take as needed on a full stomach and stay hydrated 3 pills in morning or more if needed and your good all day. Take some more with lunch if you need too. It even helps you sleep. Mauiwowweekratom.com
I had 2 surgeries S1-L3. Long rods n screws from top to bottom. Im very agile but have unrelieved leg pain. Im at 2400mg w some relief. Norco and Robaxin help too. Wanted to know if others have higher dosage & relief. Thanx. Hope your surgery worked!
My doctor just put me on at first 300mg just at bedtime then up it to 300mg 3 times a day it's making me really sleepy & dizzy so I told dr he says take 300 am then at bedtime take other 600 hope it works
I am taking 5,200 per day for a nerve problem, causing severe pain, in my right leg and have crazy effects from it at times including a complete loss of my muscles. That includes dropping things that I am holding and even having my knees go out on me (though that has only happened twice). If the pain in my leg was not so bad I would cut back but the medication is the only relief that I can find.
So this is why my left knee goes out on me, which has occurred while I was out and this was sop embarrassing, but what can you do about it. I have Sciatica which came from my piriformis being inflamed, which is located in my butt and with it being inflamed for a year and half it's now caused permanent damages, which has changed my life.
And I'm prescribed 600MG three times a day.
I am on 1800 mg gabapine now waiting for possible surgery on cervical area m c5-7. I have constant pain in arm and hands. Been through arthritis dr. Don't have arthritis but told me I have too much protein M in blood. Sending me to a cancer center ? Just wondering what these things issue have related.
Will find out what neurological people tell me today.
For pain i am also taking ms30 x day and diluaid 4 x day in addition to the gabapine
@Dd1872 what is ms30?
i take 300mgs a day
Scary
Related topics
Further information
- Gabapentin uses and safety info
- Gabapentin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Gabapentin (detailed)
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.
