Gabapentin for Peripheral Neuropathy User Reviews (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 28, 2012

"I was recovering from alcoholism, and I couldn't sleep because of inexplicable pain in my legs. I may have been masking the pain by drinking before I decided to quit. In any event, the pain was driving me crazy, and after 3 months, I relapsed just so I could sleep. Finally, my doctor prescribed Neurontin, and the pain was gone. I slept soundly, and now I haven't had a drink in 5 years. So you could say Neurontin saved my life."

• Mag...
• April 22, 2012

Neurontin (gabapentin) "I have peripheral neuropathy. My arms, hands, legs, and feet are all affected. My legs and feet get ice-cold. I have been taking Neurontin for 4 years now. For me, it's not working. I was taking 1800 mg a day. I had to call the doctor the other day because the pain was so bad, and he changed my dose to a higher 1800 mg a day. It's been 3 days, and the pain level has not changed."

• egg...
• October 5, 2013

"I have been taking Gabapentin for 7 months while awaiting surgery for a laminectomy, nerve decompression, sacrum tear, and impinged nerves L3-S1. While I still require Oxycodone for pain relief, Gabapentin relieves 80% of my nerve pain. I can't tolerate Lyrica so we started on 900mg-1200mg in the hospital due to severe dis-coordination. Regular dose is now 2400mg per day. Side effects are occasional lethargy, some forgetfulness, and about 3kgs weight gain but I wouldn't be walking now without Gabapentin! If toleration is a problem, titrate up slowly because it's so worth persisting with!"

• you...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 30, 2013

"I found out I have a pre-cancer which is damaging my nerves. I'm 37. I could barely walk due to pain in my legs, mostly hips and knees. I also have intense shooting pains in my legs, wrists, and sometimes back. I was having to take Vicodin. The doctor started me on 300 mg 1/day and to increase by 300 mg every week for the next 3 weeks. When I first took it, I got extremely ill with severe nausea, vertigo, dizziness. I stuck it out and every time I went up on the dose, it would take 3 days to feel better. It paid off. It gave me a lot of life back. I stopped limping, I stopped having shooting pains. My numb areas got smaller. As a plus, I have dealt with migraines for 25 years and they're better. Also off Vicodin! Give it a month to really feel better!"

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2017

"I was prescribed Gabapentin for nerve entrapment-related pain. I'm 31, slightly overweight, but otherwise healthy according to my last round of physicals. I also am not diabetic. My doctor recommended 300 mg, three times per day. Gabapentin made me tired, forgetful, imbalanced, temperamental, emotional, dizzy, decreased my short-term memory, and ultimately made me sluggish in thought. The only thing Gabapentin did not do was relieve pain. I gave it 30 days before discontinuing. It took two months before my thoughts and memory were no longer sluggish. (I literally had delayed speech, slurred speech, and developed a stutter.)"

• Pri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2013

"For years I had itchy ankles. Maddening. Treatment by MDs, dermatologists, and podiatrists was hydrocortisone ointment. Worked briefly. Then a year ago I started having symptoms of neuropathy in my feet. Neither podiatrist nor MD could fix it. Went to neurologist. An eye-opening meeting with the use of tuning forks and the like. This man knew his job. Put me on gabapentin, 100mg X 3 daily. The foot and leg pain diminished and changed character. It's still there, but I can live with it. But the years-long itching disappeared totally. I sent him a fax about that. Downside, have noted mood changes and had to apologize to the wife for being a jerk. I am 82."

• ser...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2020

"I'm aged 81 and have peripheral neuropathy (leg dragging, feet numb) + canal stenosis and herniated discs (L4/5). I'm frightened of getting this 'saddle anesthesia' I think they call it, but I try to stay active. I've been put on a low dose of gabapentin (100 mg at night), to titrate upwards. I'm now on 200 mg at night and 100 mg a.m. No effects as yet, am I being optimistic/impatient/? There doesn't seem to be much clinical research on the over 80s - it just seems a case of trial and error. Anyone with similar experience?"

• slo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2019

"Gabapentin made me feel drunk when I started taking it, became incontinent at night, and also lost sense of balance and coordination. I have stopped using it and now seek other remedies for my feet, legs, and hands neuropathy. Herbal remedies are next to be tried."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2015

"Gabapentin is great for nerve pain. I am a recent amputee due to a fracture that would not heal in my ankle. My surgeon prescribed it for phantom pain. It seemed to do the trick. I take 100mg bid, at breakfast and again at bedtime. I don't take any painkillers whatsoever. Pretty good for an amputation that most people would think as being painful."

• Pom...
• December 31, 2019

"I was prescribed gabapentin three years ago for sharp, stabbing pains in my feet and hands that would wake me up at night; hard to get back to sleep. Eight years prior to that, I herniated three lumbar discs and was also diagnosed with severe lower back arthritis. I started with 300 mg before bedtime, and it helped tremendously, but I would be dopey until noon the next day, so the doctor suggested cutting back to 100 or 200 mg daily. I backed off to 100, and it was not effective enough, so I went up to a 200 mg dose, and that was the sweet spot. It has also helped with back pain at night, resulting in better sleep."

• Ric...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2015

"Extreme peripheral neuropathy in both legs from knee down. Without drug I have extreme burning sensation and muscle cramps in those areas. I had been on 60 mg. Methadone for about 20 years for joint and muscle pain. When I first took Gabapentin, I got side effects of extreme nausea, headaches, and general around not feeling well so I stopped taking the Gabapentin. A new doctor insisted I stopped taking the Methadone pending an electric neural stimulator insertion to my spine. I detoxed from the Methadone at 5 mg. a week and after twelve weeks, I was off it. When I started taking the Gabapentin, it worked superbly, problems reduced about 90-95%. Shift to 40-50 mg. Percocet per day took care of joint/muscle pain about as well as Methadone."

• his...
• March 27, 2012

Neurontin (gabapentin) "I've had neuropathy for around 8 months. My first dose of Neurontin (300mg) made me feel very 'loopy' for several hours. So loopy that I only took 150mg 1x a day for the next two weeks. I had a couple of good days on it and sometimes the medicine took the edge off my pain. But it didn't take the pain away fully and made me extremely moody and act out of character. I have two genetic diseases that make me sensitive to medication so that might be why Neurontin was not effective for me."

• Jim...
• March 19, 2016

"Have bad peripheral neuropathy in feet - with periods of intense burning pain. The last few months, pain/numbness was getting much worse, especially at night. Wasn't excited about using gabapentin because of all the possible side effects listed. Finally went to the doctor who prescribed 300 mg at bedtime, but instructed I could do 600 mg if necessary. Took for the first time last night, 300 mg didn't seem to make much of a difference in pain so after about an hour, took another 300 mg. I was very surprised this morning at how much the burning pain had subsided! Am feeling a little sluggish/mellow today, hopefully that won't be a lasting side effect after my body gets used to the drug."

• ped...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 10, 2013

"My leg pain was beyond #10. 2 days of 300mg 4 times a day I felt SUCH a relief from the pain. I told my Dr. it is a miracle. A few minor side effects like dizziness and weird feelings in the feet. BUT I would not want to live without gabapentin."

• dor...
• June 21, 2016

"My doctor has me taking 1800 mg a day, and it's still not helping me with my pain. I can't go out because my legs hurt as soon as I stand up. My arms hurt. I have trouble doing housework, basically, all I do is stay home. I hate gabapentin."

• 1st...
• October 9, 2017

"I am 70 years old, and as a result of hockey injuries, I have a degenerated disc in my lower back and developed neuropathy in both my legs and feet. During the daytime, my feet felt like they were on fire, and I had severe prickly sensations. At night, I had involuntary muscle contractions in my legs that got so bad my kicking became violent. I could usually tell when it was going to happen, but I couldn't stop it. My doctor prescribed me a 30-day trial of 300 mg twice a day. Within a couple of days, I noticed a definite improvement, and within a week I was no longer having the neuropathy symptoms, other than an occasional tingling in my toes. In addition, my lower back pain subsided along with the arthritis in my shoulder and hip joints. I'm happy."

• Too...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 4, 2013

"Gabapentin really helps pain in my arms, legs and feet. I have been on Gabapentin for 2 years on and off. Took ages to get used to tight band feeling around head, vision problems, and weight gain. The worst side effect is constipation and bloating. Sometimes I feel as if I can't breathe because I'm so bloated. Trying to keep taking them so that I can sleep at night and walk without so much pain in my feet."

• Agi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 10, 2016

"First and foremost, I have been taking gabapentin 100 mg daily, and it knocked about 75% of my symptoms out. The bad started after 5 months. Massive instant mood changes, feelings of wanting to hurt others for no reason were the worst. I had people tell me I was 2 different people minutes apart. Needles and pins, burning slowly returning. Going back to the doctor to change it or somehow just deal with the pain. I'm a passive person, and I was becoming a monster. I will live in pain instead of being a saint one minute, then a monster minutes later. Love the relief, but not the side effects."

• Chr...
• January 23, 2019

"I started Gabapentin in 2010 with 400 mg 3X's daily. It worked tremendously for me. If I missed my dosage each passing hour, my pain level increased. Once I took it again after an hour, the pain decreased. My pain management doctor eventually suggested increasing my dosage 100 mg with each increase until I took 800 mg 3X's a day in 8 years. Then I noticed a sudden loss of memory when I spoke. At 800 mg, I became tipsy and began back-stepping. Also, I felt the increased dosage wasn't meeting my need. I suspected a connection with the high increase, so I decreased back to 400 mg. At which time the negative effects ceased and the results for pain relief remained equal to the increased levels of Rx, which currently is not sufficient because my doctor said that I eventually bottomed out and the Rx no longer served its purpose in my treatment regimen. I still take Gabapentin, but I'm searching for something else."

• Bau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 23, 2014

"I have multiple sclerosis and all that comes with it. After some years of easygoing, I suddenly found my feet would feel like they were on fire, so I arranged an appointment with my neurologist at the local MS clinic and was prescribed Gabapentin 5% in Lipoderm. This is a creamy compound the chemist has to make for each refill order, and it does take a couple of days' notice. Anyway, the very first time I applied the lotion to the feet, the pain, which was so severe I would cry in agony, dissipated rapidly and was gone within 15 minutes. I use 1 mL twice a day on my feet and am pain-free. I cannot say it does anything to the numbness of my toes and the bottom of my feet, but there is no pain from that so it is not a problem."

• its...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 12, 2020

"I've been on gabapentin since 2008. Transverse myelitis caused nerve pain in both feet and cramping. Started with 6 pills, 300 mg per day. Then, a few years later, went down to 2 pills per day. Now, up to 4 pills per day. I don't think it works anymore, and I knew this would happen eventually. I could increase, but I don't want to gain weight. Gabapentin numbs the nerve pain and lets me work, walk, and keep up. At night before bed, though, is another story. I want to cut my feet off. The burning, sometimes cramping, is really bad. I could heat up a room with my feet. I'll look up other meds and find a better neurologist. Also changing my diet. I'm still young, so I need to find something to help. Decades of pain are not fun to look forward to. I'm glad the drug worked this long. I'll also find some CBD oil to take now, too."

• Ste...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 27, 2013

"I have suffered from CFS/ME for about 25 years. IBS-D started a short time after my viral infection. I am also on antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and pain killers. I have been on loperamide, Buscopan, and codeine phosphate with only temporary relief, and my IBS-D could always override the drugs. My gut has become incredibly calm since taking 100 mg of gabapentin in the morning and 100 mg at night. I am eating, in limited amounts, food that I couldn't eat previously without severe diarrhea. I was initially prescribed this drug for neuropathic pain, and I am delighted to find it works for my gut too. I have read of other people with IBS improving since being on this medication."

• Bri...
• December 17, 2015

"I've been on Neurontin for over 2 years now, 3200 mg daily / 800 mg four times daily. It is the only medication that effectively controls the idiopathic neuropathy in my feet. Lyrica was totally ineffective. I experienced serious 'brain fog,' fatigue, and short-term memory problems when I started Neurontin, but these side effects are now manageable. Neurontin has restored my quality of life to near normal."

• jen...
• June 7, 2016

"Chemo-induced neuropathy... 300 mg 3x a day. Didn't help, got worse. Upped dose to 600 mg 3x a day... got WORSE. Backed down to original dosing. Feet and toes completely numb, hands numb and now pain shooting from fingertips to elbow feels like in a vice. Joints in fingers have unbearable pain. Gabapentin NOT helping. Looking for alternatives..."

• Int...
• November 26, 2015

"I have been taking 600 mg two hours before bedtime for a few years now for burning feet at night. It usually works quite well. I have not had to increase my dosage, and I have no side effects other than it makes me sleepy, which is great at night."