Need help with Neurontin

[Shelia]

I was wondering if anyone is on Neurontin? Since I am in a bad flare again and my back has opened back up yet again, this time on it's own, he has prescribed Neurontin for the pain that is now going down my left side and up under my arm. I looked up the side effects of this drug and am scared to take it. It has some really nasty side effects. Has it helped anyone? Anyone had bad side effects?
Does 300 mg 10 times a day sound right? I am also on cellcept, thalomid, and percocet and advair for COPD. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

[Gentle Rains]

I've been taking Neurontin for a few months and the only side effect I've had is weight gain. In the beginning it will make you very tired and at times dizzy so be careful driving (& using heavy equipment LOL).

3000 a day sounds very high to start out with, I started out at 300 mg a day months ago and only now I'm up to 2400 mg a day.

For me it hasn't helped much during a flare up, but in between it does help ease the "everyday" pain of fibro.

Hope this helps some.

[mich111]

I've been on it for a few yrs..I could not take it in large doses, it seems to help some at 900mgs its cause dizziness and tiredness for most folks but you get use to it...It cause less side effects the lyrica which is chemically close
mich

[Kristin Reece]

I have taken it for only a WEEK and within 2 days i was so depressed i dindt know what to do with my self. I was so sad for no apperate reason. as soon as i stopped taking it i was fine. but everyone reacts differant to everything. so just because i had a reaction to it doesnt mean that you will. Good luck

[,Martha]

I am on Neurontin, been on it for a year, No side affects. With out it i can't stand up at all for the pain in my legs and back. They write those side affects, for you to watch for them that does not mean you will get them. But as you know all Meds. have a side affect. But you may take it and be ok
I hope it helps you and i will keep you in prayer
Hugs Martha

[Kimber]

i take neurotin as well. it makes me gain weight. it is suppose to help me sleep but it doesn't and i don't think it helps my pain very much i hope it helps you
hugs,
kimber

[Vee Marie]

Hi Sheila,

I've noticed that it's been almost a year since you posted this question. I was wondering if you're still taking Neurontin – and if yes, how are you doing?

I ask because it was after approximately 1 year that I started having very negative side effects. I started taking it in 2004 with a low dosage of 300 mgs per day ( 100mgs 3x daily ) and gradually increased to 3,000mgs daily. Back then, the doctor I was seeing told me that there was seemingly no “maximum” to the amount of capsules a person could take – he had one patient, he told me, who was taking 18,000 mgs per day.

Initially, all went well. But the gradual increase was due to necessity – it seemed that only by increasing the dose would I experience any pain relief. To put it differently: it had an addictive effect on me.

Eventually, I started noticing side effects. Specifically: extreme irritability, constant restlessness, insomnia and fitful / disturbing sleep – meaning, when I was able to finally get some sleep, I wasn't able to sleep deeply or enter into a dream state.

It also seemed to me that the more I took, the less it worked. Confused by this, I advanced the follow up appointment with the prescribing doctor – who had new information to share with me. It seems I was exactly right in feeling that the more I took, the less it worked. He informed me that since he'd first prescribed it to me, the medical community had discovered that there was indeed a “plateau” for this medication: 1,800mgs / day. AND: Anything above that amount, he told me, would actually reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

This is how he explained it to me: If I took 1,800mgs throughout the day and then took even only an additional 100mgs, that additional 100mgs would actually decrease the benefits of the 1,800mgs already in my system.

With this knowledge, and the fact that I was only having negative side effects and no longer any pain relief, I stopped taking Neurontin. What I wasn't told to be prepared for and didn't anticipate: I went through extreme withdrawal – it was pure hell.

I've heard similar horror stories to mine - and I've also heard rave reviews about Neurontin. In the end, I believe it boils down to each person's own unique chemistry: for some it's the medication nightmares are made of, for others it's a miracle drug.

I hope Neurontin is working well for you and that you're one of the many people who thrive on it.

Below are a few Neurontin related links, should you be interested.

Basic Info:
http://www.rxlist.com/neurontin-drug.htm

User Reviews:
http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/rxlist_view_comments.asp?drug=neu...

Side Effects:
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/neurontin-side-effects.html

Drug Interactions:
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/neurontin-capsules_d03182.html

[MANDY]

I AM ON NEURONTIN AND IT HELPS A LIL BIT ..IM A LICENSED PHARMACY TECH SO IF U HAVE NE QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDS FEEL FREE TO ASK ME . I HAVE MYSPACE IF U WANNA ADD ME. . /FIBROSUPPORT

AS THE DOSES UR DR HAS U ON IS WAY TOO MUCH ..I DONT KNOW HOW UR EVEN FUNCTIONING ON THAT. U NEED TO HAVE UR DOSE BROUGHT DOWN HUN SO PLZ CALL UR DR. AND ASK IF U CAN LESSEN THE DOSAGE OR JUST DO IT ON UR OWN. I HOPE I HELPED IN SOME WAY ♥

[Bernadette Littlefield]

Im taking neurontin, 600mgs 3 times a day,i think alot of people take that amt.