13 replies to this topic

[Juthro]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so here it is.   I was wondering if anyone else here has any experience with gabapentin.

 

I have some fairly sever back pain issues due to degenerated disks, and previous traumatic injury.  I wont take opioids for any type of long term relief, as I think it's just a fools mission (IMO).  I would rather go out hurting, and still know who I am.   I also wont take the steroid spinal injections.   It's to invasive, and has too much risk for the band-aid fix that it is.

 

Anyway, my pain is mostly from pinched nerves in my spine, and my newest doc tried me on the gabie's.   To me, at least so far in the short term, they seem to be working a miracle.   They've also dropped my BP by about 15 points, both high, and low pressure side.  At an over night sleep study lab I had to do last week, my BP was 125/70 while they were attaching about 8 million wires to my body(not true, it was only about 12 wires, but it felt like 8 million)   I attribute this to the fact that I don't feel like an ice pick is stabbing me in the spine nearly as often during the day, and I think that is the result of the gabapentin. (I am also on three other BP meds, but the dosage hasn't changed in over a year)

 

 

I'm just curious as to others experience with this drug.  I wont do opioids cuz I know for me it's a death spiral.  At this point I don't feel like the gabbies are pulling me there, but I am looking for others insight.

 

 

 

 

[Oam]

I’ve had surgery on my neck with two levels fused and degeneration from traumatic injury from the military going on as well. Gabapentin was given to me by the VA and it messed me up as far as my balance (I surf so it had a big impact on me) seizures and a few other things go. I had them stop the prescription and I was still stuck with balance issues. I also avoided the opioid route and I applaud you. I hope you actually find relief from gabby. May you be without the symptoms I dealt with as well.

Edited by Oam, 09 October 2021 - 07:38 AM.

[Salty117]

My step-sister was prescribed Gabepentin for something, I can't recall what exactly, but she ultimately became addicted to them and would take way more than she was supposed to.She struggled with opiate addiction prior to her being written her Gabepentin. She would take so many it would cause a seizure, once my younger brother was picking her and her husband up from work and she started seizing before she even got the seat belt on... no prior history of epilepsy also by the way... I don't know if it was the medication, or just the pressures of her addictive traits that hooked her onto them, but since I have witnessed that sort of behavior of her surrounding Gabepentin, I have decided if I can avoid taking it then I would.

I'm not trying to speak ill of the medication, this is just my experience with how it afflicted our family, but again, maybe it could have had more to do with her inability to control herself.

[pharmer]

Consider physical therapy for the pain.

 

I recently finished three months of three times a week, plus daily at home, therapy for some back pain I was sure was going to turn me into Chronic Back Pain Guy.

 

Pro's dishing out exercises targeted at the correct muscles for the right reasons with all the right considerations also work miracles. I'm a believer now..

 

What I was sure was a compressed disc or bulging disc or something equally horrid was just a bunch of muscles out of whack, perpetually clenched  up and working against each other instead of with each other. The therapists have seen it all a hundred times before and know how to get it fixed better than a M.D. I'd bet

 

I have no problem with the drugs if you need them but IF therapy will eliminate the problem then the drugs become the problem

Edited by pharmer, 09 October 2021 - 07:38 AM.

[roc]

I've taken it for years and it is not addictive.

More in line with a supplement than a drug and it does target nerve damage among other positives like restless leg syndrome and allowing you to sleep better.

 

The only complaint I have is the size of the pills being like horse pills.

Size ranges from capsules to horse pill size depending on dosage.

 

It's been around long enough that any dangers are known.

 

Does not alter mood or state of mind.

 

Closest thing you'll find to a non drug option.

I remember when it was an RC and it was scooped up by big Pharma in no time.

Cheap and effective as a generic.

[GORF]

The only problem I had with it was getting off it.
Couldn't get a decent nights sleep for almost a whole month. Inversion table twice a day did more for my back pain than any drug ever did. For 10 years I was taking Tramadol as needed for flare up pains and finger numbness. Worked great for me till the opiod national hissy fit hit. So Gaba was prescribed. Seemed to have a mild placebo effect and I pushed through the problem days. Tried an inversion table at a therapist office and loved the relief. Placed an Amazon order and have been happy ever since.

[Myc]

Hey Juthro........

Guilty of skipping the replies 'cause I'm in a hurry.

 

I've used gabapentin on and off for years. It is a reasonably safe, non-habit forming medication that I have been able to use "at-will" when needed and let it rest in the medicine cabinet when I don't.

It does a lot to smoothe over all of the pins, needles, and vibration of neuropathy.

When you don't need it.........just don't take it. I've had a 'scrip since '09 and find that I don't need it most of the time.

And I love me some opioids - love 'em.  So glad my doc recommended the gabapentin over the other stuff.

[Skywatcher]

Juthro,

Pain management switched my partner to gabapentin from Norco about 4 years ago. He had a surgery on his lower back spine then which was supposed to be the solution, and seemed to go very wrong, creating a chain reaction of neuropathic pain that kept increasing and spreading down the legs.

He started with three a day, but now takes 8 a day after 4 years, because his pain levels and area affected have increased, not because of a tolerance build up.

 

We have wondered if it is still doing anything, until I accidentally left it out of his pill boxes one week while waiting for a refill, and then forgetting it was not in there. That was a horrid week for pain until we realized it was missing from the boxes which was effectively halving his daily dose. Once it was put back the pain level went down again.

 

My observation is that it does help, and we have seen no seizure problems.

[surfer8210]

It’s addictive for some people, but it can also be effective.
Tread lightly..!!


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[Juthro]

Wow, I got much more of a response then I expected.  Thank you everyone for your timely reply's, it is genuinely appreciated  

 

I've been suffering from back issues for most of my life.  I fractured my spine in a bad roll over car accident when I was 16 years old.   Young, dumb, and invincible equaled no seat belts back then.

Those old injuries never completely healed properly.   With a current MRI they've determined that I've got severely degenerated disks in my upper lumbar region, and also in my cervical spine.   I have done, and continue to do physical therapy exorcises to help control the issue for almost 40 years, and it does help to an existent, but the pain is never going to go away on its own.  I've worked through, and just accepted the pain for most of my life, but as I get older I'm either more of a pussy, or it hurts worse now (probably both), and I just cant take it like I used to.

 

At times in the past it has been bad enough that I almost can't function in day to day life.  It has been bad enough that I've even entertained thoughts of suicide just to make the pain stop.

 

Anyway, enough of  history.  I'm not looking for pity, I just thought I should give some context as to how I got to where I'm at.

 

So far, the gabbies have been a god send.  I don't find them intoxicating at all, and when taking them I've been able to function on an almost pain free level for long periods of time.  Going from constant pain, to actually getting caught up in real life around me to the existent that I forget that my back is messed up is a really big deal to me.  This is something that I thought might not ever happen again while I was still breathing.   I hope they continue to do for me what they are doing for me now, and that they do so for a long time to come.

[Myc]

Now that I have more time.........

 

I gave the drug a good, hard look before I just started gobbling them.

The information I read stated that they had been clinically tested (on prison populations) and that there was found to be no abuse potential. There was one case of abuse - but the patient also had a history of using things like paper bags or manual blocking of the arteries in the neck to induce states of hypoxia. This patient was one out of the 2000 cases studied.

 

The drug was originally labeled as an anti-seizure medication for control of epilepsy.

It was discovered that off-label applications were worth studying. It is given to alcoholics and seems to help control the compulsive urges which drive the patient to drink - when combined with a therapeutic plan under doctor supervision.

It is also prescribed to back patients (like us) who suffer unexplained neuropathy.

 

My personal experience is that it is not habit forming. It is effective in quieting the buzz and vibrations of neuropathy. It seems to have no mood-altering or mind-altering effects.

Edited by Myc, 10 October 2021 - 01:37 PM.

[Soliver]

Broken record time ...

 

Have you tried red vein kratom from a reasonable supplier (not the smoke shop)?

 

Just a thought,

 

:)

 

soliver

[Juthro]

Broken record time ...

 

Have you tried red vein kratom from a reasonable supplier (not the smoke shop)?

 

Just a thought,

 

:)

 

soliver

 

Thanks for the input Sollie,  always good to see you around, BTW.  We hadn't had a Soliver sighting for while :)

 

I have tried, and had mixed results with kratom that I got from a reliable source as suggested by members here.   It does help some, but my GI track does not appreciate me using it, and while it does help with general pain, it doesn't seem to help as much with the stabbing nerve pain in my back.  It certainly does not help me to the level that Gabapentin does.

 

I most enjoy the fact that they (gabbies) are not intoxicating to me at all.   In the evening time I can have a couple of drinks, and smoke a torpedo, that definitely helps,  but at the level I need to get ripped to feel relief I can't safely run errands around the countryside without a designated driver.  So the gabbies are my answer right now to make it though the day.

 

Hope all is well with you, and yours Soliver.  Thanks for chiming in.

Edited by Juthro, 12 October 2021 - 04:16 PM.

[roc]

Broken record time ...

 

Have you tried red vein kratom from a reasonable supplier (not the smoke shop)?

 

Just a thought,

 

:)

 

soliver

Off topic!

 

Damn good to see you around these parts!

I often think about the old crew and where and what people are up to.

Good to know you are OK!