Anyone on Gabapentin

[lovemylover]

My Dr has given me Gabapentin for my shingles,i dont think i can take them, i feel so dizzy,only took 1 last night and i am supposed to take them in the day
Does the dizziness wear off after taking them for a while, ?
Anyone?

It can get better as you get used to it. You need to take them regularly, it's not an instant-acting painkiller type of med and needs to build up to an effective level in your bloodstream so stick with it for a few days.

I hope they work on the shingles pain, nerve pain is hideous!

Thanks everyone, i felt very spaced out this morning, but dizzy to begin with, i now have a kidney infection too, and for some reason the side my rash is on has gone numb, [before i took the Gabapentin]
Nopt sure if i will take those tablets, cant bear the dizzyness

I had them, and the dizziness only lasted about a week. However, Lidocaine patches are very good for nerve pain, and are licenced for use with shingles. They work pretty much instantly, as they numb the area with local anaesthetic.

Also, I had a bad (extremely rare) allergic reaction to gabapentin, and now take pregabalin, which works in the same way, but tends to have fewer side effects.

Oh thats intersting, can the lidocaine patches be bought?
I really cant do with dizziness, i get vertigo sometimes and one of the side effects can be vertigo,

The lidocaine patches are prescription only. They are pretty expensive so they aren't really a first line treatment but worth asking about. I take cyclizine for nausea and dizziness (it's an antihistamine).

Well i get my prescriptions free being a pensioner, so i might ask about those,
I was wondering if i could take half a gabapentin until i get used to them, will ask at the chemist tomorrow i think first, not taking one tonight

Gabapentin had me seeing mice in the bathroom lino when I started on them... !

However they are fab for nerve pain. They really space you out at first but your body will adjust. I was on it for 5 years (trigeminal neuralgia) and it was literally a life saver!

I take drug in same family for nerve pain issues; I've found it manages the pain enough to be mostly bareable if only take dose at night as taking in day made me too dizzy, worth trying for bit longer though as it did stop making me so dizzy after a couple weeks

I took them for sciatica. You’re supposed to build up, starting at a low dose and over the course of a few weeks getting it up to your intended dose. Same if and when you come off it, don’t just stop, gradually wean yourself off them.

I found myself a little spaced out on them at first but I soon got used to them. I found them quite effective at taking the edge off the horrible pain, though I know you’re taking them for different reasons.

I have been on it for over 4 years, for fibromylagia and paraesthesia. Your body does get used to it over time, but it needs to be taken regularly, its a bit of a pain as I take it 3 times a day at set times but it works great if I stick to my routine.

Been to the chemist this morning who said it would be ok to take them at night , but the Dr has given me a strong one,she suggested ringing him on monday and telling him how they affect me
Cant halve them as they are capsules
Maybe they affect people differently according to your size i am not quite 5 ft tall and very slim, so probably affect me differently to a 6ft person

It takes a while to settle with them and different people cope differently on the different meds.

I cannot take carbamazepine for my tn as I can't walk straight ir ohysically stay awake on them. On gabapentin (1800mg a day) I have a few side effects but they are much less severe.

I was prescribed them after surgery a few years ago and they made me feel sick as a dog, I had to take cyclizine alongside them. I didn't take them for long though. Sorry about your shingles .

Well rang my Dr who has faxed a smaller dose through to my local chemist, so hopefully they will be better,
Told him i cant cope with the dizziness,he is very good, only have to ring him and he will do all he can over the phone