gabapentin side effects

[LittleMissedTheSunshine]

I have nerve pain, currently taking codeine and naproxen but codeine is making me feel nauseous.

Gabapentin has been suggested, is this likely to also make me feel sick? Anyone on it and can tell me what side effects they had and did they last?

Feel like a have a choice between feeling pain or feeling sick at the moment, and it's hobson's choice!

I used it for a few months when I had sciatic nerve pain in my hip. I found it marvelous, it really helped. I suppose you could say it made me feel a bit sleepy, but otherwise it was fine. Good luck .

I have similar pain - like sciatica but the arm not the leg- due to a trapped nerve.

I've just started a new job so I'm afraid to take anything that will affect my cognitive function or make me dizzy, spaced out or drowsy.

Bad timing eh!

Did it take long to take any effect Stella? I've heard some of these meds can take a few weeks to kick in, I was originally put on amitryptyline but the pain was unbearable so I was put on codeine, although the nausea is becoming equally unbearable.

I found low doses fine, but struggled with higher doses. But even low doses help my nerve pain more than standard pain killers.

It takes a while to get used to. If you can cope with feeling sick for a week or so then it might be the best med ever for you. It also might not. But th key is to really give it time.

You can get anti sickness meds from your GP too. It might be worth asking about them?

LittleMissedTheSunshine Maybe if you start taking it at night and on the weekends when you don't have to be mentally sharp ? I was taking it twice a day and was still able to function pretty well. It kicked in within a couple of days for me, and it worked so well, I was very relieved.

I'd had trouble walking previously, but once I'd been taking the Gabapentin for a few days I was walking with no trouble. Good luck !

Gabapentin worked for the pain for a while but made me suicidal, genuinely I wanted to die.
It's sold under the name neurontin in America if you want to do some research.

I didn't get on with gabapentin, but now take Lyrica for my nerve pain and it really makes a difference. With both of them you have to increase the dose very slowly, and it doesn't work immediatly plus the side effects can wear off with time so you have to persevere

Hmmm. I think I am going to try a little longer with the codeine.. I am also on Naproxen.
Being in a new job I don't want my competence to be in question. There's a chance I may have to give up the job anyway if I cannot work due to pain but it is a little more tolerable at the moment. I have BUPA (with the job) so it's a bit of a race against time to get treated before I lose my job and my health benefit. I've got a MR scan next week.

Does anyone know if codeine side effects go away if you persist with them? I've been taking them for about 5 days.

plate of biscuits were you referring to the codeine or the gabapentin? If it's just a matter of hanging on in there with the codeine it'd be worth it as apart from the nausea they do make the pain tolerable.

I was referring to the gabapentin. Unfortunately codiene makes me vomit almost immediately unless I’ve also taken alot of anti sickness medication so I’ve not been able to try to persevere with them.

The lyrica CMOTDibbler referred to is pregabalin - very similar to gabapentin. So if you didn’t get on ok with one you could try the other. They are both nerve blockers and come with side effects and withdrawal that you’d want to look into first.

It’s good that you’ve got a scan coming up. When you have your follow up appointment maybe you could talk to your consultant about all your options regarding pain meds. Take a notebook or a friend with a good memory!

Codeine side effects do go away but it's not a nerve pain killer. Codeine and naproxen is not really going to work for a nerve pain.

Gabapentin suits far more people than it doesn't in my experience as a prescriber. You should be told to build up gradually. It doesn't make you feel sick but can make you drowsy - if so, you know straight away. Answer is either a lower dose or you went up too quickly but for some people it's just not for them.

My DM is on it and even at a tiny dose thinks it's amazing. She has her life back.

I found it to be the only thing that helped with the pain from a frozen shoulder (morohine patches didn’t touch it). It didn’t make me nauseous.

Hope it can help you

AnnaMagina my GP was going to prescribe it but as i have diabetes he said it was not suitable for diabetics as it can influence blood sugar - do you know if this is the case?
But my consultant said it would be the next choice if the codeine didn't work. The codeine does take the edge off the pain - or maybe I'm getting better? Bad trapped nerve 2.5 weeks ago, still in pain but not as much as before.

I didn’t get on with gabapentin, it made my eyesight very odd to the point I couldn’t drive. I also didn’t like pregablin. Have found nortriptaline (NOT amatriptaline) much better although I have to take it at night or else I’m very tired.

It made me suicidal. I was ok on lower doses but it didn’t help the pain, once I got up to a dose that helped I felt so terrible that I had to stop. It made me really depressed, I constantly thought about suicide. But it doesn’t do this to everyone, I know people who say it’s wonderful. I suppose the only thing you can do is try it.

I was taking gabapentin 3 times a day for a year and didn't have any side effects at all.

Its really difficult as due to having just started a new job I can't afford to try it if it will affect me badly! Work have already let me work from home/avoid travel (i'm field based) but I have to go to a meeting in London on Wednesday which I am dreading... technically i could say I'm too ill but I only started this job four weeks ago, so need to try and keep them sweet.

It's a toss up between the pain and the side effects... still early days for me but if things don't improve and the pain is not tolerable I will perhaps go the gabapentin route, but for everyone saying it's amazing is someone saying the opposite!

Never heard anything about it not being suitable for diabetics and I prescribe it everyday (am a palliative med dr so deal with a lot of nerve pain). Loads of diabetics are on it too as loads of diabetics have nerve pain

My general experience is that it either suits you or it doesn't. If it doesn't, mainly pregabalin won't either but you might be lucky. For the vast majority they will get on v well with it.

Never had a diabetic have blood sugar problems though although there is always a first time for everything.

Anna in that case I'm going back to my GP - he was literally about to prescribe it me but then read it wasn't suitable for diabetics so said to stay on codeine... I wonder what he read then as he was definitely referring to something, whatever it is that GPs have to check before they do a prescription.

Grrr so hard to get this sorted!

I found that gabapentin gave me a dry mouth and made me quite lethargic. Not sleepy or drowsy as such, but a feeling of exhaustion. My dr switched me to pregabalin and it made a world of difference.

I also take codeine along with the pregabalin. The drowsy feelings from taking codeine do reduce over time, as you will become more tolerant of the drug.

The pain relief felt from both the gabapentin and the pregabalin were an absolute godsend

You can access the bnf online to see what it sata

If only there was a way to tell in advance how it would affect me! Anna would you say you need to try it for a few weeks to see how it works, or is it easy to tell quite soon if it will work for you or not?

I'm on gabapentin and I found it really only made me drowsy at the start. As my body got used to it the sleepiness wore off.