Nerve issues

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Hi Im perimenopausal but recently I've started getting terrible pins and needles in hand. fingers, with the odd pin prick feeling in fingers and foot I was wondering is this a sign of hormonal change due to perimenopause and has anyone else had this?

Also they gave me gabapentin and I'm reluctant to take this because of the side effects and I'm going on holiday so I wondering is it OK to have a drink wiile on it?

Did they do blood tests? It’s a sign of low B12.
Normal range, until very recently, was from 150. The range has now been increased so that below 180 is deficient and below 275, but symptomatic, warrants treatment.
Gabapentin is awful, zonks you out so much you can barely function and hard to come off, pregabalin is, I believe, less problematic.

I think that a blanket condemnation that Gabapentin is awful and zonks you out is not helpful.

DH was prescribed gabapentin last summer for dreadful back pain and sciatica, he also was given an epidural into his spine. Different people have different reactions and it was fine for him. Gabapentin has transformed his life and he certainly enjoys a few drinks.

However it is important not to suddenly stop taking it. We spent a week in France in February and for some mad reason he forgot to pack his Gabbas.
At the end of the week he was worryingly weak and wobbly and generally poorly. Cold turkey was very unpleasant.

Nothavingafuntime is therefore correct in saying it can be hard to come off.

Thankfully the local French medical centre and pharmacy sorted him out with a prescription and he recovered rapidly and is now functioning happily on his usual dose.

It is a powerful and useful drug but has to be treated with respect.