Gabapentin use

[JamieMarc]

Gabapentin and Lyrica are not the same thing.

I was thinking the same thing when I read that post, but decided it wasn't necessary to make a correction. Now I realize that I was wrong because perhaps Lyrica could help if @marymi has not tried it. Glad you had the foresight to point it out, @sunkacola

 

[marymi]

@sunkacola Ta for reaching out to me. Im bad news pain neck and back. Been there b4. Definitely FM. LYRICA so bad for short t memory and felt drunk all the time. Gp gave me a mix of oxycontine plus ? Slow release. Taking the edge off much. So in a fortnight she may change my SSR anti-dep. Have not tried cymbalta. Not very happy.

 

[sunkacola]

@sunkacola Ta for reaching out to me. Im bad news pain neck and back. Been there b4. Definitely FM. LYRICA so bad for short t memory and felt drunk all the time. Gp gave me a mix of oxycontine plus ? Slow release. Taking the edge off much. So in a fortnight she may change my SSR anti-dep. Have not tried cymbalta. Not very happy.

I hope something works for you. A word of caution about the oxycontin, though....it is (as you may very well know) highly addictive. Typically, it will work great for a while, and then you will need more of it because your body has gotten used to the dosage. If you take more, and then more, it doesn't take long for your body to become addicted.

It's an opiate, and addiction to this is very dangerous and damaging to your health and well being, and another dangerous thing is that a doctor may decide to cut you off from it due to your getting addicted and then you are in trouble. So, use it by all means if it helps you, but please be cautious. Don't take it every single day, and try never to increase the dosage.

 

[marymi]

@sunkacola I am very aware of the dangers. It doesn't help much either. Dr said take low dose for fortnight then we do something about a different antidepressant. I'm at wit's end with the pain for 10 days. It usually just goes on its own. I am praying every night for relief. Thank you.

 

[SacrificedPawn]

As a patient with chronic muscle pain for 5 years, I wouldn't recommend Cymbalta and Lyrica.
In my opinion, Lyrica is just something like heroin which narcotize you and you wont feel the pain. It absolutely doesn't heal.
For me, Cymbalta is the medicine with most side affects among the medicines I tried in my whole life. This one just increase some hormones like dopamine and neurotransmitters which results reduction in pain but again doesn't heal you.


If your pains are in an unbearable level, gabapentin (neurontin) could be more innocent alternative.

 

[sunkacola]

As a patient with chronic muscle pain for 5 years, I wouldn't recommend Cymbalta and Lyrica.
In my opinion, Lyrica is just something like heroin which narcotize you and you wont feel the pain. It absolutely doesn't heal.
For me, Cymbalta is the medicine with most side affects among the medicines I tried in my whole life. This one just increase some hormones like dopamine and neurotransmitters which results reduction in pain but again doesn't heal you.


If your pains are in an unbearable level, gabapentin (neurontin) could be more innocent alternative.

Unfortunately, there is no pain medication that heals. All that any pain medication can do is mask the pain, lower it somewhat so that a person doesn't feel it as strongly. This is necessary for some people all of the time and for others some of the time, and others are able to manage their pain levels without medication.

Gabapentin, like the other pain medications, works for some people and not for others. It has terrible side effects for some people, and no effect whatever for others.

In my opinion, it's just not possible to know ahead of time what effect any certain medication will have for a given individual. In my years on this forum I have read from people who have experienced the whole range of no effect at all to horrible side effects, from extremely helpful to no effect at all and so on, for any medication that is prescribed by doctors for fibromyalgia pain. Unfortunately, the only way anyone can know how a medication will affect them is to try it.

 

[JamieMarc]

I 100% agree. I typically don't ever advise anyone against trying any medication since as we all know well by now what helps one person may not help another, and what hurts one person may help another.

 

[Rosie3]

I've been on gabapentin for several years. My doctor at the time said it wasn't addictive. I'm sure everyone is different. My sister in law is also on the medication. I do wish I could get off all medication. My Dr said not to stop. I would definitely wear off of the medication. I take three 300ml each in the evening. So I would go down to two, for awhile, then one. I wouldn't do it without telling my Dr though.

 

[Ian waxman]

Hi. New member first time poster. I was diagnosed with ME 25.ir so years ago and fibro a year after that. I've struggled with poor medical care throughout, not. Being believed etc. Went to another GP today to be told that the gabapentin I was put on 12 years ago may be causing some of rhe pain. And that it's very addictive. Got.to wean myself off over 20 months. I've since looked up about gabapentin, use misuse and withdrawal and I'm terrifed! Wonder if anyone else has used/ uses it and what they feel about this. Not offered any alternative at all or any help apart from wait till thriufh menopause, lose weight and keep active. Never felt so disillusioned with health care. Thanks and apologies for rant!

I have taken gabepentin years ago.suffered with fybro for 25 years.it didn’t help my fybro at all and made me feel very nauseous.the drugs that the doctors prescribe you is that they don’t tell you the serious side effects and ask you do you want to go ahead.i’d honestly say the majority of doctors don’t have a clue about your fybro and just chuck something at you.totally wrong and not helping you to the degree u want.the sheer terror of coming off them can be hell.i took sertraline and came off them and i have never felt hell like it.wean off very gently and listen to the doc cause all these medications are powerful and if u stop you’re in trouble you’ve got to wean off them.go back to the docs tell them you’re fybro conditions(I take fentanyl patches and they work) but I’m at the chronic end of fybro head to toe pain.do ask for a alternative and if you’re pain is really bad ask for a patch it’s the only thing that works and insist don’t walk out and tell them you’re at your wits end.theres reletrans and fentanyl and I’ve took both.both good well excellent.dont take liquid morpheine it’s a short term hit.the patches last days reletrans 7 fentanyl 3.none of the tablets worked for me and I’ve took em all.patches slow release and constantly help your pain.please tell us exactly what symptoms you have.i hope you find the right path.youre on the right site and we’re all in this together xx

 

[sunkacola]

I take fentanyl patches and they work) but I’m at the chronic end of fybro head to toe pain.do ask for a alternative and if you’re pain is really bad ask for a patch it’s the only thing that works

Ian Waxman, I am very glad you have found something that works for you.
Just a word of caution though. Recommending that others ask for a fentanyl patch and suggesting it is the only thing that works is not really a good idea, because although it is the only thing that works for you that is not true for everyone. Fentanyl can be very dangerous as well.

Each individual has to find out what works for them, and many people have found that other pain medications or even strategies that do not involve pain medication at all are very effective for really bad pain.

Sadly, what you say about doctors is true....that they really don't know what to do to help us. I have come to realize, however, that this isn't their fault. Research is being done, but so far nothing has been developed that helps everyone with this syndrome. If there were something that would really help everyone, all the doctors would no doubt be very happy to prescribe it to us.

 

[Ian waxman]

Ian Waxman, I am very glad you have found something that works for you.
Just a word of caution though. Recommending that others ask for a fentanyl patch and suggesting it is the only thing that works is not really a good idea, because although it is the only thing that works for you that is not true for everyone. Fentanyl can be very dangerous as well.

Each individual has to find out what works for them, and many people have found that other pain medications or even strategies that do not involve pain medication at all are very effective for really bad pain.

Sadly, what you say about doctors is true....that they really don't know what to do to help us. I have come to realize, however, that this isn't their fault. Research is being done, but so far nothing has been developed that helps everyone with this syndrome. If there were something that would really help everyone, all the doctors would no doubt be very happy to prescribe it to us.

Yes.sorry for mentioning fentanyl.its what I ended up on although not by choice and yes it really is the last resort.i dont want anybody going and asking for them it’s a very dangerous drug and its only because my pain is so chronic that the docs run out of options.i certainly dont want anybody to end up in the same situation as me i dont feel happy taking them at all.sorry for making it sound like a wonderdrug because it isn’t and I’ve tried coming off them and it’s horrendous

 

[sunkacola]

Yes.sorry for mentioning fentanyl.its what I ended up on although not by choice and yes it really is the last resort.i dont want anybody going and asking for them it’s a very dangerous drug and its only because my pain is so chronic that the docs run out of options.i certainly dont want anybody to end up in the same situation as me i dont feel happy taking them at all.sorry for making it sound like a wonderdrug because it isn’t and I’ve tried coming off them and it’s horrendous

Thank you very much for this post.

 

[Ian waxman]

I've been on gabapentin for several years. My doctor at the time said it wasn't addictive. I'm sure everyone is different. My sister in law is also on the medication. I do wish I could get off all medication. My Dr said not to stop. I would definitely wear off of the medication. I take three 300ml each in the evening. So I would go down to two, for awhile, then one. I wouldn't do it without telling my Dr though.

Wouldn’t advise doing it yourself.the doctors do know the terrible side effects,which I’ve done going cold turkey and dropping one off each week but it can be a real hellish path.stick with the doctor and ask what alternatives there is.good luck

I hope something works for you. A word of caution about the oxycontin, though....it is (as you may very well know) highly addictive. Typically, it will work great for a while, and then you will need more of it because your body has gotten used to the dosage. If you take more, and then more, it doesn't take long for your body to become addicted.

It's an opiate, and addiction to this is very dangerous and damaging to your health and well being, and another dangerous thing is that a doctor may decide to cut you off from it due to your getting addicted and then you are in trouble. So, use it by all means if it helps you, but please be cautious. Don't take it every single day, and try never to increase the dosage.

totally agree.i’m on tramadol and fentanyl and started with a lower dose of fentanyl and then back came all the pain.upped the dose and luckily I’ve been quite stable.i am not recommending fentanyl it’s just the situation I’m in.i’ve tried everything in the past 25 years including cymbalta and duloxetine.short term gains,horrendous coming off them.doctors don’t realise just how bad it is for fybro patients to wean off.youre fighting 2 battles.the patch has worked for me but its got downsides,loss of sex drive,serious marks due to burns on arms,don’t ask for it unless your pain is off the scale constantly.i find diazepam helps the pain and relaxes the muscles but that’s addictive.we just can’t win.theyve all got their pitfalls.hope you find the right path

 

[Ian waxman]

Thanks for that. My fear is that I was put on a narcotic and have seen multiple doctors and no one until now, has identified a problem. I'm not sure it's working. How do you know? I'm happy.to come off it, but worried about how else I can manage my pain. I'm very much a boom or bust pattern, the busts being more.prevalent these days. I walk twice a day thanks to an active dog and do as much as I'm able. Having had both diseases so long I feel I can ID what helps and doesn't. Just so frustrated with attitude of medics more around ME than fibro. I'm an ex nurse so have insight into health care but it saddens me so much that people are treated like this. And yes I do need to.lose about 2 kg and am working on that ! Not about skinny....was never that. But its for health and peace of mind.

Gabapentin didn’t work for me.long term use and your body wants more.pain is a crippling illness and I feel for you.i ask to see the same doctor all the time so she knows how I’m doing.i even get a pharmacist call every 4 weeks and they assess all my meds and she’s brilliant.i think and please don’t shoot me down in flames that we overthink our ailments as you tend to find if you’re doing something social,swimming,a nice steady walk,socialising just anything that takes your mind off it it really does help.to have doctors that haven’t a clue and they should never take you off a drug without a low dose replacement.you need to go back and insist on seeing the dr you think understands u most and stay with them.Ive been to the docs before seen somebody else and they wanted to take me off all sorts she didn’t have a clue.we know how we feel so tell them straight and sit there until u think they’ve given you a med you think might help.citalopram is great and no side effects and it helps with anxiety.hope you find the right path and we’re all here to help xx

 

[johnsalmon]

tramadol

I use this for arthritics spasms however It does not seem to have effect on fibro pain for me