Anyone here take gabapenten?

Type 1 & LADA
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Has anyone here taken Gabapentin (for either neuropathy or any other reason)?

I’ve began taking it post op for my neuropathic pain in my left thigh, which has been, since surgery, in burning pain. Its a weird sensation as it feels both completely numb but at the same time it feels as if someone is stabbing me with serrated knives all day and night (round the clock, basically, but much worse at night).

I do have diabetic neuropathy in both feet, lower right leg and hands, but they NEVER hurt, just numb.

So my doctors put me on Gabapentin immediately after my surgery when I described my pain (dx, very classic for what I went through )

Since my surgery, I have gained 10 pounds without any change in my diet. There is NO other possible explanation for the weight gain, I think, than taking the medication itself.

Has anyone else experienced this? I have gone on the internet and looked this up as a potential side effect, but all the info I can glean is that its possible to lose weight, its possible to gain weight, its possible to have constipation, its possible to have diareah,…I’m certain that you get the point (those researchers cannot make up their minds :rofl: :grimacing: :weary:)

Please chime in. I need all the info and experiences I can get!

Thanks in advance,

DM

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@daisymae YES! I do take gabapentin and weight gain is DEFINITELY a side effect. I was prescribed 300mg at bedtime for frozen shoulder pain (which it did help) and I very quickly gained 10 pounds. It was a clear correlation. I weaned myself off of it, despite ongoing shoulder pain, and lost some of the weight. My neurologist talked me into trying 100mg/day to see if it helped with shoulder pain and hopefully didn’t result in massive weight gain. I do continue to take the 100mg/day (I have taken this dose for about a year now), but am considering trying to stop and seeing what happens with my shoulder.

Hoping you are feeling well – if the gabapentin is helping, know that at least anecdotally, I was able to lose the weight that I had gained on it fairly quickly. Jessica

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Oh Thank God! I dont fit into any of my clothing and its only been 2.5 weeks that I’m on the Gabapentin (and I’m on 1800mg)!!! I am going to wean off of it bc its not even helping. Not worth the trouble.

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@daisymae I have heard from a number of people that gabapentin did not help them and WOW 1800mg seems like a big number! If it’s only been a couple of weeks it will hopefully be easy to wean off of and the weight will also easily melt back off. What the heck with these crazy side effects?! xo

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Its been about 1.5 months now, and I was titrated on it slowly. Now I am going to titrate off of it. It is causing more discomfort than it was supposed to be helping :weary:

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@daisymae, my partner took gabapentin for neurologic pain (trigeminal neuralgia). It maybe helped, but it made him like a zombie robot and yes, he did gain weight, even in the short period he took it before they humanely switched him to something else. Then again, a number of the meds he was prescribed have been linked to weight gain.

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You’re also a lot less active these days, aren’t you? You’re walking a lot sometimes but is that the equivalent of your pre-surgery daily swim? Less exertion after surgery could also contribute to weight gain.

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@daisymae
Gabapentin can cause some weight gain. It might simply be causing you to retain more water, which is also a form of weight gain.

But what @Beacher said is definitely most of it, if not all of it. You are not burning near as many calories as you were when you were swimming!

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I have only started gaining weight, (and VERY RAPIDLY) and I’ve gained 10 pounds!!! and so quickly, and totally from the start of taking the Gabapenten).

Can only b attributed to that damn drug!!! I was 103 before Gabapentin and now I am 112.5 pounds!!!

Just FYI.

DM

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I was 103 pre-Gabapenten. I had no trouble at all at maintaining my swimmer’s body weight before then.

Also, Since the Gabapentin, I have absolutely NO appetite, and I am bloated like an 8 month pregnant woman!!! OMG, its unbearable. :weary:

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I’m not a doc but that sounds a lot like water weight. Have your doc prescribe a diuretic like Lasix and you’ll be back under 105 in a couple of days.

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bloating like that can be serious, if you also have pain or fever it really does require a doctor visit. I had a blood clot (portal Vein Thrombosis) that caused that kind of unbearable bloating
it also occurs to me that the gabapentin could be masking pain…
and another possibility is partial bowel obstruction which also causes bloating and loss of appetite

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I’m going to ask the doctor right now. I am so miserably uncomfortable :weary: , and I was on Lasix when I was younger (much much younger) for female problems. Worth a shot. it helped me before, perhaps it will help me again. Thanks for the reminder. :grimacing: :pray: :crossed_fingers:

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For a very rapid weight gain, there are generally only 2 reasons. Either you’ve had dinner with me at 17 restaurants in Brooklyn, or it’s water weight.

Seriously, that’s gotta be it. When it happens so quickly it’s water retention.

Talk to your doc!

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Thanks Eric. I actually did call my doctor right after my last post. He is titrating me down off the Gabapentin ASAP, but wouldn’t feel comfortable prescribing something like Lasix. He believes that once I begin titrating down, the bloating should go away rather quickly. And All I can do now is wait it out and keep up all the good work I have been doing since my surgery.

(He also let me know that Neuropathic pain can take up to one year or more, or not at all, to resolve itself.) Bummer. Truly, a real F-ing bummer (it is sooo terribly painful).

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hopefully, I’ll b seeing you again soon…only this time in Manhattan. And we’re getting ready for a total pig-out and the 2nd Avenue Deli (please Google the menu so you will be prepared and well versed in Authentic Jewish Food and to b able to order appropriately…and I know your appetite and dont think that even you, the remarkable Eric, could surprise them with your order(s)!!! :rofl:

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Titrating off the Gabapentin:

Okay Dokey. Couldn’t deal with it one moment longer. Let my specialist know that I wouldn’t take one more of those awful pills. They weren’t giving me any relief and what they were giving me I didnt want. So, what’s the point…

A thank you to all of you who have helped me to make my decision. I am very grateful to you. I do not feel alone or like a nut job. My symptoms have been as real as were yours. And once I described all of the symptoms to my doctor, he put me on a schedule to get off of the Gabapentin.I am now down from 1800mg a day to 900mg a day. Almost there :crossed_fingers:

Thanks, Guys!!! (and BTW, its only been a little over a week, and I’ve already started to lose some of that water retention. I no longer look positively pregnant :rofl:)

DM

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TWO WEEKS LATER:

Several things happened while tapering off of the Gabapentin. I say this so that you may be informed in case you are ever in my circumstances.

First off, and this is my fault entirely, was that I was a little too eager to get off of it and get it out of my system. I titrated too quickly and I went through a miserable withdrawl. I actually thought I had CoVid, even after testing negative and having all of my vaccinations including the Booster shot of Moderna. My body ached as if I had the Flu. I had a headache that was so painful, even the opioids I took with Xtra Strength Excedrin couldn’t relieve me. I had to sit in the dark bc lightness was unbearable, I was thoroughly exhausted day and night. ALSO, my BGs went crazy. I was high when I am usually on the lower side of my TR. I went low when I would normally b a little high. And I was trying to use TBs to manage the swings, but nothing worked. I couldn’t find any patterns from one day to the next that would let me know how to properly manage the BG swings.

So, as stated, I am still not 100% back in my groove. And, since I have been off all of these meds (Lyrica, Elavil,and the Gabapentin), my BGs have gone much higher and I have needed to adjust my entire pump basal rates from morning to night. Nothing as what it was beforehand. Its crazy .

On the good side of things, I’ve lost almost all of the weight that I gained while on this drug. Pregnant looking tummy is now flat and toned, legs are thinning normal again. Almost able to fit back into my trusted blue jeans and out of these sweatpants (although, admittedly, I do love wearing the sweats :wink: .)

And I havent been dieting to lose this weight. And its the holidays of gorging. The other night I went low and couldn’t get my BGs up safely; I ate 1/2 a Costco Pumpkin Pie to myself. (it did the trick, eventually.)

The other thing, was that I was practically bed-ridden from the sheer exhaustion of it all. I wasn’t able to exercise or make my PT appointments. This lasted 10 days. My sleep was fitful and although I was sleeping a lot, it wasn’t restful sleep. I didnt feel restored or recuperated. :weary:

And now, although I am physically feeling better, I am still not 100%. I have been able to get outside and walk (maybe some of you saw my silly pictures on the Swimming thread??) And the fresh air is rehabilitative, so I’m keeping at it.

Unfortunately, the pain that the medications were controlling have returned and I hate that. But I’ve made my choice. Pick between the consequences of my choices. I have chosen to b in more pain than live inside another persons body. Just say’in.

signing out,

DM

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DM, you are tough, but I hate that you are going through all of this. Sending my best thoughts for rest and healing - xoxo

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FINALLY DETOX IS COMPLETE! :

So it took almost three complete weeks for me to detox off of the Gabapentin. The withdrawal was perhaps worth the while, but thats up for you to decide for yourself if ever the situation arrises for you. For me, it was truly a nightmare, but so glad its all past and behind me. And so glad I chose to discontinue the drug.

No more headaches, body aches, inability to tolerate light, weakness or exhaustion (even a little depression thrown in for and extra displeasure).

What did I learn? Well, I will never go on that medication again, no matter how desperate. And, and this is super important:

I am enlisting a DO at Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital for holistic PT to further my recovery. No drugs involved. Just sheer exercises, stretches, and, what I am hoping, swimming again soon. :pray: :pray: :pray:

Had my PT yesterday, and am getting promoted up the ladder from old fashioned first stage walker to a roller walker (4 wheels). I have tried one out and I dont care for it, but the therapist was strongly recommending it for the past month or so. He feels that it will give much better mobility and more of a feeling of walking without the aid.

Upon giving it a brief spin around the block I dont care for it. it moves much too fast and I feel out of control. But there are advantages (for example, it has a seat, it has a lot of room for D stuff and shopping groceries) and it encourages my posture to be more upright instead of hunched over, as its been on my current walker (please refer to pictures on Swimming thread)

So, off that Gabapentin is encouraging me to go further onto the next phase of my recovery. I am very entertaining of the drug-free approach.

All the very best Holidays to you and yours,
signing out,

DM

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