Replies To: what if the prescribed amount is not working

azluc says

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 19:44:28 -0800

I was just given a prescription for gabapentin 300mg 90 minutes before bedtime. Can increase 300mg every night to a max of 1200. This increase is weekly. I have symptoms of restless leg syndrome but my problem is much more than RLS. I have heavy legs and problems with balance. I was on Requip with some help to the symptoms but developed compulsive gambling problem. Is anyone else in a similar situation or have any advice for me as to what to expect. I have had this problem for over 5 years. It started with just kinda stubbing your toe as I walked and progressed to turing to walk a certain direction and my upper body moved but my legs did not follow. Things like stepping up on a curb became something to think about and prepare for before I attempted it. My legs and ankles tire easily. The nuerologist just tells me there are some things we do not know and this is one of them? I have had MRI from head to toe and no results. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

allison says

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:43:16 -0800

I have poly-myalgia rheumatica and have been on prednizone for 12 years. The pred was very effective but I am having surgery soon and cannot take the pred. I am waaaaaaaaaaay crippled up and in serious pain. Just started the gabapentin, taking 900 a day, this is second week. Not much relief altho' I don't have that pinching pain anymore. Any body else deal with this?

cory says

Thu, 8 Feb 2007 00:39:20 -0800

I have been taking Gabapentin for over a month now, and I feel bad all the time. I'm very tired some times confused and have crazy mood swings. Always feeling like i'm in slow motion. The reason for taking this med. is for nerve pain in my leg. I have been getting chest pain and a heavyness in my chest. And have had a full work up and my heart is perfect. At this point i am at a loss for my pain. It is very hard to keep taking this med tho it is helping with my leg pain, the other side affects are not easy to live with.

Verwon says

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 04:04:54 -0800

Well, it is really hard to say, any taper and switch over like this has to be tailored to the individual.

Dave says

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:36:20 -0800

I have taken Tegretol for quite a while, now the dr has advised me to try gabapentin. I was taking 2 200mg tegretol 3x a day, slowly reducing this 1 in the am and 1 in the pm, plus gabapentin 300mg, inially 1 in am and 1 in pm. And last few days at lunchtime as well. How much longer before I should stop the tegretol altogether, and then what should my dosage of gabapentin be? The drs dont seem to be much help, trial and error! Has anyone had this experience of both medications and how have they switched over. Needless to say, I have not had that much relief as yet.

Verwon says

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 06:37:05 -0800

Yes, but it is still not going to work instantly like a pain med, since that is not what it is, nor what it is intended for, you will not get any results from this until you have been using for at least 2 weeks or more, then you can get a dosage adjustment if needed.

It also does not work for everyone, so if you don't have pain caused from certain types of nerve pain, it won't do anything for you.

Jack says

Sat, 12 Aug 2006 09:18:17 -0800

So my doctor can increase the Gabapentin dosage several strengths to obtain the effective level?

Verwon says

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:54:10 -0800

Sorry I meant distinct advantage, sorry about the typo.

Verwon says

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:53:22 -0800

Nope. One distance advantage of Gabapentin is you can take very high doses, some people take thousands of mgs in a day, and you almost never reach an OD effect.

However, if you are thinking this is a pain pill or something that should give you some results or effects right away soon after you take it, you are misinformed. This is actually a drug that was approved for us to prevent epilepsy seizures and was shown to help with some types of nerve pain, so it is not a pain killer and it only works on certain types of pain.

You have to be taking these for several weeks before you begin to see any results though, so it doesn't matter how much you took today, since it isn't a pain med and doesn't work like one, you are not going to start feeling any results yet.

So you should stick with dosing schedule you were given and then in a few weeks you will be ablet o evaluate whether or not it is helping.

However, if you were taking this for a pain condition, and you thought you would have immediate help, it is not going to happen and you need to talk to your doctor.

That is one of the drawbacks of this med, it takes awhile to work and reach its full effect in your body, and it doesn't work for all forms of pain.