ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Headaches => Topic started by: Karen on February 12, 2009, 06:56:59 pm
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dOES ANYONE USE nEUROTIN ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS? i HAD MY NEURO EYE DOCTOR TELL me that he has some patients use 300mg when they need it not on an every day basis. He says they swear it works. I have days when my face hurts and bothers me more than others, then other times it is tolerable without taking anything. Just curious if anyone as taken it like that. Karen
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Karen,
I take Neurontin 300 mg 3 X a day. I have a facial neuroma that was debulked Sept 2006. I have facial pain and headaches. Some days nothing touches it and other days it is a very dull ache, just enough to let me know the neuroma is still there. As if I could ever forget ;) I've been on the drug almost a year now. Last summer I did wean myself off with Dr's orders, for me it was disastrous, I spent almost 24 hrs a day in bed for a few weeks. Needless to say with Dr's orders again I went back on it. I think it is the type of drug you have to take consistently and regularly. Have you thought of antidepressants? I also take Effexor which helps with neuropathic pain.
Anne Marie
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I believe Capt. Deb uses neurotin also.. If memory serves, she calls it her life saver.. Oh Capt. Deb?! You there?
Regards,
Brian
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I was on Neurontin 3X300mg per day (have been for about 6 years now) - recently had to increase it to 1500mg per day as my headaches were getting worse. It does help but you need to take it consistantly. If you break the pattern taking the drug, uyour system will have different levels of the drug in it and the benefits will vary. 1500mg does make me tired though but better to be tired and reduced headaches than the alternative. I still get ripping headaches a number of times a week but this is the best drug for me as it is effectively a nerve ending pain relief drug.
laz
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Karen ~
My wife takes Neurontin and has for many years. I believe she takes the same dosage as Anne Marie ('yardtick'); 900 mg daily in 3, 300mg doses. She takes it to treat symptoms resulting from long-term Fibromyalgia. It has been effective for her muscle pains but it doesn't completely erase them. Neurontin has a wide variety of possible side effects, which may or may not impact you. In your case, it might be worth a try to find out it it can be effective. It's clearly your choice, but I would go with the doctor's recommendation.
Jim
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I have never heard of neurontin administered this way. Suggest you do a little Googling of "gabapentin" its generic name, before you let anyone prescribe it for you like this. I would also recommend speaking with a good pharmacist whom you trust.
I've been on Neurontin, actually generic gabapentin, for 2 years, 600 2x daily but have taken as much as 2700 mgs a day when I first started taking it. Actually they stat a low dose titration up to a higher dose. At 2700 mgs I could barely function but it seemed to help my headaches. Now I take a cocktail of Neurontin and Topamax. They seem to work well together.
Capt Deb
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I, also, have never heard of Neurontin being used "as needed". My husband had surgery for meningioma removal in 2004 and then CK for regrowth in October, 2007. He started having what they termed focal seizures and started on Keppra and was eventually raised to the maximum dose (3,000 mg a day). He was extremely dizzy and unbalanced on this and they switched him to Neurontin, 300 mg, three times a day. He is still having focal seizures and headaches over his eye (? sinus headaches). When they told him to increase the Neurontin to 1200 mg a day (300 x 4 pills), he once again got extremely dizzy and unsteady. Now he's backed off to the 900 mg a day (300 x 3 pills) and that symptom has gone away but still the focal seizures which are 4 to 5 minutes of his right hand (corresponds to the left-sided tumor) going numb/tingly/dead/sizzly feeling. He's getting to the point where he wants to call the neurologist and try something else. There are so many medications out there and it's just by trial and error that one that works will be found. Meanwhile the tumor has remained basically stable since the CK although the latest MRI did show part of the tumor with a minimal decrease and part with a minimal increase - so small it wasn't even measured.
Sheryl
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I'm on Lyrica, which is the same drug as Neurontin.....for fibromyalgia. I've never heard of it being taken "as needed", either. I would, as someone suggested, talk to a pharmacist.
I have a question, for anyone on this. Has anyone had a weight gain on this?
Take care, Karen.
Lacey
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Lacey,
Lyrica is not the same as Neuontin. It's meant to be a new and improved drug to neurontin but it didn't work for me.
Laz
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Since the doctor told my husband if the Neurontin did not work, he would add Lyrica. So, I'm pretty sure they are not in the same class of medications.
Sheryl
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sorry.
Lacey
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I am an RN, and have used Neurontin (Gabapentin) for my patients with chronic pain many times. It is used for nerve pain, so I can see why it would work. It is also used for antianxiety, antiseizure, and maybe more I'm not aware of. My grandmother uses it for the post-shingles nerve pain (post herpetic neuralgia) prn (as needed). I have never tried it, but I'm not against trying anything when I'm in pain. I use Topamax for headaches (off right now due to pregnancy, and suffering from headaches greatly). I say, if it works for you stick with it, if not try something else. Also, it definitely causes sedation, and possibly dizziness. (sometimes side effects like these go away after a little while) I lose my balance so much already! :-\