Whats the take on Neurontin (Gabapentin)?

Doc prescribed it to me today. She thinks it may help with pain as so much of my pain "looks like overactive neural system".

Anyone have any experience with it?

Oh btw, my GP measured Vit D too low (but it's only at 46, so not critically low) He said that it would resolve itself with mor sun and some fruits. This doctor said we needed to get Vit D sorted, as that could be a cause of a lot of muscle and joint pain, and she wanted me on a high dosage for a while right away.
I like her thinking better, what do you guys think?

Love
gilth

neurotin (gabapentin) is as she described. see if it helps you, can't hurt, unless you can't tolerate the side effects. i was put on lyrica (a newer drug of the same class); all it did was give me migraines, but we're all different, so give it a try. just don't tolerate intolerable side effects, ok.

but for me, the only part of it that is "nerve pain" is 1) sciatica when my SI joint is inflamed. personally, i prefer to get rid of the inflammation instead. since the other thing that the inflammation does, pain-wise, is give me muscle spasms, which IMO are far worse. and a flector patch when i don't flare and pred when i do, seems to address the problems far better than a nerve drug would.

and 2) the bone spurs in my neck press on nerves there, causing a numb face, and muscle spasms into my neck and upper back, bad ones at that, then leading to triggerpoints and more muscle spasms. vicious circle, but chiro, cortisone injections into those facet joints with the bone spurs, and trigger point injections seem to address the problems far better than masking the pain with a nerve drug.

though in all fairness, sometimes nerves can retain memories and thus the drugs can help greatly. some people on here have found them to be a big part of their tool box, so give them a try, see what happens.

as for the vitamin D. not sure how fruit would help, that's not where D is found in food. mushrooms yes. some fatty fishes, yes. but fruit?

as for the sun, in theory that's great advice. but in practice, it doesn't always work out that easily. mine can drop in the summer when i'm out there every day in the mid day sun taking a 30-60 minute walk with my arms and legs fully exposed. for some of us, it takes more. thus supplementation is great.

i've been on the low side and working on bringing it up since may 2008. it started at 30. was hoping that it was a big part of the puzzle, but doubt for me that it is. still i think when we are not feeling well, its important to make sure everything is where it should be. mine has been as high as 60. and can't say i notice much difference at 30 or 60 or anywhere in between. still working on finding the amount of supplement that holds me steady. see the recent thread i started on monday on vitamin D. a lot of really good advice from others there. and molly linked two other recent threads on D there. let me know if you need me to link that most recent thread, though it should be easy enough to find.

things that i think have helped my muscle and joint pain?
fish oil and vit C (joint inflammation) coQ and magnesium (muscles)
and the LDN (body dealing with the inflammation)

my opinion, these are both good places to start, but getting rid of the inflammation is to me the most important thing. and if they are wondering if its inflammation induced, an nsaid trial or even better, a 6 day pred dose pack trial, should be very telling. if like me, that pred feels like magic happy pills where miraculously nothing on your body hurts, that should be telling, IMHO. don't have to stay on pred, but its a great test short term.

and trying some of those other supplements for your pains could be worth a try. though my problems are not really muscle problems, the joint inflammation certainly affects my muscles trying to "deal" with those joints. thus things that affect muscles, like coQ and magnesium could be worth a try, with the management of a doctor, even better. my rheumy suggested both; i had already started the magnesium on my own; he suggested taking a bit more. the magnesium has stopped the calf and foot cramps when i take 100 mg twice a day (200 mg daily total).

just some thoughts, as i know we're not all alike.

Glith - gabapentin is a centrally acting drug - by that I mean it acts at the level of the spinal cord - NOT directly targeting the inflamed area. Basically it functions to 'turn down' the volume of your pain perception system - so less pain is perceived (felt) by you. There is increasing evidence that the nervous system can become primed and over sensitized by ongoing pain signals form the body tissues (spine, SI joints etc). Your doc is (I suspect) trying to 'turn down' this excess sensitivity that may be occuring in the spinal cord - some people find this a very helpful drug.
Will

Gilth - for the skin to absorb D from the sun, necessary to be out in bathers, 30 mins mid morning, then, do not bath for 48 hours otherwise you'll wash it all off from the skin! Nowt from fruit. Fish, yes. But then be careful as fish carries a lot of mercury...

Supplement D3 - much the best way. Cholecalciferol is the best (and can get in liquid). See all my posts on Vit-D - any number of links - and Sue posted some as well, only a couple of days ago:

http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=470141&nt=3&page=1

and -

http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=469452#Post469452

Oh yes, and BTW, numbers need to be between 65 to 80nm/nL. At 46 you are way too low, not critical level, but way too low.

while i personally love the big fatty fishes (swordfish, tuna, salmon; especially with a pineapple mango sauce!), molly is right about having to be careful not to overdo because of the mercury. plus, need to be careful not to overfish these fishes. and some do cod liver oil, but that comes with its own issues, which you can read about. however, the little oily fishies, like sardines are a good alternative. lower on the food chain, not so much mercury. and the bones are full of calcium as well. bon appetit!

FRESH sardines are great cooked on a BBQ - Greek style, then have with a Greek salad. Yummmmy.

I took Gabapentin a few years ago when i was in much LESS pain and it still seemed to do nothing for me.. Hope you have better luck!

Hi

I can only take 100mg twice a day of Neurontin . If I take more I get really depressed. so watch that. It certainly helps for pain.

Janet

I tried Lyrica and Gabapentin and couldn't tolerate the side effects.

I took Neurontin in the past prescribed for me by my Neuro-Optho for Dystonia. I didn't like the side effects and couldn't tell that it helped any. My rheumatologist has never prescribed it.

Hope it helps you. We are all different and it may be just the thing for you.

Blessings.
Possi