Chronic Pain

Finally after all that time being wary about taking meds for epilepsy I decided to at least try. My dr. put me on Neurotin, I hold my breath for a while and went with it for 36 days. It was the worst happening I ever had with medication. But, I tried. My brain was out for lunch without me..... I forgot stuff, lost balance,had stomach problrms, was dizzy most of the time and the pain was worst, I realized that neurotin was not for me. I will make an other attemp at something different next winter, I will try Lyrica (the medicine the NY Time said the pharma invented a disease for it , fibro) Right now my life is busy and I am having fun. I am a new grand mother since last summer and intent to play that role as much as I can. Who knows how long I will be able to do it. Arthritis is taking a stronger hold of me. I am a bit hold to start to be a grand ma( imagine some say that they are too young, being too hold is not better)
HUGS Marie

Hello Marie

It's really nice to meet you!
Thank you for sharing your experience with Neurontin/Gabapentin, I think you gave it a good months effort and if it was not for you, then I'm glad you did not have to stick with it.
There is certainly no reason if it causes more suffering on your part and it sounds like the side effects were pretty horrible for you.

It did not work for me either, so I can happily say that I'm glad my primary care doc told me to stop taking it and he just adjusted my pain meds till the were handling the brunt of my pain. I don't have very many side effects from the meds he has me on and I'm just not willing to deal with more side effects compared to the benefits.

Congrads on your new grand baby. What a wonderful joy. I just cannot wait to be a grandma. I have a feeling (God willing) I'll be a grandma by the time I'm 50, so I'm pretty excited for that wonderful role. Enjoy it all you can.

It's a pleasure to meet you and hope to see you around.
Take Care
Betty

Hi Marie

I had trouble with Lyrica -rare side effect -put my heart rate and blood pressure up very quickly and very high -but not a typical side effect. I have a friend who has fibro and arthitus and Lyrica has worked very well for her -so I hope it will work for you too!!

Good luck!

Bev

Hi - hope it works well for you also , just dropped in for a visit .. and to say hi to Betty and Bev .. neurontin is a steriod or opiate ?

I have heard of this med, but have never tried either .. sorry to hear that lyrica did not work well for you Bev .. as I just asked about it on the daily grind ... okay , then, i will look at some more postings here ..

Let us know how you are doing with lyrica Marie .. good luck .. adrian

Adrian;

Neuontin/Gabapentin both the same thing and from what I've understood Lyrica is similar in how it works, but I've seen where some people have better success with one or the other. When I asked my doctor about Lyrica, the both said that we already tried Gabapentin and it did not work, so they really did not think Lyrica would???I personally think they don't really want to mess with what's pretty much working just fine and I have to agree, I'm doing so much better than I was just 1 1/2 to 2 years ago and even though I'm pretty much home bound, have days of higher levels and flares can be a real bummer. I am simply much more comfortable than I used to be. It's a good thing they are in charge. giggle

The success with Lyrica seems to be very much an individuals own body and how it deals with the med. it's a life saver for some and really either the side effects are too much for others or it causes havic with some of their different health issues.

I really hope it helps for you Marie and Bev, that would really scare me for it to cause trouble with my heart. I'm glad they stopped you right away. Some people have additional illness to have to factor in with their pain treatment and it can get really complicated on what they are able to mix in their medication program. I'm glad you have good docs.

Good night friends
Betty

Hi gals,
I believe these drugs were both developed as anti-seizure medications, but many find they help with pain control.
Bev

Bev

Thanks hon for mentioning that important fact. Did not even think of it. lol

Hope your feeling better, I understand what it's like and how the pain gets revved up when you've spent too much time at the desk top. I was on mine for a while one day last week and it reminded me of how it used to be. Stay warm & comfy. I hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods.

Hugs
Betty