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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
        
(Message started by: Stampertje on Dec 16^th, 2004, 2:08pm)

Title: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by Stampertje on Dec 16^th, 2004, 2:08pm

Hey all,

I haven't been to the site for while, but never forgot it.
I have been using Neurontin ( Dutch brand-name) for a year now. For me it seems to reduce the number of hits, but that is not why I posted.

I was wondering if anyone else knows this anti-epileptic or is using it. The name of the substance is gabapentine.

Rik

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by nani on Dec 16^th, 2004, 2:23pm

Welcome back. I use Neurontin (1200mg/day) instead of Topamax. I think that it lessens the severity of hits for me. Unfortunately not the number. I'm chronic so I also use verapamil and lithium as preventatives.

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by Stampertje on Dec 16^th, 2004, 2:42pm

I use 2400mg/day and no other preventatives. My neuro had only tried it on one other person before and was surprised it worked for him. So he put on the neurontin because nothing else helped for me.
You should have seen his face when I told him it worked for me as well.

Btw do you have any side-effects?

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by nani on Dec 16^th, 2004, 2:55pm

At first I would get drowsy. Now I seem to have issues with my memory. I don't know how much that has to do with Neurontin though. :-/

BTW: I first used it for CH on my own, in desperation. I had it left over from brain surgery. The docs then told me it was for pain and as an anti-seizure. Had no problems getting scrips for it since then, as my dr had heard of using it for vascular and/or neuralgic headaches.

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by vig on Dec 16^th, 2004, 3:04pm

It's not uncommon for Doctors to prescribe anti-seizure medications... I believe CH is very seizure-like.
Anyway, it's not the only one.... Look at Depakote, for instance.
But the success rate isn't all that high...
Step up people, throw in your 2 cents, maybe we'll get a coupla bucks.

On the other hand, Pfizer was sued and paid >$400 million for pushing off-label usage of Neurontin.
See:
http://www.legalnewswatch.com/news_351.html

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by nani on Dec 16^th, 2004, 3:27pm

Vig- isn't Depakote a bi-polar drug like lithium?

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by vig on Dec 16^th, 2004, 4:05pm

"#1 Branded Treatment in Bipolar and Epilepsy."
www.nami.org/helpline/depakote.htm
yup

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by pubgirl on Dec 16^th, 2004, 7:15pm

The International Headache society "Cluster Club" conference in 2003 where the world CH experts met reported some promising results for gabapentin as a preventive, then it went awfully quiet and I haven't seen any of them publishing about it since

Wendy

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by Marc on Dec 20^th, 2004, 10:51pm

I tried it back when I first went chronic about 6 years ago. Got clear up to 3600 mg per day, no side effects and no help for me. At the time, I was also On Verapamil at 360mg.

Over the past few years, others have reported good results here.

I hope it works for you.

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by clarence on Dec 22^nd, 2004, 11:22am

I used to use it, until my doc took me off it for some reason. I think that it is the only thing that has been effective for me as a prevent. I had very few side effects, unless I forgot to take a dose. Then, for some reason, I got wicked hungry.

I sitll would like to go back on it. Looking for a new doc now as I have just moved. Maybe he or she will be up for it.

Casey

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by justin on Jan 2^nd, 2005, 1:01am

i take 4800mg daily with verapamil 480 mg and depakote 500mg daily

it has cut me down to only three cycles a year. i'm normally chronic. so i can use prednisone and imitrex for those cycles. my neuro really likes neurontin and says that there is promising research with it

who knows

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by ccbiggsoo7 on Jan 11^th, 2005, 1:32pm

I use neurontin along with verap and lithium. It has worked pretty well, but you must take it every eight hours because it has a very short lifespan in the bloodstream. And it will effect the memory,what was I talking about!

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by ClstrHeadSupport on Jan 12^th, 2005, 1:13pm

My cluster head used Neurontin for a while, it didn't do anything for him. At least it wasn't a big enough change that we noticed.

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by taraann on Jan 14^th, 2005, 12:29am

I was on it FOREVER ago for CH. Didn't do jack, but prolly gonna be on it again for other pain (muscle/nerve) maybe this time around it'll work for CH as an added bonus.

Don't remember the side affects............anyone have any others other than memory?

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by nani on Jan 14^th, 2005, 12:47am

When I first started using it, I would get pretty drowsy. As time went on, that went away. And still, even after 4 years, I have an occasional "fuzzy" moment. Not unpleasant, not really mind altering...just fuzzy. It's pretty random and doesn't happen everyday. It doesn't really interfere with my life. (except for things like job interviews or talking to the cops ;;D )

Title: Re: Anyone heard of Neurontin? (gabapentine)
Post by ccbiggsoo7 on Jan 14^th, 2005, 12:51pm

If I take it on a empty stomach I get kinda fuzzy,or zoney. The main problem I had w/ side effects was constipation. I had never been so constipated in my life, when taking 600 mg 3 times a day. So had to ad the verap and lith and go to 900mg or 1200mg of neurontin.