Bud's Dr now has him on 600 mg day of Neurontin for the symptom of itching/burning legs. The Dr ordered tests for diabetes, which is a common cause, but Bud doesn't have diabetes. It is all over his family, though. So isn't that kind of swatting flies with a sledge hammer, to treat a symptom without knowing what causes it? The Neurontin relaxes him so well and takes care of the itching, so Bud likes it. But I swear, it ages him 10 yrs and lowers his BP to the point he had to quit taking the BP pills. It scares me how HMO's just throw out darts, hoping something sticks, instead of really investigating what's going on.
My heart goes out to you, I have a son who takes much medication for seizures. He is now off of Neurontin which worked well but he had to take so much that the side effects were disruptive to daily life. He is now on Topomax and carbamazipene which are working well and seem to have less side effects. I agree with you about Health Insurance conglomerates including some Doctors. They could care less how a patient is effected. Just keep throwing drugs and treatments at a problem until they get lucky
05 Super Duty XLT CC 5.4/3.73 5 sp auto Torqshift
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The"Cracker Cabana")
Reese HP Dual Cam
Neurontin is often used for symptoms of neuropathy (nerve damage) as well as seizure control. There are a a lot of drugs that are used to control other conditions: Topamax(seizures) for migraines, Lamictal(seizures)for bipolar depression,Cymbalta (depression)for neuropathy, Zantac(acid reflux) for allergies! Doctors don't always know *why* the drugs work the way they do, but will use them because they help certain patients.
One thing I've learned is that one drug does not fit all. Our youngest son has two types of seizures. One drug will not control them. It has been a challenge to find the right combination of drugs which will control the seizures and not have side effects that are unendurable. At this point, he takes 3 different drugs--14 pills a day! But he doesn't have seizures. No one knows why this particular set of drugs did the trick, and frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad they work.
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
Sandy's Dr. has her on it for severe back pain (along with several other meds). Believe it or not, it is starting to be used in addition to other pain meds in severe osteo-arthritis in dogs. I'm not real familiar with mechanisms of action, but evidently it has multiple uses.
Doug
Doug & Sandy
Megan (14 yr old Golden)
99 Pace Arrow 37S
2001 Honda CRV
My Aunt takes Neurontin for shingles pain, and my Nephew takes it for bi-polar/depression. 2 different health issues, but it works well for both of them.
I was on Neurontin for several years for neuropathy caused by rheumatoid arthritis and I had no side effects after the first 3-4 weeks. I was on 800-1,000mg daily. All side effects went away as did the neuropathy. He probably should have been referred to a neurologist for additional testing. Bud can request a referral to a neurologist from his doctor. What exactly do you mean when you say "it ages him 10 years" and did he quit taking his BP pills on the advice of his doctor? Lindy
Stan & Linda
Loki & Hobo
06 Dodge 3500 CTD 6 sp Quad Cab Bighorn
04 Laredo 29GS
"The Chief Warrent Officer was unimpressed by everything and seldom spoke except to express irritation."Joseph Heller,Catch 22
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) -- I took it a few years ago, then it came back under high stress.
I take 900mg and I think the doctor said the maximum safe dosage was about 4500mg or something like that. It originally made me sleepy, but not for long.
Hmmmmmm, I have another in a long run of problems with my teeth. If Neurontin works on my leg nerves, I wonder if it would work on the nerves in my mouth?? My dentist is on vacation.
I take 2400mg a day. I did take more, but I finally broke down and stared a opiod pain pill that is really helping. Maybe I will be able to take even less some day.
I really thought it was not doing any thing for me, until I ran out and thought I would wait until pay day to get the script refilled. Big mistake.
Neuropathy is a very painful disease. If something works, take it. Even if it has side effects. Living with this pain 24/7 is sometimes unbearable. That is why I am on the computer, I hurt to bad to lie down.
I was wondering how Bud could have neuropathy in his legs without a diagnosis of diabetes or any other systemic disease. This week a nurse friend of ours (who's had a ton of orthpaedic problems herself) explained it to my satisfaction. She said most likely Bud's longterm problem of three bulging discs in the lumbar region has damaged some nerves. Possibly, his seven or eight epidural shots might have contributed, also. Okay, that makes a lot of sense! The unexpected benefit of the Neurontin is that Bud hasn't taken pain meds for his back since he's been on it. Must have been nerves around his spine that were screaming and that's why Vicodin didn't help very much. Our nurse friend feels much like some of you here, "If Neurontin works, who cares how or why?" That goes against my analytical nature a bit, but in this case, I'm with her.
Judy & Bud (Judy usually the one talking here)
2004 Pleasure-Way Excel TD
co-pilots, Rosie & Poquita
Judy,
Check out all the things Neurontin is prescribed for... I was amazed when I was looking under SSRIs or something along those lines. I found
Amatripaline (I know I misspelled that one) and Neurontin in some strange places.
I think it is one of those drugs like Prednisone where they tell us they are not sure how it works, but it does.
The good news for me was...I took it awhile, maybe a year, then cut back and got off for about 3 years. I am back on it now. I hope Bud can get off of it too. Good luck...Dave
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