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[CherryC]

Morning, I have been experiencing nerve pain recently in arms, shoulders and back. I think it's due to an injury but is very ongoing (being checked out at the docs and having physio).  I have been given Gabapentin but I'm reluctant to start it (3 x a day and heard it can make you spaced out).
Can anyone tell me how they get on with Amitriptyline low dose, 10mg say?  Does it help with pain and does a low dose also help with low mood?
I'm not sure which one to try.
Thanks.

[Kathleen]

Hello CherryC

I don't have any personal experience of these drugs but a friend's husband takes Gabapentin to treat nerve pain from shingles, I suspect that it was also prescribed for anxiety. He has been taking it for years and has done very well on it.

I am sorry that I can't be more helpful but I am sure other ladies will be along soon.


Wishing you well and take care.

K.

[Limpy]

I've been on both Amitriptyline and Gabapentin for nerve pain. I didn't get on with Amitriptyline as I got horrible brain fog the next morning BUT a friend of mine has been using it and has found that adjusting the times of taking it has improved the brain fog considerably. For me - with Gabapentin is needed to take a hefty dose for it to work. I then moved to Pregabalin - again for it to control pain I need to take a large dose which goes hand in hand with weight gain for me.

[Nas]

I take between 37 and 50 mg of amitriptyline each night. You do have to be careful when you take it, as I agree that it can cause brain fog and a bit of constipation, if the timings are wrong.

If you do decide to take it, take it early evening and not after 8pm.

I was also offered gabapentin, but haven’t  taken it, as I don’t want to feel spaced out.

[CherryC]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I'm trying to avoid using either but it's getting to the stage I may need to give in and try one or the other.

[Wobbles]

Hello CherryC,

I too have nerve pain and have just had nerve conduction tests. The pain has been unbearable at times, shooting, stabbing pain where my arm, wrist and knuckles feel like they're on fire. I was given Diclofenac and paracetamol which didn't do much. I'm now on Gabapentin 100mg x 3 per day and only just started it this week.

Like you I've heard some horror stories about taking G, so I'm taking it slowly. 1 x 100mg in the morning. If I take that on an empty stomach it makes me feel groggy I've noticed. I take another with my evening meal which doesn't make me feel weird but it does ease the pain and it helps me sleep.

I'm also wearing a wrist brace / D-ring support at night and this helps hugely. I've only been taking the G for two days and so far my pain has greatly reduced. I can now lift my arm and have better grip in my thumb. I am still taking the Diclofenac and paracetamol though and they seem to work better in combination. I've noticed that I get slighlyl woozy after taking the morning G with food but it doesn't last long - perhaps an hour?

Interestingly, I've found I get the most help from my Utrogestan (progesterone) which I take at night on an empty stomach. I've noticed that sugar* even high sugar root veg makes the pain worse.
*I'm partial to Revels and Creme eggs 
I realise I've rambled here. Trying taking your G one day at a time for a few days and see how you get on.

[CherryC]

Thank you wobbles, that is really helpful and sorry to hear you have also been in a lot of pain  So when you say 100mg 3 x a day, are you doing breakfast, lunch and dinner time?
What I don't understand is does the Gabapentin just provide pain relief or does it also calm nerves in the hope that it improves things and can eventually come off the Gabapentin.
I too take Utogestan at night which helps with sleep (though I wake several times with the painful shoulders and arms.
When you say try taking the G one day at a time for a few days, do you mean just one tablet a day or do you mean 3 x day and see how you go day by day?
I have been prescribed it 3 x a day

[Wobbles]

Hi CherryC,

Yes, I was prescribed G to take 100mg three times per day making the daily total of 300mg in my system. So, I started with 1 x 100mg with my evening meal then 1 x 100mg with my breakfast. I was prescribed the G on Monday. I haven't taken the lunch time dose - I am deliberately trying to keep the dose low in case I get any side effects. I'm going to continue with taking it twice a day along with the Diclofenac and paracetamol which I take three times a day with each meal. I also take an occasional Omeprazole (a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) ) for when the Diclofenac starts giving me stomach pain. Omeprazole reduces the flow of acid released from the liver and as I already have gastritis and acid reflux the O helps with this but also helps the stomach against the daily Diclofenac affects - I sound like I'm falling to bits!

The issue I have with the G is that the people I know who take higher doses eg 900mg per day, have withdrawal when they try to reduce it.

As I understand it, G works by affecting/reducing the brain's signals to the nerves It certainly is doing that for me so far on 2 x 100mg per day. I DO notice when I miss a Diclofenac dose though.

[CherryC]

Thank you again Wobbles, that is really helpful information.  I keep going to take the plunge withthe Gabapentin and then read about possible side effects and hesitate.
Also can't decide whether to continue with the hrt or to try coming off it.  I have experimented with a few different ones lately but have now stuck with 50mg Estradot patch and 100mg Utrogestan nightly.  I feel my burning nerve symptoms almost intensify at the beginning of a new patch and wonder if the hrt could be anything to do with my symptoms (though unlikely I think).  I'm tempted to stop it and see but don't want that to cause issues in itself.  I hate these dilemmas!!
I will be interested to hear about your progress with the Gabapentin.  Thank you for your help!! x

[discogirl]

Hi CherryC

I just wanted to wish you well in whatever you choose to do.

Nerve pain is horrific and very difficult to deal with.

I wish you all the best xxx

[CherryC]

Thank you Discogirl kind of you to message. It certainly is difficult to deal with. xx

[Fedfan]

Hi there,
I am on 10mg of Amitriptyline for nerve pain and have been for years-previously on 25mg. It really suits me and I take it before bedtime. I have MS and I have used both gabapentin and pregabalin too. I didn't like gabapentin, made me feel spaced out. Pregabalin was ok-I had it following a nasty dose of shingles but you have to wean off it carefully over weeks.

[CherryC]

Thank you Fedfan for taking the time to reply - sounds like you get on well with Amitriptyline.  Could I ask when you took the Gabapentin and it made you feel spaced out, do you remember what strength/amount you were taking? Thank you x

[Fedfan]

Hi Cherry
Sorry I can't remember the dosage of Gabapentin I took it was a few years ago now. It would have been a fairly low dose I think as they always like you to start on smallish doses and titrate up. I think I persevered with it for a few days and then stopped as it made me feel awful. I hope you get sorted soon. Good luck

[flossie fiddler]

Hi there, I had Gabapentin for severe nerve pain when I had a shattered disc in my C-spine. I took it for around 6 months, with gradual increases in dosage until I got the best pain relief at 2700mg a day, split into 3x900mg doses. I had paracetamol 4x a day and ibuprofen 3x per day alongside this. Had to use a spreadsheet to keep to my daily regime so that I was on top of the pain rather than chasing it all the time. That’s a relatively high dose of Gaba but it worked well for me. I didn’t feel spaced out at all. Everyone’s different though, and I know of people who can’t tolerate Gabapentin but are OK with Amytriptyline, and vice versa.

I eventually had spine surgery to remove all the disc fragments, one of which was sitting on a nerve, trapped in the foraminal exit, hence the pain. On stepping down, amazingly I was off the Gaba in 5 weeks, reducing by half a tablet each time and seeing how I felt before reducing further after a few days. I’ve known of people who have taken up to a year to step down from those high doses, but I guess I’m lucky in that drugs usually leave my body pretty quickly.

Hope this helps.