You asked about that medicine---neurontin (gabapentin)...my friend
Bill has taken it since approx. 94 off and on. He only takes 300's once
or twice a day. I can find out the exact amount he takes later on.
Claims he can't handle a higher dose than that. The Doctors try to get
him to take more of it but he just doesn't do it.
Bill claims the neurontin helps his stomach cramps - settles his
stomach. I can remember in 96 that the Physician at the VA, a nice lady
from India, stood there and insisted that she was giving it for muscle
cramps and "not for stomach." But Bill claims he takes it for the
stomach. He also takes baclofen and other things...
Back in 1996, he took it at a higher dose and went into kind of like
a seizure in the middle of the night. He had never had a seizure
before. We found something about seizures in teeny tiny print on the
package insert---anyway, they took him off of the doxepin he was taking
at that time and "claimed" the doxepin caused the problem and not the
neurontin. I was so angry thinking the neurontin was to blame that I
called the company. I don't know, though, it could have been just the
combination of meds he was taking or something completely different. He
only recommeds that lower dose -- if you would ask him that is what he
would say.
It seemed to increase the swelling in his feet that he already had
- and it seemed to space him out from time-to-time at first. Oh! Oh!
I think the best write-up I've seen on this medication is on the Mayo
clinic board. I think it's called "Oasis." Right now, I don't have the
link but I've sent it to the board before.
Forgive me for rambling about this - but Bill does still take it
and insists that he needs it for stomach and a little bit for pain and
so forth. Like I said, the Mayo Clinic site has a good write-up on this
medication, I think.
Barbara in Louisville
only my opinion (second hand)....