Reviews for NEURONTIN

32 ratings: (taken because of bipolar)

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NEURONTIN  (GABAPENTIN):  Gabapentin is used with other medications to prevent and control seizures. It is also used to relieve nerve pain following shingles (a painful rash due to herpes zoster infection) in adults. Gabapentin is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug.   FDA Approval Date: 1993-12-30 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on NEURONTIN: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR NEURONTINCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  bipolar, diabetes small amount of fatigue. Neurontin for me is excellent. it helps with several different areas that I need. mood, neuropathy, restless leg. I noticed immediately when I started taking it that it was going to be very helpful. 43 2 years
600 2X day
3/1/2016
Email
 3  Bipolar Disorder At lower doses, it's a fairly effective pill without many side effects. But the higher up you go, the more obvious the side effects become. I had trouble finishing sentences because my thinking became so slowed down and spotty. It was like being half asleep. I'd give it a 7/10 for treatment of bipolar disorder. It would be a 10 if it weren't for that pesky mental dullness. M 17 6 months
3200 mg
12/15/2014
Email
 4  Bipolar Disorder/Anxiety memory loss.....word retrieval problems is the most of it. i have also noticed that my short term memory is pretty bad. it's often hard for me to remember what i did yesterday. or how long ago much of anything happened, unless it's 10 years ago or more. As long as it doesn't get worse or cause permanent damage, i don't really mind too much. To be fair I am also on 4 other psych meds. So who knows what does what. Also I have PTSD which often causes dissociation and mind fog. However, the Neurontin has helped my mania, irritability and anxiety by leaps and bounds. F 41 8 years
400 6X day
3/31/2010
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 4  BiPolar, Cervical Radiculopathy Nervousness/short term memory loss/ hair will not grow It was originally prescribed for my Cervical Radiculopathy (C6 damage). It was the only medicine that seemed to help with the alternating pain & tingling/numbness in my right neck/shoulder/arm/hand. A few years later, I was treated for depression until it was discovered that I was Bipolar II. At first the Neurontin was maxed to 3000/mgs a day, being that I was on Neurontin for pain mgmt. I became mega manic. I was reverted back to 300/mg 2x/day & Lamactil was added, which I love. So many meds were tried to manage my depression episodes of Bipolar, and this combination seems to work well. I have had weight gain issues, but I have learned that I can control that with exercise & healthy eating. I will not be 125 lbs as when I was young, but I will be happy at 145 which is the weight I leveled out to on the Neurontin in 1998. My struggle is with the hair loss issue. My hair will not grow as it used to on this medicine. Prior to taking it, my hair length was to the middle of my back. Now my right side only grows to my shoulder, while the left side grows normally. I am researching on vitamin supplements to help promote my growth. I also have Fibromyalgia, and it helps with muscle pain as well. F 44 7 years
1/23/2010
 3  Bipolar 2 Mood Stabilizer +GAD Clumsiness, brain 'fog', lack of concentration, increased appetite, decreased judgement,'bad mix with alcohol (I don't drink any more, anyway), weight gain (if appetite is not kept in check), somnolence. Anxiety also increases/returns when my body adapts to the dosage. I have been on this drug for a long time, it has been a decent medication, for the most part. It's mild, compared to the benzos and much easier to titrate off of. However, your body will adapt to the drug, as it has a short half life and works rather quickly. Increases in dosage are common for me; I have doubled the amount that I was initially prescribed over the years. A better strategy is to knock down your dosage for awhile and then increase it; you'll have better results. I take between 900mgs and 1200 mgs a day along with 200mgs of Lamictal and it has been a good combination for me. The side effects are annoying, but the mood stabilization/lack of mania is worth it. M 29 9 years
12/16/2009
 4  Rapid Cycle Bipolar Fatigue, grogginess,memory impairment. If doses are taken too close together, it has an alchol-like effect on me. Also, if I take too much of near bed time, I have a harder time waking up and have a 'hang over'. The side effects can be a pain, but's better than manic cycling. This has been a good medication for me; it prevents manic episodes and is works for anxiety. For those of you with bipolar disorder, this medication is worth a try. It's a good mood stabilizer for me and I haven't had terrible side effects from it. Something to bear in mind; neurontin IS a safer drug than the benzos; it's not addictive and is much easier to get off of. It's also the best medication I have found for sleep and I have been on quite a few; a dose taken an hour or so before bed time works very well; as long as I don't take too much. I have found that, at the higher doses (900mgs+), it's important to space the doses out evenly; it will limit the side effects. M 27 7 years
8/16/2009
 3  Bipolar/panic + lamictal 150mg sudden mood shifts, headache, inability to think of words, typing is next to impossible, tired, loss of equilibrium, weight loss am taking 1800mg in conjunction w.150mg of Lamictal for bipolar + agoraphobia w/panic attacks + insomnia. i had been on Wellbutrin and Zoloft when they thought i had clinical depression - turns out it was bipolar. they put me on Zoloft & lamictal - the zoloft made me manic no matter what. then just lamictal but i wasnt sleeping and i was having more frequent panic attacks due to my agoraphobia. then i was given Ambien - i hallucinated on that. then they gave me xanax and ativan - neither did ANYTHING for my agoraphobia. so my psychiatrist consulted a psychopharmacologist who recommended 1800mg of Neurontin witht the Lamictal. seems to be working OK so far. i feel off-balance a lot, and i have tension in my back & nexk, and i have headaches and i am not hungry at all. i also notice that my eczema doesnt hurt or itch as much as it did before to started teh Neurontin.... F 31
6/17/2009
 2  Bipolar I Disorder Severe reflux w/food backing up into esophagus; bloating and gray bowel movements; kidney pain and infection; coughing up phlegm; worsening of asthma - highest dose 900 mg./day Was mildly effective at best. Side effects grew more severe with use. I've been off it for over 1 month and side effects are just now subsiding. F 55 2 months
4/7/2009
 3  Bipolar type 2 None that I'm aware of. No side effects but it only helps with the anxiety, and not very much. F 24 3 years
4/3/2009
 4  Bipolar + Neuropathy stuttering, mild jerks made me stable after 4 years of psychotic mania. eased the pain of diabetic neuropathy a lot. made me a zombie! this is rather better than being a crazy, and in pain M 7 months
6/27/2008
 3  Bipolar Disorder Weight Gain. A weird dizzy feeling when I hadn't taken it for 2 days. After unsuccessful attempts at taking other meds (Wellbutrin, Celexa, Lexapro, to name just a few) and being treated for depression, I was put on this as I have three immediate family members who are also on it. It works great for them! Seemed to work for most part for me at first. Started taking small doses (200-300mg) and now am only up to 400 mg. At first it made me VERY sleepy so I began only taking it at night and still do, however the "sleep like a log" feeling has subsided. It helped for my racing thoughts, and mania, but after almost a year of being on it, it is the ONLY reason that I can attribute my weight gain to. I am 5'4" tall and have consistently weighed about 135-145 lbs MAX since high school, but now I am at or just over 150, which just makes me more depressed. My pants don't fit, my stomach is huge, but butt is big, I feel like CRAP physically. Someone else posted they'd rather be fat and happy than thin and crazy, but I can't take this extra weight. I F 30 1 years
1/24/2008
 3  bipolar disorder I have a severe problem with word retrieval. I know what I want to say, but I can't remember the words. I often stop speaking mid-sentence and struggle and fail to convey my thoughts. When I write anything--papers, essays, emails--I have an extraordinarily difficult time organizing my thoughts. The sentences end up choppy, unsophisticated, out of order. I'm unable to form coherent complex sentences. Obviously my problem isn't so bad that communication breaks down, but it's still a major problem for me because I used to be a writer. I eventually had to give up my job. I have a hard time writing papers for school, and even emails take a long time. I use the cut-and-paste function and the thesaurus all the time. It helps just a little. My inability to write makes me very sad. I take a very high dose--4800 mg a day (1200 mg every four hours). It's a lot, but it's the only thing that works so I have no choice. As much as I hate the side effects, I hate depression more. F 29 6 years
12/5/2007
 1  Bipolar Disorder This medication seemed like "the wonder drug" at first for me until I lost my insurance and was unable to pay for it. Approximately 3 to 5 days after stopping the medication, I developed flu-like symptoms. As the days when on, they became increasingly worse and eventually so severe I could not get out of bed. I was constantly crying for no reason. I had severe pains all thoughout my body. I wanted to die. My only option was to go back on this medication. Without it, the symptoms were not going away. I feel I would have eventually ended my life because of the way I felt. I'm still looking for an out from this medication, but I do not see one in sight. Doctors have no idea what they are talking about when they tell you this is a safe drug. I wish I had done my research to see all of the others who have had to deal with this. F 27 3 years
10/27/2007
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 3  BiPolar/Anxiety/Insomnia Headaches, severe headaches by the 3rd dose. Fragmented sentences and inability to grasp the words I want to say while I rub my aching head. Moodiness with often homicidal.suicidal thoughts, rage, hopelessness, paranoia, lack of sexual interest and did I mention the headaches?? 1800mg a day tried many meds for mania/depression this one continues to do something. It's ok makes me apathetic, I dont dwell on thoughts as much but I don't much of anything anymore either. I rage alot and want to do horrible things to ppl, so I avoid folks. I am no longer afraid of social situations but ppl are more afraid of me. Doc put me on Lamictal today so we'll see, but stock up on aspirin because lemme tell you about eye-bulging headaches... M 39 2 years
10/12/2007
 3  bipolar disorder weight gain, fatigue - always tired, lack of interest in anything - including sex, memory loss (short and long term), GI problems (diarrhea, bloating, gas - ended up having upper and lower scopes done), I feel like there's more... but I CAN'T REMEMBER! This actually helped with my extreme mood swings, but all of the side effects tipped the scale for me. I ended up walking out of my job that I loved and had been at for almost 2 years (a record for me!). When I lost the job and health insurance, I started tapering off of neurontin, ativan & celexa. I've done it over a two month period and as soon as I stopped taking the neurontin completely, my world was turned upside down. I feel horrible. I'm up all night and sleep all day. I'm jittery and twitchy. I know it will pass, but be prepared if you are going to taper yourself off - do it with a doctor if you can. As you can see... I'm back to rambling incessently - neurontin did help with that. F 32 18 months
10/12/2007
 5  Bipolar Sore Throat, Fatigue, Fogginess and difficulty driving, Swelling in Feet, Legs, Ankles, Hands, and Face. Gained 10 pounds first two weeks.... When standing the pain in legs and feet is hard to handle! F 46 3 weeks
7/12/2007
 5  bipolar/insomnia drowsiness during the day. A little stupified feeling at first. I am sleeping so well it really is a miracle. Combined with Lamictal, haven't felt this good in years! F 35 2 weeks
3/13/2007
 4  Bipolar I, Panic Attacks, Insomnia The first few days I was completely looped, like I was drunk. I was giggly and my speech was slurred and the world spun alot. Then it just went away suddenly and I woke up feeling fine. I crave sugar all the time and I think it's getting worse, not better. I have more headaches than usual and it does nothing for my myriad of physical aches and pains. I'd love it if it weren't for making me crave sweets. I already have problems with binge eating but none of the other mood stabilizers are good for me, so this is what I've got to work with. I've gained some weight since I've been on it but I don't know if it's me or the Neurontin. I had to increase my dosage after a year to keep the bipolar and anxiety away because the severe mood swings and agitation was creeping back in. I get very good sleep with this medication though. I can take as many benzo's as I want and they can't beat Neurontin for a good nights sleep. I was previously on Depakote and it didn't help me near as much as this. My moods are mostly stable now and I feel like I'm at a decent level of functioning. F 25 2 years
3/12/2007
 5  Bipolar 1 and epilepsy None This drug is a lifesaver, I had a grand mull seizure with in two hours of coming out of the seizure I had another one neurontin was given to me and with in 24 hours all my seizures stop. As well with seroquel I have been seizure free as well a my mania has been under control. M 26 2.5 years
3/25/2006
Email
 2  bipolar II disorder fatigue, depression, weight gain, blurred vision, weird headaches at the rear base of the skull and behind my ears as well as behind my temples. Irritable bowel syndrome calmed when decreasing dosage from 1200mg/day to 600mg/day. I'm looking to try something new as it just is not helping with my hypomania moods and I feel lethargic on this stuff (which is not my nature) I've heard and read wonder claims about this drug, but it seems to have done little or nothing for me. M 43 5 months
3/8/2006
  

NEURONTIN  (GABAPENTIN):  Gabapentin is used with other medications to prevent and control seizures. It is also used to relieve nerve pain following shingles (a painful rash due to herpes zoster infection) in adults. Gabapentin is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug.   FDA Approval Date: 1993-12-30 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

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