Gabapentin

[Aussie1]

Gabapentin has been a lifesaver for me. I do not need to use anything but this.

Only problem is I'm putting on weight. I have been on it 5 months. I am on a 1250 calorie a day diet with 1 hour cardio and 1 hour weights 5 times a week and I've gain 7 lbs in the 5 months.

So I went to my doctor today to see if I can change from Gabapentin to Gabtril or Topamax as they are considered weight neutral or may even loose some weight (Topamax)

She was so rude to me. She said "you have no pain with Gabapentin, that is the only goal here, sometimes we just have to live with the side effects" I could have punched her in the face.

After arguing she gave me a Topamax script. Then I get to the Kaiser pharmacy and they tell me it's no longer on the formulary (as of January 1) and it needs to go through all the people upstairs to see if it's deemed necessary.

SO ANGRY! :cussing:

Wendy

[snowgirl]

yes I gained to start 11lbs on 600mg neurontin once a day. My NP friend told me at a lecture by a uro he said he doesnt' use neurontin as it is a huge weight gain. I am for some weight gain on it for sure! VIcky

[SandyRN]

You may not like my answer, so just a warning before you read this. I hope you don't think me as rude as I don't intend this to be, ok?

I think, at least in my case and many others I've seen here with severe chronic pain that pain reduction IS the main goal. I've had to deal with side effects from meds, namely Lyrica, but you know what, it helps me...it helps the pain. I've lived in pain so many years of my life now that I would do just about anything to get out of it. Lyrica and my other meds help reduce my pain so that is now aggravating to bad on normal days instead of mind blowing, mind numbing screaming all over body and bladder pain. I'd rather live with aggravating to bad on a general basis and if gaining 10 lbs is the price, then I'll live with it.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I am sick of living in pain and have put my vanity aside for the sake of my SANITY. I could not live in that mind blowing pain every single day, day in and day out, taking pain meds that barely took the edge off....so if one pill, 3x a day plus 10 or 15 lbs is what I have to deal with then so be it.

It's all in what you feel is your major goal. I really believe that. I don't mean to sound like I don't think you have pain, obviously you do...but if you are willing to forgo that pain relief you KNOW you get from the neurontin to go on a drug that might or might not help you then your priorities are not on the pain, they are on your waistline.

Please don't take this as an anger message. We are ALL in different places and I am in the place where I am right now...where I am willing to gain a few lbs to live a more normal life. You are not at that stage right now or you would not have given up a medicine you know works for you.

We're all different, we have different types of pain, pain in different places, and pain in different intensities, and that might be where the difference between us lies.

Sandy

[Briza]

Gabapentin has been a lifesaver for me. I do not need to use anything but this.

Only problem is I'm putting on weight. I have been on it 5 months. I am on a 1250 calorie a day diet with 1 hour cardio and 1 hour weights 5 times a week and I've gain 7 lbs in the 5 months.

So I went to my doctor today to see if I can change from Gabapentin to Gabtril or Topamax as they are considered weight neutral or may even loose some weight (Topamax)

She was so rude to me. She said "you have no pain with Gabapentin, that is the only goal here, sometimes we just have to live with the side effects" I could have punched her in the face.

After arguing she gave me a Topamax script. Then I get to the Kaiser pharmacy and they tell me it's no longer on the formulary (as of January 1) and it needs to go through all the people upstairs to see if it's deemed necessary.

SO ANGRY! :cussing:

Wendy

Is it possible that your workout program has caused you to gain weight?...since muscle weighs more than fat when I had fairly intense workout program I did not lose any weight, actually I gained but my clothes fit better and my figure was very nice, so did not bother weighing myself as I could actually see the difference (for the better) and that what were once fatty areas had changed to muscle:).

[Tinkerbell23]

this med that you are taking is similar to a med i was on, lyrica. it caused me to gain 20 lbs very quickly, but i was pain free. i stopped taking it because i personally could not mentally handle the weight gain and my dr was understanding and i went back to pain killers. yes it was great to be pain free and live normal again, but i couldnt cause all i thought about was my weight and how unhappy it made me. its horribly vain and i hate myself for saying it, but for me i would rather be in pain. i know that my fiance had a hard time w/ my choice, why would i rather be in pain? i guess its what sandy said, we are all in different places. i have been off of it for a year now and i have only been able to lose 5 lbs so far. i can understand where you are coming from.

[SandyRN]

Let me say something because I don't want to sound insensitive here because I am not. I don't like weight gain either, in fact I hate it...but there are times when you have to weigh the good with the bad and decide which you hate more, the pain or the weight and that is a very personal choice. In no way do I mean that it's a bad choice, it's just a different choice than what I made. I have not gained that much with lyrica, just about 12-15 lbs, it fluctuates depending on the day it seems....do I like the weight gain? No, I hate it, but I hate the pain more and I guess that is what I was trying to say and I hope I said it in a diplomatic way because I truly meant no evil intent.

Briza has a point, muscle DOES weigh more than fat and if you are able to exercise that much you may have built up a good bit of muscle weight.

I hope everyone understands where I am coming from.....I can't live with the pain I was in prior to the Lyrica, and the Lyrica, in combo with my other meds has given me a portion of my life back. It's still not great by any means, but it's better than that insane, crazy, screaming pain I was in before.

So, all that to say I hope there is no hard feelings because I didn't mean for any to come across.

Sandy

[Tinkerbell23]

sandy, i loved the way you put it! you made me feel better about my choice. i hope i can one day not be so vain and would rather put on some weight then be in pain. i figure i will be different after my wedding :) i gained a lot w/ the lyrica though, if it was only 5lbs i would have stayed on it. it worked out for the best though...my insurance no longer covers it anyway.

[SandyRN]

Thanks Jenn....that made me feel a lot better about my post. I might feel differently if it made me put on 30 or 40 lbs, but I can live with up to about 20....and even then I doubt I'd go off the med, I'd just have to get into my home gym more often!!! I should do that more often anyway just for my health in general.

I hope you have a wonderful wedding Jenn.

Sandy

[Tinkerbell23]

thanks! i just starting doing yoga and i am going to get the pilates for pelvic pain. i have a hard time working out, it causes a bad flare, otherwise i may have been more willing to stay on the lyrica.

[snowgirl]

I gained the weight on neurontin and I still take it because I believe it helps
I know it does for me even if it is only 600mg. Vicky