Neurontin and seizures

I was prescribed this medicine by my back doctor as I have a herniated disk in my lower back. Injections didn't seem to be doing anything and since this medicine which is intended to treat seizures, has the side effect of blocking nerve pulses to the brain. I thought I would give it a try and see if I could get through the day. I had been on Hydrocodone but that stuff made me dizzy and nauseated if I didn't lie down after taking it. I don't remember the exact dose but I don't care to one way or the other. I had auditory hallucinations and a migraine headache for 3 days. I ended up missing two days of work and could barely function. Maybe that was the idea as a seizure medication it would dope them up and they wouldn't need to function.

Hello everyone..I have many great things to say about Neurontin. It has been a miracle medication for me. I was in a car accident in 2000 as a passenger my face and head hit the windshield at 80mph. my jaw was broke and the back of my teeth were broken.
Little did I know it was extremely traumatic! My MRI's came back fine and I moved on with my life. About 6 months later my life began to change a brown spot covered my eyesight in the left eye. I began falling all the time and having seizures.
I had another MRI's of by brain done it came back negative. Not one Doctor could seem to understand what was wrong with me. I was put on Topamax for bad headaches that seemed to help. I began loosing weight and continued having seizures(Granmal) where you lose ur vision and it began to effect my speech and i would become confused.
My life was like this for 5 long years. Life didn't get better, I began to be soo tired and felt exhausted all the time. One day out of no where , I couldn't raise my head to get out of bed for work, my whole right side was burning and i was in pure agony!!! i will never forget that day. I had to have my Daughter help me up and i could barley walk...I pushed myself to keep going thinking this is all in my mind!! theres nothing wrong with me.. The MRI's are negative. I proceeded with my day in so much pain and limping all day.
It finally went away and I was fine again fo a small amount of time, I started not being able to remember things ....and forgetting from one second to the next and getting lost when I would drive...i began to panic and have anxiety, I felt like my life was out of control. I called my Mom and she said she had noticed a change in me, things I guess I didn't even know. She said I couldn't hold a conversation as before and i would slur my words and I couldn't recall what she would tell me.
My attacks moved to 4-5 times a week sometimes having seizures 2-3 times a day. I ended up having to be taken care of and moving where my Mother was so she could watch over me. I didn't get better. I couldn't work and I couldn't do much of anything.
My Mother took me to a MS specialist and he was the one who noticed there was something wrong! My face and legs would jerk and I couldn't sit still ..I had so much going thru my mind what could be wrong? I had 2 Sets of MRI's this time and it wasn't fine this time...My Spinal Cord was barley attached to my Brain Stem and CV 5-6 in my neck.
I was at the stage of being in a wheelchair not that I hadn't been using one from time to time and needing a cane.
I was sent to ER Surgery and had a stay in the Hospital and really thought I was a lucky Person to have made it for 5yrs without dying. It has been 4years and I still have soo many problems, I'm held together with a steel plate in my neck that holds mt together.
I'm now 41 years old and I wonder what my future holds. I'm not the same girl I used to be and probably never will be. I have to have Neurontin 600mgx4 a day and 1000mg Keppra a day...Without it I would not want to live the pain is unbearable for me! The only negative side affect is my hair falls out and I have severe Insomnia. Neurontin is a Miracle for me!

I wish all of you the BEST! Prayers for all of you.....

you people are a trip, don't you have anything better to do with your lives?
most of you are a hypercondriac and don't even know it, did it ever occur to any of you that you may have other problems? or was that too hard to face the truth about yourselves? if Neurontin was all that bad, don't you think that, that would have all been out? I knew there was some wackos but you guys take the cake, GET REAL!

I have been on Neutontin for about 8 or 9 years. I still experience side effects that I just can't get rid of. I take 400mg 4 times a day. I have swelling of my abdomin, hands, legs and feet. I feel drunk and ditsy. I have memory loss and find it very hard to concentrate. On the up side, I am very happy and feel as though I can accomplish anything when I take it. I have the courage to do things I normaly wouldn't do. I am taking it for seizures and also nerve pain from a back injury. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this.

I take 3600 MG/Day to help with an indiopatic neuropathy on both legs. It does work very well and I am more or less able to live my life except for the side effects which are memory loss (I now write everything down) and sleepless nights. Please check the neuropathy.org site and try to create a support group in your area

My neurologist prescribed Neurontin for post-herpatic neuralgia (the pain after shingles). I'm supposed to be taking 2400mg a day, but am only taking 1800mg because the side effects are so bad. I have very bad coordination, dizziness to the point of falling over, spaciness, slurred speech, weird vision problems - its like my eyes forget to focus, my husband says I'm staring off into space alot too. I am a professor, and find that I can't remember words or key concepts while I'm teaching. I can't drive, so my husband has to drive me everywhere. In addition, I've been having very strange thoughts, such as that I am going to purposely crash the car, or that my cat is going to attack me. It is very frightening and I'd like to go off the medicine, but I know it can induce seizures if you go cold turkey. Is this really our only alternative? Either live in unendurable pain, or suffer from Neurontin?

I was on neurontin for pain from nerve damage which ocurred during a lung biopsy last April. I had very mild side effects while increasing dosage. About 6 weeks after starting the drug, I experienced severe tooth pain that migrated around my mouth. After several visits to the dentist, and losing the ability to drive or work because of the severe pain, my Dr. determined that the neurontin was causing the problem. I quickly weaned myself off it and the tooth pain disappeared immediately. I have lately began suffering unexplained black-outs with no warning indicators or any other symptoms. My Dr. thinks they may be seizures. Has anyone experienced this after taking neurontin? CC

I am taking Neurontin for Bipolar II. I have had great results thus far going into my 3rd month of being on it. I am however, taking 1200mg in the morning and night. I am experiencing brainfog, but I feel more stable than in my whole life (42). I should add that I am taking 37mg of Paxil as well. So, what are the side effects of Neurontin? Long term and short term! I had no idea this drug was being taken for other health issues than seizures.

To the mother of the child for whom Neurontin acts like speed:

Neurontin takes away irritability (or nerve-firing threshold) of the involuntary muscular system, and it sounds like the physical phenomenae is just another manifestation of the seizures for which she had the drug prescribed.

Poor kid, those side-effects sound TERRIBLE, and as her mother I would immediately talk to her doctor about change of dosage, or something else -- anything else -- the effect N has on her shows it's either not the right thing for her problem, not enough dosage, or another not-yet-understood indication of inappropriate treatment. The fact that she has headaches indicates it's not just her Mom's unwillingness to deal with a hyperactive kid. Having-headaches means it's poisoning her system. Please act as her advocate and protector in this matter.

And it's NOT the last-ditch treatment for seizures: ask her medical team about surgeries. If they won't do that, then either find new doctors who will give you access to everything possible that modern medicine can provide to help seizures, or explain the trade-offs of living with medicinal side-effects and the risks of surgery.

Jan S. Kauffman, Neurontin userid, parent and grandparent, Masters in Counselling, certificate in elementary education, survivor of decades of fighting the American medical system

Has anyone heard of Neurontin causing Aphasia? My 8yo daughter has had repeated episodes of Aphasia (loss of speech) this weekend which are--probably--seizures (she has Epilepsy) but I was wondering about the possibility of a side effect. She's taking 2400mg split between 4 doses of 600mg each day (just for 2 weeks, instead of 3 doses of 800mg/day). We get an EEG done tomorrow and I pray it shows something...

Reading all these posts, I have to add my bit. The side effects of Neurontin are very similar to any sedating drug. Memory, problem solving, dry mouth, and some weight gain are to be expected. Neurontin is prescribed for seizure and pain that is connected to the nervous system, such as phantom limb pain and MS.
All patients should have their blood terted every 6 months if they are taking a seizure med or any tylonel daily. All meds have side effects, you have to decide if it is helping your medical condition more than another drug could, if you are better off with it or without it.
I have been taking 800 mg Neurontin for several years. I used to take 1200, but was feeling overly tired and lethargic and we (dr and myself) discussed it, and changed the dose. I am better off taking it, my seizures are under control with it, and it has less side effects than other seizure meds. And with my seizures under control, my migraine have been kept under control. (A lucky side effect for me!)My dr explained many persons with epilepsy do suffer migraines.
As far as Jan S. Kauffman wondering about taking it for anger control, certain types of epilepsy can and do cause anger outbursts, and that is most likely why this person is taking this.
Good luck to everyone taking the Neurontin, it has been great for me.

Hi,

I just started Neurontin about a few weeks ago I started at 300mgs a day now just 3 weeks later I am on 1200mgs per day and upping it to 1500mgs tommorow. I am told to up the dose 300mgs every 3 days. If I don't its like I'm just taking candy and nothing happens. It works for a day then it stops.

I am concerned though after reading all this stuff that maybe this isn't the drug for me so far its helping but I'm worried I don't want permanenet Kidney damage and I have just started w/ a small tension headache but it could be stress at work doing that and not the med. I'm taking this for IBS pain/Anxiety my shrink gave it to me said, its not approved by the FDA for anything but seizures. God I hope I don't get blood clots and have a stroke all this info is scaring me reading this stuff you all wrote.

I think I better get off this stuff.

I have had inflamed liver following chemo and radiation. I'm given only 100mg of Neurontin x3. I have terrible weight gain, memory loss, occassional chest pain. I worry about the effects of Neurontin on the liver. anyone know about this? I've had seizures also.

I TAKE NEURONTIN FOR SEIZURES FOR 3 MONTHS(300MG-3XDAY)NOW, AND I GOT 20 POUNDS ON THOSES 3 MO. I HAVE A TERRIBLE APPETITE, HEADACHES ARE BETTER, BUT SWELLING ON MY KNEES,LEGS,THIGHS,HAND,FEET,MUSCLE PAIN, CONFUSED,NUMBNESS OF TIP OF FINGERS,TONGUE,AND ONE SIDE OF MY FACE,PAIN OF THE BACK OF MY NECK,MEMORY LOSS, LACK OF MY CONCENTRATION,AND INSOMNIA OR DIZZYNESS....BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE NEURONTIN HAVE BEEN WORKING SO GOOD FOR MI SEIZURES THAT I DON'T KNOW IF I SOULD DEAL WITH THE SYMPTOMS FOR A LITTLE BIT UNTILL MY BODY GET USE TO IT OR JUST TELL THE DOCTOR AND TRY SOMETHING ELSE...FANTAXYAMODELO4U@aol.com