Gabapentin is FDA-approved as Neurontin to treat partial seizures in adults and children with epilepsy. Partial seizures are convulsions that originate from a single location in the brain. Neurontin is also approved to treat a type of nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN. The most common gabapentin (Neurontin) side effects are dizziness and drowsiness. This may affect your ability to drive or perform other activities. Other gabapentin side effects include edema (fluid buildup), weight gain, and eye problems, but these aren’t as common. Rare but serious gabapentin side effects include mood changes in children. If your peripheral neuropathy stems from a condition like diabetes or vitamin deficiencies, gabapentin alone won’t resolve the root issue, and your pain may continue—or worsen—without a comprehensive treatment plan. Imagine experiencing burning, tingling, and numbness in your legs day in and day out, getting worse over time — and your doctors can’t find a reason for it. That’s the situation for millions of people who suffer from idiopathic sensory polyneuropathy. The term “idiopathic” means that no cause can be identified; “sensory” refers to the type of nerve, in this case those carrying Gabapentin is approved to treat seizures and postherpetic neuralgia, a type of nerve pain following shingles. It is thought to work by changing how nerves send messages to your brain. It is also used off-label to treat other neuropathic pain conditions. It is officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat nerve pain from shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia), but over the years has become recognized and well accepted in the medical field as a medication to treat a variety of pain conditions including ‘nerve pain’ disorder like diabetic nerve pain (neuropathy), sciatica (rad I didn’t have any pain in my feet and legs just the numbness so basically the gabapentin wasn’t doing anything for me. That and I don’t think I was on it long enough to have it mess with my mind. The gabapentin only helps with the pain. Do you have pain associated with your PN? Gabapentin can help relieve nerve pain in some people with postherpetic neuralgia (nerve pain after shingles) and peripheral diabetic neuropathy (nerve pain in the feet in people with diabetes). Over the last week my legs often go completely numb from the knee down. I can only assume it is the gabapentin. Has anyone else had this happen? Is it normal? I don’t have a doctor’s appointment for another six weeks, and I would like some first-hand information from other gabapentin users. Interested in more discussions like this? No definitive evidence suggests that gabapentin causes nerve damage directly; however, understanding individual health contexts is vital when evaluating its safety profile. One of the most significant drawbacks of relying solely on gabapentin for neuropathy is that it doesn't tackle the root cause of your nerve pain. It's a symptomatic treatment—meaning it may mask the pain without addressing why you're experiencing neuropathy in the first place. Nerve pain in your feet (doctors call it peripheral neuropathy) happens when the nerves running from your feet to your brain get damaged or irritated. Think of it like a phone line with static, where the messages between your feet and brain get scrambled. This sensation is characterized by tingling, burning, numbness, or sharp, shooting pain. In addition to its approved uses, gabapentin can also be prescribed “off-label” (for a non-FDA-approved use) for treating symptoms of MS caused by nerve damage. It’s often used to treat neuropathic pain (nerve pain), numbness, pins and needles, or burning sensations known as paresthesia. @pablocito Gabapentin makes me drowsy/dizzy so you need to be extra careful not to fall when taking it. Neuropathy can cause many symptoms, including weakness, numbness, etc. It disrupts brain communications to your body and muscles/skin which can make movement more difficult. One thing Gabapentin does NOT help me with is numbness and the feeling of tight nerves in my hands and feet, but they do not disrupt my daily activities like my other aggravating symptoms did. Gabapentin to treat numbness, tingling and nerve pain (neuropathic pain) Below you will find a summary about a medication used very often in the medical field to treat a variety of pain conditions- gabapentin, but with information specific to treating neuropathic pain in diabetes. I started getting peripheral neuropathy pain about nine months ago in my feet and hands right after I received a cervical steroid injection. I started taking gabapentin about 7 months ago. I have gradually increased my dose from 100 mg a day to 1500 mg. I can't say that it has decreased my pain at all. In fact, my pain has gotten steadily worse. I was just wondering if it is possible that Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant used to treat nerve related back pain, such as sciatica. Learn more about how gabapentin is used in sciatica treatment. Numbness and tingling is reported as a side effect among people who take Gabapentin (gabapentin), especially for people who are female, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for 2 - 5 years also take Lyrica, and have Multiple sclerosis. Hello, I’m new here, I don’t have a specific diagnosis yet but I have nerve damage that’s been slowly occurring for about a year now, both arms have carpal tunnel and I’m still waiting on the nerve conduction for my left leg but it’s been numb or in pain for around 7 months. I got sent to a chronic pain doctor who’s recommended gabapentin and I just wanna hear what other people’s
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