neurontin reactions

[wheels]

My wife recently had severe back pain. She spent one week in a local hospital and 2 weeks in a major research hospital--never quite found what it was. It left but she now after major doses of neurontin has slurred speech, mental processing issues and no longer knows her alphabet or numbers. Cannot process normal conversation quickly, read and etc.

Any thoughts or seen something similar?

Thanks Wheels

[Agatha]

I know someone who has been taking neurontin and she has not suffered slurred speech but has become very forgetful, depressed and severely anxious. I am worried that this drug is causing these severe side effects.

[Louise]

I have just started taking Neurontin for chronic pain. I was on Tegretol a long while ago and was pain free during that time - but my Dr thinks that Neurontin is a better choice. Any ideas? I tried it once before and had muscle pains from it - but I'm in a 9 pain and need to try something - so I'm back to Neurontin. 1500 mg of Vicodin does nothing for me except make me feel loopy!

[Christy Lightfoot]

Ive been on Neurontin since 2001 and to begin with I had problems with speech,balance and generally getting around. but the problems quickly wore off and Id not been having any problems with it in the last couple of years.

[Dan]

Please try the Mangosteen Juice.
Dr Frederic Templeman in the Health Journal #44 said,
"I have been using Mangosteen with my patients for almost 18 months use Mangosteen extract as a first-line therapy and in my opinion, the Mangosteen extract equals or outperforms Neurontin".
If you need more information, please contact me [e-mail]

[Jane]

I had a terrible allergic reaction to neurontin. This was peddled to me by my neurologist for Trigeminal Neuralgia. He said it was Off Label use and during the time when it was being blitzed by the drugs manufacturer to cure any kind of woe. My eyes swelled closed, blisters covered my entire body and I still have skin problems some 7 years later. I also had slurred speech and I am not sure how I ever worked during that time I was taking it before the allergic reaction. The dosage was close to 3,000 mgs. a day and he kept saying the literature says I can take you to 4,800 mgs per day. Thank God I lived--no telling what long term damage my body has suffered. I haven't seen my medical record from that time but I truly believe that nothing was written down anywhere regarding the reaction that almost killed me. CYA

[neurontin widow]

I am not a doctor and I can't tell you what to do but let me tell you my story in the Readers Digest version. My husband took neurontin for only six months starting in Jan 2004 after two surgerys for slipped disks. I read all the side effects before he starting taking neurontin and while it had somethings listed not what we really needed to know. By the end of May 2004 he had changed so much I finally called his doctor and said something was wrong. They didn't take him off the Neurontin they just said he had to come in. Some of the changes included, sleeplessness, paranoia (big time), inattentive to driving and surrounding things. Couldn't concentrate. He turned nasty and mean and abusive.
Unfortunately we were never able to take him off the neurontin because he hung himself the week before fathers day 2004. You will never make me beleive that Nurontin wasn't responsible. If you have any feelings like this or anything out of the ordinary. Call your doctor immediatly. I can not express how slowly these symptoms creep up and you are not even aware of it until you think back after the fact and things start to fall into place. You may ask why I didn't call the doctor sooner. If there had been a black box warning regarding suicide or thoughts of suicide I would have. That is all it would have taken to possible save my husbands life. I have two small children 7 and 3 my youngest was only 1 1/2 years old. They saw a side of their father they never should have.

[Neurontin]

I have taken Neurontin about 2 years I believe for migraine headache prevention. This is a wonderful medication as far as I am concerned as it has helped me tremendously and, in fact, I believe it has even made me feel better overall in general. It is important to note that ALL medications can affect everyone differently and no matter the warnings, no one can predict how it will affect each and every one of us.

[AHD in Tennessee]

I was prescribed this poison, for chronic pain management, for over two years. Starting with a small dose, I eventually wound up taking 4800mg daily for well over a year. The only thing it helped was Pfizer's bottom line.
My memory is now a hit-and-miss proposition. I have an IQ of 145, but my thought organization is almost nil. Between my bouts of severe depression, and mad rantings and ravings, my wife of 32 years has just about had her fill; she's had all she can stand.
Whoever said that 4800mg was an allowable dose must be employed by Pfizer, or the Doctor that prescribed it. I have a pharmacist friend, for over 30 years, whom I've discussed my treatment and dosage with. His only remarks were "and you're still alive?" and "get a lawyer; you've got a helluva suit against Pfizer and your Doctor.
Any of you ever fell asleep standing up, waking up as you hit the floor? How about while waiting for a light to change, or driving down the road, with no notice? I have, and worse.
Neurontin has it's place in medicine. There are some medical problems out there that make the side effects of Neurontin worth the risk; they are few and far between. Pfizer paid almost 1/2 billion dollars in fines and penalties to the Government. They ADMITTED pushing this poison for numerous off-label uses without FDA approval. In the process, they made billions of dollars in extra profits at the expense of people's health, and lives.
I've not yet attempted suicide; my wife hid my guns when she saw it coming.
Unless someone out there in cyberspace can give me a specific time period, as far as I know, the damage Neurontin does to the brain, and the psyche, is PERMANENT! I've been off the crap since 1999 or 2000. My problems are getting worse, not better. These are things that were non-existent prior to being prescribed this poison.
Does anyone reading this post know an attorney handling these Neurontin claims, either individually or as a class action? It's time for Pfizer, and the Doctor, to pay the Piper.

[Anxious]

After reading this story I truly feel sorry and my deepest sympathy..CAn you please e-mail me at kordeel@aolcom.

neurontin widow wrote:

I am not a doctor and I can't tell you what to do but let me tell you my story in the Readers Digest version. My husband took neurontin for only six months starting in Jan 2004 after two surgerys for slipped disks. I read all the side effects before he starting taking neurontin and while it had somethings listed not what we really needed to know. By the end of May 2004 he had changed so much I finally called his doctor and said something was wrong. They didn't take him off the Neurontin they just said he had to come in. Some of the changes included, sleeplessness, paranoia (big time), inattentive to driving and surrounding things. Couldn't concentrate. He turned nasty and mean and abusive.
Unfortunately we were never able to take him off the neurontin because he hung himself the week before fathers day 2004. You will never make me beleive that Nurontin wasn't responsible. If you have any feelings like this or anything out of the ordinary. Call your doctor immediatly. I can not express how slowly these symptoms creep up and you are not even aware of it until you think back after the fact and things start to fall into place. You may ask why I didn't call the doctor sooner. If there had been a black box warning regarding suicide or thoughts of suicide I would have. That is all it would have taken to possible save my husbands life. I have two small children 7 and 3 my youngest was only 1 1/2 years old. They saw a side of their father they never should have.

[enid Pfeiffer]

Neurontin wrote:

I have taken Neurontin about 2 years I believe for migraine headache prevention. This is a wonderful medication as far as I am concerned as it has helped me tremendously and, in fact, I believe it has even made me feel better overall in general. It is important to note that ALL medications can affect everyone differently and no matter the warnings, no one can predict how it will affect each and every one of us.

I am 82 years old and had begun to have the dreadful jabbing pain burning tenderness in the area of the scapula i was afraid to move so i heard from a friend about neurontin as she had suffeered for a year i am up to 300mgm and now all i get is a tingling or slight burning in that area no dreadful stabbing afraid totrn my head i think it is a mirale the computer i think was the cause of it with repitition of movement movement

[KJC]

I've been on Neurontin for almost 5 years for chronic back & pelvic pain after a hysterectomy. My friends I used to work with said that Neurontin was 'rontin' my brain. I just thought they were kidding around, but I have recently started realizing how much it has changed me. I don't seem to be able to organize my thoughts, or make plans. I'm distracted easily and just having a hard time getting along in life. I take it for chronic pain to avoid taking higher doses of the harder pain meds and it does help the pain, but I was starting to wonder if it's worth the side effects. I asked the doctor about lowering my dose so I went from 2400mg daily to 1800mg daily and felt bad for a couple of days but got to feeling better and could see I was going to feel better. So a couple months later we lowered it again from 1800mg daily to 1200mg daily. Well I suffered terrible withdrawal type feelings for about 3 days. Then got to feeling much better, and had lots of energy for once. Well 7 days after going on 1200mg I had a Grand Mal Seizure. Never had anything like that happen to me in my life. Can't help but wonder if it was the Neurontin withdrawal. Now I want to get off of it, but scared of more seizures. This drug needs more research!

[Nancy]

Did the withdrawal cause anxiety? I feel like my life has changes so much since I have been trying to "come off" of this stuff. I went from 2700mg to 1200mg. I was in the hospital when I just "stopped" taking this JUNK. I am now going to see another doctor to see what I can do to make this anxiety go away. I was put on this medication for hitting a tree head on at 65mph and breaking my pelic bone in half, hip, femur, and wrist. I was in bad shape and narcotics would NOT work. I went how with 500 pain pills and none of them really helped. KJC... Did you ever get a tingle that would go up your neck to your head?

[KJC]

Lowering the dosage of Neurontin definitely caused anxiety, big time. Especially for those first 4-5 days. Then I would start to feeling better. Even better than when I was on it. Less depression type feelings. Well, that is until I had the seizure. As for the neck tingling, I don't recall having that per se except for right before my seizure and I was tingling all over, and that was the last thing I remember. It was the strangest feeling. I have never had a seizure before. I'm really bummed, because I know I'll feel better off this stuff, but like I said, I'm scared to death of more seizures...

[Nancy]

Hey KJC... I would be really scared. Have you seen a neurologist? I am seeing one tomorrow.

[KJC]

Hi Nancy, Yes, I seen a Neurologist while in the hospital for 2 days after my seizure. I had it in a grocery store and when I woke up I was being loaded into an ambulance. A neurologist came to my room and ordered some tests, EEG and MRI. She told me to make an appointment to see her in 2-3 weeks, but the earliest her office could get me in was 7 weeks. I've heard she's a very good Neurologist though, so I guess it's worth the wait. Has your anxiety gotten any better?

[Nancy]

Hey KGC, My anxiety is so bad Im on Xanax now which Im so unhappy about. I'm having so many bad side effects. I shake, chills, can't sleep at night, I have tingling feelings all over my body, and so much more. This medication is BS. I saw a Neurologist and they said they can't help me so I need to see a neurosurgeon. He said my car accident was SO bad he wouldn't touch me. I am getting an MRI on Monday. Do you have any of the symptoms I do? You were on 2400mg, right? I was on 2700mg and I stopped and ended up in the ER. I put myself back to 1500mg now and I feel so bad. I feel like I need to take this medication before its even time to take it. I am so unhappy. I hope you are feeling better.:)

[KJC]

Hi Nancy, I'm now down to 900mg from 1200mg. Started 900mg 2 days ago. So far so good. I'm just having to come down very slowly in order to avoid the side effects or withdrawals or whatever they are. I'm very jumpy and a bit anxious, but I don't feel as bad as when I went from 1800mg to 1200mg. Although, because of my seizure, the Neurologist has put me on a drug very similar to Neurontin, called Lyrica, so that might be why the withdrawals don't seem as bad this time. Is the Xanax helping you sleep at all? I had been up over 24 hours when I had my seizure, so be careful and try to get some sleep somehow. I seen you went up from 1200mg to 1500mg, did that help at all? How long have you been on that dose? I honestly don't think I could handle reducing the dosage any faster than I have because of the anxiety, sleeplessness, creepy crawly like feeling, etc.

[Nancy]

OH MY GOD... I cant sleep AT ALL. I am up all night just laying in bed looking around. I am so unhappy. I need sleep so bad. Xanax would help me sleep but it is addictive so I only take it when I have anxiety (1x every few days). I have a 6 month old so this is really a mess... not to mention my husband is very ill. I went up on the dosage because I didn't know what to do. The neurologist wouldn't help me because he said I needed a trauma neurosurgeon. I went to the nero and he had me have an MRI and it came back with neck problems... he lowered me to 1200mg now and 800mg in 5 days. I feel so COLD. I have tingling so bad all over my body. How do you feel? How is your sleep? When will this be over? I am so unhappy. Happy Easter.

[smill]

Nancy wrote:

OH MY GOD... I cant sleep AT ALL. I am up all night just laying in bed looking around. I am so unhappy. I need sleep so bad. Xanax would help me sleep but it is addictive so I only take it when I have anxiety (1x every few days). I have a 6 month old so this is really a mess... not to mention my husband is very ill. I went up on the dosage because I didn't know what to do. The neurologist wouldn't help me because he said I needed a trauma neurosurgeon. I went to the nero and he had me have an MRI and it came back with neck problems... he lowered me to 1200mg now and 800mg in 5 days. I feel so COLD. I have tingling so bad all over my body. How do you feel? How is your sleep? When will this be over? I am so

unhappy. Happy Easter.

I, too, am having a helluva time with neurontin withdrawal. I seem to be ridiculously sensitive to medication changes. I got the neurontin down from 900 per day to 300 without too much trouble but since I've tried to stop it altogether, I'm a mess. Very agitated feelings and can't sleep. I can take a pinch of the drug (opening the capsule) and within an hour or two I feel a little better, but for a short time. This has been going on for a full week and I feel I've made no progress.