Cure all???

Treatment and medication
1

I guess I'm not alone!!

Im a 70 year old man in a descent health. 4 years ago I ended up in the ER with what was diagnosed as benign proxamity effect vertigo. Did  the Eply manuver and cleared up the BPV but ended up with constant vertigo ever since.. After a battery of tests, spinning laser beems, catscans, mri's, etc,  I was told I had inner ear nerve damage on my right side caused by a virus.. I did about a year of rehab with mixed results..

I still do my rehab excersizes on my own and I suppose they help a little..

     Anyway I was told I needed to see a neuologist, so 3 months ago I finally got to see one..

He did a little testing and prescribed the miracle drug Gabapentin!!

     I took 900mg a day for about 10 weeks, my vertigo was worse and I was getting 'goofy'!! 

Doing stupid crap like getting out of my car and not shuttimg it off or putting it in park!!!!

I just was not right.. Just felt bad, gaining weight, (which I don't need) and itching breasts!!! What the heck is that all about??? Had to get off that crap, so I called the Neurologist and was told to stop taking it... Now in the meantime I talked to my regular doctor and was told about the withdrawl problems and should taper off if possible. Never was told any of this stuff up front!! My regular doctor is a good one and much like a personal friend. After talking to him further he said if I think I can handle it, and since I wasn't on it for any real duration to try to go cold turkey.. Which I did!!!

It 's been a week and I can say it's been ■■■■!!! Nausea, no sleep, panic attacks, headache's and my vertigo is alot worse!!!! I do not understand why I was given something that causes dizziness to cure dizziness???? I'm sure someone really does need this stuff but why do they hand it out as a cure all.. I just want to get back to being dizzy and felling OK sometimes. 

Not feeling miserable all the time.. Just once I would like to turn my head without feeling like it's gonna go rolling across the floor!!! It has eased off a bit but how much longer is this going to go on??

2

He probably gave you the wonder drug for the nerve damage. Usually given for diabetic nerve damage. My doc prescribed it for nerve damage from a botched surgery. Only took 600 a day though for 3 months. Didn't help at all , so I just stopped. Didn't have any problems though. Lots of people on here have had a really bad time conning off it. Guess I was just lucky. Won't try it again though. Don't think they can do anything for nerve damage. Nerve blocks Didn't help either. I'm 71 and guess I just have to live with this. What a miserable way to end things. Best of luck to you sir. From what I've read on here those withdrawals will eventually end but it must be awful for you.

3

Do you really want the answer to why doctors hand out Gabapentin like it’s a Cure All?

First of all, I want to say I’m sorry you walked blindly into a false advertising scheme.  It began in 1996, when a drug company went off label with their anti-epileptic drug that wasn’t selling well. 

 I’m not going into the entire story but if you want to know, the 2004 trial was filed as: “Franklin v. Warner Lambert.”  Even though Parke Davis and their subsidiary company, Warner Lambert sold their company to become a unit of Pfizer, they pled guilty, and paid a $430 million fine for violation of The False Claims Act.

For some stupid reason, the FDA gave them a reward by giving them approval for Neurontin to be used for postherpetic neuralgia for Shingles, but doctors were allowed to prescribe it for many unapproved uses.

In 2008 I had lumbar nerve pain, and was given Gabapentin, 300 mg capsules. It’s the rapid release formulary.

Within an hour after the 2nd dose, my palms became sweaty and I kept wiping them on my jeans. I  thought I had set off some kind of reaction by causing too much friction.

I suddenly had a visual change of seeing bright dots of light and my left hand started shaking rapidly with an internal burning sensation, then uncontrollable movements began rushing  throughout my body. 

That  may sound crazy, but it seemed even crazier to me when I started having uncontrollable laughing spells, even though I had been yelling, “This drug is ruining me, my life is screwed!”  Ten years later and I still haven’t received any help. 

My doctor’s nurse said, “Side Effects always wear off.”  No they don’t!

I didn’t know my doctor would ask another doctor  to hide my brain MRI results, which showed a 5 mm x 6 mm lesion on my hypothalamus gland, which is probably a stroke. He spread stories that when my husband went on a motorcycle trip, my so called psychological disorder suddenly became a physical problem. 

I believe that Gabapentin / Neurontin has become the most protected RX drug to the detriment of mankind.

Yes, I agree that it causes dizziness, so why would a neurologist give it to you for Vertigo? 

I’m glad that you told your experience, and hope you didn’t mind my answer to your question.

Did you ever see an ear, nose and throat specialist?  Best wishes to finding help.

4

Oh, I forgot. I have insomnia really bad. Another doc wanted me to take Gabapentin for sleep..I just flat refused it. I'd rather the sleep problems than Gabapentin problems. So , everybody needs to do their homework on meds. I don't think doctors worry much about problems these meds can cause.

5

Hi Gary, same withdrawal symptoms here.  Was on gabapentin for 2.5 months only, prescribed for mild neuropathy, feet. Low dose, 100mg/200mg, then 300. Hated how it made me feel so I tapered myself off within a week. Off now for 1 month 17 days. Still having those goofy symptoms but lessening. I hear it can take a while for some, I may be one of them lol. 

Bear with it.. a friend quoted a friend of hers saying “All your symptoms will subside in time and you will heal.”  

6

I saw an ENT specialist first thing 4 years ago, had my hearing checked.. I'm about deaf from 4khz up... I'm know my hearing has a lot to do with my initial problem... But  I'm still trying to wrap my head around why the neurologist just put me on gabapentin right out of the gate in the first place.. He didn't even do any real testing to speak of?? I guess he read all my previous test results and took a shot... I feel more like a test subject, instead of a patient!!

7

It's been pretty rough. I'm just glad to know I'm not alone.. I have talked to people that just quit taking it with no problems.. But it doesn't seem the norm.. I'm happy to hear you were one of the lucky ones. Learning to live with any kind of disability is tough I guess. Getting older seems to make it harder to just shake it off and get on with life.. 

8

Boy the things they don't tell you!!! I just can't wait to get back to just dealing with the vertigo again!!!! Thanks for the support, I'm glad to know I'm not alone.. Even though I wouldn't want to wish this on anyone else!!!!

9

I don’t understand why Gabapentin / Neurontin is the first drug of choice for nerve pain, and numerous conditions.

Doctors could choose a reduced dose drug like Gabitril, that starts out at 2 mg. Start low, go slow sounds more logical. 

I wish I could post a picture to show the part of the midbrain that shows how our neurohormones balance each other. I found it under Basal ganglia. I’m going to see if it will post. Please excuse me if it doesn’t.

10

Tap on the little picture and you can tell that the Basal ganglia is a balancing act. Do we really need rapid changes in that system?