I'm not sure if it will help, but I also felt rather poorly on Gabapentin (and Pregabalin).
I did two rounds of it and decided it was a terrible medication. I could barely even walk (I distinctly remember my poor father helping me down some stairs at ikea the first day I took it, unknowing what was to come).
Eventually I found a rheumatologist that understood. She started me on 100mg Gabapentin in the evenings. I did that for 2 weeks. I slept better, which was nice.
Then I added 100mg in the morning with a dose of magnesium citrate. Gabapentin is absorbed in the lower GI tract and magnesium citrate increases intestinal motility. This effectively makes the 100mg dose therapeutically equivalent to 20-50mg.
After a week, I'd have my morning dose normally.
Then 200mg in the evening after a week. Then 200mg in the morning. Then 400mg in the evening... Etc...
It took me a little over 3 months to get to the appropriate therapeutic dose, but I managed without experiencing any unpleasant side effects. I then switched to Pregabalin without any titration, and it's more effective for me.
I spent at least 5 years rolling back and forth between pregab/gaba before a sensible doctor walked me through a tolerable process. Hopefully this might help you communicate a similar system with your healthcare professional so you can try it again.
I really persisted with both Gabapentin and Pregbalin, as everything I've read points to them resulting in the best outcomes for patients that tolerate them.
I actually do take magnesium citrate daily anyway (200mg twice a day), but it didn't seem to help me here.
I even tried taking 2 weeks off work and took the minimum dose for the entire period - it was a horrible couple of weeks, where I felt drunk, dizzy, disoriented and anxious for the whole time. I just really can't tolerate them :( I had a similar experience with SNRIs, and also experienced horrendous withdrawals with them - I've tried about half a dozen of them, but after my last experience I accept they are not for me, and will never try another! I guess it all comes down to genetics.
Anyway, all that said, your advice seems good, and I'd encourage others to try to persist and slowly titrate up.
I did two rounds of it and decided it was a terrible medication. I could barely even walk (I distinctly remember my poor father helping me down some stairs at ikea the first day I took it, unknowing what was to come).
Eventually I found a rheumatologist that understood. She started me on 100mg Gabapentin in the evenings. I did that for 2 weeks. I slept better, which was nice.
Then I added 100mg in the morning with a dose of magnesium citrate. Gabapentin is absorbed in the lower GI tract and magnesium citrate increases intestinal motility. This effectively makes the 100mg dose therapeutically equivalent to 20-50mg.
After a week, I'd have my morning dose normally.
Then 200mg in the evening after a week. Then 200mg in the morning. Then 400mg in the evening... Etc...
It took me a little over 3 months to get to the appropriate therapeutic dose, but I managed without experiencing any unpleasant side effects. I then switched to Pregabalin without any titration, and it's more effective for me.
I spent at least 5 years rolling back and forth between pregab/gaba before a sensible doctor walked me through a tolerable process. Hopefully this might help you communicate a similar system with your healthcare professional so you can try it again.
It's been totally worth the effort.
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