Do you experience drowsiness after taking Gabapentin?

[Zuriel]

My doctor prescribed 300mg of Gabapentin twice a day and the first morning dose I took just knocked me out completely. I resorted to half the dose and they make me very drowsy. Would like to hear from those of you who have been on Gabapentin for a while if they have this effect initially. I am taking this for restless body tremors and racing brain. My doc did not know what to prescribe after I told him increasing the dosage of Rivotril (Klonopin) made the symptoms worst. Out of desperation, I suggested Gabapentin :innocent1: I am also on Lamictal.

 

[Valentijn]

My doctor prescribed 300mg of Gabapentin twice a day and the first morning dose I took just knocked me out completely. I resorted to half the dose and they make me very drowsy. Would like to hear from those of you who have been on Gabapentin for a while if they have this effect initially. I am taking this for restless body tremors and racing brain. My doc did not know what to prescribe after I told him increasing the dosage of Rivotril (Klonopin) made the symptoms worst. Out of desperation, I suggested Gabapentin :innocent1: I am also on Lamictal.

I haven't tried Gabapentin, but I take N-acetylcysteine instead, for the racing brain problems. It probably works by lowering glutamate levels, and I haven't had any side effects from taking it for about 6 months.

 

[adreno]

Gabapentin makes me drowsy as well. It's a very common side effect.

 

[Calathea]

Some people on gabapentin just take it in the evening for this reason. I slept beautifully when I was on gabapentin. Unfortunately, the withdrawal has been a total nightmare. The insomnia got worse and worse when I was tapering the dose down, and I pretty much stopped sleeping at all when I came off it entirely. Several months later my sleep is still noticeably affected, though it's improving very slowly. If you come off the gabapentin or reduce the dose, be very very careful, as this is actually quite a common problem.

 

[heapsreal]

no drowsiness for me and i have used 1200mg dose but normally use 300mg, it does help improve sleep quality and helps with night time leg pains, i usually take it with some type of benzo for sleep.

cheers!!!

 

[maryb]

no drowsiness for me and i have used 1200mg dose but normally use 300mg, it does help improve sleep quality and helps with night time leg pains, i usually take it with some type of benzo for sleep.

cheers!!!

Heaps you are an Amazon in disguise

 

[Xandoff]

Zuriel,

Gabapentin works for certain kinds of pain. After about a week the drowsiness effect goes away. The brain makes tons of Gaba and it is a natural substance. As a ME CFS person I have alway's battled insomonia and was sad to learn the drowsiness effect wore off after a week. I have been on and off Gaba for years and it does help with the chronic pain. It can affect my short term memory but that is a constant variable. Stick with the Gaba, the drowsies will go away.

 

[heapsreal]

Heaps you are an Amazon in disguise

Amazon lol, no just a hardcore insomniac. Gabapentine i have found really good for night time leg pains that wake me up, i find 300mg does the job for that. The 1200mg dose i just tried as everyone was saying gabapentine put them to sleep so i tried a large dose to see if it would, na got no sedation at all. Never did at the start either.

 

[Boule de feu]

Yes, it is a side effect. I was taking more just before going to bed for that reason.

 

[Zuriel]

Thank you to all for your input. I have learnt lots from you. I woke up this morning feeling numb all over, including lips. All I had was 150mg of Gabapentin last night. The tremors are gone but this brain firing/racing is still there.

Valentijn- May I know what dosage of NAC should one start with and the brand? PM me if you wish. Thanks.

 

[Valentijn]

Valentijn- May I know what dosage of NAC should one start with and the brand? PM me if you wish. Thanks.

There were several studies I read through where NAC was used to raise glutathione in people with HIV/AIDS. One study used 1800mg/day and the others based it on bodyweight and went higher. No one had any side effects from it at those doses, so that's what I used for my guide. I do 1800mg/day typically, which is spread out in 3 doses per day of Jarrow's Sustain NAC.

My mother also used it with very good results for a month or two for her sleeping problems, though she doesn't have the all day head-buzzing, so she just took 600mg an hour or two before bed. She probably has the same basic cysteine issue I do, but without the disease process keeping cysteine very low and glutamate very high - it seemed to self-correct after a while, and now she doesn't need anything to help her sleep.

NAC doesn't cause sleepiness at all. It just gets the glutamate levels down enough that the brain can switch off and let you sleep. It also won't make it any easier to ignore things keeping you awake, like pain or noise. But instead of my brain going into overdrive for a couple hours when something wakes me up, I can fall asleep again quickly.

It doesn't work for some people, or makes them feel crappier while they're on it. It's possible that they don't have the cysteine/glutamate issues. But NAC shouldn't be harmful in any event unless you're prone to getting cysteine/cystine based kidney stones.

 

[Googsta]

Thank you to all for your input. I have learnt lots from you. I woke up this morning feeling numb all over, including lips. All I had was 150mg of Gabapentin last night. The tremors are gone but this brain firing/racing is still there.

Sorry you are having these symptoms Zuriel. I have the numbness issues myself & that helped me with a Neurologist. He was able to order alot of testing including MRI's, EEG etc.
If you need more info just ask or PM me.

I am waiting for my iHerb order to arrive to try NAC as Valentjn suggested too

 

[Boule de feu]

When I started taking Gabapentin, my GP made sure he gave me a very low dosage to make sure I would not react like you are right now. Tell your doctor what is happening. Your medication is way too strong for you. You could ask him or her to cut it in half. I think I was taking 50 mg during the 4 first weeks and then we increased it to 100 mg. After 6 years, I can't take more than 900 mg because I get very sick.

 

[Zuriel]

Thank you all. My doctor said 100mg is the dosage for pediatrics and therefore he put me on 300mg twice a day which numbed and knocked me out completely. My Mom had to feed me during meal times. I shall taper it down gradually and give NAC a go.

I read about Acetylcysteine on the website, GlutathioneDiseaseCure.com- "Allergies to eggs, milk or wheat may experience problems with cysteine supplements." They do not elaborate what "problems" are to be expected. Any ideas from anyone?
I do have intolerance to eggs, milk and wheat.

 

[Valentijn]

I read about Acetylcysteine on the website, GlutathioneDiseaseCure.com- "Allergies to eggs, milk or wheat may experience problems with cysteine supplements." They do not elaborate what "problems" are to be expected. Any ideas from anyone?
I do have intolerance to eggs, milk and wheat.

I hadn't heard of that before. I developed new allergies to wheat and egg whites (not just intolerance) after getting ME, and have always been somewhat lactose intolerance. But I haven't noticed any problematic reaction to NAC.

 

[physicsstudent13]

I think gabapentin may destroy your memory and brain

one neurologist was against these medications. I have been taking gabapentin and klonopin for sleep but I woke up today with such terrible fogginess and feel brain damaged on gabapentin even at the supposedly low dose of 300mg
I might taper off of benzas and gabapentin, they aren't good medications to be on

 

[physicsstudent13]

Does Gabapentin help or damage your cognitive functioning? I feel much better today after the asv and gabapentin. I think I may have a seizure disorder PLMD which is why I take it