Just wondered if anyone on gabapentin? my neuro prescibed for me and worried about side effects!!! first drug i have had to take , but pins and needles constant and itchy all the time. weird thing is i was told i have functional disorder of y cns!!??? why give me it if she doesnt think i have ms??
Hello 
I’m not on gabapentin, but it’s very commonly prescribed for your symptoms. (I take pregabalin, which is very similar to gabapentin.) Most of these drugs cause some side effects in the early weeks. Mine are usually some vertigo and feeling a bit spaced out. Maybe some headaches too. However, once the side effects wear off, the meds can make a huge difference. Pregabalin has worked wonders for me One of the side effects that some people complain of with gabapentin is weight gain so if that’s a problem for you, or becomes a problem for you, you could ask for an alternative med. I hope it works really well for you Karen x
Thanks karen, spoke to mt gp and giving it to monday, going to try accupuncture first i think and if still symptoms will try the gabapentin. just a bit scary i guess. i see my neurologist dec and do you think i should ask for another brain scan? been 2 and a half years from first one when i was in stroke ward for 2 weeks, was told just a blip and to get on with life!! been very up and down since and was 6 months later dx with functional disorder. i may not have ms , but cant settle untill i get another scan, neuro very reluctant?? 
Hi I have been on gabapentin for about nine months now and never had any problems with it at all and i am quite a high dose 2400mg a day. I could not do without it was taken off it at one point and i was soon back on it but have never had any side effects at all. If you give it a go and it’s not for you i am sure the GP will change it for something that suits you. Good luck Take care Dave 
moggie wrote:
Thanks karen, spoke to mt gp and giving it to monday, going to try accupuncture first i think and if still symptoms will try the gabapentin. just a bit scary i guess. i see my neurologist dec and do you think i should ask for another brain scan? been 2 and a half years from first one when i was in stroke ward for 2 weeks, was told just a blip and to get on with life!! been very up and down since and was 6 months later dx with functional disorder. i may not have ms , but cant settle untill i get another scan, neuro very reluctant??
The neuro might be less reluctant if you take a list of things that have happened to you since the previous scan (what, when and for how long), tell him that you’ve heard that the McDonald criteria have been updated so that fewer lesions are required to diagnose MS, and say to him something along the lines of, “Given my increasing difficulties, the fact that it’s been nearly 3 years since my MRI scan, and that the McDonald criteria have been updated, do you think that it’s time to see whether or not I’ve had any changes in my CNS?” This argument will be very much stronger if your original MRI showed anything abnormal in it. Even a single lesion would mean that you may have got a diagnosis of CIS or probable MS if the new McDonald criteria had been in operation then. If you did have any abnormalities then you could ask how these stack up versus the new criteria. If someone was presenting with these scans today, what would he say? Of course, if you feel like you’re getting nowhere, you can ask to see someone else - just get your GP to refer you. Kx
Thanks again Karen, your advice is fantastic and will take on board for my next consultation. think im going to take the gabapentin, itching and pins and needles unbearable today. Thankyou so much for your support and wishing you a good weekend mo x
You’re welcome Mo I hope the gabapentin works really well for you Kx