Hello, I have been on Gabapentin for only about 2 months and have noticed that I am starting to get a pair of ‘man boobs’. I am not sure if this is caused by the Gabapentin or something else. Do any of the men on Gabapentin here have the same problem? It’s starting to worry me, not that I am against breasts, but I don’t really want a pair of my own.
Any advice on the subject will be most welcome.
I read the side effects and was too scared to take it!
hi catcatcatcat. im female and have been taking gabapentin for a year and a half. i put weight on easier than b4,but i take a fair amount of drugs,which could be the reason(?). also, i stopped reading the side effects ect long ago. i read them when i get them so i know what to look for, but its very off putting as alot of the side effects mimic alot of my MS symptoms.
hi catnips…i tried avonex injections…no site reactions but felt awful the whole time i took it so stopped…side effects never dulled, doc gave me gabapentin a while back for ‘the hug’ and spasms but read the side effects and thought stuff it…im braving it and building myself a very high pain threshold in the process lol x
Hi Anonymous,
Gabapentin can certainly cause weight gain in some people as a side effect so if the weight gain is rapid and large you may want to consider talking to your doctor about changing to another drug that controls the nerve pain but may not cause so much weigh gain.
Hey catcatcat,
has it occurred to you that the effects of untreated MS are a lot worse than the side effects of Avonex?
Belinda
Hey everyone…im not suggesting in anyway that these meds arent any good or that they wont help people, im really sorry if its been perceived this way and my humour around these issues is just part of the way i cope. I do know that they help numerous people every day. This has just been my personal experience…of course the effects of untreated MS have occurred to me…i’ve chosen to live with them for the time being. Taking or not taking these meds has to be a personal choice…the side effects i had would prevent me from working and providing for my son and the possible side effects of the gabapentin would mean me not being allowed to do my job at all…if my circumstances change i may rethink these decisions but for now they are right for me.
Again im sorry if people have taken my post the wrong way, i possibly could have explained it better x
Hey, thanks catcatcatcat for your explanation and apology.
I am sorry too if I sounded too brusque. I get worried when I hear people saying that they won’t take DMDs as they don’t think they are bad enough for them or that the side effects are not worth it.
The evidence is there to show that they work best when taken early in the disease course and that they can delay the onset of progression. It scares me that people are taking such risks with their health without perhaps realising what they are doing exactly.
Please read this link and then perhaps have another think about things. If Avonex is causing too many side effects Copaxone may work better for you or one of the newer oral drugs. But to do nothing seems too risky in my mind.
http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/do-relapses-count.html
Cheers,
Belinda
Hey Belinda,
I work full time…at the time i took it i worked 24 hour shifts with sleepovers looking after teenagers in care…having to inject myself at work was a turmoil in itself, i have worked elsewhere for the last few years but now work earlies, backshifts and nightshifts…im also a single parent with a ten year old son. Its not that the side effects are not worth it, its because to take the meds for me means not being able to continue my life as it is…more of a cant right now than a wont. Currently hoping for voluntary redundancy so it may change 
thanks belinda
Another good one http://www.lamarfreed.net/Medsideeffects.html
Hi,
Getting back to original question - Gabapentin has not given me man boobs and weight has not shot up but I’m a bit heavier than I was a few years ago. Incidentally I’ve been taking Gabapentin for quite a few years.
Patrick
Er…his claims aren’t correct. The CRAB drugs weren’t developed to stop progression. They were developed to slow down or reduce the relapse rates.
Yes, someone may have flu-like side effects, but there is no way to tell if you would have them or not. Lots of people have the flu-like symptoms for a few weeks or even months. I didn’t have them at all and am very thankful that my relapse rate has been reduced to 1 relapse every 3 years on average. I haven’t progressed, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.
Relapses are devastating for me. I lose months of good, productive, fun-filled life. I hate them and to be honest, I’m very, very grateful that Rebif worked. There was no guarantee.
It comes down to a simple choice. Do you want to remain stable or not?
Sorry Patrick - I don’t know much about weight gain or man boobs, but there are other neuropathic pain drugs. Lyrica worked well for me, but I prefer amitriptyline, as it’s cheaper and more relaxing. There’s Tegretol as well, which saved my sanity some years ago when my trigeminal neuralgia went nuts.
I didn’t mean to hijack your post, but someone putting on a link to a homeopathic site is not helpful.
xx
Im currently on gabapentin, there are many side effects but luckily the only one i have ever sufferd from is drowziness
I’m on gabapentin and I’ve been taking it for a few months and I have noticed the weight gain - really annoying as I have made such an effort of loosing weight and lost 7 and a half stone in the past 2 years and a further stone when I was in hospital back in May. Since starting gabapentin I’ve put on about a stone 
I tried Gabapentin but came off it as had swelling of ankles, which is a side effect. Doctor put me on Lyrical (pregabalin) Been on this for a number of years with no side effects, and no weight gain.