Hi I hope I’m doing this right 
.
I have the hug and have since July and I’m currently taking gabapentin to try and help it. My pain/discomfort are mainly left side but does sometimes go to the right it’s normally like a bruised feeling but sometimes I get a shooting pain and squeezing it’s hard to explain how it feels. Does anyone else have this? I feel so alone with it
Hello Robyn, welcome to the forum,
Yes, I used to feel this a lot, but since being on gabapentin (for quite a few years now) I’m pleased to able to report that the hug has bothered me far less often.
The first time it happened was before my MS diagnosis, it was on the left side beneath my rib cage, so I was rather concerned and ended up in A&E where they took it seriously. Happily, my heart was working well, so they suspected it was spasms in the small muscles between the ribs. They started injecting either anaesthetic or muscle relaxant, or maybe something else, into these muscles to ease the situation, and it worked, confirming their suspicions. I was diagnosed with MS a few years later. Happily, I am now in remission and fairly stable,
Hoping things soon improve,
Ben
1 Like
Hi Ben
Thank you for your reply.
Can I ask how long before the gabapentin took affect and what does your on? I’m currently on 400 3 times a day and have been since 25/11/21 and yet still no better
Robyn,
I’m currently on 3x700 daily which is working nicely. I have been on 3x800 but find the lower dose seems to do the job. However , I do still have occasional shooting and burning pains, but rarely feel the hug.
I like to keep my meds to the lowest dose possible.
Ben