POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: buca45 on July 07, 2013, 03:12:09 am
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I am three weeks into taking the strong medicine Gabapentin prescribed by my doc to help with the everlasting, 5 year bout with severe pain associated with PN and general severe pain which he has so far been unable to find the true source of.
Has anyone else been prescribed this med? I was told by the Pharmacy (which is located directly inside the HIV clinic and serves ONLY HIV patients) that it will take a couple of months before I see any pain relief. It was a hard drug to get used to as it put me in a trance like state for the first two weeks, even affecting my thinking and speech patterns. Only this week have these weird feelings started to subside.
As I have stated before, I am on Oxycontin 80mgs twice a day, Hydrocodone 10 mg for breakthrough pain, Marinol 10 mgs twice a day and Xanax 2 mgs four times a day, in addition to my HIV med combo.
Thanks for any replies to this thread as I am unable to find any other info on the net concerning this used for HIV related pain issues. My pain is so severe I put my Oxy on the bedside table and take it an hour and a half before I try getting out of bed. This pain which has been going on for over 5+ years has ruined my life and has cut my activities down to the point where I am in bed almost around the clock.
This life sucks ass!!! But I am still alive and otherwise my appearance is still as well as it can be....just getting deep furrows on my forehead from squinting from the pain. SUCKS!!!!
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I took Gabapentin 900 mgs 3 times a day for PN pain prior to being prescribed Lyrica. I didn't have the fogginess you talked about, and you should get used to it.
You're already on some pretty heavy duty meds, it's no wonder you're feeling like you're in a trance. If I was taking all those meds I'd be laid out. You should get used to the Gabapentin, and hopefully it will help with your PN.
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I was originally prescribed Gaba 3x daily...it put me in a stupor. So I understand that part of what you are talking about. I only take it at night now, and only occasionally to help me sleep.
I have very very very minor PN, if at all. So I am not even near where you are on PN pain. My heart goes out to you buddy. Hang in there.
-W
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A hundred years ago I busted a disk in my back and had some pretty severe nerve pain. I was prescribed gabapebtin until I could have surgery to permanently fix it. It was great for me, got rid of the nerve pain (nerve pain is horrible, sorry for anyone having to go through it).
I didn't have the difficult time with it however I remember when I got it the pharmacist telling me a bunch of things to look out for.
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Hi there
I took gabapentin for little while when I was dealing with the bad PN symptoms, it didn't effect me like you describe but everyone's different. Maybe you can try the lyrica although there is no generic for it
I'm not sure what hiv meds you are on or what your history is, but would a med change be helpful that may be causing the issue.
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Thanks all for your rapid and reassuring responses! They help put me at ease greatly.
I have been taking the above mentioned pain meds, 5 years for the oxy and 10 yrs for the hydrocodones...15 for the Xanax and I have been on about 6 or 7 HIV med combos over the last 10 years. Strange thing, the PN pain and other severe pain was brought about from using Sustiva...I was one of the lucky .00001% of those who had such adverse and long term side effects from that hellish drug combo. It was so bad it also brought on mental issues (suicidal thoughts, depression, etc) that landed me in Psych wards on 4 separate occasions. Sustiva and I had a volatile relationship that left me in such a disastrous condition...some of which still lingers to this day.
Like was mentioned, we all have a different chemical makeup that causes us to have different levels of side effects. Most of the other HIV med combos I have had little to no side effects from, but Sustiva really did kick my ass something bad both physically (long term PN and other pain side effects) and mentally. It was so bad that I had to 'retire' from my very physical job and I then started on the lovely path to SSDI, which was approved in under two months. I have been reviewed by SS officials only once in the 10+ years that I have been dealing with this unbelievable pain and nerve damage as I was told by two different HIV docs that this would most likely never go away or be lessened at all.
I have tried Lyrica for a year with no relief whatsoever and that is what has led me to the Oxy and Hydro combo. As much as I hated the decision to go this route, I simply had to in order to get some relief from the unbearable pain throughout my body. Even if I stay in bed 24/7 (which I do several times a week) the pain is like nothing I have felt before.
I will take being called a drug addict for taking the Oxy & Hydro since it makes my life somewhat bearable. Had I known and really researched Sustiva like I do every med I take, I would not have even considered taking it to begin with. There is nothing like having the "out of body psychiatric episodes" that Sustiva has gifted me with!!
My original HIV doctor told me that in time the PN, nerve pain & Psych issues and other things it gave me would subside...that was 10 years ago and it has not subsided whatsoever.
I currently take Prezista, Norvir and Truvada which has my T's at around 400 - 500 and I have been undetectable for years now.
As if all the pain and psych issues I deal with were not enough, I recently had to have a pacemaker implanted due to the long term HIV 'invasion'. Again, I drew the lucky lotto combo of heart damage due to long term survival from my friend HIV.
Is there anything else that I can look forward to in my future? LOL
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Funny thing, I was prescribed this new drug on the 22nd anniversary of my HIV invasion. I call it an invasion instead of infection as it is like going to battle everyday with the viral Taliban that we all know too well.
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Thanks for sharing your story ! I can relate to a lot of what you are dealing with. I have been experiencing pain issues for quite some time. I finally found a doctor who prescribed me gabapentin for neuropathy, 100 mg 3 times a day. She told me to take it at night but on the first night taking the drug I had a very bad reaction to it and ended up the emergency room. For whatever reason the drug did not mix well with my body and all the meds I am taking (norvir, reyetaz, wellbutrin, testosterone and epsicom). The doctor who prescribed it is a neurologist and told me that pain meds such oxycontin do not work on nerve pain so my options were limited. I was given a new prescription for a drug called lyrica. I was hesitant to take the lyrics but was desperate for some relief from the pain so I started taking it. When I took the lyrica I continued having adverse reactions but not to the degree of the gabapentin. It's been a little over 6 weeks and my body has adjusted somewhat but the pain from the neuropathy is now somewhat manageable to the point where I am not dealing with the constant pain.