Safe levels of Neurontin?

[anonymous]

I am a T5, motoric complete, sensory incomplete paraplegic since October 1999. Around September 2000 I started experiencing neuropathic pain in my toes. The pain gradually got worse and in November 2001 my doctor prescribed Neurontin. One of the strange things about my pain is that is much more intense on exactly an every other day basis. On the low pain days, I take only 600 mg of Neurontin and it makes me reasonably comfortable. On the alternate high pain days, I take 1200 mg Neurontin and I can make through the day but still with more pain than the low pain days.

So this leads me to a couple of questions:
1. Have you ever heard of situation like mine where the pain is high and low on such a consistent basis? If so, is there anything my doctors might be missing? Is there something a neurologist might be able to pick up with some tests?
2. To what level can I raise my dose of Neurontin before it is too high? Six months after I started taking Neurontin at the 600/1200 mg level, I had a blood test and everything was fine. But I do know that Neuronting can make one drowsy and I need to be able to concentrate at my office job.

Would appreciate it if I could get some advice on the above.

[martha]

Husband's pain level also seems to alternate days though perhaps not as exact as yours. We've wondered if it had anything to do with his every-other-day bowel program? On "good" days he takes 2400-2800 mg neurontin and on "bad" days 3200-3600 mg.

[anonymous]

Martha,

My pain is not related to my bowel program as I do my program every night.

[martha]

We've decided his isn't related to bowel program either -- I was just hoping for something easy and predictable. Seems nothing is easy nor predictable with the SCI. The problem with the neurontin for him is the side effects. Especially the "snow blindness" for lack of a better term and the headaches.

[incognitomd]

I take Neurontin on a regular basis. 1200mg daily. Which is 300mg divided 1-1-2. I take it for spasms. It works really well except for the fact they slow you down mentally. I notice the difference. I wish I didn't have to take any meds because of this. But have little choice because the spasms were starting to drive me nuts. I can't answer your pain question because I don't know the answer. I would try and ask a nuerologist because he would know best. More so than a regular doctor. A nuerologist put me on neurontin a year and a half ago(900mgs the first year) and have been on it ever since. I know that it is safe to take it upto about 3200mgs daily, but it would probably incompacitate ones ability greatly.

[michaelm]

Anonymous


I also take 3,600 mg of Neurontin and it really doesn't do anything to relieve my pain. Like you, the pain is not every day.

[Rollonwheels]

i am now taking 4800 mg of neurontin each day, 3 times 1600 mg,
in the beginning, 1 year ago neurontin was giving me release, but now, it seems that nothing can help me with this pain. for now, i am taking quite a lot of medication, but the pain stil there. here is my daily medication: 4800 mg neurontin, 400 mg celebrex, 30 mg baclofen, 2 patchs of duragesic 50 every 2 days. Nothing seems to work.over the last year, i had epidurals, about once a month. First, epidural was giving me relief for 2 weeks, but the last one only lasted 2 days. If anyone has any suggest, i am in.