Migraine :: Gabapentin - Side Effects Long Term?


Aug 22, 2013

My husband has been suffering with unbearable headaches for 15 years. Over the last few months they have become so much worse to the point that he is in a ball, crying in pain, he can't see, can't walk, he was ranting during one attack that he was going to take all of the tablets he could find. He has no memory of saying these things when the headache has eased. He tells me the headache is there constantly but gets worse really quickly. He usually wakes up with the headache although they sometimes come on during the day. They are usually at the sides of his head above his eyes but swaps sides and sometimes goes down his neck. He gets them everyday for a week then has a few days to a week then they start again. He has had a number of GPs all of which have said he doesn't need to be referred to a specialist it is migraines as if it was anything 'serious' we'd have known by now ie nOt a brain tumour. He has had many preventative medicines but none have helped. His latest GP has prescribed gabapentin which was prior to his last and worst attack so far. When we explained what happened she merely raised the dosage and gave imigran for pain relief. I just wondered if anyone has been prescribed gabapentin long term for migraines and if there are any long term side effects as I've heard there are a number namely vitamin B 12 deficiency, pulmonary problems, long and short term memory loss.

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Gabapentin :: Potential Long Term Effects?

I have been on Gabapentin on and off for about 7 months (since approx January). I was taking it for chronic pelvic pain, and it worked well, but it made me very emotional and made higher cognitive functions difficult. After 4 months of semi-regular use, I got off it quickly, but kept it around in case of a severe pain flare up. As of now I have gone through 2 "100 capsule" bottles of 100mg pills, so not too much. Never took a higher dosage then 300 mg and never took more than 300 mg in one day. 

I've used it a few times recently (in July, just a few weeks ago) when the pain really flared up, thinking it would only have minimal side effects, but it has resulted in continual severe depression and dark thoughts even though I haven't taken any in two weeks. I took it occasionally because I thought the depression was predominantly from the chronic pain, but now I realize the gabapentin was the root of it. I'm terrified because I know the drug has long since left my system but I can't shake the side effects. Doctors and psychologists won't listen to me. They say I'm just depressed and it isn't the medication, but I'm positive it is. The pain is finally improving, I'm going back to school, and things are looking up. But there is this unshakable aurora that is plaguing me. No matter how hard I distract myself and push through there's this cloud that impairs my ability to emotionally and physical function (feelings of detachment, separation, depression, and some suicidal thoughts). Words come slower, it's harder to focus, memory is very dull. I wasn't concerned within the first few days, but it's been a few weeks now and I'm alarmed that it doesn't seem to be improving.

Do the side effects ever go away... How long does it take and what can catalyze the healing process? Is it possible to incur permanent damage from a low dosage, or does it take months to heal. Can anyone explain the biomechanics behind how gabapentin can affect patients weeks after usage.

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