Gabapentin and losing weight

BettyBlueEyes

I started taking gabapentin (neurontin) in August for neuropathic pain and since then have found it really hard to lose weight. I'm exercising like mad a controlling what I eat, but it's not shifting like it did before. In the last week I have noticed my face looks swollen. Has anyone else had these problems? Or do you have any advice? I kow it's a common anti-seizure med as well so I'm sure there are lots of people on it.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated

Betty

dicoveringwhoIam

Gabapentin can cause loss of appetite as well as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. It can also cause facial edema and generalized edema. Sometimes after an extended amount of time taking these kinds of meds the s/e subside and of course sometimes they dont. Most people who have a problem with this med try Lyrica which essentially does the same thing however it can cause edema too. Good luck!

BettyBlueEyes

Thank you for your reply. This looks like being a long-term thing; I've had headaces for 11 years and for the first time ever I'm hardly ever getting them, it's such a relief that I can't imagine going back to that again. Let's hope the side effects subside as you've suggested. Shame about not having the loss of appetite thing though!

yma_g

Hi, I have been on Gabapentin before and found it really difficult to lose any weight, in fact I actually found it really easy to gain weight while I was taking it. I also found the side effects really difficult to cope with, especially the dizziness and eventually this led me to change my meds to Lyrica, this I found a lot less challenging for both the side effects and weight control. I take it for a neuropathic pain which come in spells so I can manage to be off meds for a period of time before I have another attack and have to re-start the meds. For me the side effects do get easier with time and i did find that both worked for the pain (although Lyrica worked slightly better for me). I don't know about you but I will take pretty much any side effects over the pain! Good luck with the meds and hope the side effects settle soon.

avir8

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Lesa_Sass

I took it for a little while this summer and it did not effect my weight but it DID effect my mental state of mind.

I got nasty with people (my sister said there is a reason it is called NEUOROTTEN) and then one night I had the side effect of suicidal thoughts, which I laughed off when I first started taking it. After all, I have a great life, there is no way I would ever feel that way. Well I did.

The reason I am telling you this is so you can beware and be aware. The stuff is poison to me.

I have horrible chronic pain as well, I hope you get the balance you need to live a healthy and pain free life.

ashski82

Just wondering if you have any luck with maintaining weight loss while on neurontin? I've been on it for about 6weeks and had gained nearly 15lbs. I'd been exercising 7x's/week and felt so discouraged that i was still gaining. 10 days ago i started exercising 2-3x's/day and began using my fitness pal to track the calories because my brother has had great success. I found that while on the neurontin I was still gaining if I met the calorie goal so I dropped 500cal/day and have been able to lose 5lbs (of the weight I've gained on this miracle/curse of a drug) BUT I was away on vacation and it is not realistic to exercise 3x's/day, and I can live off specialK With strawberries while away but find that to be a competing interest with my desire to cook delicious food for my husband. I think I could get us on a pretty decent calorie regime for the 1820cal/day or so, but I'm not sure I can keep my calorie intake so low and exercise so much, especially with the drowsy, dizzy side effects of the drug, I find I have very little energy and often feel sick... but I have tried everything for the nerve damage/pain...

Would love any feedback because two GP's and the neurosurgeon think this is a long term deal...

Hoponopono

Hi...I am brand new to MFP and just acquainting myself with the boards...when I noticed this posting. I am a T2 Diabetic with severe neuropathy pain in my feet. My medical provider prescribed Neurontin (Gabapantin) 100mg BID...but it quickly became apparent that it was not going to be effective at such a low dose on 200mg daily; so I went back and they bumped it up to 1200mg spread over three doses daily. So I took the time to do some research on Neurontin and some of the things I learned were that it has a notorious half life...in other words it wears off quickly, it is most effective at dosages above 1200mg daily, the top safe limit is @ 3600 mg daily and it is best distributed/taken 3 times a day to counter act the half life. It is also known for making you nauseous, unstable on your feet and can have negative mood side effects.

Also, and I think this is where some of my weight gain might have come with after starting the higher dosage, Neurontin (Gabapantin) is affected by the ingestion of food and eating can give a temporary boost to the medication of up to 18%. I started to notice that I was eating more around an hour after taking a dose and I would seriously feel the medication kicking up a notch....I also noticed that the higher dosage changed my mood from feeling energetic right after taking a dose to becoming negative as the medication started to wear off. I really loved how it helped me literally get back on my feet and become more mobile (it worked fantastic at controlling the horrible neuropathy pain in my toes) but I didn't like the "drugged" feeling I was having while on it and coming off it was absolutely horrible.

I'm off it and staying off...I am still on my feet and moving...it is painful but I have a clear head, I'm steady on my feet and I'm back to stabilizing my carb intake; lowering my BG to much more manageable levels.

I don't know if any of this helps but I thought I'd offer my experience with it.

Best

Tracegreen

Hi guys, ive never posted to MFP boards before, but this is such a problem i just had to. Ive been on both Lyrica AND Gabapentin for a while, im having lots of pain in my legs from my M.S. I not liking the side effect much at all. I feel 100% better regarding the pain, but HOLY MOLY... gain weight much??? lol. Yeah im back on MFP hoping to lose some of it, just wondered if any of you had any luck??? Thx Trace. x:happy:

cafeaulait7

I'm on gabapentin, but I like a low dose only because of the half-life issues (my mood/energy would change). The low dose helps me and causes no problems at all.

But I also take a heavy-duty NSAID and Tramadol and Skelaxin for the pain, because mine's mixed pain. I don't know if that helps folks who have purely neuropathic pain going on

Maybe ask if a low dose 3 times a day is possible to try. The docs seem to jump from a little to a ton with not much in between.

edit: Oh, and if you've never tried the Rx patches (lidoderm for me, but there are opiates) and/or topicals like Voltaren gel, give them a shot if your spots are fairly localized. They do help me. The Lidoderm was made for shingles pain, so it might work on other neuropathic pain.

whhth

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natalieoraw

Hi I'm new to this message board stuff . I suffer from chronic back pain . I've had one op already but basically in agony 24/7. I take 2 tramadol , 2 co co damol , 2 300mg gabapentin and 20 mg of citalopram . I function ok . My biggest concern is the amount of weight I have gained especially in my legs . I have gained over a stone in weight in the last year . I work out like a fiend and don't eat that much but yet I still gain . I feel like my legs are full of water and do not belong to me . I have tried to stop taking them but the pain is unbearable . I am so highly strung about my weight that I think now I never want to take them again . I'm sure they are the reason for my weight gain . I have even resorted to buying thyroxine online in the hope that it shifts some weight . Sometimes I get so down . My head is foggy . Suicidal thoughts do cross my mind but that's when I feel really low . Here's hoping I can stop the gabapentin and the pain will be manageable . I take diclifenic too . Forgot about that .

Tammyhiles

I've been on Gabapentin for awhile and have not noticed any significant weight gain. I am on it for my fibromyalgia. My doctor also thinks that my migraines are caused by my fibro. He prescribes Motrin 800mg, for my migraines. Unfortunately, my pain pill is a regular in my life as the Gabapentin, now. It also works as a mood stabilizer in me. It helps that anyway. I recently ran totally out of my Gab one time, only for a day.

KerrySayers27

Hi. I take a high dose of gabepentin AND Lyrica. I have been on it for a few years now and have gained 5 stone. I have a friend in the same position as well. I find it very hard to lose weight. I manage to lose about 8 pounds then it comes to a stop and quickly goes back on again

yguerne

Betty, I'm curious to know how things are going with you. Are you still on the Gabapentin? What dose do you take? Are you still struggling with your weight? I've been on GP for 8-9 months and have gained 33 lbs, despite clean eating. It's taken a lot of my energy, so I'm not very active these days, but I'm getting back into regular exercise. My weight continues to climb despite reducing my calories to my BMI requirements. I would love to hear if things have gotten better for you over time.

teresaCW1

I was losing weight until I switched to Gabapentin. Since then the weight loss has come to a halt and I'm starting to slowly put it back on regardless of keeping count of my calorie intake and workouts (which are pretty light still, maybe 30 minutes at a time). I can't find a answer as to why it causes the gain which I wish I could and then maybe I could work on that. Some have said it causes you to eat more but I don't find that to be my case and others have said water weight but I haven't noticed that anywhere else other than how swollen my mid section stays. So I'm hoping to find a answer posted one day on this post. It fits me to a T.

leex143

I was prescribed gabapentin to use only when I felt like I was having a panic attack. This does not happen often so I would say I would probably need to use it once or twice a month. It is only at 300mg. After reading all of these posts I am very concerned about it causing weight gain. Does that only happen when you take the drug often or at high doses?

cafeaulait7

I was prescribed gabapentin to use only when I felt like I was having a panic attack. This does not happen often so I would say I would probably need to use it once or twice a month. It is only at 300mg. After reading all of these posts I am very concerned about it causing weight gain. Does that only happen when you take the drug often or at high doses?

I would think so (but I wouldn't know for sure). I haven't had a problem with it at all, and I do not take a high dose, even though my doc wanted me to. I do take it daily for years and years now. I got really fit and tiny a few years ago and I was taking it then.

If you rarely take it and take your 300mg, you'll probably get sleepy Just a warning! The sleepiness was my original reason for not going high on the dosage.

Manouche66

I looked it up and these are the side effects:
•back pain
•constipation
•coughing
•dizziness
•drowsiness
•dry mouth
•erectile difficulties (problems getting or maintaining an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse)
•fatigue
•heartburn
•increased appetite
•itchy skin
•muscle pain
•nervousness
•runny nose
•sore throat
•swelling of feet or ankles
•tremors (shaking)
•twitching
•weight gain

I have been on it for at least 3 years and find it hard to loose weight as well. I lost 3 pounds in 1 month.

leex143

Thanks you I'll have to look out for the sleepiness!

DebbieLyn63