I tried to post this on My Page but it looks like most of it didn't show up. Obviously I am new at this! Here's my story...
After several visits to dentists and a tentative diagnosis of TMJ, I ended up in an ER because the jaw/head pain was so bad. A CT scan showed nothing unusual but it was recommended I see a neurologist. It took awhile to get an appt. but I finally did on August 5th. I was diagnosed with TN (had no idea what that was at the time) and was prescribed Oxcarbazepine. I started by taking one a day, then two and everything was going okay. The pain was tolerable. But since I still had some jaw pain, I was supposed to up the dose to three a day. At this time, I began feeling intense burning, tingling and itching, somewhat like a very bad sunburn. I also had some other side effects, twitching eye, dull headache all over my head, etc. I called the doctor and gradually stopped the pills. But this morning the jaw pain was SO horrendous I decided I had better give the pills another try. I took one around 8:00 AM and within an hour had the same burning feeling on my skin and it still has not gone away. It was awful. Of course my doctor is out of town but another doctor in the same practice has now prescribed Gabapentin. I am supposed to take one before I go to bed. I am picking up the prescription soon but I am afraid to take one right before I go to bed because of the bad side effects I've had with Oxcarbazepine. So that's where I'm at right now. Is there any reason why I couldn't take the Gabapentin in the morning instead of at night? I am going to talk to the pharmacist about it but figure you all have more experience and knowledge! Thanks in advance for any advice and info.
Jackie, thanks very much for your response. I just picked up the Gabapentin and the pharmacist said it has less side effects than Oxcarbazepine. I hope it will help and not cause my skin to break out in a rash and feel hot, burning and tingling. My jaw pain, so far, has not been a constant thing but I know that it is definitely getting worse to the point where I am afraid to eat. The good news is, maybe I’ll lose some weight! I had shingles on that side of my face in 2004. It was up near my left eye area. I can’t help wondering if that is connected but all of the doctors I’ve talked to say it isn’t. ~ Carol
Never took Gabapentin but many people on here have. When they say take at night it is usually because the med causes drowsiness or some other side effect that is best to experience when you are asleep.
Good luck with everything. You have found a great site.
Hi Catte, When I took Gabapentin is pretty much just made me feel a little tipsy all the time. Other than that I did ok with it. But when I got up to higher doses it was hard to concentrate at work! Good luck. Min
everyone experiences different drugs differently. I had no issues with gabapentin but lots with oxcarbenzepine. You will just have to see. The big thing is that you think clearly and explore your options carefully and thoughtfully before you are desperate! Make your own treatment plan with the thought that "if this fails then my next step will bw..." study carefully and research well. Drs will guide you the way they were trained. Others were trained differently.
The big thing is to not make a decision under pressure...know what you are doing! You are in charge of you!
I had the same problem you had. It's an allergic reaction to medication and the reaction is called Stevens Johnson and can be very serious (you can google it). I was put on four or five different meds and had the same reaction. Fortunately, I was in the hospital at the time and they were right on top of it and able to flush it out of my system with massive IV's.
Gabapentin (also called Neurontin) was the only one that worked for me without any reactions or side effects.
Whatever you do, DON'T go back on the med that gave you the reaction.
Gloria, thanks for the confirmation because I was told that this was not a side effect of the medication more than once by the doctor's office and I certainly knew it was. I was considering going to the ER yesterday but figured the stuff would eventually leave my system and it did by this morning. I won't be so stupid if this happens again. I'll go to the ER ASAP.
My disorder is atypical trigeminal neuralgia ,I've been taking gabapentin and lamictal for nearly two years with positive results. My dosage is 600 mgs, three times a day. I do experience some of the mentioned side effects. How many milligrams is your pill and does your physician plan to up your dosage to more than 1 pill a day? I'm pretty sure most gabapentin people in our group take it more than once a day. As the saying goes, "different meds for different heads"..Keep a log of your pain and drug reactions and keep pestering your doc until you find the right "treat" for you.
SFBill, the gabapentin is 300 mg capsules. I've been told to take one a day for three days, then take one twice a day for three days, then take one three times a day. I am on my last day of one pill a day. So far they haven't helped. I guess it will take awhile to see any results? The pain has been pretty bad this morning. Thanks for the suggestion for a log. I actually did buy a notebook yesterday for just that purpose.
I had shingles on that side of my face in 2004. It was up near my left eye area. I can’t help wondering if that is connected but all of the doctors I’ve talked to say it isn’t. ~ Carol