Posted by Else on July 24, 2001, at 20:20:06
In reply to new to neurontin, posted by Angelique on July 24, 2001, at 16:47:38
I've been on Neurontin, 900mg a day, for about 6 weeks. I'm taking it for anxiety and find it is a mild anxiolytic and an adequate mood-stabilizer if you're not bipolar but just labile (like if you start feeling intensely sad for no reason for a few minutes and then it goes away, I get that, it's weird) . I have virtually no side effects from this drug except loss of libido (of course). I don't tend to gain weight on drugs so my own experience is probably not typical. I was on Depakote and I didn't gain one pound though some people gain dozens of pounds on this drug. Neurontin can cause weight gain, it is listed as a possible adverse effect but it hasn't happenned to me. One way you could try to control this is Wellbutrin. I had recently stopped but I just started again because I am getting a very strong feeling it was controlling my PMS symptoms better than anything else (I used to take Zoloft and it did nothing). For the past few months I have had virtually no PMS and then two weeks after I stopped the drug, it came back with a vengeance ( I am in hell as I write this). So at least for me, it seems to be effective.And it has the added benefit of being a pretty good appetite suppressant (it is chemically related to Tenuate, an diet pill), most people loose five pounds while on it. It is not a diet drug though, too much of it can produce seizures. Still it might even out any weight gain you could get from other meds.
> My doc just gave me neurontin. I've done paxil before
> (bad time with that....got severly depressed and gained
> weight), prozac and buspar, prozac on its own.
> I'm currently on prozac 10mg (20mg had too many side
> effecs) and catapres, a blood pressure medicine she
> gave me for anxiety. Now she's adding neurontin to the
> mix.
> My diagnosis at this point from her is PTSD with
> depression. My last non-doc shrink thought maybe
> OCD. Before my doc had said GAD. All I know is I have
> OCD symtpoms, anxiety, and mild to moderate depression
> (it's been worse at times), and hormonal moodswings
> that can get pretty bad. I have endometriosis and was
> put on depo provera, but at a higher dosage than is
> used for birth control. Every two months when I'm
> due for a shot I get the moodswings. I get just like
> those PMDD commercials advertise only more so and with
> my already existing symtpoms.
>
> I'm nervous to take this drug. I don't want any more
> weight gain. And I can't afford to be tired or dizzy.
> I have a hard enough time waking up in the mornings
> and have been known to sleep through two alarms.
> I think she's got me starting on 300mg a day...100 AM
> and 200PM, but it may be higher, cant' remember.
>
> SO...the point here is can anyone tell me any side effects,
> anything to expect from this drug...the pros and cons,
> etc. I had a friend who took depakote and it knocked him
> out for 12 hours every night after he took it and I don't
> want this drug doing that to me. MY doc said it won't
> and that she has young kids on it but I don't 100%
> trust her...she's changed dosage on my prozac
> once without asking and once her office called in the
> wrong drug (paxil when I was taking prozac).
>
> any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
poster:Else
thread:71671
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71694.html