Posted by drummer (209.105.134.159) on August 06, 1999 at 05:37:06:
In Reply to: Neurontin ( Gabapentin ) posted by JohnP on August 06, 1999 at 01:02:54:
Hi John
First a brief history. 15 years chronic clusters. From June of 1998 to November of 1998 I was taking 720mg of Calan SR, (generic is Verapamil) with 2000mg of Depakote. I tell you this because like Neurontin, Depakote is also an anti-seizure or anti-convulsant medication. With Depakote I had to be concerned with toxicity. I had to have my blood checked for harmful stuff every month. The Depakote made my hands shake and left me feeling a bit loopy. The Depakote stopped “working” in late November of 1998.
In February of 1999 I started taking the Neurontin to replace the Depakote that stopped “working”. From November 1998 to February 1999 I stayed on just the Calan SR at 720mg/day. The two months of nothing but the Calan SR were “hell months”. “Hell months” are what I call the time that I just fight the usual 3-5 cluster attacks a day.
As I said, in February of 1999, I started ingesting the Neurontin. I started at 900mg a day at first. (3 300mg pills per day). I had no need to get my blood checked with this medication. No toxicity. Over the months since February of 1999 I have increased the dose to 3600mg a day. According to my doctor this is the maximum amount that I can take without dying. Loved the Neurontin! (generic/Gabapentin didn’t work) I’ve had no shaky hands and no feeling of loopyness with this medication. YA-HOO!
For some reason this medication has started to “stop working” for me. I consider “stopped working” to mean that I’m getting “hit” with a cluster more than once a day again. “Hell months” are returning once again. In time I’ll see my doctor for a new medication. Right now I have to start weaning my body off of the Neurontin. YA-HOO!
For some reason the generic products don’t work for me. This really sucks because the generics are much less expensive than the brand name medicines. I believe that God’s plan, (if there is a God), is for me to give lots and lots and lots of my money to the various pharmaceutical companies. YA-HOO!