Comments | malnpudl: Gabapentin and anger/mood swings

malnpudl

Gabapentin and anger/mood swings

Jul 21, 2015 16:51

This is a duplicate of my post on the fucking_meds comm over on DW. Please feel free to reply wherever you like, or to e-mail or PM me if you'd like greater privacy for this discussion.

( Seeking anecdotal reports, with hope of... hope. )

Comments 5

desireearmfeldt July 21 2015, 23:56:30 UTC

No useful data, just *hugs*.

nialla42 July 22 2015, 00:54:29 UTC

I was on gabapentin for years, back when they thought the pain I was having was strictly nerve based with a migraine now and again versus the reality of 24/7 migraine with spikes in pain.

I don't recall mood swings really, but I was in such constant pain, I don't know that I would have realized changes. Pain makes me bitchy anyway. I do remember feeling even more depressive for about a month before leveling out.

I was told to always give it a month before giving up on a med because it takes time to get leveled out, but with the caveat of if I felt something was really wrong, to call the doctor. The only bad side effects that I had with anything was being even more tired than normal, to the point I was afraid I was going to wreck my car, and that med lasted a whopping two days.

Good luck!

scriggle July 22 2015, 01:33:27 UTC

I wish I could offer more than {{{hugs}}}

tafkarfanfic July 22 2015, 03:09:00 UTC

My partner was on gabapentin, and what you are describing sounds very familiar to him. The issues you are describing did not hit immediately. They slowly crept up and got worse and worse over time until he could no longer take it.

He started at 900 and was steadily tapered up to 1800mg/day. And what you are describing reads to him as how it was after he'd been on it a month. And it got worse. Much worse. The negative psychological effects were cumulative and it was a long and steady dive down into the dark the longer he was on it. We've been together 8 years and I've never seen him that depressed for that long. (Also, holy shit weight gain.)

On the bright side, the depression went away as soon as he got off it. Sadly, the weight gain has not corrected itself. (I love him as a teddy bear but he is not happy about it and it's not great for his health.)

ride_4ever July 22 2015, 21:28:09 UTC

No useful anecdotes about this particular drug. I have had some recent pain-relief and fatigue-relief improvement, but it's related to vitamin therapy...won't go on about it without your asking 'cause this comment is about what YOU want to know.

*moar hugs*