Gabapentin

Hi all
I went for an appointment with dr silver in Warrington and he has prescribed gabapentin to help with sleep as I figet etc all night . I started it on Friday night abd didn’t sleep we’ll at all ! I took it last night slept a bit better but today I feel so drugged up abd drowsy ! It worries me as making the dizziness worse as feel drugged ! I am taking 100 mg before bed anyone rose on here got any experiences of gabapentin ? Also he has diagnosed me with hemi crania continua anyone else had the diagnosis ?

Hi Emme
I also see Dr Silver and have been diagnosed with hemi crania continua. Have you been to the Walton Centre yet and had the Indo test?
I also take Gabapentin to help me sleep. I currently take 1200mg at bedtime. It does help to make me sleep ( I suffered from terrible insomnia) Dr Silver wanted me to start taking it during the day as well but it made me really weary and drugged up so I stopped the day time dose. I feel not too bad on night time only. ( a little dopey when I first get up )
You’ve only just started taking it and these things sometimes need a little time to get used to. What dose do you have to go up to ?
Anne x

Dr Silver told me to take 300 mg Pregabalin before bed to help me sleep. It definitely helps. Try and stick with it and push through.

Pregabalin and Gabapentin is also used in the treatment of Restless legs.

Hi dizzyanne wow someone else that has been diagnosed with hemi crania continua ! Can I ask what your symptoms are please ? I was shocked when he gave me diagnosis as I had never heard of it as I don’t get the really bad severe pain on a daily basis the dizziness is more of a problem to me than the headaches ! I only started on the gabapentin four night ago but I’m like a complete zombie and has made the dizziness bad as I am so droysy ! I’m hoping it will pass , I just don’t know how long to give it as have 3 kids to take to school etc ! I find that my dizziness is more on my left and my eye sort if droops on my left . When did you get diagnosed ? Have you started on the indometacin ? If yes has it helped either the dizziness ? I have to start it once I am sleeping better or better quality if sleep but at the moment I could sleep all day ! Thanks for replying .

What is the indo test ?

Hi emma, I am also patient of dr silver’s and he diagnosed me with hemi crania continua in november last year, I am on 900mg of gabapentin to help me sleep, I’m due to go and see him at the end of may, I was shocked aswel to get that diagnosis as my main symptom is the dizziness, off balance, walking like I feel like im drunk, confusion, visual vertigo, shops are a hard, but has got better than it was, just walking up the stairs makes me feel horrible, I have headaches but not every day, I’ve also had the indo test, indo is short for indometacin, which is a drug, and the test is to see whether your headache disorder is responsive to the indometicen, I also have 2 children to look after and do the school run, which some days are so hard, but im hoping it will get better one day, and dr silver is one of the best consultants to see. I started on the gabapentin last november it definitely helps me sleep, before I was on it I had terrible insomnia, as soon as I closed my eyes I felt like I was spinning but that has gone now. What are your symptoms? How long have you been unwel for? If you dont mind me asking.

Hi vickster x thanks for replying x I got dizzy in august 2009 I had a miscarriage and a week later had spinning vertigo for 3 days and couldn’t get out of bed x I have been left imbalanced and dizzy ever since . I went to the national hospital in London and was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis and was told to do vrt . I did vrt and have had better patches but have never had a symptom free day . In January it got do bad I seeked another opinion and saw dr silver on 14 th April privately . I live in Devon so it was a trek ! My symptoms are about 3-4 headaches a month , visual vertigo , feeling of rocking , fatigue , never feel normal , off balance . It feel that the left hand side if my head it different to the right I feel like my eye looks droopy on the left , I get most if my headaches on the left and my dizziness is worse on the left. ! What did you have to do for the indo test ? He has said to get my sleep sorted in gabapentin and then once I feel this has settled to try indometacin starting at 25 mg and working my way up . I have only been taking the gabapentin for 4 nights and it has knocked me for 6 ! Did you find it hard to start with ? My dizziness has ramped since being on it and I am so tired ! I have a 6 year old and twin boys who are 3 ! Life is hard going I just want to feel normal that’s why this year I want to sort myself out . I am 33 and got this when I was 29 . The age you need to be on the ball . Have you seen any improvement ? Sorry fir questions I thought I was a rare case with hemi crania so feel so lucky to have found you x

hi emma, im glad ive found you aswell, i nearly cried when i saw you mentioned hemi crania continua, mine started 20th august 2011, i was in the park with my children and suddenly felt all funny, after that day i havnt had a symptom free day, normal day, my head pain is mostly on the left, i have the rocking feeling, fatigue, feeling like your there but not there, horrible pulling feeling when walking, panic symptoms, eyes dont feel like there working together, nausea also, actually vomiting with it, the first 2 years where the worst, going to ent, then doing vrt, which was just horrendous, not getting a proper diagnosis, anyway i feel like im on the track with dr silver, as soon as i mentioned my symptoms to him its text book he said, he thinks its this type of headache disorder and once the headache is turned off as he put it, then all the other symptoms should subside, so to try and answer your questions:- indometacin test was placebo injection one day and the next day actual indometacin, then you have to mark on a score sheet how you felt etc, in january of this year i saw him again to discuss the outcome, so then i then started the indometacin tablet, 25 mg, i managed to get up to 3 tablets a day, i stuck at it for a month but unfortunatley i couldnt tolerate the side effects, my dizziness was a lot worse, but everyone is different you might be able to tolerate it. gabapentin:-iv been on it for 5 months, i do think this has helped me a lot i started at 300 mg before bed, i tried taking it of a day but felt horrible, it did increase the dizziness for a couple of weeks but they where helping so much to help me sleep so i stuck with it, and dr silver said if you get your sleep right then thats a starting point, so i take 900mg now, just try and stick with it for a bit longer, i know its absolute hell, what i cant understand with all these tablets is that dizziness is one of the side effects, but you have to try and let your body adjust to them, my children where 2 and 5 when this happened and its horrible that they have at to see so ill, but i am better than i was, it just takes time i suppose, i know its so hard im 38 and 35 when it happened. take care vicky

Hi vickster . When you have described your symptoms it was like t
You were describing me ! I am do glad that I got a second opinion dr silver was lovely . In regards to the indo test he had not suggested this to me ivd just hit to trial the tablets once I feel I am sleeping better ! Where abouts do you live ? Did you see him privately ? I think it’s geographical for me as in in Devon ! I am gaving a telephone consultation with him in 4 months time to discuss everything etc. when are you seeing him again ? Please let me know what he suggests for your next steps as I think if the indo dies not work for me then it’s preventative meds for me x glad the gabapentin is helping I am taking 100 mg at night cant imagine taking 900 ! He has said that I can go up to 900 at night but I will see how it goes . Did you feel really groggy and tired in the day from talking them at first ? I feel like a zombie bug like you said I think I have got to get used to them x please stay in touch on here as I feel we could discuss meds abd stuff x have a nice day x

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Hi dizzyanne wow someone else that has been diagnosed with hemi crania continua ! Can I ask what your symptoms are please ? I was shocked when he gave me diagnosis as I had never heard of it as I don’t get the really bad severe pain on a daily basis the dizziness is more of a problem to me than the headaches ! I only started on the gabapentin four night ago but I’m like a complete zombie and has made the dizziness bad as I am so droysy ! I’m hoping it will pass , I just don’t know how long to give it as have 3 kids to take to school etc ! I find that my dizziness is more on my left and my eye sort if droops on my left . When did you get diagnosed ? Have you started on the indometacin ? If yes has it helped either the dizziness ? I have to start it once I am sleeping better or better quality if sleep but at the moment I could sleep all day ! Thanks for replying .

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Hi Emma, have you ever heard of Horner’s Syndrome? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horner%27s_syndrome Your comment about a drooping eye caught my eye.