Hey Puddin !
Good to see ya, stranger. You know you're welcome, even encouraged, to jump
in on any of my posts, anytime.
I hope all's going well and your absence has been from doing something fun
and not from hurtin'.
Keep in touch--og
"Puddin' Man"
gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ct4154hi1ieri5f1arrm9h66vuniv7hd5c@4ax.com...> On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:01:24 GMT, "OldGoat"
>
ERdocsuckYahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I trust OG will graciously forgive me for butting in ...
>>>Did the FDA ok Neurontiin for pain or is it still an off label use for the
>>drug? I know they approved Lyceria for use with Fibro patients, but I
>>wasn't aware they actually approved the use of Neurontin for pain.
>
> To my knowledge, Neurontin (Gabapentin) is still generally off-label
> for pain.
>
> From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin:
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Gabapentin was originally approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug
> Administration (FDA) in 1994 for use as an adjunctive medication to
> control partial seizures (effective when added to other antiseizure
> drugs). In 2002, an indication was added for treating postherpetic
> neuralgia (neuropathic pain following shingles, other painful
> neuropathies, and nerve related pain).[2]
>
> Gabapentin has been found to be effective in prevention of frequent
> migraine headaches,[3] neuropathic pain[4] and nystagmus,[5] and is
> prescribed off-label (that is, without formal regulatory agreement)
> for these conditions
>
> ...
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>>It's pretty strange this comes up now. I have a sort of friend who I think
>>is getting the beginnings of arthritis in the knees and they gave him
>>Neurontin last month. At the second of the 300mg starting doses, he
>>actually
>>had a seizure. It wasn't a grand mal or anything, he just "went out" (my
>>sister has petite mals and he described it perfectly, down to the post
>>ictal
>>headache) and slowly came back after some friends found him at the bottom
>>of
>>some steps. That didn't help the knees much either, I imagine.
>>The scary part is the doctor still suggested he continue up to the 900mg
>>level dose. I think I'd rather have my liver dissolved with a hefty dose
>>of
>>NSAIDS than have a seizure hit me from out of nowhere, driving down the
>>freeway.
>>
>>They could always try a real pain medication, I guess...--og
>
> I've not used Gabapentin, but my PM doc extorted me into trying Zonegran
> (Zonisamide), a similar drug, years ago. It disturbed my bodily
> equilibrium, had me off-balance, consistent with your friend's
> experience. Had no effect on my pain. I didn't take it for long.
>
> If Gabapentin truly helps someone, I have no problem with it, 'tho I
> fear it's like forcing a placebo-with-side-effects on at least *some*
> patients.
>
> But I'm damned if I could recommend long-term use of Gabapentin without
> reading stuff like:
>
>
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/10/12
>
> Which article begins:
>
> "FDA Wants Reanalysis of Data On Seizure Drug's Suicide Risk
>
> Nearly 300 reports of suicides by patients taking the anticonvulsant
> Neurontin have convinced the FDA to look closer at adverse-event
> reports from clinical trials. ..."
>
> Such problems may effect only a tiny little %% of Gabapentin
> patients, but it always pays to assess what one is subjecting
> oneself to.
>
> Prost,
> Puddin'
>
>>> The reason Neurontin is seen as a pain reliever is because it
>>> interrupts nerve impulses as part of its antiseizure properties, and
>>> pain impulses travel along neural pathways just like seizure impulses
>>> do. For some people, it acts on the pain nerves as well as the
>>> seizure impulses.
>>>
>>> For some of us, that doesn't happen. However, since the anti-narcotic
>>> camp is so persuasive, doctors - especially neurologists - are urged
>>> to try the antiseizure drugs for pain first in case they are effective
>>> on the person in chronic pain. Sometimes they'll give the patient
>>> breakthrough pain meds during this trial period, but more often they
>>> don't; it's a case of not wanting to mask the symptoms or the relief
>>> obtained by the antiseizure medication.
>>>
>>> Please remember - you are your own best advocate and asset. If you
>>> don't speak up for yourself, they'll just keep throwing the stuff at
>>> you hoping it will work. You need to educate yourself, keep a pain
>>> diary, keep notes, and keep at the doc until you get what you need for
>>> relief.
>>>
>>> Trisha in MO
>>
>
> " ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head."
> - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson
