Gabapetin (Neurontin), Twitching and Restless Legs
Original Post: Is anyone on the drug gabapentin? Are you getting results or side effects?
Survivor Responses:
I took it for a while. It never did anything for me, other than caused my eyes to be so bloodshot it looked like I was constantly plastered drunk.
I am about to start taking gapabetin (Neurontin) and hope it helps. My doc gave me a schedule to take starting out with 1 tab. He hopes it will help but no guarantee. I am going to have some PT which I hope will help my back and legs and I do know my limits so they will not push me into something I can or cannot do.
Two a day stopped my foot and leg cramps with no side effects
I had a really bad experience with it - lowest dose (200 maybe?) - it did help the muscle spasms a little, but after a few months? I couldn't connect words & sentences together. It was really scary. I've resorted to Dr. Richard Bruno's theory of understanding what was causing the muscle spasms in the first place & change the behavior. It was harder, but far better. Those drugs are not good for me at all. (Lyrica was far worse).
I tried taking a third dose (300 mg) midday and it really messed up my mind. I was just not right!! I gave it a few days to see if I would get used to it, but no way. I was adding it (per PPS doctor's orders) to help with insomnia but it was not the way to go. 600 mg/day I don't even notice, but no cramps. We added a half Klonipin for sleep and it helped that problem.
Dr. Bruno’s Response: Unless you have a pinched nerve, diabetic nerve pain or similar NERVE pain polio survivors shouldn't be taking gabapentin or Lyrica for PPS.
Restless legs are NOT related to nerve pain. Leg pain may make you want to move your legs, but it’s not the same thing. Remember:
Restless Legs Syndrome is when you feel that YOU have to move your legs.
Nocturnal Myoclonus is when your legs (or any muscles) twitch or jump on their own during sleep.
For polio survivors, who have Nocturnal Myoclonus, at the Post-Polio Institute, we recommended a low dose of alprazolam 30 minutes before bed.
We did NOT recommend drugs that stimulate or block dopamine in the brain (like pramipexole (Mirapex), rotigotine (Neupro), ropinirole (Requip) or Provigil) which are often prescribed for Restless Legs.
Involuntary limb movements, twitching and muscles jumping, is not uncommon in polio survivors and is a sign of overuse. The poliovirus did indeed damage the dopamine producing parts of the brain.
We ALWAYS recommend going to the source of the pain.
See: Parkinsons Like Symptoms . Go to the Encyclopedia of Polio and PPS and look in the Index under the topics: “abnormal movements”, “Leg movements in sleep” and “drugs and medications”.