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I'm supposed to take gabapentin 2 times a day for 7 days. Has anyone followed that regimen? I'm trying to not take medicine if not needed like Tylenol. Should I still take gabapentin?

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It depends on why your doctor prescribed gabapentin. Some say Valentin reduces appetite, although that wasn't so for me, as my hunger stayed the same. If I remember correctly it takes some time for this drug to build up in your system, so 7 days seems a very short time. I did not experience any adverse side effects, so in my opinion you would be fine to give it a try for a week. I would ask your doctor why you need to take it, and why only for 7 days. Topomax or even Buproprion were also supposed to reduce appetite according to my doctor, and although I took those for Migraines, neither suppressed my appetite. Hope this helps.

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gabapentin is for pain. Supposedly it's not addictive, so a lot of doctors seem to be prescribing it these days instead of opioids. I actually had very little pain with this surgery, so I didn't take any of the narcotics I was sent home with (I think they have me enough for something like five days). But if you're in pain, then gabapentin may be more effective than Tylenol.

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4 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

gabapentin is for pain. Supposedly it's not addictive, so a lot of doctors seem to be prescribing it these days instead of opioids. I actually had very little pain with this surgery, so I didn't take any of the narcotics I was sent home with (I think they have me enough for something like five days). But if you're in pain, then gabapentin may be more effective than Tylenol.

It depends on what pain actually as gabapentin would only relieve NERVE pain. My mom is diabetic and takes it for her neuropathy. It's also a possible medication that they would prescribe to me for my TN if my carbemazepine stopped doing it's job. It's really not a replacement for opioid pain medication and the doctor is an idiot if he prescribed it for that.

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Gabapentin is a seizure medication and they also use it for nerve pain as stated. It needs to be in your system for a few weeks to even work and can in some people cause weight gain. I was prescribed this for my lumbar stenosis and it didnt work at all for me.

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3 hours ago, NovaLuna said:

It depends on what pain actually as gabapentin would only relieve NERVE pain. My mom is diabetic and takes it for her neuropathy. It's also a possible medication that they would prescribe to me for my TN if my carbemazepine stopped doing it's job. It's really not a replacement for opioid pain medication and the doctor is an idiot if he prescribed it for that.

yes -- nerve pain. The OP didn't state what the gabapentin was for, so I had no idea. I assumed for pain from the surgery since she didn't say, and figured they may be doing that instead of narcotics nowadays, but then I have no idea.

Edited by catwoman7

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I was prescribed gabapentin for the day before my surgery. Apparently it has been shown that when taken pre-op that it can reduce the need for opioid pain relief post-op.

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I take gabapentin at night to help with my restless leg syndrome. It also helps to relax me and sleep better. It comes in liquid form so it is easy to take and has a kind of minty taste to it. Until your body gets used to it, it can make you really groggy, so make sure you can get through the first week or so without driving or take it after you get to where you will be for the day.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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