Medication Free after being newly diagnosed (Amitriptyline, Gabapentin)

[Auriel]

@Rainbow , I forgot to hashtag your name to ask question somewhere above ❤

 

[Rainbow]

Rainbow, was the gabapentitin stop a gradual one, or did you just stop?
️ ️

I was on 300mg capsules & off my own bat, I decided to stop them & wait & see what see what happened,
Then I was told by Doctor doing medication review that Gabapentin are known to contribute to brain fog & memory loss,
which I felt was getting worse.

She stopped the prescription & put me on a Waitng List to get on a Waiting List for Memory Loss Clinic tests,
I didn't tell her I'd already recently stopped anyway.

As I write I've waited 5 months
& if that appointment doesn't arrive soon, or if it does, am likely to forget I need to go.

However, Gabapentin contributed to my quality of sleep by controlling unbearable nightly muscle cramps in my legs & after a few days I did get some leg cramp but managed to cope with it & was very pleased with myself when I completed the first week went on from there.

As I write I've been off them since before Christmas & have had no further leg cramps
and am thinking much clearer & feel 'brighter & lighter' & not feeling as 'down'.

I would only go back to them if for some reason I couldn't get the sleeping meds that guarantee me good quality sleep
but that would be very reluctantly & I'd rather find something else.

Disclaimer:
I did this & benefited from doing it but I have a rebel attitude & as usual, I do NOT advise anyone to do the same.

 

[Auriel]

Ooh @Rainbow, are they saying that memory loss is still affected even after stopping taking them (as in it could be a permanent side effect? Oh, that is scary if that's the case

 

[Lizzyloo]

Hi,
i didn’t think I could ever be medication free but I went to a pain clinic retreat and they talked about the impact (or lack there of) of lots of drugs people with chronic pain are given. I’m now only taking paracetamol and ibrupofen when I need them. The pain has lessened and I’m less tired. I’m really proud of myself for doing it. However it’s also important to realise that it doesn’t work for everyone. For me it’s the ritual of taking medication that sometimes helps more than the medication (little mints help to create placebo effects like that if that works for you too.)

 

[Rainbow]

Ooh @Rainbow, are they saying that memory loss is still affected even after stopping taking them (as in it could be a permanent side effect? Oh, that is scary if that's the case

I don't know that for sure & to be fair, I don't think that doctors know that for sure either.

What I do know for sure is that the likes of Alzheimers & Frontal Lobe Dementia etc runs through my family
& having witnessed my maternal grandmother & then my mother suffer, it has haunted me all my life.

Therefore, anything that is pointed out to me as contributing to memory loss, is something I will obviously try & avoid if possible.

Mind you, that didn't seem to prevent me 'treading the grape' with much gusto in my youth & onwards.
Nor did it stop me enjoying Cannabis for a few years.
Well, decades to be honest.

Seems I am a hypocrite but all of us are in one way or another, it's part of the human condition
& anyway, the way things are going worldwide at the moment, tomorrow is not a given for any of us,
so thinking 'long term' is a tad optimistic to say the least

and with that happy thought, I'll have some more Chocolate Caramels & bid you all farewell, for now...

 

[Auriel]

Oh, you're making me want sweets now, Rainbow, and I don't have any in the house

 

[cookiebaker]

Oh, you're making me want sweets now, Rainbow, and I don't have any in the house

how can you live with no sweets in the house????

At any given time, I have something here.. maybe not exactly what I crave at the moment, but there is something!
right now, i have a variety of dark chocolate sweets.. dark chocolate is my downfall... I love the stuff! but I do try to control my intake and not just binge on it.

 

[Auriel]

Stop it cookiebaker!

 

[cookiebaker]

Stop it cookiebaker!

I'm sorry.. forgive me?

 

[eTherapist]

Do what you feel is best for you at all times but Lyrica puts all you mentioned to shame. Lyrica works.

I personally took it 2 years ago and because of my being more holistic, I quit taking it. That was a mistake and I started taking it again just today. I have not been able to get out of bed for days. I know I will be up soon. I hate that I need it, but I do. You have a good day.

 

[sunkacola]

Do what you feel is best for you at all times but Lyrica puts all you mentioned to shame. Lyrica works . Go to drugs.com and read the reviews for fibromyalgia and Lyrica.
I personally took it 2 years ago and because of my being more holistic, I quit taking it. That was a mistake and I started taking it again just today. I have not been able to get out of bed for days. I know I will be up soon. I hate that I need it, but I do. You have a good day.

Lyrica works for you, and that is wonderful, eTherapist!
But keep in mind that we are all different. Especially with fibromyalgia, there is (unfortunately) no one drug or method that works to help everyone. Some people are helped by a certain medication, like Lyrica, but others have terrible side effects or it does no good at all.
Among many other things, Lyrica is one thing that a person can try out to see if it helps.

We are always glad on this forum to hear about what works for someone, because that is valuable information. But it should never be assumed or stated that because it works for one person it will work for another.

 

[Forgetmenot]

I can't take that. I know many people who find it does little to help. Plus pushing a drug online store doesn't fill me with confidence.

 

[Auriel]

OK cookie, , on the subject of chocolate, (anyone who likes chocolate and creative things) I found s guy that came up in my youtube feed (I've soooo subsribed) his name is Amaury Guichon, the stuff he makes is off the scale!!!, (he's a pastry chef) he's made chocolate harps, angel statues, perfume bottles, loads of things they look sooo real, cookie have a look

 

[JayCS]

Do what you feel is best for you at all times but Lyrica puts all you mentioned to shame. Lyrica works . Go to drugs.com and read the reviews for fibromyalgia and Lyrica.
I personally took it 2 years ago and because of my being more holistic, I quit taking it. That was a mistake and I started taking it again just today. I have not been able to get out of bed for days. I know I will be up soon. I hate that I need it, but I do. You have a good day.

See my answer to your other post. - "Something is strange in the state of Denmark" to misquote Hamlet...

 

[johnsalmon]

Lyrica works for me - stops the extreme pain but I still get minor flares - for me it does not seem to have any major side effects