What Could Be Wrong? - Henderson,NV

My sister was on it and was so dizzy, nauseous and felt her body out of control she couldn't drive or function like she needed to, so had to go off of it and on something else.

Here's a list of possible side effects -
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR60070...

And this is a rhetorical question, but since children can have strokes, how young is too young to have a stroke? I've personally known a toddler and other children to have one.

Hope you get help soon and feel better.

If I remember correctly, about 30-45 minutes after I took it, I would get a dizzy or drowsy feeling. I think I took it twice a day....

This was probably 15 years ago or more... I don't completely remember, though.

My 30 year old cousin had those symptoms and went to the doctor about 2 wks ago. He told her the same thing...pinched nerve, too young to have a stroke. A few days later she still had tingling and weekness on e one side of her body. She went to the hospital... turned out she had a mini stroke (TIA).

Yes, pinched nerves can cause numbness and tingling and also make your arm or neck feel weak where it is hard to lift or support it. The symptoms are strange and very scary. Ice helped a lot as well as physical therapy. It can take a while to fully recover depending how bad it is.

This happened to me but I was also dizzy and double vision. My doctor ordered a Catscan, MRI, angiogram and a full panel of blood work. He did this so they could figure out what it was (first thought was stroke). To just say they think its a pinched nerve and give you a script is a problem. I'm 46 and its better to have this checked out to make sure you know what it is. Go see someone else asap. Good luck!

Hi N.W.,
Can you move the limbs on left side of your body (with or without pain)? If not, this is a medical emergency. If you can move the limbs but have numbness and tingling on the skin, then you're likely dealing with a musculoskeletal issue which could be a pinched nerve but could be something else. If the entire left side of your body is affected, then the nerve involvement must be very high up your spine -- somewhere in the neck. Even so, it's unusual for a pinched cervical (neck) nerve to result in numbness of both the arms and the legs. Pinched nerves in the lumbar region (low back) or within the pelvis (hips) can result in numbness and pain in the legs and feet. If you're having spasming muscles in both your neck and along the entire spine, including the lower back, this would explain why you're having numbness along the entire left side of the body.

Your doctor is probably trying a short course of gabapentin as both a palliative and a diagnostic approach -- did he schedule a 7 day recheck with you? If not, give the office a call and find out what the doctor's proposed course of action is. If you're not happy with the answer, get a second opinion. Gabapentin is usually used for nerve pain, not numbness, although because it was actually developed as an anti-seizure medication, it can be helpful if spasming muscles are the cause of a "pinched nerve." Other medications that are frequently used for muscle spasms are Soma and Flexeril, but frankly, they will knock you on your a$$. Nerves move through muscle, so think of it this way: nerve transmission is like water moving through a garden hose. If the hose has holes along it's length and is open at the end, water gets to the source where it's needed at the end of the line, but also sprays out the holes and waters things along the way (like a soaker hose). If you squeeze the hose somewhere in the middle, water, that is nerve transmission, is blocked at the end of the line, but can still spray out higher up before the blockage. So, if you think of your hands are the muscles squeezing the nerve, this should give you an idea of how a muscle spasm can pinch a nerve and cause numbness below the point at which the spasm is occurring.

Seeing a chiropractor or an osteopath for a pinched nerve is a good idea -- they're training for dealing with such issues is different from standard medical training. Often, they will use ultrasound, heat, and massage to relieve the muscle spasm. If a misaligned disc is putting pressure on a nerve (rather than a muscle), spinal manipulation can relieve the pressure and thus the numbness. If your problems persist, you might ask your doctor to consider sending you to see a neurologist.

Chiropractor! You won't regret it, trust me.

Too young to have a stroke?? Have your doctor tell that to the 18 year old boy from my church who had one two weeks ago a few days after he graduated high school...not saying you are having a stroke but anyone, even children can have strokes.

You are never to,young to have a stroke. Granted it is more common with older adults, but there are many things that can cause a stroke, including birth control pills (especially if you are a smoker). Here is info from Mayo Clinic about strokes. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stroke/DS00150/DSECTION=...

It probably wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. If you think it could be a stroke, see a medical doctor before seeing a chiropractor. Not all chiropractors are trained in recognizing the signs of stroke. My dad had a co-worker whose father went to a chiropractor thinking it was a pinched nerve, thankfully his chiropractor recognized the signs of a stroke and they got him to the hospital in time to great him.

I was on 300 mg 3x/day in conjunction with other meds. It made me feel a little less pain but did nothing for my tingling/numbness. I have fibromyalgia. I do recall that in the beginning gabapentin would make me nauseated from time to time as well as cause digestive upset in that I was often not hungry. I started off with tingling in extremities and face that for me progressed to tingling from head to toe.

I wish you luck on finding the issue of your tingling and numbness and overcoming it quickly.

I have taken Gabapentin after hip surgery complications and severe nerve damage.

I took it for almost a year not thinking there was any side effects. After about a year I forgot to take it one day, and again the next day after that (I know you are NOT supposed to just stop taking this med..but I honestly forgot). On day three I realized I felt so much better without the meds that I just didn't take it and realized I was thinking much clearer, not nearly as tired as I had been and just generally felt better all over. After six months I just tossed them all away. My neurologist was not happy with me, but I felt he kept pushing these pills on my and wanted to me take more then I had been. When I asked if they would help me get well faster and walk without pain faster he said no. It will just make you feel better. As I walked out of the office I decided I was done with him and the Gabapentin.
Take them to see if it helps your pain...it helped me initially right after surgery...but I think I should have stopped taking them long before I did. This was just "my" experience, you certainly do what works best for you.

I would see another doctor. If you get these symptoms again go straight to the ER.

Sounds like your doctor is just making a guess without any workup.

You are not too young for a stroke - for crying out loud even children can have a stroke.

I'm only answering to tell you that I take this medication daily for anxiety and have had no side effects. In fact, I find that it wears off within a few hours and I've been given the go ahead to take more if I need it. Even with an added 1-2 doses daily, I still have no side effects. I, too, would try a chiropractor before doing anything else.

I am in no way saying you are having a stroke I am not a doctor. I am a speech therapist and see young people who have had strokes often. It is much more common than it was 15 years ago. The young people I see with strokes usually have many risk factors but some do not. In the last several years I have had patients 24 years old, 27 years and many in their early 40s. I work at a larger medical center with a trauma and stroke center. Again I am in no way saying you are having a stroke but I think it would be your best interest to educate yourself on the risk factors and symptoms. If you have any further concerns encourage your medical provided to be thorough in their evaluation. I hope you found this information helpful and you probably have nothing to worry about. Good luck

I don't have any answers. But I would recommend seeing a chiropractor. They are amazing.

And get a new doctor. He's an idiot. It may not be common, but you're never too young for a stroke.

My first thought when you described what you were feeling was a pinched nerve in your neck. I get them too. I'm not familiar with the drug you're taking. Is it a muscle relaxer? That is the only thing that helps my husband when he gets a pinched nerve. Unfortunately, I can't take them, so I just suffer through it until I can get to acupuncture which helps immensely.

To be on the safe side though, did the doctor perform any neurological tests? They're pretty simple tests that they have you do with your fingers, feet, etc. and then if there are signs of neuro problems they do more testing.

Are the symptoms there only when you lie down? I had this happen to me but only when lying down/bedtime - turns out it was severe acid reflux - symptoms for severe reflux can feel like a heart attack. I even had heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Doc put me on ranitidine (Zantac) which is kinda like tums but prescription - I'd take when when symptoms came on and never felt the numbness/tingling after that. I'm no doc tho so check with your own doc first. Good luck!