Gabapentin - could it be the cause of my rapid weight gain and muscle weakness?

[AMKR]

I know those are 'serious side effects' I'm calling my doctor first thing tommorow and asking for a script with the proper MG'age to taper with because I'm not taking the chance - but I went from 220 to 238 (18 pounds) in a month - without changing much of anything diet or exercise wise - the only difference was Gabapentin. Also Ive been dealing with the after effects of a pulled groin for months now - and I was depressed before hand, I basically just laid in one position on my left side for 6 months - now the groin has basically healed but my sacrum is off (i'm seeing a chiropractor with much results but its so slow... I just want to be able to exercise lose weight again - I was 160 a year and a half ago. I was put on this to take care of anxiety (along with my clonazepam script) because I was having frequent sweats and insomnia along with a bunch of other things - I was rather unsure about it but after a few days I enjoyed the anxiolytic profile. But even during my inactivity while depressed and before gabapentin durin the injury - NEVER did I gain weight THAT quickly. And now that I want to exercise - I can barely do 10 minutes on the profile and when I do my right leg ( the side of the injury ) feels like a limp noodle - Even when i was 260 back in the day I didnt feel like I had that much lack of muscle control - I had to really try to step up with my front foot/toes to mid foot from the heel like with difficultly (my leg is kinda twisted up, the knee/ankle/sacrum are not quite in alignment - and not matter what I do I cannot get it back into place, and I'm quite flexible - before putting on this weight I was up to an hour of intense flow yoga everyday along with hikes, eating good, climbing mountains, quitting ciggarettes feeling fantastic. Now I feel like that whole year was BS and am even madder because another one of the side effects of Gabapentin seems to be Sweating and thats basically why I was point on they though that it was an anxiety driven thing as my labs showed nothing.

Basically - I'm almost certain that the Neruontin is the problem (not to mention the brain fog, and it makes me feel retarded and short term memory loss, which aparently is why my Psychiatrist prefers neurontin to benzos as benzos as the memory problem yet in years of clonazepam amogn with other benzos, phenibut and other gabaergics - Ive never ever had short term memory problems - not like this atleast Morontin is right makes you feel down right stupid) but would switching to Lyrica help? Or is the side effect profile much the same?

Also I take the 600 mg tablet generic, 1.2 grams once nightly at bedtime with a 1 to 2 mg of clonazepam for about a month and a half now, which is why I think I need to taper rather than just stop.

 

[pasha]

Weight gain is a very common side effect of both pregabalin (lyrica) and gabapentin. Loosing weight is also very difficult on these drugs. However I'm inclined to think there's more to your weight gain, as you've put on 78 pounds in a year and a half. Depression also, something which gabapentin can exacerbate for some individuals, can cause extreme weight loss, or extreme weight gain.

Try consulting with a nutritionist, or posting in the Healthy Living section of this forum on tips for loosing weight. If the gabapentin is really an issue, I would endorse your decision in putting it behind you, and discussing a more suitable medication with your doctor.

Good luck.

 

[bronson]

It does sound to me like you may be experiencing some side effects and you're absolutely justified in wanting to talk to your doctor and starting to slowly taper off. Best to minimize WD effects, as it will give you the best idea of what issues the medication was causing to start.

Consider also though that after being laid up with an injury for six months, muscle weakness and the potential for weight gain aren't all that uncommon. Your previously fit self may just be something you need to ease back into. Not being able to do much for that long a period of time is in and of itself a depressing experience.

Just try to stay positively focused on the little improvements, come here for support, and keep us updated on how everything is going for you.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I definitely find gabapentin to make me feel very weak and tired and therefore less able to exercise, to increase the amount that I eat, to make me retain water, and to cause ataxia - lack of muscle control - especially in my legs. So yes, I think the gabapentin could be a contributing factor in weight gain and difficulty exercising. And yeah, it makes me sweat too. I think Lyrica could easily have similar side effects, and it seems to be more dependence-causing than gabapentin from reading about people's experiences with it (and considering how the body interacts with it). Honestly if it were me I would consider tapering off the gabapentin - wait that is what I am doing

 

[h.hulk73]

I would not recommend using weight gainer. It is best to use a natural products: peanut butter, eggs, oats, milk and others.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Weight gain is at least one of the potential side-effects listed in my pharmacy insert and I've heard of others experiencing this issue with gabapentin (Neurontin). I know it has anticonvulsant properties at the lower dose levels - not to mention some proconvulsant properties in the higher dose levels - but I don't know for certain if this would contribute to a feeling of tiredness or weakness. I didn't ever experience this sort of thing from taking gabapentin. Both it, and to a greater extent, pregabalin (Lyrica), make me hyper to the point of mania (when taken in escalated doses).

It seems like the majority of people don't experience this increase in energy and instead experience sedation, which I believe is the intended effect. I think it's safe to assume that any sedating substance is going to carry with it some risk of weight-gain, if not due to chemical changes in the body, due to the reduction of calories burnt vs. calories taken in.