LOOKING FOR A LITTLE HELP

[Destiny4]

I  have gone thru the ringer and back with medical problems but they finally got it figured out and i am on neurotin now.  the past 3 days i have been getting these god awful dizzy spells where it is like everything around me is spining.  it is random and doesnt do it if i do something certan.  I am also very nautious if i eat anything so i am on zofran for that.  throwing up really hurts my nerve damage in my stomache and since i am a recovcered pain pill adict i cant go that route again.  What causes this? i went to the ER and they said if it doesnt get better than to go back but i dont wnt to have to spend $200.00 which is my ER copay.  when i get really dizzy and i feel like i am going to pass out if i close my eyes it gets 10  times worse.  I feel like i cant breathe when it happens and i get a sharp pain in my back right in the middle under my shoulderblades if i try and take a deep breath.  i can barely stand and i have almost colapsed a couple of times it has hit me.  I have been on the neurontin for over 3 months now so i dont really think it could be a side effect from that.  

Anyone got any advise?

[Destiny4]

thank you very  much i really do appreciate it more than i can ever say.


des

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Sorry for what all you have to go through.

Neurontin is useful in decrasing neuropathic pain. After all these surgeries, neurontin is definitively helpful in reducing post surgical pain. You seem to have become addicted to neurontin.The symptoms of dizziness and blurred vision may be a side effect of long term neurontin use or it may be due to some other pathology. It can be due to hypoglycemia, cerebrovascular disease, TIA or stroke. Ear infections and other causes like Meniere’s disease or inner ear diseases can also lead to dizziness.

Pls consult a neurologist for a confirmatory diagnosis.

You have also mentioned manic depression 0 bi-polar.It is important to consult a psychiatrist for that so that early treatment can be started.
Hope it helped.

Take care and regards.

[Destiny4]

sorry i forgot i also pee around 30-40 times in one day it isw ridiculous. i dont know if that has any bearing on it. i do not have a gal bladder from galstones, apendix from apendicitus or a left ovary from ovarian cysts. and that all happened within 6 months of eachother.

thank god i have been at my job so long they allowed me to take all that time off for surgeries and i do not have a uterous or cervix from a hysterectomy but i do have endometriosis of the right ovary so i get cysts when i ovulat each month.

i know this is alot of information but you were very helpful im your  last post. please forgive my spelling errors as i am exhausted.

[Destiny4]

i was physically addicted to pain meds and i was at the point that when i woke up in the morning i was in a cold sweat since i hadnt taken then all night long. so i chose to go off of all of them cold turkey i tried tappering those but it just fed the addiction.; i am hypoglocemiic but i have only changed my diet for the better as i am trying to lose weight. i have been on the neurotin for almost 3 months and they  have to keep increasing the dosage since the pain comes back about every 3 weeks and it is simply umbeable and usually ends me in the ER so i can get some relief.  i dont think they know what it is and the neurotin is a bandaid for now but i have a husband, 4 children and a very high paced stressfull job as an account manager of the nations largest apt complex so i cant be in bed cause i am in so much pain.

alot of those side effects i have symptoms of and that is kinda scary, the clumsiness, blurred vision, diziness, diareha, back pain and well i could go on but i wont bore you. my doctor is the kind that just likes to play pass the patient so i have had  colonoscopy done, 4 surgeries and still the pain is here.  i am at wits end and i am also suffer from manic depression 0 bi-polar so it really takes a tole on me when it kicks in. it feels like there is a vice grip on my lower right quadrant that wont ease up and it is horid  thank youo VErRY much for posting back that means the world to me.

des

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Neurontin can cause dizziness and nausea after long term use. Other side effects of neurontin include back pain; changes in vision (double or blurred vision); clumsiness; constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; nausea; stomach upset; tiredness; vomiting; weight gain. Severe side effects of neurontin include behavioral problems and suicidal thoughts, chest pain; confusion; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; severe headache or dizziness; shortness of breath and memory loss.

Can you identify some of these? I feel that you should talk to your doctor regarding decreasing the dose of neurontin or shifting to some other pain killer.Pls don’t stop neurontin on your own as the dose has to be tapered first and then stoppage is done.

If even after decreasing the dose of neurontin the symptoms do not improve, then you need to consult a neurologist to rule out other causes of dizziness. These include hypoglycemia,orthostatic hypotension or decreased BP, TIA of brain or CVA brain and ear/inner ear problems.

Take care and pls do keep posting in how you are doing.