I’m having trouble meeting my weekly word goal of 7,500. It could be the shingles, but I think it’s the gabapentin. I’ve taken it once before, for migraine pain. I remember it making me very sleepy, but that’s the only side effect I remember.
Today, after realizing I was having some trouble with focusing and that I had awoken with vertigo (unusual, since I never got a migraine, just a small headache), I called the pharmacist to see if I could take my migraine meds anyway, as a precaution.
She talked to me for a few minutes about everything I’d taken today and said “oh, you’re on gabapentin. That’s the problem.” Um, huh? Dizziness is a common side effect of gabapentin. But I didn’t have dizziness, I had vertigo. Meclazine helped, I popped a pill and it went away. She then told me that most people didn’t realize “dizziness” and “vertigo” are essentially the same thing. Oh, duh! I knew that. So I pointed out I was feeling a little dim witted as well. She said “yep, that’s the gabapentin.”
That’s a side effect not listed in the paperwork. It says it might cause mood changes, behavior changes, depression, and anxiety, but those are the serious – you need to seek medical attention side effects – I just feel dim, like my brain took a vacation.
She again told me that “yes, it was fairly common for people on gabapentin to complain of it. It isn’t in the literature, but it seems to be fairly common.” Well, Hell’s Bells, Batman… I’ve lost some eye/hand coordination (no, I’m not driving this week), I’m sleepy as all get out, now I have to be a zombie too? Just once, I’d like to take a medication where the side effects are “increased brain activity” and “feelings of euphoria.”
I tried to go off the medication yesterday and I’m not doing that again. It still hurts and burns and itches… I’m not sure which is worse, the itch or the burn. So be a zombie or be miserable… decisions, decisions… However, there is always a silver lining. Since I’m not writing much, I’m reading tons. I read two books today!
Hadena James 
Yay on getting more books read – sorry that the side effects of the medicine suck…but hopefully you will get back to normal soon!
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Yeah, I read Viral House by Joe Something and a book about unsolved serial killings that I don’t remember the name of or the author. That’s kind of a problem with Kindle Unlimited. I get a lot of books, but I keep my Kindle loaded all the time, so I return books as soon as I finish them.
A few weeks ago, I read a cute book called Graveyard Shift by Angela or maybe Angel something. The romance was low key and it was entertaining. 🙂 I can’t remember if it was Kindle Unlimited or a freebie.
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and the good news — if your brain is a dim as you say, in two weeks, you won’t remember you read those books so you can read them again and still be surprised. 🙂
or a down side: are you writing reviews for those books and are the reviews coherent?
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I am also currently taking gabapentin – for headaches and back pain that is in the process of being diagnosed. I feel like I don’t sleep well. Instead I feel like I am just under the veil of consciousness, tossing and turning. I can definitely identify with the feeling of dim-wittedness. As I’m currently only taking it right before bed, I usually feel somewhat coherent after a shower in the morning.
I hope you feel better soon.
***Anxiously awaiting your next Aislinn Cain, Butchered Dreams. I read the first five within a week! Think you’ve really got something there and look forward to reading more.
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It’s great for breaking a migraine pain cycle. My previous experience with the drug was to break a migraine cycle that had lasted three weeks. It was added to my normal meds and it was gone in two days!
However, you’re right. I don’t feel like I rest when I sleep.
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