bethben Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Does anyone who is taking Gabapentin know what at the long term side effects are? It really helps my Restless Leg thing and sleep. I have been taking 600mg once a day. I am concerned about long term side effects. I have tried everything else including magnesium and iron. As a last resort to find out "why" I was having RLS and iron issues, I did a 23andme test. Did you know there are genes associated with RLS? There is one that not only causes low iron absorption (I have trouble actually using the iron in my body), but RLS also. I'm not a person who was looking for mutated genes to explain things, but when I saw that one, everything made sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 I have been taking gabapentin for about ten years now with no ill effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 I’ve been taking it for 23 years or so. No negative effects. It’s been a psychiatric wonder med for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 1 hour ago, bethben said: Does anyone who is taking Gabapentin know what at the long term side effects are? It really helps my Restless Leg thing and sleep. I have been taking 600mg once a day. I am concerned about long term side effects. I have tried everything else including magnesium and iron. As a last resort to find out "why" I was having RLS and iron issues, I did a 23andme test. Did you know there are genes associated with RLS? There is one that not only causes low iron absorption (I have trouble actually using the iron in my body), but RLS also. I'm not a person who was looking for mutated genes to explain things, but when I saw that one, everything made sense. no, I did not. I knew about the ferritin levels being affected but not about the genetic component. Interesting. I'll have to ask my dd about it. She's a geneticist and has a high probability of getting it since both myself and my mother (and grandmother and my sister) have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) About 6 months ago my dad began having tremors of sort (they looked like a full-body hiccup) that turned out to be a reaction to the gabapentin. He was hospitalized because they thought maybe he was having a stroke. But according to the doctors, he was having some kidney issues, so his body wasn't able to process the gabapentin and it built up in his system, causing the tremors. I don't think the kidney issues had anything to do with the gabapenton-- that was more likely a complication of type 2 diabetes. The dr lowered his gabapentin dose, but now he's only been taking it as needed instead of daily. ETA: Rereading the OP I realize it doesn't really pertain to the last part of your question. But in hindsight I told think he was ever told that the risks of side effects was higher if he had kidney issues. Edited January 26, 2020 by DesertBlossom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 My mom takes 2 tramadol a day for RLS. They tried other things in the midst of the opioid crisis but she reacted badly to other things and tramadol works so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodob Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 B12 deficiency, will also cause RLS. So you could have your levels checked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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