Searching through the site I see that a few people have mentioned using Horizant, but there's not much information on people's experience with it. Is anyone taking Horizant for your pain, and if so, how much and when do you take it? And of course, is it helping?
I've been on it for about a week and half now. I take 2 600 mg. tablets at bedtime. I also take a total of 450 mg of Trileptal (one in the morning, 2 at night). It manages my pain pretty well until late afternoon. Sleeping is mixed. Sometimes I sleep well, sometimes not. I'm completely out of it most of the day though. I really can't function and it's not improving over the week and a half (maybe I'm too impatient).
Anyway, I would love to hear other people's experiences with this drug. Thanks in advance.
Never heard of this one. Is it similar to gralise ? I tried gralise , stopped my pain all night. But I was so swollen and gained about 5 lbs. in my legs and face.
Horizant is a type of gabapentin...it's gabapentin enacarbil. It's a slow release pill and works longer in the body. It's sold to treat restless leg syndrome, so this is an off-label use.
I tried samples for a few months and it helped me instantly but insurance refused to cover it. Doctor then prescribed instead Graslise as others stated that is supposed to be the same. It is basically time release Gabapentin. I didn't tie weight gain to it but I do keep on 5 pounds I cant get rid of.
Has the Graslise helped you as well as the Horizant did?
Teri Laughlin said:
I tried samples for a few months and it helped me instantly but insurance refused to cover it. Doctor then prescribed instead Graslise as others stated that is supposed to be the same. It is basically time release Gabapentin. I didn't tie weight gain to it but I do keep on 5 pounds I cant get rid of.
I did a little reading and it seems Horizant is a slow release gabapentin. Perhaps taking gabapentin four times a day could do the job for you. Is older and cheaper.
Best of luck.
Bellalarke
I tried samples for a few months and it helped me instantly but insurance refused to cover it. Doctor then prescribed instead Graslise as others stated that is supposed to be the same. It is basically time release Gabapentin. I didn't tie weight gain to it but I do keep on 5 pounds I cant get rid of.
Have you looked into buying the drugs on-line from Canada? Technically it is illegal, but customs and/or DEA have decided not to enforce the law concerning small personal amounts i.e. three months at a time. There are verifications to make sure the Canadian pharmacies are legit.
Had to look this drug up because I hadn't heard of it. Turns out it is an extended release from of gabapentin, so I would imagine the response is the same. Gabapentin seems to help some people and others not. I could not take it because it interfered with my ability to think....as in I could not even complete a sentence. Plus it did not give me any pain relief. But then my pain is now classified as neuropathic trigeminal pain because it recurred after successful procedures. wish I could be of more help. Just a thought - it might help get more response if you list the generic name along with the brand name. HORIZANT® (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets. Best of luck to you :)
I really had to stick with gabapentin for 15 months, constantly upping it until I came to a therapeutic dose of 3,600. I really struggled with the short term, or working memory for all that time. Now I am much better, my brain has adjusted. I am not exactly like before, but I will take this. I now add 75 mg of tramacet around 12:30 pm, and that really helps with alertness and counteracts the afternoon sluggishness. It optimized the gabapentin. If I’m going out I might do the same around 5 pm, but if I’m just home doing my artwork I am okay with just the early afternoon hit.
Bflogal, you’re welcome, if you had any relief at all before, give the gabapentin a good span of time to build up and do its job.
Not Again, so sorry about your failed procedure. There must be some combo out there that will get you out of this low and painful time.
NotAgain - Thanks for your reply and your suggestion. I appreciate your input. Beyond the extended release aspect of Horizant, it also is better absorbed by the body...higher bioavailability. I wish you much luck on your journey to find a successful treatment.
Not Again said:
Had to look this drug up because I hadn't heard of it. Turns out it is an extended release from of gabapentin, so I would imagine the response is the same. Gabapentin seems to help some people and others not. I could not take it because it interfered with my ability to think....as in I could not even complete a sentence. Plus it did not give me any pain relief. But then my pain is now classified as neuropathic trigeminal pain because it recurred after successful procedures. wish I could be of more help. Just a thought - it might help get more response if you list the generic name along with the brand name. HORIZANT® (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets. Best of luck to you :)
Bellalarke - Thanks very much for your response. You gave me hope for the first time that this might turn around, and I so appreciate that. I will definitely give it some time, and I'll look into that other drug you take. It sounds like an interesting strategy to deal with brain fog. Thanks so much, and best wishes.
Deb
Bellalarke said:
I really had to stick with gabapentin for 15 months, constantly upping it until I came to a therapeutic dose of 3,600. I really struggled with the short term, or working memory for all that time. Now I am much better, my brain has adjusted. I am not exactly like before, but I will take this. I now add 75 mg of tramacet around 12:30 pm, and that really helps with alertness and counteracts the afternoon sluggishness. It optimized the gabapentin. If I'm going out I might do the same around 5 pm, but if I'm just home doing my artwork I am okay with just the early afternoon hit.
Bflogal, you're welcome, if you had any relief at all before, give the gabapentin a good span of time to build up and do its job.
Not Again, so sorry about your failed procedure. There must be some combo out there that will get you out of this low and painful time.
Hi Deb,
So happy to help in any way. Tramacet (Tramadol in US) is a synthetic opioid with acetaminophen, and a little amitriptyline and nortriptyline. Nobody knows how it works. I had to play around with for a bit until I hit on how to use it for me. It’s expensive, and not covered by my provincial Pharmacare plan, but the community fund on where I live has stepped in to help defray costs for me. I can’t believe how much a difference it made. So hoping you can find a good combo too. I also think it is very important to take B6 as 5P5. And lots do other b vitamins and high D especially.
Where did you get the information that Tramadol has amitriptyline and nortriptyline in it? I have read about it on many sites and never saw any mention of drugs other than acetaminophen. "ULTRAM® (tramadol hydrochloride) is a centrally acting analgesic. The chemical name for tramadol hydrochloride is (±)cis-2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-1-(3methoxyphenyl) cyclohexanol hydrochloride. ULTRACET® (tramadol hydrochloride/acetaminophen) Tablets combine two analgesics, tramadol 37.5 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg."
Thanks for any info and hope you are having a good day :)
Bellalarke said:
Hi Deb, So happy to help in any way. Tramacet (Tramadol in US) is a synthetic opioid with acetaminophen, and a little amitriptyline and nortriptyline. Nobody knows how it works. I had to play around with for a bit until I hit on how to use it for me. It's expensive, and not covered by my provincial Pharmacare plan, but the community fund on where I live has stepped in to help defray costs for me. I can't believe how much a difference it made. So hoping you can find a good combo too. I also think it is very important to take B6 as 5P5. And lots do other b vitamins and high D especially.
I will comb through my info sometime today and let you know. I have had discussion about it with my neurologist and pain doc.
Also, I don’t think Ultram and Tramacet are identical.
Thanks. What I found online about Tramacet is this: Tramacet is a brand of oral analgesic (painkiller), containing tramadol hydrochloride and acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) in one tablet. Tramacet manufactured by Janssen-Cilag and is sold in Canada. So basically it is the same as Ultracet (tramadol hydrochloride/acetaminophen) in the US. Please let me know what you find.
Hi Not Again
I did some looking around and can’t find what I was looking for. My pain management doctor was the one who told me Ultram is not quite the same as Tramacet. She gave me some samples and said I’d have to add my own acetaminophen. The samples were 50mg and the tramacet I have been taking is 37.5 / tablet. The info about the amitriptyline and nortriptyline being in small amounts came from a discussion I had with my neurologist in May. From my search today I can’t back that up. Perhaps my neurologist meant Tramadol acts on serotonin and norepinephrine like those medications. Now I am confused. Sorry about misinformation. But sincerely, I really thought I had found some info that backs up my ideas about it. Will do more looking around. Just now getting ready for company…not an easy task.
I do stand behind my statement that the tramacet is really beneficial if I take it at the right time. It has given me some of my old self back.
I do take 10mg of nortriptyline in the morning with my first dose of 900 gabapentin and it has helped considerably with burning pain, and mood. Time will tell- i.e. when it starts to get cold again - if this will hold. We’ve had stellar weather where I live, warm and dry. Even so, the past three summers were similar and just a nightmare pain-wise. I am also a lot better at knowing what my triggers are, and practice avoidance…
Hope this helps.
Bellalarke
Not Again said:
Thanks. What I found online about Tramacet is this: Tramacet is a brand of oral analgesic (painkiller), containing tramadol hydrochloride and acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) in one tablet. Tramacet manufactured by Janssen-Cilag and is sold in Canada. So basically it is the same as Ultracet (tramadol hydrochloride/acetaminophen) in the US. Please let me know what you find.