Tina
Well-Known Member
I was struck with ME/CFS in 2008. Pretty much the only drug I have ever taken is Gabapentin. I take 1600mg / day. For some reason I decided to delve into the side effects.
I am very aware that one of the side effects is sleepiness. Not helpful for someone with ME/CFS. However, reading that it might cause mitochondrial toxicity was new to me. It has always bothered me that the doctors put me on Gabapentin and that was that. No curiosity as to why a person would wake up one day with severe neurological pain. (I actually I woke up with severe chest pains and within four weeks of not being treated I began having the neurological pain. I was finally diagnosed with pneumonia and then put on gabapentin)
For the most part they talk about people with mitochondrial conditions needing to take care with these drugs but what does that say about people who may have as yet unfounded mito issues? They don't even know why these drugs work.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22149023
I am very aware that one of the side effects is sleepiness. Not helpful for someone with ME/CFS. However, reading that it might cause mitochondrial toxicity was new to me. It has always bothered me that the doctors put me on Gabapentin and that was that. No curiosity as to why a person would wake up one day with severe neurological pain. (I actually I woke up with severe chest pains and within four weeks of not being treated I began having the neurological pain. I was finally diagnosed with pneumonia and then put on gabapentin)
AEDs (anti epileptic drugs) other than VPA, which may affect the mitochondrial metabolism, include phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin, oxcarbazepine, ethosuximide, zonisamide, topiramate, gabapentin and vigabatrin.
For the most part they talk about people with mitochondrial conditions needing to take care with these drugs but what does that say about people who may have as yet unfounded mito issues? They don't even know why these drugs work.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22149023