My husband is 17 weeks post stroke. Hes doing okay. Still has issues with vision but getting a bit better. Hes had a very painful shoulder on affected arm. He cant lift it very high, now struggles a bit more going upstairs as hes using left arm. We went to gp sent him for an xray and gave him a perscription for gabapenton. I have since read they are highly addictive and have withdrawal symptoms coming off them. I know he is in a lot of pain and probably along with his vision issues holding back recovery I just feel its more meds added to what he already takes. Has anyone’s vision got better after 6 months and have been put in this medication. Thanks
Hello Lindy58, I am sorry to hear about your husband and I hope you can get things sorted for you both soon. I had a haemorragic stroke 22 months ago and I lost the use of my right side, as I managed to get some feeling back I couldn’t move my shoulder as I was in so much pain. I was given Ibuleve gel 10% to rub in my shoulder for pain relief, it wasn’t the quickest or best relief but it did help. Eventually when I was in rehab, the physio said he had to pull my shoulder back into line as I had damaged the muscles. He did succeed in doing this (and I cried with the awful pain whilst he did it), but it worked and I was pain free and my shoulder was moveable. I still have an occasional episode of pain but nothing like it was. Is your husband having physio? Can they work on his shoulder, it’s worth asking if like me, muscles have been put out of position or damaged. As for gabapentin, I was on it, wasn’t happy with it and asked my GP for an alternative painkiller. May be you can ask why they’ve given him gabapentin and explain that neither of you are happy he’s taking it and would prefer an alternative medication. (I take Oramorth when needed) It is his choice too. I’ve had eyesight problems since my stroke, and my optician said that he was not prepared to change my glasses again until he was happy nothing further is going on as my sight has been blurred, or I have double vision. I am seeing the opthalmologist at my local hospital for investigation, but it’s only since my stroke. Please don’t give up asking the professionals for help and advice, question them, listen to them, but most of all make sure you are happy with what they are doing, and understand why they are doing it. I’m not medically trained, but I’ve been on the stroke recovery path, and have been overwhelmed by some medical teams saying different things, just make sure you question everything and you’re both happy with what is being said and done. I wish you both well as you walk together on the recovery journey and I hope you can get medication that helps your husband and that he’s happy with. Best wishes to you both.
My vision is still an issue five years on, but I have acquired nystagmus from stroke, and my issues are vestibular as well. I did take a full script of Gabapentin (Ninety tablets) for nerve pain, for me, they did very little, if nothing, to relieve it and can safely say, I did not find them addictive. I guess if a medication isn’t working for you, then it is hard to become dependent on them, unless psychological. Pregabalin, however, is viewed as a controlled substance due to it being stronger than Gabapentin and can also apparently cause euphoria. Euphoria can be addictive, who wouldn’t want to feel euphoric every day. I tried Pregabalin early on after stroke but didn’t react well to it and it was swiftly removed from my repeat prescriptions. I think Gabapentin is considered the weaker alternative and is not classed as a controlled substance. In higher doses it can produce the same feeling as Pregabalin but that is when it is more often used recreationally rather than for a legitimate medical condition.
Hello Lindy - Sue and Rupert have pretty much said everything I might have suggested and so I can echo all they say. I don’t know anything about the painkiller your husband has been prescribed but my view on medications is treat them with respect, and always read the medical leaflet that comes with the medication as it has lots of useful information and I feel it ought to be mandatory to read this, though how that would be enforced I do not know.
All medicines have potential side effects and we as patients/users of these also react, or rather our bodies react differently. Just as an example, Rupert has stated above he completed a full script (90 tablets) of Gabapentin and a) they did nothing for him and b) he suffered no side effects, nor did he get addicted. But other patients have reported different experiences and of course you have read about this and are now concerned.
The best way to be sure, at least as I see it, is to let your body (your husband’s) tell you how it feels. When you take medication, monitor yourself/the patient carefully for changes, either positive (healing) or negative (damaging). Any concerns should immediately flagged with the prescriber or your local pharmacist. Your local pharmacist may be better placed to advise you and in fact these days you can go to them instead of seeing a GP for some conditions.
My final point is about combined medications e.g. when treating comorbidities. Some medicines interact with other medicines and these can also lead to problems and whilst the prescriber would normally check before they prescribe, they do sometimes make mistakes and so as patients we must always take responsibility. Let’s not forget also, some foods also affect medicines and so we also be wary of that.
I hope you will soon feel reassured and better guided on the best course of action for your husband.
After I posted the above, I read the below post from a new user John @JP141
Sounds like he may have shoulder subluxation (deltoids are affected). This means the muscles aren’t strong enough to keep the shoulder in place. Exercise will help. Does he have a physio who can give him exercises?
Post-stroke I had shoulder issues too. After MRI, revealed to be bursitis and a partial tear of rotator cuff. I had already been diagnosed with “frozen shoulder,” too. Therapy helped a lot, both outpatient and my own at home. Hope you can fnd out what his condition is before they go overboard w medications!
I had a shoulder subluxarion due to manhandling by nurses. Well, womanhandling, I suppose. When I mentioned the damage, and asked them not to pull me around by my shoulders, I was told that was what they were told to do! Back in the day, I worked as a physiotherapist when exercises weren’t the be-all and end-all, and we would have treated a sublux with deep massage. If you can find a therapist skilled in that, it really does the job.
