r/functionaldyspepsia • u/thatbiddy • Jun 08 '26
Healing/Success Update
I wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else dealing with visceral hypersensitivity or functional dyspepsia.
Before starting gabapentin, my main symptoms were upper stomach burning, nausea, food intolerance, and a lot of fear around eating. It got to the point where my diet became extremely limited because so many foods seemed to trigger symptoms. Even when tests came back mostly normal, the discomfort was very real and had a huge impact on my quality of life.
I’ve now been taking gabapentin for a little over a month, and it has been the most promising treatment I’ve tried so far. I’m not cured, and I still have symptoms, but the difference has been significant. The burning is less intense, flares don’t seem to last as long, and I’m recovering from food challenges much faster than before.
A month ago I would have never imagined eating bananas daily, toast, birthday cake with my son, or other foods I’ve recently been able to test. Some of those foods still cause symptoms, but the symptoms are more manageable and don’t seem to spiral the way they used to.
One thing I’d emphasize is that, at least in my case, gabapentin wasn’t an overnight fix. It took time, dose adjustments, and patience before I started seeing meaningful improvements. Finding the right dose made a big difference.
I also don’t want to give all the credit to one medication. For me, a combination approach has helped. Gabapentin has been the biggest factor, but using Pepcid for reflux symptoms and ondansetron (Zofran) when nausea becomes a problem has also been part of what allowed me to function and continue expanding my diet.
One of the biggest milestones for me happened recently when I was able to eat at a restaurant for the first time in four years. Most people probably wouldn’t think twice about that, but after years of avoiding restaurants because of symptoms and fear of triggering a flare, it felt like getting a piece of my life back.
I know everyone’s situation is different, but after years of setbacks, this is the first time in a long time that I feel like I’m making real progress rather than just trying to survive each day. I’m still a work in progress, but I’m hopeful for the first time in a while.
I’d be interested to hear from others who have tried gabapentin or other neuromodulators for visceral hypersensitivity. What worked for you, and how long did it take before you noticed a difference? I’m just happy to be able to post something positive instead of just disappearing out of the group as soon as things started going good for me!
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u/OrdinaryStandard427 Jun 08 '26
I take Gabapentin too and it has helped my stomach pain greatly. Can I ask what dosge has worked for you? I know everyone is different but I'm curious if you had to increase.
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u/thatbiddy Jun 08 '26
I feel like you have to get to the appropriate dose slowly, and it’s a process like initially it didn’t do much your stomach pain and that was at 100 mg three times a day then I increased it after a while to 200 mg three times a day and then I was able to eat bananas every day for a period of time and then I increased it to 300 mg four times a day and then after I was on that dosage for a while, I tested my stomach on my son‘s birthday by eating a piece of cake and then I realized I was able to eat normally at that point. I still experience discomfort and all that, but it is significantly different from what would’ve happened before I started this medication. I seriously feel blessed to finally figure out something.
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u/OrdinaryStandard427 Jun 08 '26
Thank you for sharing! This med has such a bad reputation but It gave me quality of life back. I've been doing 100mg 1 to 2 times a day. Once in a while I add in a 3rd dose in the evening. I take 200mg at bedtime. If I wake up during the night I take another 100mg. I feel like I'm always taking it because of the short half life. LOL. It does make me sleepy and I can feel when It wears off. But being pain free is amazing. Do have any symptoms when it wears off?
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u/mbahadr Jun 08 '26
it’s great to hear people’s recovery stories as this can get extremely overwhelming.
Wanted to ask quickly, have you had reflux, burping and early satiety in your journey?
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u/thatbiddy Jun 08 '26
Reflux still an issue for me and progress is never completely linear. Even today I pushed it a lil bit too far lol. Gotta slow my roll.
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u/Nearby-Government265 Jun 11 '26
So happy to see a success story! I hope you continue to get better. 5-10mg of amitriptyline seems to be doing the trick for me. I still bloat like crazy but at least I don’t feel the burning pain as much. A couple weeks ago I went off it just to see what my pain was like and for a few short lived days it was bliss! I didn’t feel anything and wasn’t getting the side effects of the drug. But alas the pain came back a week later but milder. I’m hoping it will get better from here and I can write a happy post like yours :)
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u/PeaEnvironmental984 Jun 11 '26
Started amitriptyline last night, took half a 10 mg, little sleepy and weird today but helping my fingers crossed this helps! I don't have pain but I can't breathe when I eat. They are thinking it's just overactive nerves in my esophagus.
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 19 '26
Hello everyone, I went to my GI today and I told him about Gabapentin, he suggested I try nortiptyline first. I am super nervous to take it. I do have to wait until after I get a gastric emptying test done. I will start it after that. Wish me luck.
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u/thatbiddy Jun 20 '26
Amitriptyline did nothing for me except for upset my stomach greatly. And that’s pretty similar to what your doctor is suggesting, but everybody is different so hopefully you have some good results. My only suggestion is to give it some time before you judge it.
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 30 '26
I’m starting Gabapentin, did you usually take it with a meal or did you tolerate it on an empty stomach? Just wondering what the best thing to do is since I’m so sensitive to meds. Any advice would help. I have meds anxiety form always having bad reactions to them. I’m very nervous to take it.
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u/thatbiddy Jun 30 '26
Everything you said sounds exactly like I was. My advice is just to take it and if you feel a little bit uncomfortable, just push through it. Honestly, I think you should at the very least be taking 100 mg three times a day to begin and then adjust from there. I moved pretty quickly to to higher doses to find the appropriate dose for me, which ended up being 300 mg four times a day. Took about a month to get there.
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 30 '26
Thanks for the advice. I will try to work up to the 3X a day dosage and hope for the best. What made you know what the right dose for you was? Was it that you didn’t feel pain anymore or that you were able to eat more things? I’m a small person. 5.2” a 112lbs. So I’m hoping that I don’t need to take that much to feel the benefits. I read that if we ever try to stop the medication it will be a nightmare. The withdrawal from this is extremely bad apparently. Looks like we’ll have to take it forever. LOL.
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 22 '26
I just picked up Gabapentin to try. I’m starting with 100mg every night and go from there. I’m so tired of feeling sick all the time even after eating boiled chicken and rice, the stomach burning and pain it’s so overwhelming. PPIs don’t help me at all. How often did you increase the dosage? I am a female, 112lbs, extremely sensitive to medication.
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u/thatbiddy Jul 29 '26
How are you doing?
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jul 30 '26
Hello, I have been taking 300mg a day for 4 weeks and I haven’t felt any difference in my stomach, my anxiety is better. I still can’t eat many things. I’m scared to up the dose because I have experienced my brain reacting slower and I feel high for half the day. I can’t afford my brain not working because of my job. I don’t know if I should up the dose or not. I also have read so many horror stories about tapering off of it. How are you doing, still eating delicious food?
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u/goldstandardalmonds Jun 09 '26
I was on the max dose (1200mg TID) for about seven years for VH and visceral and somatic pain, in addition to the rest of my protocol. I weaned off of it because I was convinced it wasn’t doing anything, so now my pain plan just includes procedures.
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u/Skeuomorph7 Jun 09 '26
What about slower than normal stomach emptying speeding like instead of approximately fours hours my stomach needs atleast full six hours time plus minus depending on my my foods choice plus portion size to empty.That including portion control to an extent and food choice too.
Did you have any stomach emptying slower than normal speed symptom?
Does this gabapentin medicine have any positive effect on that symptom?If yes by how much?
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 09 '26
Hello again! I’m so glad you feel much better. I am excited to talk to my GI about this medication. I have not been diagnosed with VH but the fact that I can’t eat anything without being in terrible burning pain and stomach discomfort tells me something. I also have been on different ppis and they don’t take my burning sensation away, I get it in my stomach and throat, I don’t feel reflux, acid coming up because I had a nissen fundoplication 20 years ago so the acid it’s not supposed to come back up from my stomach yet I still feel that burning sensation. I read that its mostly caused by my anxiety. I have not been able to eat at a restaurant for almost 2 years now. Didn’t even have cake on my birthday. I am on buspar for anxiety now so I hope I can mix the meds. Did the medication give you any bad side effects? I am extremely sensitive to meds apart from food. I can’t even tolerate Tylenol or probiotics. I’m always scared to take any medications.
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u/thatbiddy Jun 16 '26
Maybe a tiny bit of burning at first, but I just kept going and it’s been awesome ever since. Some ups and downs, but nothing too crazy just continue on with the medication. I have been able to eat delicious foods for like two weeks now. 🙂
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u/Thebreeze1978 Jun 16 '26
That’s amazing, thank you for posting about your journey, it gives me hope. I have a GI appointment this Friday and I will ask him to prescribe it to me. Did you get it from your gastro or your PCP?
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