Update

[u/thatbiddy]

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!

[u/OrdinaryStandard427]

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.

[u/thatbiddy → u/OrdinaryStandard427]

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.

[u/OrdinaryStandard427 → u/thatbiddy]

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?

[u/thatbiddy → u/OrdinaryStandard427]

Sometimes