Updated Booklet: Medication for moderate to severe pain relief

Key Points

• Gabapentin (Brand name Neurontin) is a prescription-only medication that can be helpful in the management of moderate to severe pain, especially when it involves nerve/neuropathic pain.
• It is thought to act by blocking the way in which messages about pain are transmitted in the brain and spinal cord.
• As with any medication it has side-effects, some of which are very similar to ME/CFS.
• While some people with ME/CFS report that gabapentin is helpful for pain relief, a significant proportion are unable to tolerate it.
• When used for pain management in ME/CFS, gabapentin should be started at a very low dose and increased gradually.
• If gabapentin has to be discontinued, this should be done gradually over a period of weeks.

Introduction

Most people with ME/CFS experience pain. This can range from mild to severe and, for some people, pain is the most disabling aspect of their
illness.

The commonest type of pain affects the muscles (where it may be exercise-induced) but it can also affect the joints (arthralgic pain) and nerves (neuropathic pain) where it is often described as burning stabbing or searing in character. It is also sometimes accompanied by pain that is triggered by normally harmless stimuli such as touch (allodynia). Where muscle and joint pain is more widespread in ME/CFS, it can be very similar to that reported by people with fibromyalgia.

Gabapentin/Medication for moderate to severe pain relief

Further information

• NHS Information on Gabapentin
• The ME Association's Medical Matters: Allodynia
• The ME Association Booklet on Pain Management