Gabapentin Gel

[Rosie21]

Has anyone had any experience of Gabapentin Gel.? I have been reading research into this compound for vulvodynia and it states that "It seems to be well tolerated and associated with significant pain relief " I have been unable so far to get it in UK.

[Rosemary]

Hi Rosie

I have vulva pain - i have not tried Gabapentin Gel but was given Ketamine cream to try. I only got this because i was attending a pain clinic - the consultant i saw said that it might be worth a try and had the hospital pharmacy make it up for me.

If you are going to a pain clinic you could ask there - i don't know if the GP can sanction it but it might be worth asking.

I am sorry if, as your forum name indicates, that you are aged 21 with this awful pain.

Rosemary X

[Rosie21]

Thanks for that Rosemary ,No thankfully I'm not 21 . Did the ketamine cream help you ?
I do know of a pain clinic in Wales that dispenses Gabapentin to the formular in the research which is 2%-6% but unfortunately I'm not in Wales.
I think with this awful complaint and so many people having tried like me all the systemic drugs that cause horrible side effects or surgery with risks ,the medical profession should make these Topical remedies more accessable to try.

[Rosemary]

Hi again Rosie

I have found the thread that i started when i was given the ketamine cream.

http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... ine#p33619

I started out in 2010 by being given Eumovate cream by a gynaecologist for 3 months which did nothing - then vaseline for 3 months to keep off urine irritation - then Ovestin cream.By the time i got to the Ketamine Cream , as you will read in the thread, i was very reluctant to use it as my vulva was so sensitive to anything. I tried it in the end for a week but didn't feel i had any benefit but just more irritation so i stopped.

I don't know how much it had cost to prepare but a pain consultant i saw afterwards wasn't overly pleased that i had not tried it for longer and i felt like a schoolkid being told that someone had gone to the trouble to get it for me.

You will see from the thread as well the concentration % i had and the base cream it was in.

Would it be possible to approach the Welsh clinic and offer to pay for a trial pot of something ? We need compounding pharmacies over here so that medication can be tailored a bit more to individual needs and as you say the willingness to let these creams be tried out.

Rosemary X

[Rosie21]

Thanks for that as you say with applying anything to such a sensitive area can cause more pain. I am looking at a paper by American College of Ob. and Gyne . The way they make it sounds as pure as possible "Dissolving Gabapentin powder in ethoxy diglycol ,levigating mixture into PCCA Lipoderm base .PCCA Houston .They suggest applying pea size amount 3 times daily. Starting with the lower 2%
I do intend to ask a local pain clinic if they will look into this .

[Rosemary]

I can't remember quite what it was but i printed something else out that i had found on the net and took it to the pain clinic to ask if i could try that. It was after the ketamine and i never heard back although the consultant said that she would look into it - i even offered to pay for it. So there is not a willingness to let you try too much.

Unless these gels/creams get on the NICE list of different things to try out i think it is experimental on behalf of the individual consultant. Don't give up though.

Rosemary X

[DoubleEdgedSword]

One of the residents at the pain clinic I go to prescribed me a cream/gel that has 6% Gabapentin & 5% Lidocaine in it. The pharmacy compounded It for me & it really helps quite a bit. I can apply it twice a day when needed. It helps with the "itching" pain & also the shooting/stabbing pain I get..