I like this doctor. He asked a lot of probing questions, such as "if you think you are having problems with mental acuity, why are you here rather than seeing a neurologist" and "who told you that the gabapentin might be causing such a problem." I figured these were good questions because firstly, I never even considered seeing a neurologist because the lack of mental acuity has gone on for so long (although it seems to have been getting worse, but then the last few years have been extra stressful) and I haven't seen any other odd neurological signs. At least none that I'd peg as such.
As for the second question, I told him that it had been suggested by friends who are or have been on gabapentin and found that this is a possible side effect. it has also been suggested by mental healthcare providers, too.
He was curious about everything dealing with my health, including my mental health. And then he gave me great insight into his interest in my mental health (and I really should have made this cognitive leap). The current understanding is that fibro is not a body problem at all: it's a brain problem. Specifically, it's a brain chemistry problem. And that is the center of the entire fibromyalgia universe.
It's why all the currently approved meds for fibro are brain-related rather than body-related: gabapentin, and its cousin Lyrica, are originally anti-seizure meds; Cymbalta and its cousin Effexor are anti-depressants that are both serotonin and norepinephrin re-uptake inhibitors; and a final medicine that I didn't get written down in time so I've forgotten the name, is also an anti-depressant. Doctors are trying to regulate fibro and its symptoms by manipulating brain chemistry. it makes sense.
I knew already about how fibro was considered a neurological disorder rather than a joint/muscle disease, and that gabapentin was an anti-seizure medicine. The point of using it is to quiet the brain impulses or transmitters or whatever is going wonky (yes, it's a technical term; why do you ask?) in the brain.
