Is Neurontin all it's cracked up to be?

When I first flunked my ultrasound, I started weaning myself off the
half-dose (.5 mg) estradiol I'd been taking for two years. A week
later I quit completely. Along with the uproar of my diagnosis, I've
got the post-HRT misery. I was already somewhat of an insomniac, and
now I'm hardly sleeping at all. And I feel like a blast furnace--what
joy with summer coming.

Anyway I read that Neurontin (Gabapentin) is worth a try for breast
cancer patients with hot flashes, and maybe would also help me sleep.
I got some yesterday, and was told to start out with 150 mg. and work
my way up to 600 mg. over a couple weeks. Not being an obedient
patient, I took 300 mg. last night. The only result so far is that my
digestive system is completely blocked up.

Does anyone else have experience with Neurontin? If so, does it take
a while to work? Are the side effects onerous?

I've been taking small dose benzodiazepines for about a year and a
half, alternating with small dose Ambien. But the returns are
diminishing, and I know better than to venture down the slippery slope
of increasing the dose. Estrogen was obviously helping me sleep. It
would sure be great if Neurontin would pan out.

Les