A Gabapentin (600mg) and Benzodiazepine (Alprazolam / 2mg) Experiment

[hamwaggle]

I have read many conflicting things about taking Gabapentin and Xanax (or other benzodiazepines) together. Some suggest that they compete for the same GABA receptors and actually block each other (which I don't believe is true from my own research), while others suggest that Gabapentin actually increases the amount of GABA receptors in your brain by binding with calcium channels, thus making the benzodiazepine more potent (in my case Alprazolam).

***I apologize for being inconsistentcies in this post for using Xanax and Alprazolam interchangeably but I am a little too faded to fix it all now, Xanax is just a brand name for Alprazolam***

Instead of researching this scientifically through literature, I decided I will simply experiment on my own since I have access to both.


Night 1 (control):

(7:00 PM) : Took 2mg of Xanax, and as I have almost no tolerance to benzos, I quickly felt that almost drunk effect and got fairly tired quickly. I was surprised that this feeling subsided relatively quickly in an hour or two.

~Since most should be familiar with taking 1 Xanax bar (2mg) I will not go into detail about the control night between 7PM and 11PM.

(11:00 PM) : I no longer felt that drunk feeling but simply was tired and went to bed. I woke up at 6 AM and could not fall back to sleep, but was pleased with the experience (I usually wake up early anyway).


Night 2 (Adding Gabapentin 600mg before):

(10:00 PM) : As some suggest that Gabapentin increases the GABA receptors in the brain I obviously wanted to take the Gabapentin first. I ingested 600mg of Gabapentin at 10 PM, which seems like a low dose to some who have tried to use this drug recreationally, but from someone who has experience with it (I get 60 300mg a month on auto refill but do not take all them or take them regularly), I know that less is more with this drug. It is very strange but I have taken 2.4g of Gabapentin (2400mg) and felt almost nothing, yet also taken 600mg a different night and gotten a very significant pleasurable feeling from it. This is why that dosage was picked.

(11:00 PM) : I then ingested the 2mg Xanax bar and waited to see if I felt any different than the night before. At this point I was beginning to feel the Gabapentin kicking in and felt a mellow glow even before ingesting the alprazolam.

(11:10 PM) : Alprazolam tends to hit fast as it is used mostly to control panic attacks, within 10 minutes of ingestion I feel the Xanax begin to kick in. However this could also just be the Gabapentin buzz increasing.

(11:20 PM) : Still feeling about the same ironically, no major alprazolam drunk feeling yet.

(11:30 PM) : Definitely am starting to feel the Alprazolam kick in, however am so far unimpressed with the feeling. As of now I am beginning to believe that the Gabapentin may be hindering some of the Alprazolam's effects.

(11:40 PM) : Okay now the Xanax is kicking in pretty nicely, I stand up and notice myself to be a little wobbly and feel the drunk like loopiness from the Alprazolam. I think staying laid down had masked some of the feelings. Ironically it is not making my super tired but instead just giving a very nice warm, mellow relaxation feeling. I can almost differentiate between the Gabapentin and the Alprazolam and the combination is fairly nice. I cannot, however, say so far that the Gabapentin has intensified to Xanax (although I feel awesome).

(11:50 PM) : Feelings are intensifying for sure from the comfortable relaxation that xanax provides to more of a sloppy if I had a drink I would start hitting on any girl I could find and be slurring my speech and not remember any of it. Without the drink however I could hold myself together in a situation where I need to be cautious, but could definitely not drive safely or speak closely to important people about intelligent things.

(12:00 AM) : I am really feeling the full effects now as max alprazolam concentrations occur in 1-2 hours. I would expect another small increase is effects over the next hour but this should be about the peak. So far I have concluded that Gabapentin taken before a benzodiazepine has a very, yet enjoyable interaction. They do not seem to be taking away any of the Xanax effects, but do not seem to be really potentiating them either as people have suggested. It's more just like the buzz from the Gabapentin + the buzz from the Alprazolam together as separates that make tonight slightly more euphoric and pleasurable than the control night. Just like let's say opiates and weed together produce an more advanced high, but they are not potentiating each other as hypothesized in this experiment. I will continue for another half hour to update to see if anything changes.

(12:30 AM) : Maybe I am beginning to change my mind because I feel fairly more intoxicated on the bar than usual, Definitely could fall asleep any second now, but will try and stay up to report more.

(1:00 AM : Will now fall asleep because I feek like a zombie, however the buzz is very nice.


Conclusion: I found the Gabapentin to have little effect on the benzos, but the two drugs together definitely mix just like any other two would symptomatically but not necessarily chemically. I would have to argue that they neither potentate nor depotenate them, instead just act together.


I would like to hear any other experiences with this. And I am not a doctor or scientist, just simply was describing MY experiment,

 

[Gyrospeck]

I actually just enjoyed this combination today with my wife. I find it to be a very pleasant combination (I also smoke hash oil). In total I Ingested 3.3g of Gabapentin, 1mg Xanax XR, and about 5 cannabis oil rips (+Xanax IR right now). My wife did not mix any benzos since she does not enjoy them. She did a total of 2.4g of Gabapentin and smoked 1 small bowl of weed.

(1:30 PM) - I Ingested 2.1g of Gabapentin and smoked an oil rip. She took 1.8g and smoked a hit of weed.

(2:30 PM) - I Ingested 600mg of Gabapentin and smoked another oil rip. I can start to feel a tiny bit of euphoria and energy. My wife feels nothing. We decide to go for walk in the forest.

(3:00 PM) - I am starting to feel strong effects from the Gabapentin and cannabis. I I noticed a sense of euphoria, loss of anxiety, change in perception, drunk feeling, DXM robot feelings, MDMA like energy/euphoria, stimulated, and very relaxed. I fluxuated between these states throughout the walk. My wife reported very similar feelings. She is enjoying the walk, was extremely present (kind of like a mushroom feeling she said), and at times found simple tasks difficult. She reported feeling very good and compared the feeling to a light mixture of DXM, MDMA, Xanax, and alcohol. It wasn't all at once either. The feelings moved and changed. It was a very interesting experience. This time (3:30-5:00) was the peek of the Gabapentin strength for me.

(5:30 PM) - We arrive back home. I take 1mg Xanax XR, 600mg Gabapentin, and smoke another oil rip. My wife takes 600mg Gabapentin and smoked a few hits of weed. When we sit down, we both felt incredibly relaxed. It felt like a strong muscle relaxant. We both noticed random twitching feelings in our bodies at random times during the experience as well. Sitting in our apartment was not nearly as enjoyable as being active, so we both decided to go for a walk in a large field and around the college campus. We both are feeling very good, but also very disoriented. We felt weird, but also less anxious, about talking to random people. We walked until about 8:30, and then ate dinner. We also noticed that we were not hungry during the experience much at all (like the feeling of a stimulant). We did eat a ton of food toward the end of it though (very stoned feeling at this point).

(10:00 PM) - My wife goes to sleep. I continue to enjoy the experience and am actually full of energy. I notice that this drug increases my energy considerable and I am less likely to want to sleep (I also know from past experience that this drug gives me great dreams though). I smoke a few oil rips, took a shower, surfed the internet.

(1:00 AM) - I am taking 1mg of Xanax IR. I am already feeling fairly tired and relaxed although I can tell that the Gabapentin has largely worn off. I am currently writing this as of 1:10 AM and expect to go to sleep soon.

Conclusion: I found that Gabapentin increased my energy (decreased the tired feeling of Xanax and felt a little like MDMA), relaxed me physically and mentally, and provided some trippy feelings (mild like mushrooms). My wife had a similar experience (first time ever trying it) and enjoyed it very much. She described it as a combination of every drug, but that the feelings cycle. It was a very interesting experiment.

I would agree that Xanax and Gabapentin do not potentate each other, but they mix very well. I enjoyed the mixture and would recommend it to anyone who already enjoys Xanax. Gabapentin does help with anxiety and decreases inhibitions just like Xanax. I actually think that this combination would mix well with Oxycontin, which is something I may try next week.

Note: I have some tolerance to Xanax due to a year of use (currently 2-3mg). I smoke cannabis oil daily and have for years. I have been experimenting with Gabapentin for about 6 months now and have tried daily use and irregular use. I prefer to wait at least a week between each Gabapentin experience. I found that tolerance to the euphoric effects builds quickly, but that REM sleep is much improved (great, vivid dreams) with daily use.