issokay
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Gabapentinoids (Gabapentin) withdrawal, any advice?
- Thread starter Lino120
- Start date
issokay
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![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
issokay
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Withdrawal...
Withdrawals are the worst... putting it simply... as an understatement...8(
I've gone through severe withdrawals from opiates, benzos, alcohol, nicotine, methamphetamine, actual heroin, was depressed after quitting weed for a while (was smoking about an ounce a week or more for a few months-it was really potent stuff from when I lived in San Francisco. Most of this was.
The absolute worst was the benzodiazapines. I had seizure activity. Severe muscle cramping, & it didn't go away very quickly. As benzo withdrawals can fe fatal due to the high probability, and the fact that you're almost guaranteed to at least get really bad ticks & spasms, muscle jerking, electrical zaps accompanied by severe muscle jerking/twitching &/or sustained seizures makes benzos the one that I'm really actually scared of.
The alcohol withdrawals was pretty bad too, but it's not like I couldn't taper off of it, plus I was able to get a rx for librium (a benzo often prescribed specifically for withdrawal symptoms) which seemed to get me through it. Plus alcohol withdrawals don't last nearly as long as benzos. Also, the slower acting your specific benzo is, the longer your withdrawals will last. So, like the Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a slower acting benzo. It's absorbed slower, doesn't peak quickly, or as high, because it lasts longer than the popular go-to benzo, Xanax (Alprazolam). Then the Valium (Diazepam) is also a slow acting, longer lasting benzo as well. Xanax is one of the quickest acting benzos, but doesn't last as long or stay in the system as long. I take Ativan (Lorazepam) 2mg 4x/day PRN. I've been taking it for almost ten years for severe panic attacks & insomnia.
You know people often think that heroin/opiate withdrawal is the worst, but it's far less likely to kill a person than benzo withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal. Not impossible, though. I have had tachycardia/palpatations/irregular, uncomfortable, scary feeling heartbeats that then cause panic attacks, amplifying my perceptions of what may really be going on with my body, so I typically try to just have enough ativan on hand to try to sleep through the withdrawals. Not to mention that benzos definitely help with any withdrawals. I am also on a beta blocker, which is also supposed to help slow a tachycardic heartbeat.
as for the GABA drugs. I felt really really terrible on them, both of them (not at the same time). I know I can handle opiate withdrawal. The worst part of opiate withdrawal for me is just the actual 'being sick'... the diarrhea. Once I'm past that, I feel so much better. it usually begins about 4-6 days after my last opiate, & lasts 3-5..MAAAAAYBE 6 days. But theyre really BAD days. I can't go anywhere because I could have to run to the toilet very suddenly at any moment. Then being in bed in all that pain I don't want to get up and go to the toilet because it's so painful to move. my morphine rx that I take is a really high dose, but it's legitimately prescribed after a disability that almost took away my ability to walk at all. I had to use a walker for months, which I was almost completely unable to do. I thought I was going to have to be in a wheelchair at age 33. But slowly my muscle reinnervation occurred as my nerves slowly regenerated. It's a year out now, & I still have partial paralysis in one of my legs/feet... & I haven't had any improvement in a long time. Like since February or March. *sigh* at least I'm off the walker for the most part. But I still use a cane & use the powered shopping cart scooters at the grocery store. I've received a few really awful comments about my use of those scooters. I guess because I don't look handicapped, especially when wearing pants. Maybe people think I'm just using it to use it. At first I thought I felt uncomfortable in them but I told myself that surely no one would think that someone would actually take up one of those coveted scooters if they didn't need one. But boy, the first time someone said something about it, she was extremely rude & my 80 year old grandmother was with me. I cussed this woman out. The pharmacist came out to ask me what happened. I told him. He apologized to me; my grandmother also told the woman off.
After that I no longer felt ok using the scooters, yet I must use it if I want to get my groceries. Now that I have a cane I can leave in the basket of the scooter, I think that perhaps I won't look as strange using the handicapped equipment to get around & parking in the handicapped parking spaces. Plus I really do look younger than my age, now 34, than I am... especially in the face...
*sigh*
Withdrawals are the worst... putting it simply... as an understatement...8(
I've gone through severe withdrawals from opiates, benzos, alcohol, nicotine, methamphetamine, actual heroin, was depressed after quitting weed for a while (was smoking about an ounce a week or more for a few months-it was really potent stuff from when I lived in San Francisco. Most of this was.
The absolute worst was the benzodiazapines. I had seizure activity. Severe muscle cramping, & it didn't go away very quickly. As benzo withdrawals can fe fatal due to the high probability, and the fact that you're almost guaranteed to at least get really bad ticks & spasms, muscle jerking, electrical zaps accompanied by severe muscle jerking/twitching &/or sustained seizures makes benzos the one that I'm really actually scared of.
The alcohol withdrawals was pretty bad too, but it's not like I couldn't taper off of it, plus I was able to get a rx for librium (a benzo often prescribed specifically for withdrawal symptoms) which seemed to get me through it. Plus alcohol withdrawals don't last nearly as long as benzos. Also, the slower acting your specific benzo is, the longer your withdrawals will last. So, like the Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a slower acting benzo. It's absorbed slower, doesn't peak quickly, or as high, because it lasts longer than the popular go-to benzo, Xanax (Alprazolam). Then the Valium (Diazepam) is also a slow acting, longer lasting benzo as well. Xanax is one of the quickest acting benzos, but doesn't last as long or stay in the system as long. I take Ativan (Lorazepam) 2mg 4x/day PRN. I've been taking it for almost ten years for severe panic attacks & insomnia.
You know people often think that heroin/opiate withdrawal is the worst, but it's far less likely to kill a person than benzo withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal. Not impossible, though. I have had tachycardia/palpatations/irregular, uncomfortable, scary feeling heartbeats that then cause panic attacks, amplifying my perceptions of what may really be going on with my body, so I typically try to just have enough ativan on hand to try to sleep through the withdrawals. Not to mention that benzos definitely help with any withdrawals. I am also on a beta blocker, which is also supposed to help slow a tachycardic heartbeat.
as for the GABA drugs. I felt really really terrible on them, both of them (not at the same time). I know I can handle opiate withdrawal. The worst part of opiate withdrawal for me is just the actual 'being sick'... the diarrhea. Once I'm past that, I feel so much better. it usually begins about 4-6 days after my last opiate, & lasts 3-5..MAAAAAYBE 6 days. But theyre really BAD days. I can't go anywhere because I could have to run to the toilet very suddenly at any moment. Then being in bed in all that pain I don't want to get up and go to the toilet because it's so painful to move. my morphine rx that I take is a really high dose, but it's legitimately prescribed after a disability that almost took away my ability to walk at all. I had to use a walker for months, which I was almost completely unable to do. I thought I was going to have to be in a wheelchair at age 33. But slowly my muscle reinnervation occurred as my nerves slowly regenerated. It's a year out now, & I still have partial paralysis in one of my legs/feet... & I haven't had any improvement in a long time. Like since February or March. *sigh* at least I'm off the walker for the most part. But I still use a cane & use the powered shopping cart scooters at the grocery store. I've received a few really awful comments about my use of those scooters. I guess because I don't look handicapped, especially when wearing pants. Maybe people think I'm just using it to use it. At first I thought I felt uncomfortable in them but I told myself that surely no one would think that someone would actually take up one of those coveted scooters if they didn't need one. But boy, the first time someone said something about it, she was extremely rude & my 80 year old grandmother was with me. I cussed this woman out. The pharmacist came out to ask me what happened. I told him. He apologized to me; my grandmother also told the woman off.
After that I no longer felt ok using the scooters, yet I must use it if I want to get my groceries. Now that I have a cane I can leave in the basket of the scooter, I think that perhaps I won't look as strange using the handicapped equipment to get around & parking in the handicapped parking spaces. Plus I really do look younger than my age, now 34, than I am... especially in the face...
*sigh*
I first came here to hear other peoples experiences quitting cannabis, which was really difficult for me. I know most people could take it or leave it without much problem. Granted I smoked pretty much all the time for decades. But I wanted to see of others ever had similar problems. I knew I was extreme, but figured someone else out there must have felt similarly. I didn't really know much about withdrawal in general.
I had been on 10g of Zoloft for many years, ambien and klonipin. Saw a psychiatrist but really just for my meds, about one every other month, ever since I started getting panic attacks after collage. Then about 8 years ago my dad committed suicide by jumping off a building. He was an alcoholic and quit drinking about three weeks earlier. Never got help, just from a different generation I guess. After that my panic and anxiety started to get worse. But never thought bout his alcoholism and suicide being intertwined. Again, didn't know anything about withdrawal or depression.
Eventually, after a few really but episodes and bug-outs after smoking, I decided I needed to quit smoking. Made a list of all the reasons to quit. Pretty much right away, the major anxiety and depression started with all the Bells and whistles - sleeplessness, loss of appetite, panic, crying, self loathing, and so on. By the second week I was starting to contemplate suicide. One day at 4am, I drove myself to the ER and was admitted into the psych ward. It was there that I was given gabapentine. I started feeling better almost the next day. I spent five days there. It was surreal. There a had a sort of epiphany, and put two and two together. This was how my dad felt. This is way he killed himself. But he never got help and mental illness is a real problem in my family. I wrote my step mother when I got out and told her I don't blame her for my dad and I got it now. He was stubborn, mentally ill and suffering from withdrawal.
Sorry to digress. But I searched about gabapentine on a whim while looking for more about what quitting heavy cannabis use cold turkey may do. It's been over 200 days since I last got stoned, but still have vivid dreams of getting high. But not in the past tense. Dreams where im totally aware that I quit and I'm doing it again. Very strange and super real. But the 3 weeks after I quit we're the worst of my life and the thought of that same experience terrifies me. Depression is the animal that I fear more than anything on this earth. That loathsome feeling that you will never be content ever again. I see a theripist regularly now and truly believe I'm a better person for having gone through this. Prob doesn't explain anything, but once I get writing its cathartic.
I had been on 10g of Zoloft for many years, ambien and klonipin. Saw a psychiatrist but really just for my meds, about one every other month, ever since I started getting panic attacks after collage. Then about 8 years ago my dad committed suicide by jumping off a building. He was an alcoholic and quit drinking about three weeks earlier. Never got help, just from a different generation I guess. After that my panic and anxiety started to get worse. But never thought bout his alcoholism and suicide being intertwined. Again, didn't know anything about withdrawal or depression.
Eventually, after a few really but episodes and bug-outs after smoking, I decided I needed to quit smoking. Made a list of all the reasons to quit. Pretty much right away, the major anxiety and depression started with all the Bells and whistles - sleeplessness, loss of appetite, panic, crying, self loathing, and so on. By the second week I was starting to contemplate suicide. One day at 4am, I drove myself to the ER and was admitted into the psych ward. It was there that I was given gabapentine. I started feeling better almost the next day. I spent five days there. It was surreal. There a had a sort of epiphany, and put two and two together. This was how my dad felt. This is way he killed himself. But he never got help and mental illness is a real problem in my family. I wrote my step mother when I got out and told her I don't blame her for my dad and I got it now. He was stubborn, mentally ill and suffering from withdrawal.
Sorry to digress. But I searched about gabapentine on a whim while looking for more about what quitting heavy cannabis use cold turkey may do. It's been over 200 days since I last got stoned, but still have vivid dreams of getting high. But not in the past tense. Dreams where im totally aware that I quit and I'm doing it again. Very strange and super real. But the 3 weeks after I quit we're the worst of my life and the thought of that same experience terrifies me. Depression is the animal that I fear more than anything on this earth. That loathsome feeling that you will never be content ever again. I see a theripist regularly now and truly believe I'm a better person for having gone through this. Prob doesn't explain anything, but once I get writing its cathartic.
For many people, a large dose of immodium in the area of ten to twenty mgs, kills many of the w/d symptoms of opiate/opioid w/d. For me, it is about ten mgs taken morning and afternoon for a few days. Everyone is different and people will say it's not possible because the immodium doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier. I don't care, because it does get rid of sweats, lethargy, and of course the runs, for me. I have never had the "placebo effect" work for anything, so for me it is a legit otc remedy. I'm now looking for otc remedies for neurontin w/d. I've read some good posts about avoiding neurontin w/d sweats/chills by using antihistamines....
Erikmen
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Withdrawals are the worst... putting it simply... as an understatement...8(
I've gone through severe withdrawals from opiates, benzos, alcohol, nicotine, methamphetamine, actual heroin, was depressed after quitting weed for a while (was smoking about an ounce a week or more for a few months-it was really potent stuff from when I lived in San Francisco. Most of this was.
The absolute worst was the benzodiazapines. I had seizure activity. Severe muscle cramping, & it didn't go away very quickly. As benzo withdrawals can fe fatal due to the high probability, and the fact that you're almost guaranteed to at least get really bad ticks & spasms, muscle jerking, electrical zaps accompanied by severe muscle jerking/twitching &/or sustained seizures makes benzos the one that I'm really actually scared of.
The alcohol withdrawals was pretty bad too, but it's not like I couldn't taper off of it, plus I was able to get a rx for librium (a benzo often prescribed specifically for withdrawal symptoms) which seemed to get me through it. Plus alcohol withdrawals don't last nearly as long as benzos. Also, the slower acting your specific benzo is, the longer your withdrawals will last. So, like the Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a slower acting benzo. It's absorbed slower, doesn't peak quickly, or as high, because it lasts longer than the popular go-to benzo, Xanax (Alprazolam). Then the Valium (Diazepam) is also a slow acting, longer lasting benzo as well. Xanax is one of the quickest acting benzos, but doesn't last as long or stay in the system as long. I take Ativan (Lorazepam) 2mg 4x/day PRN. I've been taking it for almost ten years for severe panic attacks & insomnia.
You know people often think that heroin/opiate withdrawal is the worst, but it's far less likely to kill a person than benzo withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal. Not impossible, though. I have had tachycardia/palpatations/irregular, uncomfortable, scary feeling heartbeats that then cause panic attacks, amplifying my perceptions of what may really be going on with my body, so I typically try to just have enough ativan on hand to try to sleep through the withdrawals. Not to mention that benzos definitely help with any withdrawals
After that I no longer felt ok using the scooters, yet I must use it if I want to get my groceries. Now that I have a cane I can leave in the basket of the scooter, I think that perhaps I won't look as strange using the handicapped equipment to get around & parking in the handicapped parking spaces. Plus I really do look younger than my age, now 34, than I am... especially in the face...
*sigh*
It takes time and lots of patience.. something like the above..at least.
Toz
Bluelighter
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- Oct 2, 2012
- Messages
- 1,973
I quit this medicine cold turkey and suffered brain damage as a result. My eyes no longer converge on the same object, causing double vision / blurred vision / bad contrast. I also suffer permanent dizzyness, maybe as a result of the vision problems. I lost parts of my visual field but most have recovered over a 3 year period. Maybe in several more years my vision will be completely ok and the dizzyness will be gone. But it was a hard learned lesson. Especially as I reinstated after 2 years and immediately got the full addiction back, without recovering from what I thought was withdrawal symptoms.
I don't know if I've posted this before but be carefull and don't have a seizure like I probably did. I blacked out and woke up with my vision ruined.
I've done cold turkey benzodiazepines at higher doses before so I thought I would be fine. Appearently 5mg clonazepam wasn't that bad for me but 3600mg gabapentin cold turkey totally destroyed me both physically and mentally. It was so much worse.
I don't know if I've posted this before but be carefull and don't have a seizure like I probably did. I blacked out and woke up with my vision ruined.
I've done cold turkey benzodiazepines at higher doses before so I thought I would be fine. Appearently 5mg clonazepam wasn't that bad for me but 3600mg gabapentin cold turkey totally destroyed me both physically and mentally. It was so much worse.
Last edited:
pr0d1gy
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- May 1, 2009
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- 547
The intensity of withdrawal seems to be very dose specific and many people are on relatively low doses of gabapentin. After major flooding and storms hit my area, I was once stranded on a international businesses trip for 3 days without gabapentin. The withdrawal was very physical but still extremely uncomfortable, even with benzodiazepines. I didn't sleep a blink for 3 days and my legs became so cramped I could hardly walk by the end of the second day. I'd say the withdrawal was reminiscent of the worst physical attributes of benzodiazepine withdrawal without the mental aspect. My dose was 1200 mg per day.
Gabapentin doesn't seem to be habit forming and has minimal side effects, but cessation can be quite uncomfortable. I'd compare gabapentin withdrawal to acute alpha agonist withdrawal, only much much longer lasting and with the addition of muscle coordination issues.
I was rx'd Neurontin a year ago because of nerve pain. After a month of taking 300mg daily I noticed it was having a negative effect on my cognitive abilities so I quit without any problems, replacing it with Tramadol (which I eventually was discontinued from because the doctor wanted to try a medication used to treat only fibromyalgia). Well, in July I was found to have a brain lesion and they put me back on it for pain relief and for seizure prevention. The doctor basically pleaded with me to start back on it, which is something I didn't want to do in the first place because of my history with it (I'm stubborn about avoiding meds). So I was started on a very low dose and was told to titrate up to minimize the the side effects.
By the beginning of August I was taking 1200 / day (where the doctor wanted me). At the beginning of November, I was admitted to the hospital because I couldn't stop vomiting, had a ridiculous glucose level, a tender gallbladder, and all kinds of other things out of whack, which went away after a day in the hospital. By the way, a CT scan on my stomach showed nothing was wrong.
I want to pause right here because I'd like to explain to y'all, that I have otherwise been in excellent health my entire life. I have a perfectly normal BMI (5'3", 120 lbs), and have regular checkups and blood work done. I'm a 32 y/o female that has never abused drugs ( ... except weed), don't smoke, blah blah blah.
Anyways, I was released from the hospital a couple days later with a shrug from the doctor saying that he couldn't give me a diagnosis. Then, the next week, the same damn thing happened. The exact same symptoms. We both decided it's probably the Remeron I was just prescribed a few weeks prior so I threw that out, and a neurologist said I may have Episodic Ataxia, as well as MS (What the fuck?!). No new meds were prescribed.
This week, I was hospitalized yet AGAIN! Nonstop vomiting. I think by this point the staff at this hospital is just sick of looking at me, because they're ignoring the fact that my blood is so thin that they're having trouble drawing blood, and that I'm having an abnormal heartbeat. They told me that all of my blood tests are normal (which I call BS on, when I get back home after xmas I'm getting my records and if they lied I'm showing my attorney). By this point they're agitated, I'm agitated and sick, so I blurt out something along the lines of "If you can't help me I might as well go home and hang myself". So I got a few hours of PC and a psych eval... which I cleared just fine because the Zofran was working by that point.
They released me and called it depression (what an ass covering from their point I'm sure.). In all reality, I'm almost positive it's the Gabapentin. I quit it cold turkey and I've been 3 days without it.
Every morning I wake up and puke bile and I'm so extremely nauseated until Zofran can work, which the nausea then turns into gas. I've never been through WD's before, but I'm almost positive that's what I'm going through. It's getting a tiny bit better day by day, but it's still slow and scary and VERY debilitating. I don't have an appetite and it's pretty challenging keeping things down. I've been drinking green tea (unsweetened) and water, and when I can eating pieces of a rice cake.
Withdrawals are disgusting. I am so fed up with a system that turns genuinely sick people into addicts. Nothing is worse than the nausea I felt in the hospital. Practicing medicine should not be a capitalistic endeavor, and I'm saying that as somebody who used to be a big time conservative before I got sick...
By the beginning of August I was taking 1200 / day (where the doctor wanted me). At the beginning of November, I was admitted to the hospital because I couldn't stop vomiting, had a ridiculous glucose level, a tender gallbladder, and all kinds of other things out of whack, which went away after a day in the hospital. By the way, a CT scan on my stomach showed nothing was wrong.
I want to pause right here because I'd like to explain to y'all, that I have otherwise been in excellent health my entire life. I have a perfectly normal BMI (5'3", 120 lbs), and have regular checkups and blood work done. I'm a 32 y/o female that has never abused drugs ( ... except weed), don't smoke, blah blah blah.
Anyways, I was released from the hospital a couple days later with a shrug from the doctor saying that he couldn't give me a diagnosis. Then, the next week, the same damn thing happened. The exact same symptoms. We both decided it's probably the Remeron I was just prescribed a few weeks prior so I threw that out, and a neurologist said I may have Episodic Ataxia, as well as MS (What the fuck?!). No new meds were prescribed.
This week, I was hospitalized yet AGAIN! Nonstop vomiting. I think by this point the staff at this hospital is just sick of looking at me, because they're ignoring the fact that my blood is so thin that they're having trouble drawing blood, and that I'm having an abnormal heartbeat. They told me that all of my blood tests are normal (which I call BS on, when I get back home after xmas I'm getting my records and if they lied I'm showing my attorney). By this point they're agitated, I'm agitated and sick, so I blurt out something along the lines of "If you can't help me I might as well go home and hang myself". So I got a few hours of PC and a psych eval... which I cleared just fine because the Zofran was working by that point.
They released me and called it depression (what an ass covering from their point I'm sure.). In all reality, I'm almost positive it's the Gabapentin. I quit it cold turkey and I've been 3 days without it.
Every morning I wake up and puke bile and I'm so extremely nauseated until Zofran can work, which the nausea then turns into gas. I've never been through WD's before, but I'm almost positive that's what I'm going through. It's getting a tiny bit better day by day, but it's still slow and scary and VERY debilitating. I don't have an appetite and it's pretty challenging keeping things down. I've been drinking green tea (unsweetened) and water, and when I can eating pieces of a rice cake.
Withdrawals are disgusting. I am so fed up with a system that turns genuinely sick people into addicts. Nothing is worse than the nausea I felt in the hospital. Practicing medicine should not be a capitalistic endeavor, and I'm saying that as somebody who used to be a big time conservative before I got sick...
I too seem to have similar problem with gabapentin; I was prescribed these along with Seroquel and naltrexone for opieate withdrawal which I used for shoulder pain for 8 months. I stopped the Seroquel and Naltrexone after 2 days because made me feel like vegetable. Gabapentin I continued for about three weeks with the following dosage:
First 2 days: 600mg/day
Week 1: 900mg/day
Week 2: 600mg/day
Week 3: 300mg/day, and then stopped two nights ago.
So I have been taking it for about 23 days total with low doses. My symptom started from last night which was 24 hours after last dose. I couldn't sleep well; had hot flashes and severe RLS and depression; couldn't get out of bed; diherria, stomach pain; headache, anxiety, agitation, hypersensitive skin, lack of motivation, you name it. It is a totally different thing from opiate WD; it is weird and you do not know what to expect; I have a hard time concentrating while I am writing this. It is really bad considering I took it for only about 3 weeks under low doses. I did feel some mild symptoms when I dropped down from 900 to 600 to 300 but nothing like this. You see my doctor didn't even tell me anything about this; he told me to continue taking 900/day for a few weeks, and then he would give me other drugs, etc. I feel he wanted me to make dependent to these so that I would have to go visit him more often. I don't think I needed this much of medication, including the Seroquel, etc for a few months of painkillers. This experience made me much more cautious about medications and even more so about doctors. Anyhow, I have had experience with opiate withdrawal before and I know that this new experience comes from Gabapentin rather than anything else. I think that last thing for someone coming off WD symptoms of other meds is stepping into the depression and anxiety of gabapentin unless it is absolutely necessary. I felt I had to take it, though I had no idea it would give me these symptoms, because I was taking ultram and discontinuing it can increase the risk of seizure, and hence the gabapentin which is an anti-seizure med.
Now I am in 48th hour after last dose and have no idea if these symptoms are gonna last how long! I am just hoping it won't get much worse or else it would seriously affect my work.
First 2 days: 600mg/day
Week 1: 900mg/day
Week 2: 600mg/day
Week 3: 300mg/day, and then stopped two nights ago.
So I have been taking it for about 23 days total with low doses. My symptom started from last night which was 24 hours after last dose. I couldn't sleep well; had hot flashes and severe RLS and depression; couldn't get out of bed; diherria, stomach pain; headache, anxiety, agitation, hypersensitive skin, lack of motivation, you name it. It is a totally different thing from opiate WD; it is weird and you do not know what to expect; I have a hard time concentrating while I am writing this. It is really bad considering I took it for only about 3 weeks under low doses. I did feel some mild symptoms when I dropped down from 900 to 600 to 300 but nothing like this. You see my doctor didn't even tell me anything about this; he told me to continue taking 900/day for a few weeks, and then he would give me other drugs, etc. I feel he wanted me to make dependent to these so that I would have to go visit him more often. I don't think I needed this much of medication, including the Seroquel, etc for a few months of painkillers. This experience made me much more cautious about medications and even more so about doctors. Anyhow, I have had experience with opiate withdrawal before and I know that this new experience comes from Gabapentin rather than anything else. I think that last thing for someone coming off WD symptoms of other meds is stepping into the depression and anxiety of gabapentin unless it is absolutely necessary. I felt I had to take it, though I had no idea it would give me these symptoms, because I was taking ultram and discontinuing it can increase the risk of seizure, and hence the gabapentin which is an anti-seizure med.
Now I am in 48th hour after last dose and have no idea if these symptoms are gonna last how long! I am just hoping it won't get much worse or else it would seriously affect my work.
CosmicG
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2014
- Messages
- 12,572
I was prescribed this drug and several other ones to help me through my Xanax detox. I am about eighteen days benzo free. I was taking 600 milligrams four times a day. I was feeling good the day I decided to discharge myself from the hospital against medical advice 
smart move I know.
I left with all of the meds they had me on at the hospital ( clonodine, seroquel, vistaril, neurontin), a months worth. I missed a few doses of neurontin and by the next day was feeling like complete shit. My muscles started twitching, which is a first for me. Insane panic attacks. "Bad trip-like fear". Body feeling weak like jello. Physical exhaustion. Etc.
I guess my question if there is anyone to answer it would be is it likely I am feeling gabapentin withdrawal or still withdrawing from the benzos? I wouldn't have thought two week in 2400 mgs of gabapentin daily would be such a problem especially considering I am not even cold turkey, but what do I know? I took benzos daily for over a year. Any input is appreciated.
smart move I know.I left with all of the meds they had me on at the hospital ( clonodine, seroquel, vistaril, neurontin), a months worth. I missed a few doses of neurontin and by the next day was feeling like complete shit. My muscles started twitching, which is a first for me. Insane panic attacks. "Bad trip-like fear". Body feeling weak like jello. Physical exhaustion. Etc.
I guess my question if there is anyone to answer it would be is it likely I am feeling gabapentin withdrawal or still withdrawing from the benzos? I wouldn't have thought two week in 2400 mgs of gabapentin daily would be such a problem especially considering I am not even cold turkey, but what do I know? I took benzos daily for over a year. Any input is appreciated.
Please help!!
Hello I'm new to this site and could really use some help and advice. I've been taking gabapentin for about 2yrs now I also take Suboxone which was originally to help my addiction but I'm still taking it because I have a lot of pain I have been diagnosed with scoliosis but I think I have a spinal tumor which I need an MRI to find out and I have a lot of muscle joint and nerve problems along with sciatic pain just wanted to give a little history but my post is about gabapentin I am perscribed 300mg cap. 4 a day but I actually take 12 of thease twice a day so that's 24 a day & I'm having a lot of issues mentally I feel like I'm not there my vision is decreasing my body literally feels like it's dying everything always hurts I blacked out like fell to my knees and twiched for the first time ever hasn't happend again but it was scarey. Anyway I ran out of my script so I will be abruptly stopping tomorrow and I'm terrified of the withdrawls does someone know what I can do to make this as easy as possible please let me know I do t wanna die!!!
Hello I'm new to this site and could really use some help and advice. I've been taking gabapentin for about 2yrs now I also take Suboxone which was originally to help my addiction but I'm still taking it because I have a lot of pain I have been diagnosed with scoliosis but I think I have a spinal tumor which I need an MRI to find out and I have a lot of muscle joint and nerve problems along with sciatic pain just wanted to give a little history but my post is about gabapentin I am perscribed 300mg cap. 4 a day but I actually take 12 of thease twice a day so that's 24 a day & I'm having a lot of issues mentally I feel like I'm not there my vision is decreasing my body literally feels like it's dying everything always hurts I blacked out like fell to my knees and twiched for the first time ever hasn't happend again but it was scarey. Anyway I ran out of my script so I will be abruptly stopping tomorrow and I'm terrified of the withdrawls does someone know what I can do to make this as easy as possible please let me know I do t wanna die!!!
blue comet
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So, you are taking 7200mg of gabapentin per day? Has this been a dose you've been taking for a while, or has it recently gone up this high?
I would recommend some benzos to help with withdrawal unless you have a history of abuse with that.
blue comet
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On my end, I took gabapentin for 7 weeks (Feb and March 2015) starting at doses of 1200mg per day and escalating to doses of 2100mg-2400mg.
Could I have caused any permanent damage from this use?
Could I have caused any permanent damage from this use?
chaosbydesign
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I have read through this entire thread, and ***I am wondering whether anybody actually has a success story or advice to share about a LONG-TERM taper off of Gabapentin***.
I am prescribed Gabapentin and have been taking it daily for about a year now. I haven't experienced any negative side effects at all from the medication. At first, I was prescribed 300mg 3x a day for anxiety during a difficult time in my life, but I recently have gone up to 600mg 3x a day because I've been experiencing neuropathic pain for a while now (I found out a few weeks ago that I have Lyme disease and this is the cause of the pain). I am currently being treated for the Lyme with antibiotics, and I have faith that I will make a full recovery within about 6 months or so, as I caught it relatively early.
After I am cured of the Lyme, I would like to taper off of the Gabapentin very slowly. I'm MUCH happier with my life now than I was when I first started taking it, so I don't anticipate anxiety issues. My plan is to taper about 100mg down every 2-4 weeks from my current total of 1800mg a day. I suppose that I'll have to cut the pills into sixths or something like that at first, which will indeed be a hassle but probably worth it.
Has anybody had success and managed to avoid withdrawals with a long-term taper like this? It's very important that I not experience heavy WDs because I have to get through nursing school, so I'm going to take this very slowly. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
***
Also:
Permanent damage? I doubt it and I don't see how you would have caused any damage to yourself. Those are considered to be safe dosages. From what I know, Gabapentin doesn't seem to cause "damage" in users generally other than possible negative side effects while on the drug, or withdrawals upon discontinuation. From what people are saying here in this thread, it sounds like you would have possibly experienced some mild withdrawals. Was everything okay for you? I hope so.
I am prescribed Gabapentin and have been taking it daily for about a year now. I haven't experienced any negative side effects at all from the medication. At first, I was prescribed 300mg 3x a day for anxiety during a difficult time in my life, but I recently have gone up to 600mg 3x a day because I've been experiencing neuropathic pain for a while now (I found out a few weeks ago that I have Lyme disease and this is the cause of the pain). I am currently being treated for the Lyme with antibiotics, and I have faith that I will make a full recovery within about 6 months or so, as I caught it relatively early.
After I am cured of the Lyme, I would like to taper off of the Gabapentin very slowly. I'm MUCH happier with my life now than I was when I first started taking it, so I don't anticipate anxiety issues. My plan is to taper about 100mg down every 2-4 weeks from my current total of 1800mg a day. I suppose that I'll have to cut the pills into sixths or something like that at first, which will indeed be a hassle but probably worth it.
Has anybody had success and managed to avoid withdrawals with a long-term taper like this? It's very important that I not experience heavy WDs because I have to get through nursing school, so I'm going to take this very slowly. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
***
Also:
Permanent damage? I doubt it and I don't see how you would have caused any damage to yourself. Those are considered to be safe dosages. From what I know, Gabapentin doesn't seem to cause "damage" in users generally other than possible negative side effects while on the drug, or withdrawals upon discontinuation. From what people are saying here in this thread, it sounds like you would have possibly experienced some mild withdrawals. Was everything okay for you? I hope so.
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I never hear anything about low dose gabapentin use. After 15 years of valium been off benzo's for 4 months, some better from the valium but not 100% yet. It's been one helluva ride and wasn't getting any sleep so Doc wanted me to take 300mg of gabapentin 3x a day. The side effects made me feel like 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag. funny thing I never asked for the valium, that prick got me strung out pretty good. Why is it whhen a doctor moves the other ones don't want you to have the same shit your already doing good on? They wanna fuck with your meds for no known reason.
Sorry, back to the topic, feeling much better now. I couldn't take 900mg of gabapentin but found that if I dump 1/2 of a capsule out I can sleep 7 hours on about 150mg maybe a soma and some melatonin. Been taking it for 4 months every night.
100mg makes me feel like shit for 1/2 the day but I need sleep so bad I take it anyways. Am I gonna have withdrtawals from that shit now??
Thanks Barry
Sorry, back to the topic, feeling much better now. I couldn't take 900mg of gabapentin but found that if I dump 1/2 of a capsule out I can sleep 7 hours on about 150mg maybe a soma and some melatonin. Been taking it for 4 months every night.
100mg makes me feel like shit for 1/2 the day but I need sleep so bad I take it anyways. Am I gonna have withdrtawals from that shit now??
Thanks Barry
Squeaky
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Im currently on day 6 withdrawl from Oxy. So far it has been more manageable for me than many others who have posted on various forums, still really sucks though.
Sounds like big Pharma tells us there shouldn't be wd's from gabapentin, but they also tell us Diet Coke will make us thin.
These forums aren't meant to 'out' liars. They really help people like me to figure out why I feel so crappy right now and give me ideas on how to get throught it. I have a bottle full of gabapentin and I was going to take some to help with the leg pain I have from my back surgery and/or wd's, but after hearing the stories on this thread i guess I'll take it a little more seriously.
Sounds like big Pharma tells us there shouldn't be wd's from gabapentin, but they also tell us Diet Coke will make us thin.
These forums aren't meant to 'out' liars. They really help people like me to figure out why I feel so crappy right now and give me ideas on how to get throught it. I have a bottle full of gabapentin and I was going to take some to help with the leg pain I have from my back surgery and/or wd's, but after hearing the stories on this thread i guess I'll take it a little more seriously.
Mommy24buggers
Greenlighter
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- Apr 24, 2016
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- 3
Ah yes, finally figured this out. So I'm on a variety of meds. There are two that have caused a 45 pound weight gain. Gabapentin and diphenhydramine. So I want out. I hit the same weight as my husband, 165, and I'm done! I know I'm supposed to wean, but I take other meds that would seem to help. Anyway, first morning I woke up with what I can only call buzzing. Like my whole body is buzzing. It is just below the skin and very annoying. So I got up and took my hydrocodone and Xanax. I know, I sound crazy. I have fibromyalgia and a chronic congenital kidney condition. Both cause chronic pain. I have a very understanding primary who has tried to help me through all the muscle knots/joint pain/neck & back pain. I've had all that pain for about 9 years now. A couple years ago I had c5-6 spine surgery, herniated disc. I got implants about 9 years ago and my pain did seem to come not long after that. I've yet to remove. The kidney disease was diagnosed about that time too. It is called medullary sponge kidney, and is a birth defect. It causes chronic kidney stones. So I'm on meds for that, lots of potassium and indapamide. Xanax, hydrocodone, and gabapentin foe pain. I also take ambien for sleep, along with generic sleep aid (diphenhydramine). My goal is to quit diphenhydramine and gabapentin. That's first. My withdrawals have begun already, just from not having that last night. It's just that weird buzzing and woke up super early. If like to hear everyone's take on me.