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Gabapentinoids (Gabapentin) withdrawal, any advice?

I get the intense anger from GBP withdrawals too...I'm trying highly absorbable magnesium drink along with 3-750 mgs phenibut to allow functioning. Hope this doesn't get too bad. 1 year habit 2400-3600 mgs. Been rapid tapered down to 1200 now around 600 the last few days. I have 900 mgs left but gonna use only before work
 
Varimix- haha yes GP has some very interesting and lasting WD effects. Very strange. It's been about a week since I've had any symptoms but woke up this morning and the bed was vibrating. It is a strange vibration deep in my chest- like a flutter. Fortunately this time, for once, the fluttering wasn't accompanied by paralyzingly anxiety. It's Like bats in my chest. No arrhythmia just strange fluttering sensation. Like deep muscle faciculations inside my chest. I took an EKG on myself during one of these episodes and it was normal. All vital signs perfect. Absolutely bizarre.
it's inevitable you will have to deal with the withdrawal. I took Mag Glycenate and used Mag oil as well as Epsom salt soaks and it really did seem to help the symptoms. I would be aggressive with Mg before trading one chemical dependency for another. Phenebut is garbage too. These GABA esque drugs are like making a deal with the devil. You have to be really, really careful, and vigilant- especially if you are abusing the medication. You can't rely on doctors to help you either. They are about the most misinformed professionals on the planet when it comes to this drug. Absolutely fucking clueless. I see it every day at my job as a health care professional. I have resorted to posting on public forums, using extensive knowledge and experience to actually reduce harm and actually try to provide some professional insight.
 
Yeah I get made fun of by regular people for not trusting doctors with their med knowledge because pretty much evry doctor I've had was very misimpformed about the meds they prescribed. Who knows what else they are misimpformed about. 8 years of school does not make you smart. If I were prescribing drugs to people I'd be doing extensive research on each one.

But yeah I've had the gaba flutter before. Sometimes I feel shakey. IOther times not. Caffeine is a big no no during withdrawal. I thought it wasn't doing anything bad but it really brings out the anger and make me feel like I'm on crystal meth and steroids
 
Yes one SIP of coffee during this time sent me into a tailspin of tachycardia, anxiety and those flutters in the chest. In my case, I'm believing that although I feel 99% better, I'm still not healed neurologically. In other words, my neurotransmitters have not yet reached homeostasis which is what brings about the WD symptoms after a single small dose. Kind of like picking the scab on a wound that's healing. This phenomena called kindling is common amongst alkies that repeatedly detox themselves. Could there be a similar phenominon with GB? Who knows? The doc who prescribed it should :-/
 
Yes, there is a kindling effect with gabapentin. It's very common with the gabapentinoids and GABA anologues...any GABAergic or glutamatergic really. I wouldn't expect the doctor to know; I doubt he even knows what kindling is... In my experience, I've discovered doctors to be extraordinarily ignorant when it comes to neuropsychopharmacology/neuroscience/biochemisty
 
Is 3-4 days of moderate-heavy use (2-4g) enough to get bad rebound effects, or what? I'm kicking dope and I've been using gaba to ameliorate things. Don't plan on using this more than necessary but It'd be nice to know when people start to get the crazy mood swings, etc. so I can tap the brakes a bit.
 
Yes, it very well could. That's too much to use. Phenibut should be used in doses from 500mg to 750mg and at the most 1000mg, after titration. You wouldn't go taking 100mg of valium days on end would you and not expect bad effects? To prevent withdrawals Take the dosages above three to four times a day, like you would other gabapentinoids like gabapentin or pregabalin. Don't go taking extreme dosages like you have been. GABA B agonists can cause extrememly painful withdrawals.

Read the withdrawal section for baclofen (works the same way as phenibut - it's the same exact chemical pretty much, and it was dervived from phenibutl) on wikipedia...it's spot on, deadly accurate.
 
Thanks for the response. For clarification, I'm taking gabapentin 300mg caps. 3-4 at a time throughout the day. I used to take big doses at once but I learned to feed it slowly to get more out of 'em.
 
Blue Hair- thanks! I can't say I disagree with you regarding the kindling effect although purely anecdotal. To me, it's the only explanation as to why a single dose after 2 weeks would precipitate WD symptoms. My question to you is- will this go away in time if I simply wait it out? I'd hat to think I've ruined my ability to use GP permanently.

Neither Animal- I'm not quite sure what you are asking. Do you mean rebound pain upon discontinuation? I can only say this- you are far better off going through opiate WD then GP withdrawal so like I posted previously, please be careful and conservative with your dosing. take enough to attenuate the dope sickness and that's it. Once you are over the hump with the opiate WD taper that GP. There are a ton of great threads on tapering here on BL.
 
Another pitfall I fell into and have noticed here in the posts is the underestimation of the WD potential of this agent because of its "short
 
Half life" given the half life of GP, withdrawal symptoms should begin typically within 48 hrs. Ppl on very high doses actually experience interdose withdrawals. BUT- my symptoms don't arise until the 4th day. So we get a false sense of security that because on day 3 we feel ok so we must not be dependent. Wait a full week and see how you feel.
 
That 4th day thing must be common with gabapentinoids: my severe, forced withdrawals from baclofen all three times never occurred until four days after cessation.

And the kindling effect isn't really anecdotal; it's supported by scientific and pharmacological fact: the activation of t-type calcium channels causes excitation and neuronal depolarizations via release norepinephrine and glutamate, and it can inhibit GABA release at certain dosages.
 
Gabapentin takes care of all heroin withdrawal symptoms except for the back pain. The only thing I get out of it is relief from withdrawal and minor disassociative symptoms.
 
It does help opiate withdrawal but I wouldn't say gets rid of comletely. Everyone is different though
 
I can't stress this enough. If you have the means, depending on your dosages and length of time using, taper as slow as you can. That is the optimum. Also, mentally get your head straight as possible. A lot of your withdrawal side effects are in your head. Down play the severity of the taper and go from there. Also, anything you can do to relax your GABAergic system, will help. Cut caffeine and other things that would strain your system. It is mostly subjective.
 
Speed king your right.. I've gotten myself into the best spiritual shape I can before.running out. These people that have month long withdrawals most likely have negative thoughts, energy and.diets. the brain changes and will change with positive beliefs. People don't want to believe it and continue with self defeating thoughts which will make that your reality.

I'm sure I'll feel a little off but I will not let this kill my faith and.good atittude
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
That 4th day thing must be common with gabapentinoids: my severe, forced withdrawals from baclofen all three times never occurred until four days after cessation.

And the kindling effect isn't really anecdotal; it's supported by scientific and pharmacological fact: the activation of t-type calcium channels causes excitation and neuronal depolarizations via release norepinephrine and glutamate, and it can inhibit GABA release at certain dosages.
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Thanks Blue. I think the answer to this "kindling" effect is further abstenance hence return to neurochemical homeostasis. Until then, I will await MRI and treat the NSAID induced gastric ulcer. What is your opinion regarding length of time to be totally WD symptom-free before I can safely take GP sparingly without experiencing WD symptoms? And may I ask why you needed Baclofen? It's an old drug. used to script it to spinal cord injured patients for spasticity.
 
Due to an injury that caused a severe infection and nerve and muscle death, resulting in neuropathy, muscle spasms, and rigidity issues.

It's hard to say... It could be as little as week, maybe two at the most to be completely symptom free. But by the two week mark - if it lasts that long, your symptoms should be relatively minor or non-significant. Yes, you should be able to take it sparingly. Gabapentin is not very potent and has piss poor bioavavalability anyway.
 
Varimix, I'm happy you understand. To the rest of you. The attitude is half the battle. There will be withdrawal symptoms. A drug is leaving your system. However, you start with the positive attitude and that will lighten the load. Look at it as a cleansing or something like that. It's all subjective. This has helped me. It definately is worth a shot.
 
varimix said:
Speed king your right.. I've gotten myself into the best spiritual shape I can before.running out. These people that have month long withdrawals most likely have negative thoughts, energy and.diets. the brain changes and will change with positive beliefs. People don't want to believe it and continue with self defeating thoughts which will make that your reality.

I'm sure I'll feel a little off but I will not let this kill my faith and.good atittude
Click to expand...

That's not true. People's brains and receptor densities are different and readjust to homeostasis differently, not to mention any neuronal damage they may have done. I always had month long withdrawal from cannabinoids. The cannabinod receptors are the most widespread and prevalent receptor in the brain and massive downregulation can take a long time to fix. Are you saying the constant derealization that would suddenely come out of nowhere all the time, and the sudden severe panic attacks that materialized out of thin air, and that persisted all throughout the month long withdrawal process, along with the nightmares, was all negative thoughts and it wasin my head?

You can't think and feel something like derealization...sorry. Or panic attacks. Nightmares either.
 
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