Gabapentinoids How does one come off Gabapentin safely?

[Painful One]

I saw a specialist who diagnosed me with Narcolepsy in December and has put me on Gabapentin.
I have worked my way up from one 600 mg Gabapentin pill to three 600 mg Gabapentin a day over a months time.

I saw this specialist yesterday and he told me that a new warning had been put out about Gabapentin being combined with MS Contin killing people.
I have been on MS Contin for ten years! I cannot stop the MS Contin and I need it due to my condition for pain and severe migraine headaches.
So, I need to stop the Gabapentin.

Can someone please give me a good taper down schedule for coming off of Gabapentin?

I have researched the treatment for Narcolepsy and I can not afford the treatment.
I cannot even afford the “ sleep study” to have the diagnosis verified!
It is thousands of dollars out of pocket just for the sleep study! With good insurance!

I have tried Gabapentin before and took one Pill for 30 days and just stopped taking it and I went psychotic from just stopping Gabapentin cold turkey. I am scared! Please help!

Thank you in advance.
Love,
P.O.

 

[Hezman94]

the withdrawal is horrible
it really is
get 100mg tabs and taper
ask for baclofen
good luck xx

 

[Hezman94]

cut down 100mg a week

 

[Painful One]

Thank you Hez.


I knew I should never had tried this again! UGH!

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Thanks for postingf this, PO.
I was reading something in one of these threads to do with GP wds.
Started worrying as I do know that 99% of anything good may have wds.
Got plenty of 300mgs but 100mg a week? Is it that freakin bad regarding WDs?
DAMN!

 

[Painful One]

Thanks for postingf this, PO.
I was reading something in one of these threads to do with GP wds.
Started worrying as I do know that 99% of anything good may have wds.
Got plenty of 300mgs but 100mg a week? Is it that freakin bad regarding WDs?
DAMN!

that is what I was thinking. 100 mg a week is way too long of a taper.
I have only been taking Gabapentin for one month Total.

my pills are 600 mg each.

I have only been using three 600 mg pills for a week or less, so I am going to drop back down to two pills today.
That cuts out 600 mg right there.

I will hold at the two 600 mg pills for a week and then drop down to one 600 mg pill for two weeks.
then 1/2 a 600 mg pill for a week and then off.

Does this sound reasonable?

This should keep me from going psychotic at least??

 

[Hezman94]

u can do 300 a week i went faster adfter three weeks of use the withdrawal lasts 90dahs i think i read cba to find souree
cbd oil helps alot as actss on gaba

 

[Hezman94]

oh and passion flower and valerian will help and also potentiate mscontin

 

[Painful One]

u can do 300 a week i went faster adfter three weeks of use the withdrawal lasts 90dahs i think i read cba to find souree
cbd oil helps alot as actss on gaba

shit! The withdrawal lasts 90 days?
OMG! Why did I take these things?!

I wasn’t able to drop down to two today.
I took three.
I think I better try for two and a half tomorrow.

I am really scared of this withdrawal,

 

[totach]

I think it’s more a placebo effect you are experiencing . One or two month on a pretty low dose of gabapentin should not cause you any withdrawals but if they do then it forsure won’t last for 90 days that’s bullshit . I know you said you’ve experienced withdrawal before from a months use but again I would try to think back and ask yourself was it really that bad .
Im not saying it wasn’t . I’m just saying that I’ve never heard of anyone experiencing withdrawal from gabapentin after a month or two use and I know many people that have taken it for extended periods of time and had no issue coming off . I’ve taken it a month or two straight when in rehab and so did everyone else at the rehab and not one person complained of withdrawal once released and cut off the med .
All I’m saying is plz don’t hype yourself up because if you do then you will make yourself feel withdrawal . If you believe its not really realistic then you should feel better . Even daily benzo usuage takes over a month to build a mild dependency and GABA A drugs are forsure a worse withdrawal then GABA B drugs .
just my opinion . I hope you feel fine .

 

[Painful One]

I think it’s more a placebo effect you are experiencing . One or two month on a pretty low dose of gabapentin should not cause you any withdrawals but if they do then it forsure won’t last for 90 days that’s bullshit . I know you said you’ve experienced withdrawal before from a months use but again I would try to think back and ask yourself was it really that bad .
Im not saying it wasn’t . I’m just saying that I’ve never heard of anyone experiencing withdrawal from gabapentin after a month or two use and I know many people that have taken it for extended periods of time and had no issue coming off . I’ve taken it a month or two straight when in rehab and so did everyone else at the rehab and not one person complained of withdrawal once released and cut off the med .
All I’m saying is plz don’t hype yourself up because if you do then you will make yourself feel withdrawal . If you believe its not really realistic then you should feel better . Even daily benzo usuage takes over a month to build a mild dependency and GABA A drugs are forsure a worse withdrawal then GABA B drugs .
just my opinion . I hope you feel fine .

Thank you so much for the reassurance!

I had a bad reaction to this drug when I quit taking it but the doctor did have me on soma and Valium too, I just cold turkeyed all of that.
I didn’t know any better. This was a long time ago and I was being “tried out” on different combinations of drugs to see what helped.
I was not doing well on that mixture and just stopped it abruptly and yeah, it was that bad.

maybe, it was that bad due to that combination and the gabapentin alone won’t be too bad?

I am going to cut it down real slow. I have enough pills to get off it slowly.

I never should have started taking it!! I was pressured from family that “I had to try.”
I knew better!

I was diagnosed with narcolepsy but the “treatment “ is SO expensive I cannot afford it!
Even if I could afford it. the more research I do, the more I think it is a horrible idea!
I can’t afford it anyway so. I just need to stick with what my pain doctor has been giving me and stick with him.
He has kept me stable and comfortable for ten years now.

 

[Hezman94]

ask for temporary baclofen

 

[Hezman94]

also u can stagger ur dose if u dont already t tae a lower dose in total

 

[Wilson Wilson]

Taper down slow for sure. If your doctor is the one making you come off it are they not able to give you a proper taper plan? Would have thought a medical professional would be capable of that...

Btw you won't just suddenly die from being on both gabapentin and MS Contin this is bollocks. You can die if you abuse them sure. But taking both at prescribed doses is fine especially if you have ten years of tolerance to the morphine.

 

[sewerslide.666mg]

i was on gaba for over a year I tapered off maby like 300mg a week... not as bad as benzo withdrawal, I have tried cold turkey from gaba just got really depressed not fun, prob taper or like Wilson said check with dr.
good luck...

 

[Billard]

I believe there are some Gabapentin megathreads here, that are full of stories and advice. You should definitely check them out. Good luck.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

fwiw: the horror stories are worse than the actual WDs. some have really never experienced many wds so have no "touch-stone" to compare.
if its easier than benzo wds then fuck it.... can do.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

I had a bad reaction to this drug when I quit taking it but the doctor did have me on soma and Valium too, I just cold turkeyed all of that.

The Valium probably contributed the most to why you felt as awful as you did that time. Based on what you are saying - current amount and length of time you ve been taking gabapentin - I don't think you will experience anything anywhere near as awful this time, most especially if you taper it well.

 

[Painful One]

The Valium probably contributed the most to why you felt as awful as you did that time. Based on what you are saying - current amount and length of time you ve been taking gabapentin - I don't think you will experience anything anywhere near as awful this time, most especially if you taper it well.

Thank you!
I am tapering it very carefully.

The Gabapentin has given me nausea, dizziness, off balance, and diarrhea as side effects.
It also did/ does increase my sex drive. I take MS Contin for chronic pain and severe migraine headaches so I was happy about that effect. But I got the dosage too high with three 600 mg pills a day.
The new doctor I saw was encouraging me to up the dose on the gabapentin so I did and it has bad side effects for me at this high a dosage 1800 mg a day.

 

[Painful One]

fwiw: the horror stories are worse than the actual WDs. some have really never experienced many wds so have no "touch-stone" to compare.
if its easier than benzo wds then fuck it.... can do.

Agreed! I am tough. I have experienced major withdrawal from benz’s and morphine and other opiates so I am going to taper pretty quickly. I have only been taking it for a month.