Gabapentinoids How does one come off Gabapentin safely?

[Painful One]

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.

well, this doctor who gave me the gabapentin is not my regular pain specialist.
I saw him in the hopes that he would back up my disability claim as my last MRI shows brain injury and disease!
This new doctor told me all of this is from narcolepsy and he could cure me with stimulants, GHB, and gabapentin, and Botox injections.

But...no! I cannot afford the sleep study. It is thousands of dollars out of pocket plus the GHB (zyrem) is $15,000 a month,
which I would have to pay 20% of. Plus I already owe $205 for the Botox injections I already had done.
I cannot afford this treatment and I realized he had no idea what he was talking about when he told me the other day that I was low on vitamin D and gave me a prescription to take 50,000 units of vitamin D all at once one time a week.
That would have caused kidney failure and most likely killed me if I had done what he said.

I am just going to stick with my pain doctor as he has had my problems under control for ten years now and I can afford him and I trust him.

This other doctor is a mad scientist! I do not trust him. I cannot afford him and he has already jacked me up!

 

[Painful One]

This new mad scientist doctor is the one who got me all scared about taking gabapentin with my MS Contin!

He assured me it was fine. Then at this last appointment he was all freaking out saying
”You have to quit the MS Contin. It can cause death when mixed with opiates. People are being killed from it.”
I was like “ Uh, NO! I cannot quit taking the MS Contin, I have been taking it for ten-11 years now! We talked about that and you said it was fine and you would work around it” I need the MS Contin, it has had my severest migraine (cluster headaches) under control for ten years now. I only get about three a year! Before MS Contin I was getting 2-3 a month, then after being hit on the freeway and hitting my head really super hard ( it knocked out my entire memory) I was getting the migraines all the time.

I have already been through all the “treatments” anti depressants, Effexor, Valium, soma, etc. etc.

I am sticking with my pain doctor! I don’t need to go through all their bullshit “treatments “ again.

It took me years to get stable from how bad other doctors jacked me up with their “treatments “.

I do not appreciate or want to be experimented on again! Thanks! Ya know?

 

[JackARoe]

I recently read through the gabapentin mega thread. There was a poster (can't remember the name, I am trying to look for it again but of course can't find it) She was taking 1800 mgs a day for 6 months. She read through the posts and got scared of all the withdrawal info. Anyway she stopped CT and documented each day after that she was fine, ate and slept normal and no withdrawal. I think what I am trying to say is everyone is different. I appreciated her coming back and documenting that.

Then there are others that get it bad. Along wih poly drug use it is hard to say anything specific.

I am prescribed gabapentin for sciatica but I do not take it everday. Once, sometimes twice a week, and it does keep my sciatica in check, or it is the stretching exercises I do that help. Either way I keep the script and never want to know if there is a gabapentin withdrawal. I will continue at once a week.

Stay well PO, I have read your posts, you are a very kind person. I think you will be fine.

 

[Painful One]

Thank you Love!

I think I will be fine.
I want to just take them the way you do. Once or twice a week, as they do help for certain issues.
That is smart.
I just don’t want to be dependent on another medication!
I hate withdrawal and this Gabapentin withdrawal really scares me since I had a bad experience with it.

So far, so good.
I have taken two 600 mg Gabapentin today. I cut out the third 600 mg pill.
I am feeling fine on just the two. Actually, I am feeling better. I think the three was too high of a dosage for me.

 

[Painful One]

Thanks for letting me know that information @JackARoe


The above post was my answer to you.

 

[JackARoe]

Hey no problem. I was at work taking a break the other day and read your post where you sent Love to the women that were purposely screwing with your head over your prescription in Dec. Everyone would have gotten revenge, but you sent Love. That Higher Love. Made me realize Higher beings do exist on the Earth. It's a rough road, but we have to do that. That is the real work to graduate from this hell hole. lol

Anyhoo. I took gabapentin tonight, first since last Fri. I mean anything that can relieve some issues taken everyday are going to have those things it was relieving come back. And I think it is people like here on BL that are way ahead of doctors and others that just take the stuff. Like people said, even doctors don't know there is a withdrawal with gabapentinoids, some even don't know about the benzo's they prescribe. It is unbelievable. The knowledge comes from us.

 

[ADHDMY4SS]

I take 3000-4500mg when I feel like it. I'm not exaggerating or joking. GABA tolerance builds up VERY fast, for me at least. Some nights I take it to help me settle down and get some sleep, others I forget I even have it. I went from 300 to 1200 in a week, then up to 2000 a few weeks after that. Now its 10-15 300mg caps or 3-6 800mg pills (which are kinda big compared to caps), everytime I do decide to take it. You don't need to taper off of it.

Definitely a lot of placebo you're experiencing. I'm guessing you're gauging the GABA like you do the contins.

One has severe withdrawal symptoms (some of the worst I've ever had in my life as far as cold turkey stops go). GABA, on the other hand, has little to NO withdrawal symptoms. When I say NO I mean most incredibly conservative family doctors are perfectly okay with the medication and have no problem writing scripts for it.

Mixing: now mixing downer with the contins will definitely highlight and prolong it's effects. It may even seem to you like it lasted longer all together. Hence why you might not want to put them down.

Sticky situation I guess, I think the dependence on the contins is confusing your mind when it comes to the GABA. You don't want to get less from the contins, which is inevitable due to tolerance but it seems like you're connecting the dots a bit. The LAST thing you want to do is up the contins. Ever.

Good luck

 

[Wilson Wilson]

This new mad scientist doctor is the one who got me all scared about taking gabapentin with my MS Contin!

He assured me it was fine. Then at this last appointment he was all freaking out saying
”You have to quit the MS Contin. It can cause death when mixed with opiates. People are being killed from it.”
I was like “ Uh, NO! I cannot quit taking the MS Contin, I have been taking it for ten-11 years now! We talked about that and you said it was fine and you would work around it” I need the MS Contin, it has had my severest migraine (cluster headaches) under control for ten years now. I only get about three a year! Before MS Contin I was getting 2-3 a month, then after being hit on the freeway and hitting my head really super hard ( it knocked out my entire memory) I was getting the migraines all the time.

I have already been through all the “treatments” anti depressants, Effexor, Valium, soma, etc. etc.

I am sticking with my pain doctor! I don’t need to go through all their bullshit “treatments “ again.

It took me years to get stable from how bad other doctors jacked me up with their “treatments “.

I do not appreciate or want to be experimented on again! Thanks! Ya know?

Yeah it's definitely a smart decision to stay the fuck away from that doctor.

I recently read through the gabapentin mega thread. There was a poster (can't remember the name, I am trying to look for it again but of course can't find it) She was taking 1800 mgs a day for 6 months. She read through the posts and got scared of all the withdrawal info. Anyway she stopped CT and documented each day after that she was fine, ate and slept normal and no withdrawal. I think what I am trying to say is everyone is different. I appreciated her coming back and documenting that.

Then there are others that get it bad. Along wih poly drug use it is hard to say anything specific.

I am prescribed gabapentin for sciatica but I do not take it everday. Once, sometimes twice a week, and it does keep my sciatica in check, or it is the stretching exercises I do that help. Either way I keep the script and never want to know if there is a gabapentin withdrawal. I will continue at once a week.

Stay well PO, I have read your posts, you are a very kind person. I think you will be fine.

This is true, it is highly individually variable. I don't react well to these drugs myself. I withdrew from pregabalin and it was worse than any benzo withdrawal. But pregabalin to be fair is more potent than gabapentin. And again people are different. OP could easily be fine.

 

[Painful One]

Hey no problem. I was at work taking a break the other day and read your post where you sent Love to the women that were purposely screwing with your head over your prescription in Dec. Everyone would have gotten revenge, but you sent Love. That Higher Love. Made me realize Higher beings do exist on the Earth. It's a rough road, but we have to do that. That is the real work to graduate from this hell hole. lol

Anyhoo. I took gabapentin tonight, first since last Fri. I mean anything that can relieve some issues taken everyday are going to have those things it was relieving come back. And I think it is people like here on BL that are way ahead of doctors and others that just take the stuff. Like people said, even doctors don't know there is a withdrawal with gabapentinoids, some even don't know about the benzo's they prescribe. It is unbelievable. The knowledge comes from us.

Yes Indeed, US Higher Beings do exist on the Earth and it is the harder path to take but you are right about it being the real work and the way to graduate from this hell hole. Lol! It is True.

I am happy you noticed that! Well done!! ❤

Just remember that NOTHING is more powerful than LOVE!
Love is WAY more powerful than revenge.

In the face of cruelty throw Love at it! Unconditional Love!
It will help not only you but also all others who are getting the same treatment as you have gotten.
It will make those who are cruel, astonished and make them think about it.
It sets the example to them! The example of how they ought to be!
I noticed a change in those mean girls immediately. Love never ceases to amaze me!
(maybe they will have graduated from “girls” to “women” in my eyes next appointment)

And yes, I have found that the knowledge about medications (drugs) and “treatment“ does come from us patients (user’s) as well.
BlueLight is an invaluable tool! Everyone should come check here before starting or stopping any medication(s).
Including Vitamins!

I am glad this Gabapentin problem is ALL that happened. That doctor calling himself a “specialist” could have killed me and almost did by the third appointment with him. Second prescription he gave me to take 50,000 units of vitamin D all at one time!
That would have given me Kidney Failure (which treatment From doctors has already caused upon me once already)
and just might have killed me! I am lucky I am not in dialysis as it is.
LOVE saved me from that!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

 

[Painful One]

As I am using pregabalin to detox from buprenorphine, can you tell me what time frame and what doses were you using? I do not want to get to the point where pregabalin becomes an issue. Would 2 weeks (taper part included) of not more than 300mg pregabalin daily, cause withdrawal? I am on the third day of buprenorphine withdrawal and pregabalin is helping. But I will stop it this moment if it will bring me withdrawal after 2 weeks of usage. I am dependent on diazepam, and have been for more than a decade (and have access to clonazepam if it will be needed).

@Painful One Sorry foe hijacking your thread. I will ask only this question and then I am out if I have nothing to say on your topic.

No problem Love. Hijack away!
Your question and possibility of major withdrawal is WAY more important than mine.
I will be fine. No worries. I am tapering down the Gabapentin just fine!
If I have a problem, I have all you good people here to help me!

The Pregabalin (which is just a stronger version of Gabapentin) is helping for opiate withdrawal huh?
I was thinking that the Gabapentin would be a good thing to have around for the occasional morphine withdrawal I have to endure due to over using the morphine some months.
Really it is a problem from the opiate hysteria and not having my dosage raised for 11 years.

I would say, since you are already dependent on benzodiazepines, to use the clonazepam more than the Pregabalin.
I would think you would be safe using the Pregabalin for a few weeks before facing withdrawal from it.
Maybe stagger days of using it.
This is an uneducated opinion so, just my best guess.

Much Love to you and I hope that you feel better real soon.
You will be in my prayers.

 

[jorion]

I’m prescribed 1200mg a day. Some days I take zero, others over 2000. I have an excess at month’s end. I don’t believe that there is much of a withdrawal. Never experienced it and I would be a candidate to know all about it...