Gabapentinoids Need advice

[brokedownpalace10]

What does this mean in layman’s terms?
Is this a good thing?

It says that, although we previously believed that gabapentin's sole action was calcium channel blocking with no action on the GABA receptors, it's been found there is likely some GABA action (like with Phenibut), although indirect. This believed GABA action would add to the calcium channel blocking or may even be the sole action.

So, GABA drugs are things like benzos, Barbituates, etc.. It was previously believed that the gabapentinoids had their own, distinct way of working. Turns out they work on good old GABA as well (maybe,) albeit indirectly.

 

[JackARoe]

Gabapentin is so confusing. I was on a conference call with two people in the last month. Everybody working from home since we do not have an office anymore since covid. So people get chatty. But when we got on discussions of prescriptions we take I brought up gabapentin. (which it seems everyone is prescribed lol) I asked if anyone notices any bad effects if they miss their doses. Both said no not at all. They even went on vacations and forgot to take it and noticed nothing. Both of them also do not feel a thing from their 1200 mgs a day. Makes me scratch my head. Maybe people that notice the effect of the med notice when it is not in the body too. Not sure. So I left it at that. For me I am sure if I took it daily I would notice a withdrawal. The one person on the call that took klonopin said if they miss 3 days in a row they end up crazy and restless. That is about all I got from the non drug people.

Although it seems Mac is ok. I would take a guess that a person taking benzos as well as a gabapentin for sure have some form of reaction where one effects the other in some way. In my research I notice people that have been addicted to benzos get the worst effects from gabapetin withdtrawal.

BTW phenibut does not seem the same to me as gabapentin. Pregabalin does. Phenibut feels stronger in it's own way and lasts like 15 hours.

Also I know half life does not equate to how long a drug affects a person. Gabapentin has a short half life but the effects lasts longer than it. There was a thread in the pharmacology forum that talks of half life, length of drug effect and differences. I for the life of me can not find it. If anyone knows please link it. Many thanks.

Lastly it is because if BL that I decided to not take gabapentin daily. In fact these days I cut back to like twice a month, lower doses like 1500-1800 mgs. It is a great utility drug for things. But having been prescribed it since 2016 the once a week thing faded a bit.

 

[Rainman1964]

Solve it, or get rid of it. Sounds like you are not going to be able to solve the your many issues involving what you need to keep your addiction going, so you should just try and stop everything and find another alternative. Like living substance free.

I know. It's a novel and fucked up idea, but maybe you should at least try. I know you would feel a hell of a lot better getting all of those monkeys off your back.

 

[BourbonMac]

Lol this fucker really filled 90 300mg capsules. Like bruh, I'm coming off of it, I only need like, 15 100mg. I guess if I ever wanna party or something I'll stagger some but I'm never going back to taking it every day. I mean it literally did nothing, my dose was upped from 600 to 900 earlier this year due to chronic headaches.

I'm pretty much completely off it. I woke up to restless legs but I don't remember taking a nightly kratom dose, and I was out of Valium. Fortunately I got hooked up finally with 60 5mg instead of 30-45, so if I get bad stomach problems (holy fucking shit yesterday was bad) I have a cushion to fall back on. Still think I have some kind of ulcer developed from too much ibuprofen for months and then megadoses of niacin. I only take 500mg now and it does just fine for my tinnitus, I'd been convinced I needed 2-3g of the shit...

Got to Nebraska today and just in time for both to be filled as I got in, went to CVS on the way to my aunt and uncle's where I'm staying for the next 12 days. Stayed in Iowa the first 2 and went to the state fair. Not impressed, I don't like big ass crowds, almost falling out of the back of a swinging ship because the latch was loose. Some things were cool but my stomach was fucked and I'd barely slept. Stayed for 8 hours and still my cousin and uncle were pissed at me not wanting to stay the full 12 hours, thinking "it's just a stomachache" when really something is seriously wrong with my stomach for it to get in these states where it feels like it's being pulverized constantly.

Anyway, Idk if that's directed to my rainman. I don't really use that much, my biggest addiction is THC and I could easily get off the Valium, already experienced 5 days without it and the gabapentin withdrawals were far worse like JackARoe said. I felt rebound anxiety when I stopped my 15mg daily dose that i've been on for awhile but it didn't exactly suck that bad after the first 2 days. Valium itself doesn't do much anyway, I just take it at the moment until my stomach issues can be figured out. I don't take phenibut ever, I just have it from when I was trying it last December but I grew sick of it. Way too potent of a high and the hangover for me was fucking bad. It also worsens my tinnitus, which is no good, and gives this weird acidic taste to my tongue.

The only substances I actively use in a recreational manner would be weed/oil, kratom (6-7g a day, not that bad), DMT when I can get it, kava (non addictive and no withdrawals, you can get itchy dry skin if you take it too often though so I don't). I never really found Valium or Gabapentin addictive, I used to just go a week without taking any Gabapentin while on 600mg and would never get withdrawal, I just wanted to save some up for a stagger if I was going to a party because I don't drink.

In any case, Idk, life's too short, I'm gonna take whatever I feel like taking but I've never touched anything "hard" although I guess phenibut would be the most hardcore high I've felt. Then again, 1.5g is pretty high. At the end of the day all I really care about are THC and DMT, my two favorite substances. All the pharma stuff, that's just there, and the kratom doesn't have to be there but it gives a pleasant start to every day so I just say fuck it and keep taking it. Withdrawals from it suck but only last 2.5 days on average for me until I can sleep without RLS or anything.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

I know both of these have lowered effects when taken with magnesium and I absolutely noticed this one of the times I took around 1.2g of phenibut.

Do you *take* Magnesium? If so why and how far apart do you need to leave between taking a Gabapentinoid and taking the Magnesium?
I have Magnesium (wanna use it for it's muscle relaxant effect) but never take it because I don't want it to decrease the effects of my Gabapentin.

 

[sekio]

magnesium as the oxide form does significantly reduce gabapentin absorption as do antacids [ref]
most sources seem to suggest taking the two at least 2h apart

 

[BourbonMac]

I take magnesium glycinate but always 2+ hours before I take any Gabapentin, which I basically don't take now.
Something is definitely majorly wrong with my stomach, not even 25mg of Valium helped me this time. I never expected it could get so much worse, I mean G.I issues always seemed to improve while I was out here but... I guess not this time. I really don't know what's wrong, I take only 500mg of Niacin now, I thought when I was in the gram plus range that was why my issues were so prominent, and they improved when I went down. Then I come out here and it's just G fucking G. Maybe tomorrow will be better, I don't expect it to be.

But there has been some pretty extreme anxiety going on, too. Enough to give me a significant PTSD flareup where I had shell shocked eyes and still kind of do, just less. 1-2 days ago holy shit... I could tell people saw something was wrong. I could not make my eyes not be completely wide open with a look of desperation, that was my expression even if I was smiling like when playing with my aunt and uncle's dog.

I just wish my stomach would stop being a fucking asshole. I mean I had cramps before and 25mg of Valium crushed them. It didn't do a damn thing. Usually just 17.5mg was enough, let alone 15. I miss when just 5mg would take care of everything, but it seems even if I don't take it for 5 days or so, my tolerance doesn't go down. I'll never get the magic that was Valium for the first 4 months or so.

 

[kiely]

^^^ Find one DOC maybe.

Believe it. To many is too much. Stick just to one thing . . at least.

Really. You are mixing. k.

 

[BourbonMac]

I'd just get high all the time if I could but it exacerbates my tinnitus, really a catch-22 situation. All I know is I'm not taking Valium like this anymore, no point. Once my stomach issues are squared away, whatever is wrong, i'm going to begin tapering off. I like kava far more anyway, it actually hits some cannabinoid receptors to a slight degree even I think. I always did find it felt kind of like a little Valium and THC and when I'd get high on it I'd feel way, way higher.

 

[kiely]

Purify . . . .

I dunno rn. I have a busy day romorrow.


Keep trying.


You are Awesome.

 

[brokedownpalace10]

I take magnesium glycinate but always 2+ hours before I take any Gabapentin, which I basically don't take now.
Something is definitely majorly wrong with my stomach, not even 25mg of Valium helped me this time. I never expected it could get so much worse, I mean G.I issues always seemed to improve while I was out here but... I guess not this time. I really don't know what's wrong, I take only 500mg of Niacin now, I thought when I was in the gram plus range that was why my issues were so prominent, and they improved when I went down. Then I come out here and it's just G fucking G. Maybe tomorrow will be better, I don't expect it to be.

But there has been some pretty extreme anxiety going on, too. Enough to give me a significant PTSD flareup where I had shell shocked eyes and still kind of do, just less. 1-2 days ago holy shit... I could tell people saw something was wrong. I could not make my eyes not be completely wide open with a look of desperation, that was my expression even if I was smiling like when playing with my aunt and uncle's dog.

I just wish my stomach would stop being a fucking asshole. I mean I had cramps before and 25mg of Valium crushed them. It didn't do a damn thing. Usually just 17.5mg was enough, let alone 15. I miss when just 5mg would take care of everything, but it seems even if I don't take it for 5 days or so, my tolerance doesn't go down. I'll never get the magic that was Valium for the first 4 months or so.

It takes fucking forever to be right after Valium. A forever of complete abstinence. If you're gonna do less, taper and do less. If you're gonna quit, quit completely.

You'll feel lost and alone for a long time, but it does taper slowly. After a while, you'll just feel the twinge of the Morgul blade on your "drug anniversaries". Finally, you'll be "crippled but free". There's some mixed metaphors for ya.

I will pay day by day, anyway, lock, bolt and key.
Crippled but free, I was blind all the time I was learning to see.


You can do it, you're a fucking hero.

 

[BourbonMac]

I guess I could just cut myself off of it granted I stay around the 15mg I was normally on. When that happened, yeah I had bad rebound anxiety, mild RLS (not enough to stop me from sleeping though) and during the day I felt fine, it only struck at night because that's when I'd take it.

I only actually enjoyed Valium around Idk, March of 2022? Getting messed up off just 7.5mg and blacking out playing the sims or something every night. This was during a T-break from weed that went from mid December 2021 to mid May 2022. I think I did get a little high one night in February, I'd abstained because THC was exacerbating sinus headaches or so I thought, I think it was just smoking weed. I never messed with the pens enough to be sure and was paranoid but I do recall at least one time getting a tiny bit high and realizing even that was such a better feeling than Valium. If THC didn't fuck with my tinnitus I'd be getting stoned 24/7 again.

 

[kiely]

And exercise. You have to stretch. It helps to unknot the inflamed nerve endings causing the muscles to to stiffen up badly and leads to circulation problems that causes stress on the whole nervous system that needs to unleash that type of piercing pressure.

Massage.

Physical therapy. Oh damn it can work !

Do it.

 

[BourbonMac]

Well I restarted my antibiotic yesterday because unfortunately it totally flushed from my body resulting in massively worse tinnitus. Today happened to be the first day while here that my stomach truly behaved, although last night I could barely sleep because of pain even after I kept getting higher and higher. It's almost like 20mg of Valium makes THC feel less potent or something, Idk. I just notice my eyes never get red or squinty anymore and I was on some edibles and hitting my pen on and off.