Neurontin for withdrawal symptoms

[SmokeyKolegrove]

Sorry. This is my first post in about four years and not sure if it's in the correct thread. I have 300mg neurotin to use for methadone withdrawals but not sure of the best way to use them. I do not look to get high. Only to help with withdrawals. Thanks on advance for the help.

 

[HeadphonesandLSD]

How much methadone are you coming off of?

Gabapentin will help you some but it isn't going to take away all the symptoms of w/d especially if you're jumping off of a heavy daily dose of methadone. Expect at least a week or two of feeling awful. Gabapentin also has its own withdrawal which can get bad if you use it daily for too long. If I were you I'd start with 300mg once or twice daily and see how I felt. If you can try to save it for when you want to go to bed because sleeping is going to be hard for at least the first few days. If you can tell me how much methadone you were taking and for how long I can try to walk you through w/d.

I jumped off of methadone at 10mg after 3-4 months of using it in the range of 20-30mg daily. It was a week before I was through acute withdrawal and a month before I felt like I was getting back to near normal. I locked myself in my bedroom for a week with water and pizza. I just rode it out cold turkey but it wasn't my first time withdrawing from an opioid so I knew what to expect and how bad it would be.

 

[EphemeralOutlet141]

Because of the way gabapentin is absorbed (only so much can be absorbed and anything more is wasted) it's best to stack it 600mg every 2-4 hours. I was prescribed 900mg a day to help heroin and benzo withdrawal and I felt I needed more than that. It can be very helpful, but as the user above me said it won't eliminate it entirely. Maybe try 600mg, see how you feel after 4 hours, then another 300-600mg, rinse repeat.

If you can get Lyrica definitely go with that. It's better all around.

 

[SmokeyKolegrove]

How much methadone are you coming off of?

Gabapentin will help you some but it isn't going to take away all the symptoms of w/d especially if you're jumping off of a heavy daily dose of methadone. Expect at least a week or two of feeling awful. Gabapentin also has its own withdrawal which can get bad if you use it daily for too long. If I were you I'd start with 300mg once or twice daily and see how I felt. If you can try to save it for when you want to go to bed because sleeping is going to be hard for at least the first few days. If you can tell me how much methadone you were taking and for how long I can try to walk you through w/d.

I jumped off of methadone at 10mg after 3-4 months of using it in the range of 20-30mg daily. It was a week before I was through acute withdrawal and a month before I felt like I was getting back to near normal. I locked myself in my bedroom for a week with water and pizza. I just rode it out cold turkey but it wasn't my first time withdrawing from an opioid so I knew what to expect and how bad it would be.

I was on 100 my for a year. I haven't taken any in three days. I'm sick of it. It has made me not want to do anything. Just lie around. I've read about staggering the gabapentin. I also have some Suboxone.

 

[SmokeyKolegrove]

Because of the way gabapentin is absorbed (only so much can be absorbed and anything more is wasted) it's best to stack it 600mg every 2-4 hours. I was prescribed 900mg a day to help heroin and benzo withdrawal and I felt I needed more than that. It can be very helpful, but as the user above me said it won't eliminate it entirely. Maybe try 600mg, see how you feel after 4 hours, then another 300-600mg, rinse repeat.

If you can get Lyrica definitely go with that. It's better all around.

If I stagger what is the most I should do in a day?

 

[dopamimetic]

300mg gabapentin is probably too little to catch up a cold turkey from 100mg methadone.

If you say to haven't taken any opioid the three days I'd suggest buprenorphine, depending on how much you have or could source it will bring instant relief.

But the gold standard about quitting opioids remain NMDA antagonists. Even DXM can completely mask withdrawal and if you tolerate it enough to keep taking it for as long as the body needs to recover, you can literally skip withdrawal with them. Maybe add some loperamide against diarrhea, and sth for sleep.

Can be combined with gabapentin of course. Clonidine is helpful too.

--

Me too made methadone and even morphine just chronically sleepy on the long run which is why I don't like to stay in opioid maintenance even when it greatly helps with emotions but it's an antidote to life.

Opioids are complex matter on their own, I still need to understand their dynamics.

 

[HeadphonesandLSD]

If I stagger what is the most I should do in a day?

Depends. I wouldn't go over 1,800mg in a day and I wouldn't start with that high of a dose on the first day. Gabapentin staggered can sneak up on you and smack you down with heavy sedation. I would try 300-600mg to start and see how you feel before adding another dose on top. He's right that Gabapentin is a waste if you attempt a large dose all at once. When I use it I stagger like he's talking about with a light fatty snack every 2-3 hours. If you attempt to re-dose too quickly with it you're just wasting it. This is why I said to try and use it near bed time because you'll want to take advantage of the sedation to achieve sleep in the first few days of withdrawal.

I was on 100 my for a year. I also have some Suboxone.

100mg is a heavy dose and is going to be really tough. Did you quit going to the clinic, do you have take homes? It might be better to ween down slowly to something like 10-25mg before attempting to jump cold turkey. I jumped at 10mg and it was rough. I had cold turkeyed a lot of opioids over the years and 10mg of methadone was harder than everything else. You can try jumping to subs for a bit then weening down off those and jumping that way.

If you jump right now you're going to have a hard time and I would expect relapse. That said it isn't impossible it's just going to be really hard mentally. When I jumped I locked myself in a room with 100mg of liquid methadone. I got it into my head that it wasn't worth attempting to quit if I couldn't be in the same room with it for that week or two. I would pick up the bottle and tell myself I was stronger than it was. After 8 days I finally poured it on the ground but getting through those 8 days was really hard.

 

[EphemeralOutlet141]

If I stagger what is the most I should do in a day?

I would just feel it out. I know some people who take up to 2000mg a day. I would do 600mg + 600mg a few hours later and see how you feel.

 

[HeadphonesandLSD]

Another thing: plan your food for the first four-five days. Try to eat good food but try not to have to prepare it while in the midst of heavy withdrawal. Prep a few days of soup, stew, or other meals that can be re-heated quickly and won't take much effort on your part. I also found doing an outdoor activity really helped after 6 days. By day 5 or 6 you'll be going mad staring at the walls. Moving around even with the pain will really help you mentally. I went hiking with my friend on day 8 of w/d and it was at that point that I knew I was going to make it. I hurt in my bones but it was the best I'd felt in months.

If you can tell close friends and family what you're attempting. They can be good moral support and will be able to help you once the main part of withdrawal sets in. You'll be less prone to relapse if others are checking in on you. Try to get some entertainment set up ahead of time. I binged watched TV shows and movies. I had friends come by and we played video games together. Anything is better than laying in bed feeling miserable. Plan on not being able to sleep without a sleep aide for the first few nights. Plan on not having great sleep when you do obtain it. Hot showers really helps with the pains and the stink of w/d. Get some clean sheets prepped because you're going to be sweating through them often.

 

[SmokeyKolegrove]

Depends. I wouldn't go over 1,800mg in a day and I wouldn't start with that high of a dose on the first day. Gabapentin staggered can sneak up on you and smack you down with heavy sedation. I would try 300-600mg to start and see how you feel before adding another dose on top. He's right that Gabapentin is a waste if you attempt a large dose all at once. When I use it I stagger like he's talking about with a light fatty snack every 2-3 hours. If you attempt to re-dose too quickly with it you're just wasting it. This is why I said to try and use it near bed time because you'll want to take advantage of the sedation to achieve sleep in the first few days of withdrawal.



100mg is a heavy dose and is going to be really tough. Did you quit going to the clinic, do you have take homes? It might be better to ween down slowly to something like 10-25mg before attempting to jump cold turkey. I jumped at 10mg and it was rough. I had cold turkeyed a lot of opioids over the years and 10mg of methadone was harder than everything else. You can try jumping to subs for a bit then weening down off those and jumping that way.

If you jump right now you're going to have a hard time and I would expect relapse. That said it isn't impossible it's just going to be really hard mentally. When I jumped I locked myself in a room with 100mg of liquid methadone. I got it into my head that it wasn't worth attempting to quit if I couldn't be in the same room with it for that week or two. I would pick up the bottle and tell myself I was stronger than it was. After 8 days I finally poured it on the ground but getting through those 8 days was really hard.

I have started with 300 mg. I will repeat every hour until 1800 mg.

 

[dopamimetic]

Yeah. But NMDA antagonism really, really helps. It's scientifically confirmed in countless papers and I suspect that the intensity of withdrawal somewhat correlates with relapse and specially the amplified intensity of following w/ds but remains an educated guess.

 

[HeadphonesandLSD]

I have started with 300 mg. I will repeat every hour until 1800 mg.

Don't feel the need to repeat every hour until you hit 1,800mg. I wasn't suggesting you take that much on the first day. Take the initial dose with a fatty snack like peanut butter, wait an hour to two hours and add 300mg on top with another fatty snack. Wait a few hours after that to see how you feel and if you feel the need add another dose. You don't want to chase Gabapentin in the hopes it'll take away all your w/d. It isn't going to mask a lot of the symptoms and if you start stacking it fast you'll find yourself very, very high.

Gabapentin when staggered can cause heavy sedation, closed eye visuals, and full on near psychedelic/disassociate effects. I do find them pleasant but if you aren't expecting this it can be very scary. It comes on very suddenly and you might find yourself unable to walk. You'll be wobbling around like a drunk if you push it too far. Just go slow and see how you feel before jumping into the deep end of the pool. I've taken more than 1,800mg in a day but I would never suggest it to someone new to Gabapentin. Since you're in withdrawal I'm worried it might cause you harm if you jump into the deep end with it like that. I'm pretty sure I caused a seizure by taking a heavy staggered dose of Gabapentin in withdrawal one time. I can't be sure because I slept through it but all the symptoms lead me to believe that is what happened.

 

[EphemeralOutlet141]

Yeah. But NMDA antagonism really, really helps. It's scientifically confirmed in countless papers and I suspect that the intensity of withdrawal somewhat correlates with relapse and specially the amplified intensity of following w/ds but remains an educated guess.

Yes this reminds me of how helpful DXM is. Throw some DXM in there and it will compliment the gabapentin nicely. Both together will keep you comfortable.

 

[SmokeyKolegrove]

Don't feel the need to repeat every hour until you hit 1,800mg. I wasn't suggesting you take that much on the first day. Take the initial dose with a fatty snack like peanut butter, wait an hour to two hours and add 300mg on top with another fatty snack. Wait a few hours after that to see how you feel and if you feel the need add another dose. You don't want to chase Gabapentin in the hopes it'll take away all your w/d. It isn't going to mask a lot of the symptoms and if you start stacking it fast you'll find yourself very, very high.

Gabapentin when staggered can cause heavy sedation, closed eye visuals, and full on near psychedelic/disassociate effects. I do find them pleasant but if you aren't expecting this it can be very scary. It comes on very suddenly and you might find yourself unable to walk. You'll be wobbling around like a drunk if you push it too far. Just go slow and see how you feel before jumping into the deep end of the pool. I've taken more than 1,800mg in a day but I would never suggest it to someone new to Gabapentin. Since you're in withdrawal I'm worried it might cause you harm if you jump into the deep end with it like that. I'm pretty sure I caused a seizure by taking a heavy staggered dose of Gabapentin in withdrawal one time. I can't be sure because I slept through it but all the symptoms lead me to believe that is what happened.

Okay. I actually felt pleasant at 1200 mg. Which surprised me since I've done opiates constantly since 1998. At one time prescribed 840 pills a month of different ones. Anyway, I took a pleasant nap and still feel okay.

 

[SmokeyKolegrove]

How much methadone are you coming off of?

Gabapentin will help you some but it isn't going to take away all the symptoms of w/d especially if you're jumping off of a heavy daily dose of methadone. Expect at least a week or two of feeling awful. Gabapentin also has its own withdrawal which can get bad if you use it daily for too long. If I were you I'd start with 300mg once or twice daily and see how I felt. If you can try to save it for when you want to go to bed because sleeping is going to be hard for at least the first few days. If you can tell me how much methadone you were taking and for how long I can try to walk you through w/d.

I jumped off of methadone at 10mg after 3-4 months of using it in the range of 20-30mg daily. It was a week before I was through acute withdrawal and a month before I felt like I was getting back to near normal. I locked myself in my bedroom for a week with water and pizza. I just rode it out cold turkey but it wasn't my first time withdrawing from an opioid so I knew what to expect and how bad it would be.

Back in 2006 I had to serve six months. The people who were prescribed neurontin had it given to them by way of the powder being dissolved in a dosing cup of water. Do you know if this works any better?

 

[jamesBrown]

Back in 2006 I had to serve six months. The people who were prescribed neurontin had it given to them by way of the powder being dissolved in a dosing cup of water. Do you know if this works any better?

Taking gabapentin as a powder might make the effects hit you faster and cause it to last a shorter period of time(but maybe not). Other than that I wouldn't imagine there's a big difference between taking it as powder in water or as a pill.
Pills dissolve very quickly unless they are formulated as extended release, and I've never heard of an ER gabapentin formulation.