• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Gabapentinoids (Gabapentin) withdrawal, any advice?

No offense but your advise sounds like a sales pitch, Squeaky, and the website is hella sales pitchy too. Everyone knows 'eat good and you will be good,' so it's not like you are giving any kind of breakthrough in my hell here. Glad your sales worked out for you.

I've been eating healthy for the past 2 years because I was -forced- to eat healthy by my health condition. After contracting H-Pylori and undergoing a month long antibiotic treatment I developed GERD and have been managing it with diet. I sprout all my own grains. I lowered my gluten intake and NOW I am entirely gluten free, even though rice I cooked last night fucked me up. At this point I do not think it is food as I have tried everything possible. Every Single Carb messes me up. The only thing I don't have a reaction to at this point of the WD is meat and veggies - so strict paleo.

Also I noticed that last night's allergy came out of nowhere. The day before it was caused by apple cider vinegar so it could be that it's been 12-24 hours and it reached the gut and reacted there. Either way, I am starting to think these are not food related. After taking a fuck ton of magnesium last night I feel calm today. Could I really just need very large doses of magnesium, not the 400 I was taking but more like 1200? Last night really was pure hell. I think I sobbed 3 times during a panic attack and had to take the anti-depressant thing just to stay stable, but at the moment I'm suffering the headache that comes with zoloft. Why the fuck am I going crazy.

the CBP (Complete Metabolic Panel) I am looking at right now from 2 weeks ago shows everything in normal levels, though does not show magnesium levels.


Blood work I had done BEFORE I quit gabapentin (I was still on it for a month) - showed no deficiencies in Magnesium. What's shitty is that my 2 weeks ago blood work is just CBC with differential, and it did not show Glucose or Mag or anything. Why didn't my doc order a real fucking blood test or am I missing a picture here?
 
After reading thru the last 100 or so posts there seems to be a common theme- " I am shooting H or taking oxy for pain, benzos for anxiety, adderall for adhd, weed to chill, and more. But all of my problems are due to the evil gabapentin. Yea, that's the ticket.
 
I had the same thought. Just figured the adderall/heroin/benzo-potheads would disagree..... loudly.
 
Im now weeks down the road of recovery and can honestly say i feel back to my old self, without doubt gabapentin has a use for those who really need it but for me i think i can live my life without the side effects. I struggled with the physical muscle pain, nervous tension and spasms after WD which where on going for quite sometime. What worked for me was Magensium L Threonate 500mg, CDP-Choline 250mg and Inotisol 500mg. I took the CDP and Inositol for 2 weeks only

I would strongly recommend checking out CDP-Choline and Inositol, both are very safe and excellent nourishment for nervous system repair, mental clarity, pain reduction and sleep.
 
litew8 said:
Im now weeks down the road of recovery and can honestly say i feel back to my old self, without doubt gabapentin has a use for those who really need it but for me i think i can live my life without the side effects. I struggled with the physical muscle pain, nervous tension and spasms after WD which where on going for quite sometime. What worked for me was Magensium L Threonate 500mg, CDP-Choline 250mg and Inotisol 500mg. I took the CDP and Inositol for 2 weeks only

I would strongly recommend checking out CDP-Choline and Inositol, both are very safe and excellent nourishment for nervous system repair, mental clarity, pain reduction and sleep.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, litew8, finally a viable reply instead of judgmental douche-bags who don't add anything to the conversation, but point out flaws of addictions.
 
Update: Trying different anti-depressants. One, Prozac, made the depression far worse. Discontinuing all in favor of... tada:
Supplement called GABA. Holy shit. About 2,500 mg on empty stomach before sleep, or 750 mg 3 times per day. THIS is what made the anxiety go away. Will see how it works tomorrow morning and during the day, but it took away that heart-clenching feeling in my chest.
GABA calmed me. Although Gabapentin does not work with GABA receptors but mimics them, supplementing GABA (health food store, in Immune section) - did the trick.
GABA works better than xanax because your mind stays.. functional. I actually calmed down, cleaned up a few things, all before sleep. Tomorrow I'm facing a big social occasion, and while I had debilitating anxiety over it, I think I can manage to be just fine with these capsules.
I also recommend a B complex for chills.

Warning: If you experience any shortness of breath, heart palpitations, tingling sensations, or euphoria, discontinue use of GABA for the night and lower dose to 500 mg the following night. GABA may induce a panic attack in a healthy adult undergoing the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (Paleo).
Downside: GABA is fucking expensive, especially in the doses needed.
 
Doxe thats great that you found something that worked for you, our bodies and minds are individual biological soup, i have done much reading on GABA but mainly only read that is is not very bio available on the other side of the blood brain barrier so never bothered trying it. Some people say it works others say it cannot cross but my feeling is that some must get through. I also read that B vitamin Niacin molecule binds to GABA aiding in its cross of the BBB. I am always cautious with GABA related Pharma, i have a cupboard full of 10Mg diazepam and 1mg Xanax but dont like the after effects of any of them so tend to avoid them.

I took a basic test to try and find out a little about my neuro transmitters after finishing gabapentin, i was very surprised to find i was severely deficient in Acytl-Choline, Choline deficiency is caused by most drugs starting with 'Anti' such anti depressants, anti psychotics, anti histamines etc etc, from what i gather they are all Acytl-choline antagonist's. So i done some research and found the two substances CDP-Choline and inositol.

The CDP choline was amazing, i must have been severely deficient as for the first week of taking it was as high as kite every day, procastination\pain,stress, insomnia all disappeared. Also i was very surprised at the health benefits it provided such as liver cleansing as well as the central nervous system repair. Inositol also has so many benefits and it lowers cholesterol, something i have been high in for some time. I would be careful with choline though as there are some risks of depression if you take it to far, but for me i have a slightly ADHD brain and i react much better to stimulants rather than blockers.

I have since been back to the DR with my reoccuring health concerns, and i would advise anyone to think twice about gaba pentin, i now have some serious hair loss couple months after quitting, it may having been happening while i was on it but didnt notice. My Dr has now advised me to try Pregablin, after my experience with gabapentin no thanks am i going anywhere near it. It make me angry that Dr's give these out liek sweets with disregard of patients and no information on the risks of side effects. For me coming off gabapentin is and has far far worse than any other drug ive ever taken including morphine, and if im honest i think some of the damage its done will now be permanent.
 
litew8 said:
Doxe thats great that you found something that worked for you, our bodies and minds are individual biological soup, i have done much reading on GABA but mainly only read that is is not very bio available on the other side of the blood brain barrier so never bothered trying it. Some people say it works others say it cannot cross but my feeling is that some must get through. I also read that B vitamin Niacin molecule binds to GABA aiding in its cross of the BBB. I am always cautious with GABA related Pharma, i have a cupboard full of 10Mg diazepam and 1mg Xanax but dont like the after effects of any of them so tend to avoid them.

I took a basic test to try and find out a little about my neuro transmitters after finishing gabapentin, i was very surprised to find i was severely deficient in Acytl-Choline, Choline deficiency is caused by most drugs starting with 'Anti' such anti depressants, anti psychotics, anti histamines etc etc, from what i gather they are all Acytl-choline antagonist's. So i done some research and found the two substances CDP-Choline and inositol.

The CDP choline was amazing, i must have been severely deficient as for the first week of taking it was as high as kite every day, procastination\pain,stress, insomnia all disappeared. Also i was very surprised at the health benefits it provided such as liver cleansing as well as the central nervous system repair. Inositol also has so many benefits and it lowers cholesterol, something i have been high in for some time. I would be careful with choline though as there are some risks of depression if you take it to far, but for me i have a slightly ADHD brain and i react much better to stimulants rather than blockers.

I have since been back to the DR with my reoccuring health concerns, and i would advise anyone to think twice about gaba pentin, i now have some serious hair loss couple months after quitting, it may having been happening while i was on it but didnt notice. My Dr has now advised me to try Pregablin, after my experience with gabapentin no thanks am i going anywhere near it. It make me angry that Dr's give these out liek sweets with disregard of patients and no information on the risks of side effects. For me coming off gabapentin is and has far far worse than any other drug ive ever taken including morphine, and if im honest i think some of the damage its done will now be permanent.
Click to expand...

I'm so glad you're able to say no and stick to it. I'm holding strong. FINALLY anxiety and panic attacks are gone. I am on hella supplements though, as well as a Paleo diet. I will put CDP_Choline and Inositol on my list.

After a week of paleo and a strict regime of dieting, I have felt relief. Also all the weird food allergies I had are going away at last. Here is what I am taking
Morning, 2 hours before eating: 3 TBSP UDO's 3-6-9 on empty stomach, with 25,000 vitamin A, 15,000 vitamin D (Fat soluble). DO NOT EAT ANYTHING FOR 2 HOURS AFTER THIS. Water is permissible. I have to drink oil with water or else i'll barf.

Take all with breakfast: CoQ10 (600 mg), B Complex (Hell yes, it helped so much), Any Liquid Minerals, full dose or double the dose.

IN BETWEEN MEALS (Empty stomach, at least an hour after eating or before eating): Probiotics. Liquid coconut ones, I take about 50 billion per serving (I Found 100 to be too much). Also I take S. Boulardi in addition, because I am not sure but I might have candida just in the gut?

AT BEDTIME, on empty stomach: GABA, 3000 mg. Now, gaba in HIGH doses works like a charm. Be careful as it -can- give you a panic attack

Lately I have added the following supplements and felt incredible help to my insomnia issues (I don't sleep good and wake up often to pee, until I found these:) L-Tryptophan, 500 mg, and D-Phenylanine, 500 mg. PLEASE TRY D PHENYLANINE! Holy shit, it basically helps your body not be in fucking pain all the time over everything.

Now I have also added NAC with selenium & Molybedenum at 600 mg, and L-Tyrosine at 500 mg < THose two are basically replacement for adderall.

I got off all substances except for weed. Depression is finally going away. I feel .. alive again. FUCK Gabaentin, and honestly, fuck anti-depressants. I was -real- low, I'm talking hella suicidal when doc kept switching me from one to the other and I went through zoloft, then prozac (suicidal thoughts, ugh!), then Doxepin (zombie). I KNOW I can repair my body completely, it's just gonna take a couple of months to reset. I'm still going to do substances recreationally after this. I just think it's time to start caring for myself more and not go crazy.

First rule of doing drugs is: are the highs worth the lows? For me, they were not. Therefore from now on I'll be far more picky with what I do, their purity, as well as side effects. I think I'll just stick to mushrooms and weed and the occasional candy on this end.

Lots of good thoughts to you, great you are getting better, I hope these help, and I'll look into the stuff you are recommending, though I might not even need it anymore.

Another thing that's -always- good to add as it is a potent antioxidant is Vitamin C. 1000 mg 3 x a day, especially if you feel -nausea- and bloating from probiotics. If you feel fucking -terrible- from probiotics or apple cider vinegar, I found out this is called a Hexgammer-like reaction (or some shit), that's when basically probiotics are killing bad bacteria in your gut, and as it dies, it releases toxins found in pharma, food additives, and other shit. As those toxins are released, you feel like -shit-. The first time i did a probiotic i had a full blown panic attack with an immediate onset of CHILLS. Now i just get the occasional chills but my mind is -clear-. The mind fog is lifting, I'm back to being normal. I'm just tired. but tired in a good, healthy way, not soul-tired.

Best to you!
 
we are in very similar situations bro, if you saw my supplement shelf you would laugh, some great new ones there for me to try as you recommended, definitely interested in this D PHENYLANINE Im already taking a probiotic, i done a bit of research on them and after reading found that the higher ones arent always the best depending on the delivery method. Here a run down of what i tried and found to be effective\not effective

L-Tyrosine - dopaminergic- used 500mg for 14 days and done nothing for me other than stress me out.

5HTP -5hydroxytryptophan - serotonin - 100mg tablet, brilliant for sleep and anxiety, once per night before bed, i found 100Mg to much though as caused problem in my hands with pins a needles, numbeness, dropped down to 50mg which was fine, this needs to be taken every night for a week or so to feel full effect.

Rhodiola Rosea - Adaptogen - 200mg tablet, this stop the highs and stops the lows and bolts you rock solid in the middle somewhere, one tablet a day after 3 days started to feel the effect, its also makes you fucking horny all the time! great as sexual stimulant as well as anti anxiety and anti depressant effect.

Valerion root, Gabaminergic - 337mg capsule, great for sleep but to much for me in the day time, also be careful with this if you have a slow heart rate (as i do) it can slow your heart rate if you take to much, i cant take this for more than a couple days then have to stop, also be careful using magnesium supplements with this (for the same reason)

Magnesium L threonate - Gabaminergic and blood flow, 500mg capsule (brilliant for calming, concentration, mental clarity and anxiety, wouldnt be without this one now

B Complex - Vitamin B - i struggle with this as my anxiety definitely increases although it does have a positive over all effect. I think the B3 niacin is problematic for some people, to many B vits can make you nervous and cause temporary nerve damage (tingling in hands and extremities)

Biotin - B7 - 10000mcg - using for skin hair improvement as ive suffered some sudden hair loss during and after my gabapentin medication, the Drs are fobbing me off as old age but its most likely either the gabapentin (rare side effect of hair loss) or levothyroxcin T4 (also side effect) i take.

CDP-Choline - Cholinergic and dopaminergic - 250mg use this to raise your dopamine and acytl-choline levels, very stimulative, dont take after 12 noon as you may not sleep at night, i love this chemical its calming and stimulative in the same effect, increase blood flow to the higher reaches of the brain (as does mag L threonate) great for the ADHD brain and increase levels of concentration dramatically. Also increases your sex drive (dopamine lift) Be careful with any choline supplements though as choline is stored and to much can be a bad thing, i take this sporadically which is great for me as its more effective this way.

I have recently been to buy some Omega 3, i see your taking the 3-6-9 which from what ive read is no good for depression, omega 6 can be a problem if you take to much and the only one that is effective for nootropic effect is Omega 3. From what ive read you need to be consuming a minimum of 1000mg of EPA (over DHA) omega 3 once a day, the problem is the DHA, you have to subtract the DHA from the EPA to get pure EPA value, so if your consuming 1 capsule with 400mg EPA and 200 mg DHA you would need to take 5 capsule to get 1000mg of pure EPA (over DHA). This would be far to expensive and also if your taking 3-6-9 might put your health at risk with to much Omega 6.

I found a brand here that has 600mg EPA and 200mg DHA, so this is a good starting point for me as 2 capsules gives 800mg pure EPA over and above, its a high strength Omega 3 (i think from salmon) and expensive but no point cutting corners ive found with cheap supplements.

Something else i have been reading about and my next buy will be some form of L-Methylfolate and Vitamin B12, some people have found this to be a wonder combination for depression and anxiety, its a defect in the MTHFR gene where the body cannot process folic acid properly, this leads to serious mental health problems and apparently upto 50% of the population have this gene defect. Very interesting and worth a read\try i think as like yourself i would rather fix my health problems with supplements.

The brain is a complex thing and for those of us suffering with mental health problems have a never ending fight with yourself and our emotions, a daily struggle to be normal which others on this thread dont seem to appreciate (drugs both medical and recreational relieve these symptoms), its just a case of finding the correct area thats at fault, the right key for the lock, its there its just a case of finding it.

Going to have a look today on this D Phenyl and do some research, thanks for the tip bud and like wise season greetings to you to.
 
Last time I withdrew from gabapentin, I had to stop cold turkey, cuz I was forced to span a 7-day bridge while waiting to see a new doctor.

I was coming off taking anywhere between 1200-2400mg/day. The withdrawal sucked, but wasn't too horribly unmanageable. The main problem was the difficulty sleeping. I tossed and turned, and would drift off for cat naps, and strangely, I would dream during these short periods of sleep. It wasn't like opiate w/d , where I wouldn't get a wink of sleep for 10-14days, and I didn't notice any severe restless legs/arms. I think the lack of sleep was rebound anxiety related, as my mind would race and race and go through 1,000s of thoughts while I lay there and tossed and turned.

During the day, the main issue was dealing with the anxiety. I didn't want to socialize with anybody, and I would keep getting senses of detachment like I didn't belong where I was.

Mild problems we're dealing with achy nerves/body, headaches, fatigue, moderate nausea and GI irritation.

Yes, this experience sucked pretty bad, but had nothing on some of the cold turkey opiate withdrawals I had made it thru.

So basically I have noticed that if you are going to be on a drug like gabapentin, keep the dose as low as possible and take it as prescribed. Dosages 2400mg/day and under seemed to have quite manageable withdrawal symptoms, and sometimes if I had to go a few days without after a couple weeks consecutive usage, I would hardly experience any symptoms at all.

The above poster named some pretty decent OTC meds/substances to help mild-moderate gabapentin withdrawal.

On the flip side, long term daily large doses is a different story, like using more than 3200mg/day for months is a different story.

I learned my lesson with this shit. I had to come off an abrupt stoppage of using ~4000mg/day , and MAN WAS THAT BAD. Terrible night terrors, I couldn't tell if I was asleep or awake and freak the fuck out, cuz of an impending sense of doom and sense of an evil presence, hallucinations, the nausea and the sweating was extreme. I had to often sit/lay down and wait for the feelings to subside. Anxiety was at the severe panic attacks level accompanied by an overwhelming sense of not belonging. Complete and utter avoidance of any social interaction with anyone.

To sum things up , keep gabapentin doses as low as possible at sizes that are minimal, but effective for your condition, and the withdrawal issues should be minimal, should they happen to arise.

Just wanted to let y'all know my experiences of having dealt with the effects of withdrawal from this medication. Just tread carefully and things should be alright.

Side note: during the period I had to suffer severe w/d's, I tried using benzos, namely Klonopin, it helped in essentially putting me to sleep, but had no effectiveness on any of the other symptoms. At the time, I figured that since benzos are gabaergic, GABA A I think?, I thought it would alleviate almost, if not all symptoms, but it was marginally effective at best. I thought I would add that in.
 
^ Benzos act on the GABA-A-receptor on the benzodiazepine binding site (effects are mediated via the alpha 1,2,3,5 subunits) while the mechanism of action of gabapentin isn't fully understood yet. It seems to bind to the alpha 2 delta-1 subunits of voltage gated calcium ion channels, interacts with enzymes involved in the GABA biosynthesis and may interact with NMDA receptors. :)
 
^ ^ ^ Right. I had read about the mechanisms of action and learned that gabapentin's is actually unknown, and it really isn't exactly a GABA agonist for real, like say baclofen is a GABA agonist. Thanks for the reminder kleinerkiffer I have read the facts you stated before, but still haven't memorized all the data yet. Thanks again. :p
 
I am revisiting this thread to share that I've successfully gotten off of Gabapentin, and it wasn't even that difficult. I was on 1800mg a day for about 2 years. I tapered down slowly until I was only taking one or two 600mg pills per week. I didnt do a strict taper regimen or anything; just gradually took less and less; mostly just 'as needed' until I was only ever taking one if I felt anxious or had a bad health day. Now I'm off it completely and I feel so much more clear minded and alert; less foggy. I experienced minimal anxiety on the taper or after I quit entirely. It was much easier than I thought it would be.
I will note that I have a very quick metabolism, like abnormally FAST compared to most people, since that probably affected how the taper went for me.
 
Congratulations

It probably doesn't help anyone, I'm currently on 1800mg/day but my old habit was more like 2400/day for three weeks, then cold off for a week before the next refill. I can say that at that level, I don't experience any withdrawal symptoms. At most I might get a little bitchy and snap at people. Otherwise it's comfortable, and worth it knowing my tolerance will reset. I can look forward to the refill.

I don't know if that attitude would hold if I didn't know a refill was coming. I did quit during the summer for a few months, after switching to meth full time, and didn't notice any changes.

I really love gabapentin, but it does throw some serious cotton in your brain. That could be a problem for a lot of (employed, family) people. And eventually just get old after a while.

Anyway, congrats Chaos, it's always good to kick a habit.
 
I'm really glad that gabapentin has worked out without side effects for some of you. It really was a wonderful drug. If I could be on it without it messing up my body, I would absolutely enjoy that ride. But it was the only drug that threw my system off it's center. And that's after years of other use and abuse. Of course it could be all the other substances finally beating up my body, but the thing is, before Gabapentin, my withdrawals were 100% tolerable and fine. Gabapentin changed something inside me where I can't relax any more. I think it has caused hormonal changes, and... changes overall in brain chemistry that's taking more than 2 months at this point to fix. I'm on my second month. I have been substance-free for about a week, and before that I was substance free and pharma free except for weed. I don't feel any noticable change after quitting weed other than my head is a little clearer, but eh. Still looking for ways to fix my brain. I have read other forums and entries where people who have used/and/or abused these four drugs have been permanently changed: Adderall, Wellbutrin, Amirtriptilyne, Gabapentin. So it could absolutely be a mixture of other drugs, however the 'tipping point' was definitely gababepntin. I know for a fact wellbutrin changed my brain chemistry. It worked great to help quit smoking, I -still- cannot touch tobacco, it just made the taste nasty. My brain perceives tobacco as disgusting unless it is rolled up in small quantities into a spliff. I kept this test going once every year, I'd bum a different type of cigarette from a friend and try to smoke it, but on first puff - blagh!

Anyway, just beware that all substancese have the potential of fucking up your chemistry long-term. Those of you who do not suffer these side effects are definitely blessed. Take heed, that Gabapentin, as well as Amirtriptilyne and Pregabpentin block Diamine Oxidase production in your body. DAO creates your own cellular antihistamine to fight your cellular histamine. I have noticed a flare in food allergies with amirtriptilyne and a huge flare up with Gabapentin. By throwing off the histamine balance, you may have varying effects that are short term or long term. The reason some of you are itchy is because it is acting on H1 receptors. H2 receptors are all your GI issues. H3 receptors are what's fucked with me hardcore - Anxiety, brian fog, etc. H4 receptors are bones and joints and cellular. If you are having side effects like these and would like to mediate them by natural means, I recommend googling "Histamine Intolerance" and reading up on that. Personally, I'm doing low-histamine, low-oxalate paleo to fight that. I'm also taking a full month break from weed to see if that'll do jack shit. At this point I am entirely substance free, and fuck YEAH I miss being high and drugs, but I think my next drug is going to be something like mushrooms.

Would anyone please point me to a thread about possible neural-influence mushrooms can have on the brain, as well as whether meditation and shrooms could be used to 'rewire' the brain? I'd also love to know the approximate dosage of shrooms for anxiety. I'm doing shrooms out of purely spiritual reasons and self-searching, and do not expect any medical treatment from them, however I have a slim hope that they might be able to help. Tell me if I'm full of shit? P.S. Do shrooms have any long term negative impact on the GI tract for people with gluten intolerance, GERD, Gastritis?
 
Doxepin, sorry to hear you're suffering so much. It's not clear if you're still on amitryptiline/Elavil, but I hope you're taking it as prescribed.

Elavil has a lot of interactions, and bad side effects, and actually blocks the action of mushrooms. You can't mix the two (and have a "trip"). I'd try to settle in to your current med regimen before you plan any shrooming or cocktails.
 
I've been taking 300, then 600 mg/day of gabapentin to treat the depression side of bipolar syndrome for over 15 years. I read where it blocks the release of the catecholamine stress hormones (epinephrine & norepinephrine) from the adrenal glands. These stress hormones act on the brain neurons & create depression because the neurons get exhausted. It has been like taking sugar pills. No negative symptoms so I don't feel the need to stop. My DO says she has a number of her patients taking this so she had no problem increasing my daily dose from 300 to 600.

After reading about the use of this drug for recreational use, I took 2,000, then 3,000, then 3,600 mg at one time. The first evening I enjoyed a pleasant high with disassociative feelings. Very nice. Second night the same but less intense. The third night, after skipping a night, the effect from the larger dose was less than from the 2,000. So it apparently builds up a tolerance that is said to go away in 5-7 weeks of abstinence. I still take my daily dose at meals but now I'm only taking 100 mg twice or three times/day & the depressive feelings are still under control, so the tolerance thing is apparently only for the higher doses.

This drug can apparently affect different people in different ways. Go figure!
 
Not a very good idea, but alcohol is best for gabapentin or pregabalin wd's. Tho you would need lots (for me at least 15 drink a day) and whole day, and waking up in the night to drink more.
 
Tilting Toward Gabapentin Withdrawal

Apologies if this isn't in the right place. I checked out the gabapentin/neurontin megathread but didn't quite find what I was looking for.

Anyway.
To make a very long and tiresome story somewhat shorter: I decided to stop taking opiates after about three years of heavily abusing percocet and then moving on to very strong poppy seed tea, and began my hellish withdrawal around the end of October. I was still experiencing many symptoms of the withdrawal (chills, headaches, RLS, depression, insomnia, intractable vomiting that resulted in a hiatal hernia and three days in the hospital...etc...) and began treating those symptoms with the only drug I had at the time: gabapentin. I had already been using it periodically and had built a strong tolerance to it, and found (in my stupid, desperate haze) that my symptoms retreated almost completely at around 14.4g of gabapentin daily (that's two doses of twelve 600mg pills taken 12 hours apart).

Now that the withdrawal is getting better on its own (and I also have some alprazolam and tramadol to help with it) my brain is starting to fire normally again and I'm starting to fear the gabapentin might do to me what the opiates did. I know gaba withdrawal is nasty and can include seizures, which is exacerbated by the effects of the tramadol (...and the fact that tonic clonic seizures...kinda run in the family...). I know it was stupid to take so much gabapentin to begin with but I was dumb and desperate. I was worried about kidney toxicity but so far my kidneys seem to be mostly fine.
Mostly.

Okay so my question is this:
If I taper off the gabapentin, which seems the most rational thing to do, is there anything I can do or take to help offset the withdrawal symptoms? Preferably without taking too much of the tramadol so as not to raise the risk of seizures?
And can I expect anything nastier than seizures as I do go through the withdrawal?

Anybody know?

I'd like to add that I absolutely don't recommend anybody try taking more than 3600mg of gabapentin daily. It's just dumb to take as much as I was taking, and tbh the benefit wasn't that great either; it only lasted a couple hours and then I was even more miserable than I had been before.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top