Gabapentinoids (Gabapentin) withdrawal, any advice?

[pinpoint]

I've yet to meet a doctor that was aware of withdrawal from this drug. Goes to show how well trained Pfizer marketing reps are at glossing over serious adverse effects (re: SSRI "discontinuation syndrome"). When I was Rx'd Modafinil, which has been shown to have a rare side effect of causing Steven Johnsons Syndrome (your skin literally falls off) my shrink referred to that as a minor rash (LOL).

Anyways Gabapentin withdrawal feels like a cross between benzodiazepine withdrawal and phenibut withdrawal. Basically your whole GABA system (a &b) going a bit haywire. As far as I know there has been no documented cases of seizures resulting from withdrawal, but then again, I don't trust Pfizer to report such cases

 

[opiatekrzy]

Ive gotten withdraals from gabapentin before. It's weird to say the least but not that bad granted im on clonazepam which maybe stopped the worst of it.

I had tremors, a weird feeling of being wired up and just a odd sense that things where off. This only lasted a few days and a slight increase in clonazepam stopped it.

I get that effect when I take too much Gabapentin . Wired, odd sense things are off. WD for me was extreme depression, erratic thoughts behavior, emotional.

 

[benzoman12345]

Gabapentin is dodgy at high doses man, I was a bit stressed out last week and I had a few blisters of 600mg tabs there, I starting eating like 10 at a time just to blank the world out, ended up wakening up obv intoxicated, stole a family members car and went a spin in it with the music up loud as if it was nothing not giving a fuck about the police I was actually trying to get the jail to get away from my life, sobered up a day or 2 later and thought what the fuck was I thinking ?!

 

[EP158207]

For me gabapentin withdrawal lasted seven days. I felt uneasy anxious and restless. By day seven I was normal. My habit was 900-1200mg with occasional two day breaks. A year long habit. I tapered down to 300 before jumping off. Then went onto 300 mg lyrics habit , but stopped cold turkey after two weeks as I didn't enjoy the high. I think these drugs affect people differently,

 

[Cash Crown $$]

Never even thought about taking the Gabapentin, as I (foolishly) thought it was only helping with other pain meds. Well, I started out at 300mg twice a day for two years, then slowly was up to 600mg tabs 3xday. This for about 2-3 years. Then, about 9 months ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD. Damn, too many drugs had me having to choose to get rid of something. I didn't want to burn out, since Dr. thought I should be taking Adderall. That is another story, as I am telling him next visit, please take me OFF - and let him lower it slowly or replace it with a temp med to help stop. It's just not for me.

But, I decided something had to go, so I said "Later Gaba". Later, my ass! I did cut down, 1/2 to 900mg a day, and then down to 300mg. I felt a little bit crappy, but NOTHING like when I quit after a month at 300mg. Let me tell you - I have not felt right since I stopped. The ONLY good thing, is I have bottles of it now, that I keep as a reminder that I MUST be making progress. I decided to do this because Adderall seems too intense with the Gabapentin, and before I 86 the Addy, I feel I have to be off the Gabapentin (IMO), as well and I know now, for EVERY reason - forever. I have not felt good in two months. Every single morning, I wake up and feel like holy hell. Granted, I just trusted my Dr, and since I was not concerned ("It's non-narcotic, no worries" he said") I didn't think about it - until I started seeing bad reports about stopping. And, I'm sure it depends on how long, how much, and the individual, but I have been completely shaken by this.

It makes you look at everything you do! What am I doing wrong? When the hell will this end? Morning is the worst time, really, really bad and I sleep, but wake up feeling like the TIN MAN from OZ. Cloudy thinking, not really even being able to think about anything -except how bad I feel. Then, I said "Wait - it CAN"T be that." So, to see, I took 1/2 of a 600mg. In 1.5 hours, I felt almost normal - if there is a normal, but 'better'. It IS THAT! Then, I looked at the full bottles and thought - I've made progress, but here's the deal - this stuff works BEST at a low dose - so the LAST part is the hardest, IMHO. So, I waited, staying at the same 300mg for a month or so. Then 1/2, for a week, then nothing - just stopped. This was months ago and can't recall exactly. I've lost track of time, senses, a general malaise, and have lost interest in everything. I can't shake the FUNK! IF I didn't know better, could be mistaken for a deep depression. Feels like that. For no reason at all. It just lingers. I'm going to give it one more month, then I'm going to have to do something. I dread every morning because it never changes. Sweaty, sore back, knees, runny nose, and just a feeling I've never experienced. Like I've been sick for a long, long time. So gang? Heed my words (and others on here) ain't no joke. There is something about this that changes your brain - I do think that either time or something else (some supplement, vitamin) will work to stop this lack of energy, constant fatigue, and a feeling of being 'lost'.

So, will be back in a month. I hope to have better news, but to those who report not having any issues? Wait until you stop 100% for at least one week. Then see how you feel. And, to those even thinking about doing this? Well, I thought Lyrica (2 years) was hard - NOTHING even close to this. IF you want to power-up Xanax or Valium or just about anything else? This will do it. But, like the Toyota's that the accelerator got stuck? That will be YOU, so don't - just don't do it. I wouldn't say this about anything else, not even opiates - the closest thing I've felt was the removal of Valium, until I couldn't think straight, and Doc gave me Xanax. Please listen. Those that have 'this feeling', they will tell you, too. Go slow, slow, slow if you are there now - decide to switch to even Hydrocodone if it helps with your nerve issues. This is a BRAIN issue unlike anything I've experienced. It is RELENTLESS! Maybe it's very selective, but why risk it when myself and others are saying this? Life is not fun right now. Please, listen. NO to Gaba! And, don't do like I did - tell your Dr. ahead of time and maybe you can avoid this mental confusion that seems to never end. I hope so. I am drinking a shit-ton of water-Gatorade and taking vitamins, magnesium, and nothing works very well. You guys please be careful with this one. Truth.
Cash Crown - support is most welcome, thanks if only in good karma.

 

[need help]

can some one helpme pleases i have come of gab about 9 days ago and i am getting bad panic attacks hot face and other things

 

[EP158207]

can some one helpme pleases i have come of gab about 9 days ago and i am getting bad panic attacks hot face and other things

Did you come off cold turkey? If so get back onto gabapentin, and taper down. So if you took 1200mg take that for a week then go down to 900mg (I assume your tablets are 300mg) for another week, and so on, until you bring it down to 300mg. Then take that every other day. Also take chelated magnesium supplements.

 

[need help]

hi thanks for the comment i keep getting dizzy spells and hot face

 

[need help]

what does the supplements do

 

[DementiaSavantPlus]

The magnesium will help with some of the physical manifestations of anxiety caused by the withdrawal, and maybe some of the cognitive fog. Apparently, gabapentin depletes magnesium by taking over part of its function in the body, and thus causing more of it to be excreted.

I am currently tapering off of gabapentin slowly and I use a highly absorbable, liquid magnesium. I also use an herb called gotu kola. I have tried many other things in the way of OTC supplements and these are the two that work. I have heard that fish oil supplements are useful as well but haven't tried them yet.

These things should only accompany a slow taper as they are by no means a full substitute for the specific mechanism of the drug.

 

[samim2u]

REALLY!? Where are you getting your med degree a cracker Jack box? You really think ALL of these people are making these symptoms up. Boy I'd hate to be a patient of yours.

 

[issokay]

Who were you responding to, may I ask...?

REALLY!? Where are you getting your med degree a cracker Jack box? You really think ALL of these people are making these symptoms up. Boy I'd hate to be a patient of yours.

Who were you referring to? I don't see anyone's post which could match up with yours...
Just a little curious.

Thanks,
-Issokay

 

[issokay]

I can't begin to express how glad I am that I quit my methadone program while I was only about 6 weeks into it. As bad as coming off ofmy morphine, & Ativan (after taking the benzos for 9½ years & the MS Contin & Norco 10/325 for about 5-6 years, as well as the Gabapentin after just under 2 months, and knowing how it makes you feel, b/c what I went through really just made me want to end it all. It really was THAT HORRIBLE. I thought for SURE it was either that, or suffer a horribly painful fatal seizure...

How long does it take for you to go from whatever your dose was when you decided to taper off completely (off of Gabapentin) until you were done, & were satisfied that you wouldn't suffer, whether you were right or not? Gimme details...
Thanks,
-Issokay

8(

 

[xtcgrrrl]

Hi, I haven't read the whole thread but I'm halfway through and plan to read it all but I wanted to post before my words fly out of my head. I'm very forgetful. Anyway, I've been on gabapentin for about a year now. In the very beginning, I could abuse it for "fun days" and then not take it for 3-4 days after so I wouldn't run out before my next script. I wanted to have some available if I REALLY needed it; I'm scripted it for both nerve pain and anxiety. I have terrible sciatica down my left leg, due to the 5 herniated discs that I have. And my anxiety is THROUGH THE ROOF now. I feel like I can't leave the house. Something bad will happen. I have both Lyrica and Neurontin and I'm not taking either. I suspect that the anxiety is partially from stopping those meds. I just tried, today, to have a "fun day" with the neurontin but it turned out TERRIBLE. I was sleepy, slurring my words, and I don't remember what I did this morning. I went down for a nap at the same time I put the baby down for a nap but my 5 year old daughter, Laura, woke me up by gently stroking my arm (she's a sweetheart.)I realized Davey was awake too so I changed his diaper, made him a bottle and plopped him on the bed. Then I had "special time" with my kids but they wanted to read books and I had double vision, dizziness (it was very hard to carry the baby around and dangerous too. I asked my husband to do that for me.)

I'm wondering if all these symptoms are sudden acute withdrawal from the gabapetin: I don't know how much of this is because of gabapentin and how much is due tp suddenly stoping ot agaiin...also it made me so sleepy that I slept mos of the day...Didn't feel ANYTHING pleasureable. I guess gabapentin is no longer a "fun drug" forr mr :'(

I took two 1 mg Xanax pills and the shakiness went away - mostly. And one Soma. I that should help with the anxiety. And I've got my e cigs

I wish you the nest with your attempt to withdraw with this med, amd Maybe taperiomg os a gppd ome. it OCCASPONALL use a gaba substitute like a couple of beers. you don't want to gp through a hangover while withdrawimg. Nastu stuff. Any benzo will also help. For this, I recommend Xanax. It comes fast am and if you are having a severe panic attack you can put it under your tongue so it dissolves faster. Or you can chew it up and swallow it. It does taste gross, but that tells you that the medicine is good and you didm't get ripped of. If your panic attack is REALLY severe. have someone drove you to the ER. Lie down in the back seat and concentrate on not hyperventilating.

Phenibut also helps but it's addictive also so go easy on that. Like, 3 days on, 3 days off.

I know there's more, like herbal supplements...there's one called Gaba Soothe. It might be hard to find in drug stores. I found it in a specialty drug store, that sold only vitamins. But you could probably find it online...Amazon has EVERYTHING. But the Gaba supplements should make the withdrawal MUCH easier to deal with. And as far as I know, the supplements are NOT addictive.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! and sorry I wrote a book here...just trying to share my experiences and offer some suggestions And ONE MORE suggestionL a long hot bath with bath salths thrown in is good for ANY kind of WD. And it would help with your tender muscles too.

EDIT: oh I wanted to let you guys know that I was in ACUTE WD when I woke up from my all-day nap, I immediately vomited into the toilet, (not much to vomit up, just some Kratom pills...I'm trying to eat as little as possible and replace break and lunch with a meal replacememt smoothie. They're onl 250 cals, more if you add fresh fruit.) I also broke out into a sweat even though I was cold. I had a pounding headache...all signs of opiate withdrawal...but I've NEVER had that happen so soon! I took a shitload of poppy pills this AM...and 4 10 mg oxy (not all at once, one pill every few hours til I conked out. Remember, I have to get up a 6 AM to get the kids ready for school (bus comes at 7:30) so I have a longggggg day!) Just wondering if the gabapentin had anything to do with the WD...it seems odd to me...hmm

 

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

I've been taking gabapentin sporadically for a year, at doses between 1.2-1.5 g for Restless Leg Syndrome. I recently quit using kratom, (Which helped the RLS), and had planned to use gabapentin only from here on out. However reading this thread is making me very worried about taking gabapentin daily. Until now, I took gabapentin 3-4 days out of 7, substituting kratom for the rest of the week. I also have occasionally taken higher doses for recreational purposes, as my latest post indicates.

My question is: should I stop now? Would it be safe to take this drug for a week straight (until the RLS from Kratom subsides) and then stop? Or is that likely to make me dependent, given my prior use? In the past I haven't noticed WD symptoms even after being off it for 3+ days at a time.

I've experienced opioid, benzo, and alcohol WD, but this sounds worse than all of them. I really don't want to get hooked on this stuff.



EDIT: I tried to go all night without taking any, but I still had severe RLS from the kratom WD. I gave in and took 900 mg at 6 am, and woke up with moderate anxiety (which subsided after some excercise). I'm not sure if this is the gabapentin, the kratom WD (which started on Monday), or if I'm just working myself into a panic.

 

[EP158207]

I would suggest that you take the gabapentin everyday, until your kratom WD are over. So yeah, a week is fine. After that try leaving two FULL days between gabapentin doses. That way you don't increase tolerance of the drug, and it will help you when you want to get off gabapentin for good. Thats what I did; I took about 900mg, took two days off, then maybe another 900mg, two days off, then 1200mg and so on. I also took a full week off at a time, just to give my body a break. I strongly feel that due the fact that I dosed in such a way( with breaks) I didn't get the horrendous WD that most people here have spoken about. I was able to taper down, and only have 7 days of mild anxiety, less sleep than normal, and uneasiness.

Gabapentin WDs seem to be quite horrible for a lot of people, but from reading this and other forums, it appears to me that the WDs are worse in those who dose everyday.

I would suggest magnesium supplements, that will help calm your anxiety a little. Also helps with gabapentin withdrawal (when the time comes for you to give it up). Also, maybe use benzos sparingly for the anxiety, when it gets really bad.

 

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

Thanks a lot EPI58207. I'm glad that you think I can keep on it until the WD runs its course. It makes my RLS so bad I can't sleep until 8 the next morning, if even then, so having some gabapentin is a blessing. I don't know how long the RLS will be this bad, it's always the last symptom to subside. Hopefully after a week it will be more manageable.

Unfortunately, benzos are not an option owing to past history and lack of immediate sources. I've been taking a magnesium-calcium complex, which hasn't done much for my legs, but might help getting off gabapentin.

The worst part of this is that after this I will have no way of consistently treating my RLS. I've been exercising, cut caffeine and alcohol out of my diet, and it's still a problem. It seems that every medicine that is an effective treatment for RLS (Gabapentin, Dopamine agonists, opioids, benzos) is physically addictive. I hate to think that I'll need to take one of these for the rest of my life.

 

[Toz]

Thanks a lot EPI58207. I'm glad that you think I can keep on it until the WD runs its course. It makes my RLS so bad I can't sleep until 8 the next morning, if even then, so having some gabapentin is a blessing. I don't know how long the RLS will be this bad, it's always the last symptom to subside. Hopefully after a week it will be more manageable.

Unfortunately, benzos are not an option owing to past history and lack of immediate sources. I've been taking a magnesium-calcium complex, which hasn't done much for my legs, but might help getting off gabapentin.

The worst part of this is that after this I will have no way of treating my RLS. I've been exercising, cut caffeine and alcohol out of my diet, and it's still a problem. It seems that every medicine that is an effective treatment for RLS (Gabapentin, Dopamine agonists, opioids, benzos) is physically addictive. I hate to think that I'll need to take one of these for the rest of my life.

Do not take magnesium-calcium combinations, the calcium will counteract the magnesium. You do not want more calcium during gabapentin withdrawals, it can actually make you feel bad in my experience.

Oh by the way I gave up after 2+ years of hopeless withdrawals, this med will now haunt me for the rest of my life. I think I made the wrong choice but fuck that hell seriously, it would never end.

 

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

^I did not know that. Thanks! I've got some Mag. Citrate, I'll be taking that from now on.

 

[kohaku808]

Hi all. I am new to this but wanted to get your take. I am the "pharmacist" of our household, and manage the medications for both myself and my husband. My husband has 4 ruptured disks in his lower back where surgery is not a really viable option (doc said as long as he can walk we're not doing surgery as post-op he won't be able to bend at the waist anymore). Anyway, after being on NSAIDs for a number of years which caused reduced kidney function, his PCP sent him to a pain management specialist. The specialist prescribed 3600mg/day of gabapentin for neurological pain, which took me probably 2 years of careful ween-on to get him up to the dose. He takes the full dose between 5 and 6pm daily. It's now been at least 10 years, maybe more. He's long past the overt side effects but the more subtle ones I think are affecting him, mood issues, anxiety, depression, crap sleep habits, etc, and if he misses his dinner pills for whatever reason, by between 9 and 11pm he's twitchy, restless, "itchy" as others have described. Yes, within mere hours he knows he missed a dose. Add to this the fact that we are caregivers for his 93-year-old mother and we appear to have an A+ recipe for stress. He is also on 50mg nortriptyline which was added to the mix when we discovered bone spurs in his neck which we originally thought were additional disk ruptures. He also suffers from chronic kidney stones, according to his urologist he's one of the super lucky minorities whose bodies produce the little bastards regardless of diet, lifestyle changes, etc. Final piece of background is that he is self-employed as a sports photographer, for which the "season" is generally September through May.

So, we have been talking about getting him off the gabapentin for at least two years, but were worried about doing it during his main photography season, in case the back pain resurged beyond his ability to handle. He has a fairly high pain tolerance thanks for 17 years of the kidney stones and 22 years of the back issues, but given our living situation wrt his mother, we can't allow the pain to get too out of hand.

Anyway, as I said, I am the medicine handler in the house and I had a bit of an accident on Sunday (when I usually set up the meds for the week). His gabapentin bottle ran out with a partial dose on Monday and something happened to take me away from the pills at that moment, and I was distracted enough to not realise that I hadn't filled in the rest of the week. So, full 3600mg on Sunday, 1800 or 2400mg on Monday, and then nothing on Tuesday. By 10pm on Tuesday he was feeling nauseous, "weird", no headache, and not the proper "itchy" feeling he normally would feel after missing a dose (which is why we didn't put 2 and 2 together until I saw the pill box at dinner tonight and realised what was missing). By 11pm he started attempting to vomit his toenails out, every 15-20 minutes like clockwork. Thinking it was some kind of stomach bug or possibly something he ate that wasn't agreeing with him, I administered 4mg of dissolvable ondansetron which he accidentally swallowed before dissolution, so I administered a second 4mg dose, which we made sure dissolved before he swallowed it. Some four hours later he was still vomiting every 20-30 minutes, in between times he was sleeping. I called our local after hours nurse and she strongly recommended taking him to the ER, however he did not want to go, and of course within the hour he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep. But, he was still feeling like hell today (and the bloody phone kept ringing while we were trying to catch up on that lost sleep!) so I was wracking my brains trying to figure out just what the heck was wrong. Come dinner time and me seeing that bloody medicine box and we realised what might have happened. After dinner I put in a message to his PCP about working to get him off and requesting smaller-dose prescriptions for 100mg and 300mg tabs, and started researching getting him the hell off this hell-pill.

Which is how I landed here. And oh my goodness. I am immensely grateful to have found this post. The symptoms people have described are him to a tee, and he doesn't take any other "mind meds" but the gabapentin and nortriptyline, the rest are stuff like allopurinol and potassium citrate (kidney stones), blood pressure and cholesterol meds and vitamins/supplements (multi, b6/12, c, msm, bioastin, acidophilus probiotics). I will be attempting to work with our PCP to finalise a treatment plan to get him off the gabapentin, but would like input if this seems like a reasonable way to minimise the withdrawals as best I can. We are fully aware that this will be a long process, I've already told him I expect it may take two years. But you gotta start somewhere, right? He has also asked me not to tell him of any of the expected side effects so that he's not got ideas put in his head, though I did warn him about the suicidal stuff. He needs to know that if that crops up that it's not him but the withdrawal. Other than that he wants me to monitor him but not predispose him towards any particular manifestation, which I guess I understand his logic.

Anyway, my initial plan is to reduce the dosage in as large an amount as he can comfortably tolerate.

• as of today dropped to 3000mg by eliminating one 600mg tab and have added one 250mg magnesium tab to the regiment. I was considering adding an antacid as well, based on the fact that the gabapentin label says to avoid them due to it reducing the effectiveness, but I am concerned that the calcium carbonate that makes up the antacid will lower the effectiveness of the magnesium. Suggestions on this front would be most welcome. We plan to stay at this 3000mg level for two to four weeks.
• Bring the dose down to 2400mg by eliminating a second tablet and remain at 2400mg for two to six weeks.
• Lower to 1800mg for another one or two months.
• From there I expect to start dropping by fractional amounts using the lower dose units that hopefully the doc will prescribe for us, probably do 1500mg for a month or two.
• 1200mg for a couple months
• 900mg for another couple months.
• If he has been able to tolerate those drops without severe effects, drop to 800mg for a month.
• Monthly, drop 100mg until he is taking 300mg.
• 300mg for two months.
• 200mg for two months.
• 100mg for two months.
• 100mg every other day for a month.
• 100mg every third day for a month.
• 100mg every fourth day for a month.
• 100mg every fifth day for a month.
• stop.

Yes, obviously this is going to take a loooooooooong time, but I don't care, if that time will get him off without putting him and me through hell then I am more than willing to do it.

So, thoughts? Suggestions? Does this seem reasonable or am I making a pipe dream for us?

Thanks in advance for anything helpful you can give me.