Misc Gabapentin sedation and euphoria

[hamwaggle]

I am prescribed Gabapentin 300mg x 2 daily for sleep and also nerve pain and sort of wrote it off for a while. However, I took only 2 last night and definitely felt it, today I read a lot about it and about people taking large doses and really feeling both euphoric, sedated, and sometimes energetic from it. I know tolerance to this can happen quick but I have not taken more than 2 at a time and right now I just downed 8 pills at once (2.4 grams). Does anyone have experience feeling these effects? and I know there are other older threads about this, but I'm looking for more current experiences. It's strange to me that Lyrica is controlled and Gaba isn't as they are sort of just stronger versions of each other.

 

[belfort]

hmm u took 2 pills the other day and felt euphoria from that so today u take 8 pills at once!?!?!?!why, all u are asking for is tolerance and probably some dizziness in a few minutes..neurontin is a nice drug but ive found out that after 2-3 days it tends to poop out so u would probably want to rotate it..

 

[xxxyyy]

the first time i took gabapentin, i took around 1500-3000mg (not exactly sure how much anymore) with a bottle of wine and it was amazingly euphoric and relaxing. i've never been able to replicate that feeling no matter how much gabapentin or pregabalin i took. it was pretty fucking sweet.
all in all, gabapentin is definitely a drug that can cause euphoria and all-in-all very pleasant effects, but tolerance to it builds up extremely fast and decreases incredibly slow. i switched to pregabalin after one year of gabapentin, and even though supposedly they should have the same effects, in practice they don't. gabapentin has a more pronounced mood lift for me, while pregabalin a more pronounced anxiolysis.

 

[Skeeef]

How do these compare to diazepam?

 

[xxxyyy]

not at all i would say. diazepam and pretty much all other benzos have a fairly distinct mode of action, binding exclusively to various GABAa receptors while pregabalin and gabapentin bind to the alpha2delta unit of the calcium channels. in practice this means that their effect is vastly different from benzodiazepines and from my experiences varies far more widely between persons than benzos do.

 

[Skeeef]

So basically they both act on Gaba so they should feel the same? Or are they more euphoric than benzos?

 

[mrflowers00]

i took 600mg to try and cure my RLS and it didn't help at all and no "high" to speak of for sure

 

[mellowyellows]

Doses of 1000mg and upwards commonly give me some happy sedation, very similar to lyrica but you need a lot more from my experience.

 

[bronson]

I don't have personal experience with a few of the substances being described, but I have never understood how people find benzos euphoric at all. The mode of the other substances action is different so that may well be possible. However, with benzos, the only euphoria I've ever possibly perceived is relief from my anxiety, which is fairly great in its own sense, but not close to what I would consider the traditional definition.

 

[belfort]

^^same here, ive never felt any euphoria at all from benzos..i dont find benzos recreational at all, i would take them like i would take an aspirin, to get rid of an ailment..i cant imagine going out and being amped up that im going to take some xanax lol...yay how fun it is to be chilled out and sedated!

 

[Treefa]

I dont get euphoria from benzo's either...im lucky if they make me drowsy.

I found about 6 300mg gabapentin a while back and popped 3(i'd already taken some adderall that morning, help me get done painting faster lol) and i was pretty up, but with no anxiety at all(wich uppers cause me esp. amps).

I liked it that once i tried it, but i wouldnt pay for it, i'd say its hardly recreational but good if yo got nothing else

 

[trunkofmycar]

I've only found euphoria and sedation in very high doses of this drug. I'm on the 200 mg pills as well, and I take about 8-9 of them to get this type of feeling. However, I've had experience with taking over 20 and with wildly different results (I'm talking orgy all night weirdness)...

 

[hamwaggle]

Yeah I can't say I felt SUPER euphoric but I definitely felt them. It's a very difficult feeling to describe, but it really does help with RLS as one poster mentioned it did not work. During withdrawal from opiates gabapentin is a life saver. I attempted to replicate the feeling today by taking 8 x 300mg as I was incredibly hungover and it actually helped the hangover a lot, but I feel no euphoria as I type. I find it to also help with my back pain, although it may just be a coincidence or the NSAID I usually take with it.

As for benzo euphoria I mean I can't say I don't love them because I do, but I do agree that it's not exactly a euphoric feeling. I find my anxiety to settle first, then depending on how strong of a dose I start to get that drunk like feeling and get very tired. I honestly cannot comprehend how people can take like 10mg of xanax and not pass out within 30 minutes. I'm no lightweight but benzos just pass me out. The only one I can function on is clonazepam. If I was prescribed xanax during the day I would make a fool out of myself.

 

[belfort]

the difference between neurontin and benzos in my case is neurontin kills anxiety without sedating me as much as benzos..plus, neurontin gives me a slight manic energy as well and it makes me more social..on benzos i actually become less social and of course, less energetic..

 

[Znegative]

I used to like gabapentin a lot, at first at lower dosages (300 mg/day) I got an effect similar to alprazolam but more speedy. I kind of experienced that need to talk as much as possible and a warm glow similar more to GBL or alchohol. At really high dosages, 1500mg or so, I find the effects of this drug to be pretty uncomfortable. My legs feel like they're made of rubber, and my vision is experienced with stop motion effects. Additionally I sometimes get paranoid.

So basically I recomend taking around 300-600mg if you've never taken it, IMO it's the most euphoric at that dose, its also the only other drug that produces a nod that is almost identical to opiates.

 

[CasketLottery]

I am prescribed this drug due to nerve damage from being blown up by an IED in Afghanistan. I find mild euphoria at low dosages (300 - 600 mg). I was reading this thread and read that you get a lot of higher off high dosages. So I went and popped 6 - 300 mg pills. After reading Znegative's post, I got a little scared. AHAH. Uh oh... Hopefully I feel good off this. I will come back and let you know how I feel once it kicks in. Just for a side note -- they are called Johnnies on the street.

 

[aihfl]

I don't find the effects of gabapentin pleasant at all. It makes me dizzy and weirdly anxious. I am an insomniac so I took twice the dose I'm prescribed (I took 1,800mg) along with some wine. It did knock me out for 5-6 hours then I woke up early in the morning, wanted to sleep some more, so I took 600mg and I'm regretting it. I'm shaky and somewhat anxious and I'm sweating heavily.

 

[SluttyPeach]

i took 600mg to try and cure my RLS and it didn't help at all and no "high" to speak of for sure

RIP mrflowers

Gabapentin can definitely give you a sense of well being and happiness but I wouldn't call it a high.. It can erase anxiety and help with opiate WDs though.

 

[Epiper888]

There are a lot of different people opinion on this drug. It's ALOT different from benzos as it really doesn't work on GABA. It works on calcium channels and alpha2delta like other posted stated. There isn't much understanding on how it really works though. I find them A lot more euphoric then a benzo. Good for social anxiety not so good for panic attacks etc. it's a drug like nothing else and tolerance does build very rapidly.

Also the WAY you take it vastly changes the strength. The bio avalivitly is very unstable, spacing your doses will increase BA and so will having some food in your stomach.

As for effects
1st time
-stimulation/mania
-drowsiness
-mild euphoria
-mild CEV
-mild dissociative effects
-reduced anxiety
These effects vastly are effected by dose

As tolerance builds
-body buzz
-milder euphoria
-reduced anxiety
-drowsiness
-mild dissociative effects
Of course this is what I feel. As tolerance builds the stimulation will not be there but anxiety will still be taken care of. I usally nod off when I get home for a good 30-45 mins unless I drink caffeine witch changes the feel a whole lot.
I take 1200mg and don't go above because it really does help anxiety. So if your taking it everyday as long as you don't up your dose the therapeutic effects should usally be there. But it diminishes recreationally.

 

[TumajNuri]

How do these compare to diazepam?

Hundred times stronger than any Benzo.