Misc 10 weeks off short term use of Gabapentin

[THCified]

Gabapentin withdrawal can be quite severe

Gabapentin withdrawals have been worse than benzo withdrawal for me

Sounds not good tbh, so i'm already addicted to it, but thankfully i get it prescribed so i can taper if i want to, even though the Situation i'm in sounds kinda shitty as it's not the only Med i'm addicted to (even though i don't misuse them). Fook me!

 

[Joey24x18]

Yeah dude same, this is horrible. The psychological symptoms are the worst, and when you add the uncertainty of the situation into the mix it is a nightmare.

One of the worst things about this is the lack of knowledge by doctors. I was put on this by my outpatient psychiatrist at a rehab clinic under the pretense that it was safe, non habit forming, and I could stop whenever. After I had problems after one month on and couldnt just stop it, I went to the ER 9 times, a bunch of other doctors, and even was impatient for a few days. Nobody helped nor had any idea what I was talking about. I get vein-popping mad just thinking about it.

Oh yeah man. Ive seen two doctors, went to the er twice, and even saw a psychologist. None of them even knew what Phenibut was lol so I printed off all this info on phenibut and it's withdrawal, and still they acted like I was making shit up. So I've just been tapering. Its funny, because apperantly the miracle cure for phenibut withdrawal is a week of gabapentin. Nobody would give it to me. I practically begged my doctors for it.

I'm at 300mg once a day now. I plan on jumping off at 50mg just to be safe. But I feel so crazy at this point. My head is constantly feeling like there's pressure inside of it. I can't think straight. And lately I've been getting these weird chest pains. I know after I give it some time I'll feel normal. But my anxious brain has convinced me I'm stuck feeling like this for life.

 

[Joey24x18]

Sounds not good tbh, so i'm already addicted to it, but thankfully i get it prescribed so i can taper if i want to, even though the Situation i'm in sounds kinda shitty as it's not the only Med i'm addicted to (even though i don't misuse them). Fook me!

Idk why doctors like to say gabapentin is not "habit forming". Most withdrawal stories I read about it sound horrific. But yeah just don't cold turkey it. Taper off if you ever decide to come off.

 

[blue comet]

Oh yeah man. Ive seen two doctors, went to the er twice, and even saw a psychologist. None of them even knew what Phenibut was lol so I printed off all this info on phenibut and it's withdrawal, and still they acted like I was making shit up. So I've just been tapering. Its funny, because apperantly the miracle cure for phenibut withdrawal is a week of gabapentin. Nobody would give it to me. I practically begged my doctors for it.

I'm at 300mg once a day now. I plan on jumping off at 50mg just to be safe. But I feel so crazy at this point. My head is constantly feeling like there's pressure inside of it. I can't think straight. And lately I've been getting these weird chest pains. I know after I give it some time I'll feel normal. But my anxious brain has convinced me I'm stuck feeling like this for life.

I go through this everyday and its such a paralyzing thought. I honestly feel like I've been on a solitary journey with all of this, from the benzo dependence to the cold turkey and now with gabapentin withdrawal. Family members and friends dont understand, and doctors barely get it, especially with gabapentin.

I'm 10 weeks off and I try to think about the achievements I've made so far, but they usually get masked by my obsessive thoughts about the horrible symptoms I still have and the fact that this has set me far back from how I was doing with my benzo withdrawal recovery.

 

[Joey24x18]

I go through this everyday and its such a paralyzing thought. I honestly feel like I've been on a solitary journey with all of this, from the benzo dependence to the cold turkey and now with gabapentin withdrawal. Family members and friends dont understand, and doctors barely get it, especially with gabapentin.

I'm 10 weeks off and I try to think about the achievements I've made so far, but they usually get masked by my obsessive thoughts about the horrible symptoms I still have and the fact that this has set me far back from how I was doing with my benzo withdrawal recovery.

Yeah man Ive resorted to just not trying to explain it to people. If they havent went through GABA related withdrawal they dont get that its litterally a living hell. Ive become a hermit really. I rarely leave my house in fear that im going to have a panic attack in front of people. I have one good friend that actually researched phenibut withdrawal when i told him about it and hes been looking out for me. Its a good thing i work from home, because theres no way i could hold down a job in this situation lol

It'll get better man. This is my second time going through this. I'm an idiot for ever buying more after the first time. Id say by six months you'll be back to baseline. The gabapentin most likely prolonged your benzo withdrawal and now you're withdrawaling from both. Id say you should get back on and taper, but you're already so far along it'd probably only set you back.

Have you looked into kava? Itll help take the edge off and it's believed to upregulate GABA receptors. I have a pound set aside for when I jump off the phenibut completely.

 

[blue comet]

Yeah I've thought about going back on but I had to get off for several reasons. It caused crippling and dangerous depression, and I also got interdose withdrawals extremely quickly.

Haven't looked into kava but I did get magnesium and calcium pills but so far they're not doing anything.

Like I said I'd take the height of my benzo withdrawal over this anyday.

 

[I B Profane]

You were on a medium sized dose of Gabapentin for seven weeks, but you were on high dose Valium and Ambien for 3.5 years beforehand. You don't think that's a contributing factor?

Post acute withdrawal symptoms from benzos and z-drugs (gabapentin is neither) can last a VERY long time. I also don't know how fast you tapered, but the faster the taper the more brutal the symptoms will be.

Yeah, it sucks, but that's GABA drugs for you. Gabapentin, by the way, is not a drug that acts on GABA in any way. I have been at 900mg/day for a while now. i can miss a day and feel fine. If I miss a few days, it feels like a slightly more intensified marijuana withdrawal - insomnia, loss of appetite, increased anxiety and irritability, etc. But these symptoms are NOTHING compared to hardcore brutal benzo detox. Cold turkeying 10mg Xanax per day was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I've also kicked intravenous opiate use too, had to taper using Suboxone, Both of these make Gabapentin withdrawal seem laughable.

I'm not discounting your experience, and obviously everybody's bodies are different. But I read all these "gabapentin withdrawal horror stories" and I can't help but wonder if the people writing them are either a) currently still dealing with a different withdrawal or PAWS, or b) kind of over-exaggerating the symptoms. Don't get me wrong, this stuff does have a withdrawal, but I find it extremely mild compared to opiates and benzos. Then again, the intensity of withdrawal (of any drug) will be directly related to the dose taken, and the amount of time the substance was taken for.

I'm sorry you're going through this and I'm sorry if the above post came off as assholeish. I guess my best advice is to slowly taper your gabapentin dose - as slow as you feel comfortable doing, until you're ready to hop off. That's generally the best way to get off any medication.

 

[blue comet]

I understand the sentiment that this is just benzo/z-drug withdrawal and that I am just pointing misguided blame at gabapentin.

In fact, before I got on gabapentin I read a lot of positives about it. The only negatives I heard about it were from benzo addicts and I made the same assumption as you; that they were blaming their benzo wd on gabapentin.

Having cold turkeyed Valium and ambien and have been off them for almost 5 months before I started gabapentin, I can say with 100% certainty that my problem right now are gabapentin related.

I never had the psychological symptoms I had before gabapentin nor did I have these types of physical symptoms. There is no doubt in my mind that I'd be worlds better if not for gabapentin.

 

[deos68]

fuck!!!! i was about to start a round of gabapentin 300mg because prozac and zoloft didnt work for shit
tossing that shit in the trash

 

[varimix]

Strange how some people seem to experience severe withdrawals from this drug while others don't. The only thing I noticed when stopping after using 2400mg's for a few months was insomnia and irritabillity. I'm scared to stay on it long though just in case.

 

[I B Profane]

I understand the sentiment that this is just benzo/z-drug withdrawal and that I am just pointing misguided blame at gabapentin.

In fact, before I got on gabapentin I read a lot of positives about it. The only negatives I heard about it were from benzo addicts and I made the same assumption as you; that they were blaming their benzo wd on gabapentin.

Having cold turkeyed Valium and ambien and have been off them for almost 5 months before I started gabapentin, I can say with 100% certainty that my problem right now are gabapentin related.

I never had the psychological symptoms I had before gabapentin nor did I have these types of physical symptoms. There is no doubt in my mind that I'd be worlds better if not for gabapentin.

Hmm. Well either way, I'm sorry you're going through this man :/

Full disclaimer, I am not a doctor, but as I said, taper nice and slowly. Start at a dose that makes you feel comfortable and titrate your dose as slowly as you're able to. I'm pretty sure the lowest available dose of Gabapentin is 100mg. Maybe ask your doc for 100mg capsules and lower your dose by 100mg each week. Or every two weeks, whatever you feel comfortable with. You could even open the pills and split them in half so you'd be lowering your dose by 50mg, but just as a warning, Gabapentin tastes horrid.

Taper slow as possible and please talk to a doctor about your symptoms! While you taper, there are many things you can do to make it more bearable. Exercise is awesome, so is meditation, try to eat and sleep well, etc. Also there are drugs you can take that will help your taper, but don't go trading one addiction for another. Phenibut, Lyrica, GHB/GBL, benzos, opiates (i recommend kratom), kava, low dose DPH for sleep, chamomille, etc.

Best of luck to you man.

 

[blue comet]

I am no longer taking gabapentin. I was on it from early February to late March (7 weeks) at doses that started at 1200mg per day and ended at 2100mg per day. I have been off of it for 10 weeks.

I had to get off of the medication due to the crippling depression, anger, and weight gain it was causing. When I first stopped it I was homebound for a few weeks, shaking violently and barely able to lay down. Suffered strong physical symptoms like horrible nerve pain, tingling on my right side, pins and needles, shaking, nonstop heart palps, and hair was falling out. Psychological symptoms were out of this world but included countless irrational fears, horrible regret about the past, sadness, and obsessing over the past.

For like 6 weeks afterwords I could barely go outside at night or travel in a car without getting a full blown panic attack. Things have improved as my panic attacks while in a car have seemed to have gone away, and I am even doing some driving myself (recreationally, sometimes at 1 hour at a time). I am back to work and am socializing again.

However, a lot of the symptoms are still very strong. Physically, the heart palls are still very strong and keep me awake at night. They seriously never end. I also have nerve pain that comes and goes, nausea, and continued hair loss. Psychologically I'm still dealing with a lot, such as mood swings, depression, anger, and many irrational fears.


Just ready for this to be over with.

 

[jammin83]

You were on a medium sized dose of Gabapentin for seven weeks, but you were on high dose Valium and Ambien for 3.5 years beforehand. You don't think that's a contributing factor?

Post acute withdrawal symptoms from benzos and z-drugs (gabapentin is neither) can last a VERY long time. I also don't know how fast you tapered, but the faster the taper the more brutal the symptoms will be.

Yeah, it sucks, but that's GABA drugs for you. Gabapentin, by the way, is not a drug that acts on GABA in any way. I have been at 900mg/day for a while now. i can miss a day and feel fine. If I miss a few days, it feels like a slightly more intensified marijuana withdrawal - insomnia, loss of appetite, increased anxiety and irritability, etc. But these symptoms are NOTHING compared to hardcore brutal benzo detox. Cold turkeying 10mg Xanax per day was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I've also kicked intravenous opiate use too, had to taper using Suboxone, Both of these make Gabapentin withdrawal seem laughable.

I'm not discounting your experience, and obviously everybody's bodies are different. But I read all these "gabapentin withdrawal horror stories" and I can't help but wonder if the people writing them are either a) currently still dealing with a different withdrawal or PAWS, or b) kind of over-exaggerating the symptoms. Don't get me wrong, this stuff does have a withdrawal, but I find it extremely mild compared to opiates and benzos. Then again, the intensity of withdrawal (of any drug) will be directly related to the dose taken, and the amount of time the substance was taken for.

I'm sorry you're going through this and I'm sorry if the above post came off as assholeish. I guess my best advice is to slowly taper your gabapentin dose - as slow as you feel comfortable doing, until you're ready to hop off. That's generally the best way to get off any medication.

I fully understand your sentiments and get where you are coming from. Gabapentin withdrawal is worse than benzos for some people, although, comparing different types of withdrawal is somewhat akin to comparing different geographical localities in hell. They are each their own unique form of hell, people experience these things differently and also each substance effects an individuals brain chemistry uniquely. Make no mistake, gabapentin withdrawal can be horrid for some people. I have read reports of people being off of it for months that aren't able to stabilize. I have experienced withdrawal from a 20 mg xanax a day habit that I had for years cold turkey, I have kicked 24 mg of suboxone cold turkey, and I did both of those at the same time in jail. I have kicked opiates and benzos numerous other times. I have been in withdrawal from zyprexa for the last 9 months. It was worse than any other wd I have experienced. I have only stopped my gabapentin for a week, after years of use, and it was pretty hellacious. Total mind fuck. WD hits people differently, and some of these drugs are entirely fucked. Gabapentin wd can be no joke for some people.

 

[Joey24x18]

Do not take that guys advice and use phenibut. Get kava if anything. Just don't touch phenibut. Especially when you're already dealing with withdrawal from a gaba related drug. Phenibut withdrawal as hell. Lol. I'm losing my mind coming off this shit.

 

[CosmicG]

Trust me when I say OP I feel your pain. I went to rehab to get off benzos and left on 2400 mgs of Gabapentin a day along with 300 mgs of seroquel and a few others. I am off everything except the Neurontin and am going through hell, though I am down to 600 mgs a day now. I'm forcing myself down 300 mgs per week which I am sure is way too fast but I just want to be done with this garbage without having to ask for help from my GP.

I have resorted to using Xanax and etizolam again until I'm off the gaba, then going from there to attempt tapering myself. Possibly asking my GP for a different benzo as the Xanax just isn't enough anymore.

Yeah Neurontin is by far the worst drug I have ever come off of. I can't believe the amount of people they are prescribing this alongside seroquel in inpatient facilities.

Yea I haven't been myself lately is an understatement.

 

[jammin83]

Cosmic, you need to slow down on that shit man. You are putting yourself through hell. I can see 100 mg a week or so but 300 mg when you are only on 600 mg? You are almost there man. I know it sucks, I still have to go through it after I am done withdrawing from the zyprexa which has taken me about a year to get off and I'm still a little sketchy. I'm only taking 900 mg of gabapentin but I've been on much higher doses and have been on it for a very long time. You are just torturing yourself. Hope you feel better soon CG and I agree that most docs aren't aware of the dependency it can cause and is pretty liberally prescribed. Sad.

 

[CosmicG]

I agree it just seems like it would be easier to just tough it out and get through it. Mine are 600 milligram pills that I have been breaking half. I suppose I could try cutting them into quarters. I had only been taking the 2400 mgs for about two weeks so the intense withdraw came as a shock to me. I will never again trust a doctor without doing my own research. At the time I was put on them I didn't really have much of any option.

 

[jammin83]

You just need to be careful with this stuff. It's not opiates or something. Sometimes you don't get better for a long time if you go too fast. It's not always a matter of pushing through with psych drugs. You should buy a mg scale off of amazon to do it right. Obviously you can do what you want but I learned the hard way about fucking up my nervous system. Nothing about it is safe. I wanted to throw myself in front of a truck daily and not because I was depressed. Just stay safe. Send me a pm if you need to.

 

[Semi Chemical]

hie

 

[Thomas29]

I Personally just Used 1200mg yesterday 2400 past 3 hours about to take 1200mg more anymore then 1200mg per 1 hour u absorb legit zero percent after 900mg it is like 10 percent down to 2 percent AND ZERO past 1200mg but point is i stop all the time after using 1200mg daily gabapentin no problem.

300mg lyrica nvm 600mg KNOCKS ME ON MY ASS may be twice as potent per mg buit lyrica is wayyy more sedating and gabapentin can be especially taken 2 hours after an Opioid/opiate but way more head high if lyrica has a head high at all ur to fucked physically to know least that is me personally gabapentin taken right with aleve and food and 2 hours after morphine it can potentiate gabpentin for up to 4 hours but gabapentin can DECREASE MORPHINE OR ANY OPIOID OPIATDE ABSORBPTION IN HALF hence you wait 2 hours after dosing a painkiller to potentiate without making the opi weaker.