First of all, Im sorry if I came off as incendiary in the original conveyance of my tone. Let me attempt to be perfectly clear on my opinions about the Lyrica/Neurontin controversy in a timely fashion as the OP has obtained a shipment of pregabalin which is enroute.
Having been prescribed Neurontin long term and now on a very high dose (800mg/4x a day) I feel my observations deserve consideration. And yes, I am aware every individual has different reactions to both the taking and cessation of the same drug. I received my next 90 day prescription, indicated for pain, literally today. I dosed moderately high immediately on arrival, and I feel amazing. I had gone around a week without and didnt really taper before I ran out.
Like any other GABAergic drug anyone would be dependent on, sudden cessation brought with it a mix of relatively horrible withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from any GABA-B drugs or in this case a drug that increases GABA production is always going to be unpleasant. Some derealization, insomnia, crippling depression, rebound pain, loss of appetite, sensitivity to light, etc.
In rare cases, ABRUPT cessation of extremely high doses can cause withdrawal seizures. I am VERY prone to seizures as Ive had eight from benzodiazepine w/d. Ive never had a seizure cold turkey'ing a 5g/day habit of gabapentin. I've felt like death but I've never seized. I know a lot of people that take this drug. No one I know of has ever seized. It is an extremely rare occurance.
My main issue with your original post was the mention of degradation of "nerve sheaths" (please enlighten me to what those are, btw) and the fact that regular neurontin use leads to multiple sclerosis. There have been loose studies done that indicate neurontin kills new brain synapses... Even those are highly questionable.
-- There is no evidence to support any of your claims of long term neurological damage caused by either pregabalin or gabapentin. Therefore you are spreading misinformation.
There are, however, studies indicating its effacy in pain relief as englandz pointed out just one. You indicated those didnt exist. Misinformation again.
The withdrawal from these chemicals isnt fun as cessation brings along downregulation of gaba in the brain. All the off label issues you discussed seem slightly irrelevant? So what if Phyzer is corrupt? These drugs are extremely effective at treating the symptoms of opiate withdrawal and namely the anxiety thereof. They are relatively safe drugs to take as needed. The issues only arise when a heavy dependency is introduced.
The OP is gambling with returning to daily doses of a highly toxic chemical(loperamide), so I think most would agree the pros highly outweigh the cons. Just keeping it real, I know you're new here and a "micro-biolgist" so Im gonna say this. I like to think in OD we take claims like the ones you made seriously. If you ever want to discuss breakthrough discoveries of the long term neurological devastation caused by a VERY commonly prescribed drug, I highly recommend yo post your evidence. Im still waiting for links to some studies to back up your claims. And please dont take this the wrong way! This is what its all about. Knowledge. Bluelight. Life. If you know something I dont, enlighten me! Have a great rest of your day.
-chase
