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Brain zaps from gabapentin increase?

A

ao111

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
10
About a month ago my Dr. upped my daily dose of gabapentin from 1,600 to 2,400. After about a week of taking the new dose I started getting brain zaps off and on every day. I do take an SNRI but nothing has change with that. The zaps will start happening five hours after taking a dose, and disappear within an hour of taking another dose. I also started amphetamine salts around the same time, and I'm on 0.5 mg. of klonopin daily but I've been cutting back to half lately. Could the increased gabapentin alone be causing the zaps? Or maybe it's klonopin withdrawal since I'm tapering down? I'm also thinking that my brain is going haywire from being on so many different meds?
 
The only times I get brain zap's is when coming off an SSRI or If i'm not used to suboxone and take a decent dose..say 16mg. I'm on gabapentin too and have not received the zaps when coming off it or increasing dose but those zaps have to do with the electrical activity in your brain so I'd think a lot of different med's could cause them depending on your chemical makeup.
 
Thanks. This is the first time that I've had zaps without coming off an SSRI. I have read that bezo withdrawal can cause brains zaps and I have cut my klonopin dosage down.
 
Ive had them with pregabalin, not coming off but while actually on it. Only a few times though and usually when im very tired and have taken a large dose. Pregabalin and Gabapentin can cause some very side effects in some. In fact the list of all possible side efects in the leaflet that comes in the box with pregabalin is simply huge... the longest ive seen of any med. Admittedly they, by law, have to list any potential side effects no matter how rare but still, there are a shit ton of them.
 
Okay thanks. If these zaps are caused by the gabapentin then this is the first time it's happened. When I was on 400 mg. I sometimes took extra doses and it never happened then.
 
Lorne??? said:
Most likely clonazepam
Click to expand...

I disagree, he saif hed tapered down the clonazepam not stopped it entirely... there are soooooo many people that get brain zaps from gabap/pregab that im sure its that...

Only way to tell would be to keep the gabap the same and bring the clonaz back to its previous level and see if they continue.
 
The first thing I thought was the reduction in daily clonazepam. Honestly the large amount of medications the OP is taking makes it almost impossible for us to diagnose this over the internet mainly because we are not doctors.

First I have heard of gabapentioniods causing brain zaps from increasing the dose. Decreasing benzo's and adding an amphetamine is certain to cause some unpleasant side effects.
 
Last edited:
Lol, a doctor would say the same thing “ too many prescription drugs “ or we don’t know, lowering clonipen was my guess (sic on Klonopin) because they to EXTRA DOSES and it didn’t happen, although the time frane of ~ 5 hours fits with gabapentin, which takes 3-4 hours to reach peak plasma, d despite outrageous 4–5 dosing
 
Lowering benzo's while taking amphetamines sounds unpleasent. I don't know what a doctor would say but I wouldn't discourage this poster from seeing his prescriber and discussing these symptoms.
 
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