Neurontin (Gabapentin) question

[shpongle1987]

I get scripted 1800mg Gabapentin a day one in the morning next afternoon ect. So I was wondering why everytime i take the gaba it only works really well for the first initial two days but then after that I feel like i have to double the dose to get the same effect and it even gets to the point where toward the end of my script im taking over 3000 mg at a time and it barely touches me. Is there some method of taking gaba to get a better reaction from it or perhaps some supplements that synergies well with it? Thanks for any help. Oh and btw i take the gaba for anxiety and its mood lifting properties...i dont take it for any physical/nerve pain.

 

[paranoid android]

Taking gabapentin after you eat increases it's oral bioavailability aka absorption by 15% and so does taking it after taking the anti-inflammatory naproxyn which is sold OTC in Canada and the US under the brand name aleve. Taking it in divided dose helps as well because gabapentin is the only drug i know of where the bioavailability actually goes down as you increase the dose. So the higher the dose the less that gets absorbed and does what it's supposed to do. So with gabapentin less is more really.

I'm on 3200mg's of gabapentin a day for neuropathic pain. To be honest i couldn't tell you if it does anything at all really besides just adding to the nod of opiates. I find that the sedating effects go away fairly quickly after starting taking it or increasing the dose. I don't think it helps my nerve pain much and the only time i notice the difference is when i forget to take it and get painful benzodiazepine like withdrawals from this supposedly non addictive drug

 

[srs1980]

i alwayz forget my gaba but ive never had w/d from them and when i do take them as prescribed they dont do chit for me, not even affect my nod, although im not on the high doses you guys are on i def could be if i ask my doc if i thought it would help my nerve pain in my back and legs. im only on 600 mg a day at bedtime and i cant tell it helps at all.......maybe i need more? or maybe i need none. dunno which way to go on this one so any advice etc. success stories of the drug or negative affects of the drug could be helpful. thanks guys

 

[ErgicMergic]

Gabapentin and pregabalin tolerance climbs at an exponential rate, it builds even faster than benzos! Tricomb has mentioned in a previous thread that these two drugs are best used every other day at the very most, every 3 days for peak effectiveness.

Srs1980, I would stay on 600mg gabapentin as long as possible. That's the golden dosage, imo, low enough to not affect cognitive function, but decent enough to actually give neuropathic pain relief. My mom has some pretty bad sciatica, but she has stayed at 600mg for about a year now, even though her bottle says 900mg a day. I can already see cognitive defects like memory loss and forgetfulness, but nothing too bad.

If you need a dosage higher than 600mg of gabapentin, I would strongly recommend switching to pregabalin if you can afford it. Beware that pregabalin is three-four times stronger than gabapentin, so 600mg of gabapentin = 150-200mg of lyrica (pregabalin). I find lyrica gives you better pain relief relative to the cognitive defects it causes, but it also more euphoric, so don't try to chase the high and ruin your tolerance to a medicine that allows you to function properly.

 

[ro4eva]

Odd, I haven't had that problem (I take 300mg 3x daily for a few months now). Then again, perhaps it's because I also take Xanax and methadone. When I went to pick up my first Rx for gabapentin, the pharmacist warned me that Xanax + gabapentin are synergistic. Perhaps that's why I haven't felt tolerance.

If you want, you try combining it with Valerian (OTC herbal supplement which is thought to act as a gaba agonist).

On a random note, I have a feeling gabapentin is gonna end up being a Schedule V substance sooner or later like its more potent offshoot, pregabalin.

 

[paranoid android]

Odd, I haven't had that problem (I take 300mg 3x daily for a few months now). Then again, perhaps it's because I also take Xanax and methadone. When I went to pick up my first Rx for gabapentin, the pharmacist warned me that Xanax + gabapentin are synergistic. Perhaps that's why I haven't felt tolerance.

If you want, you try combining it with Valerian (OTC herbal supplement which is thought to act as a gaba agonist).

On a random note, I have a feeling gabapentin is gonna end up being a Schedule V substance sooner or later like its more potent offshoot, pregabalin.

I take 4-6mg's of clonazepam a day along with morphine. I still feel the withdrawals from gabapentin even on my clonazepam and morphine. I once had to add 40mg's of Valium to my clonazepam dose to stop the wd's when insurance fucked me around.

Lyrica is not scheduled here in Canada and i can't see gabapentin ever being scheduled. They just aren't big drugs of abuse. Even the Z hypnotics like zopiclone aren't controlled much here (they are only schedule F ) and id bet they are abused more then pregablin.

 

[ro4eva]

I take 4-6mg's of clonazepam a day along with morphine. I still feel the withdrawals from gabapentin even on my clonazepam and morphine. I once had to add 40mg's of Valium to my clonazepam dose to stop the wd's when insurance fucked me around.

Oh me too, I definitely feel withdrawals from gabapentin (and moreso from pregabalin). I know it doesn't make sense that I just said that I haven't felt I built up any tolerance to it, and now I'm saying that I get WD symptoms (I don't have an explanation for that)

For me, the WD symptoms may be somewhat odd. I get nauseous, start sweating, and my muscles start to ache. 45min after I dose, I feel fine.

Lyrica is not scheduled here in Canada and i can't see gabapentin ever being scheduled. They just aren't big drugs of abuse. Even the Z hypnotics like zopiclone aren't controlled much here (they are only schedule F ) and id bet they are abused more then pregablin.

I love zopiclone. I know lots of peeps think it's crap, but it gives me a pleasant buzz like no benzo ever has.

It's good that Lyrica and Neurontin aren't controlled substances in Canada since it affects me directly as I reside in Ontario; however, I am sympathetic towards Americans who use either drug for something which no other analgesic has helped with such as neuropathic pain because I feel less doctors will be willing to Rx either gabapentin or pregabalin if the former also is made a controlled substance.