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Anyone recommend an rx to help deal with gabaoentin and baclofen withdrawal?

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Outsider31

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Mar 26, 2014
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Hi guys, I'm currently withdrawing from a combination of gabapentin and baclofen and was wondering if there is any medications I can take to make this more comfortable. I can't eat, can barely sleep but the worst but is this crippling anxiety that has taken over me. I'm going to my general practitioner on Thursday to talk with her about this and to see what the best course of action is. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this problem or can recommend a medication I can take short term for maybe a couple of weeks as needed. Thanks!
 
You may want to inquire about Inderal (propranolol). It's a non-addictive beta blocker that will stop the adrenaline response of anxiety and it will also bring anxiety down to manageable levels. It was an absolute life saver for me when I was cut off of Xanax (after using daily for ten years).

If you're really having a difficult withdrawal consider doing a taper. I've followed your threads this year - you've accomplished a lot this year and arenin the final stretch - no need to rush. Keep up the great work!
 
Tapering and propranolol are the best options you have. You could always try and switch to just one longer acting gabaergic drug like clonazepam or diazepam at a very low dose and then taper off that, but it probably wouldn't be all that much more comfortable, it would be a huge time commitment and it would be super hard to find a doctor willing to work with you on that kind of thing.

In any case, good luck!
 
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You can't cold turkey off baclofen - it has a seizure risk. I tapered down 20mg per week.
 
Yesterday I began a taper of the Baclofen and gabapentin. I was previously taking high doses at least 3 days a week. I would take at least 4000mg gabapentin and 70mg baclofen. I've started a taper for the original amount I was prescribed them, 300mg gabapentin 3x a day and baclofen 10mg twice a day. Figured I would do this for at least a week or 10 days, then switch to 600mg and maybe 15mg in week 2. Then try 300mg gabapentin and 10mg baclofen. I'm going to ask my Dr for 100mg capsules so I can get down to 200, 100 and then hopefully off.

I wanted to ask her to prescribe me something for when I finish this taper just in case the crippling anxiety returns. I will ask her about the propranolol, just so I can take something if the anxiety is bad again.

I know I messed up this whole taper thing, as I was taking such large amounts of these drugs, just figured I would start at 900mg gabapentin and20mg baclofen. Today is day 2 of this and I'm already having some anxiety but not too bad at the moment. Previously when I would try this cold turkey by day 3 the anxiety became unbearable, so I guess I need to see how it goes tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys.

I cold turkeyed off 160mg Opana a day and find this withdrawal to be worse, I never would have imagined this!
 
Have you ever been dependent and had to go through gabaergic withdrawal (from something like alcohol or benzos) before?

How long were you taking the gabapentin and baclofen for again?
 
About a year and a half ago I was taking gabapentin and baclofen to help with herniated discs in my back. I remember when I stopped them I just felt a bit sad for a few days, nowhere near the magnitude of withdrawals I feel now.

This time I have been taking both Gabapentin and baclofen for 4 months.
 
Gotcha. Well, the good news is that as you haven't been dependent on gabaergic substances previous to gabapentin and baclofen the withdrawal from these two won't be as bad as it would have otherwise. The bad news is you were on them long enough to have some significant withdrawal syndrome to deal with.

Given how long you have been on gabapentin and baclofen, you actually would benefit from switching to a low dose of a long acting gabaergic like diazepam (actually particularly diazepam given its properties as a muscle relaxant). Finding a good doctor willing to work with you on that, however, is a different matter entirely.
 
Thanks TPD, how does my taper plan sound to you? 900mg gabapentin and 20mg a day for a week. 600mg and 15mg the next week. 300mg and 10mg week 3. Week 4 200mg and 5mg. Week 5 100mg and 0 baclofen. Then off. At that point perhaps some other medication to deal with anxiety on an as needed basis.

I go to my Dr tomorrow afternoon, I hope she won't give me a hard time about this, she's the one who prescribed these meds to me.
 
Benzos may help ease some of the symptoms but they may also add fuel to the fire and become and issue in and of themselves. Baclofen acts of the GABA-b receptor, benzos on GABA-a, and Gabapentin has its own mechanisms which hit neither of those. I would be very hesitant to switch to long acting benzos to get through this as they have a greater abuse potential and they also can kindle which is significant imo should you ever need them in the future, each withdrawal will be subsequently worse if you have to take them for any length of time. Take that info for what it is, I am not a pharmacology expert. I just don't see the point of adding something new and harder hitting to the mix.

Definitely do the taper, that should helpnresuce rebound symptoms. Generally I do a 10% reduction per week when I have to taper, and if I feel fine I may try to speed it up later in the process. If that taper schedule you are suggesting still causes you more rebound anxiety that you care to have just slow it down some. Also look into the Inderal (propranolol) as that helps anxiety significantly, and it can be taken as needed or everyday. I took it everyday for two years back in 2010 and then switched to as needed in 2013 with no issues. I still keep some on hand. For general anxiety I personally prefer the extended release and find that keeps me calm all day, but they do have a quick acting version that should be used for specific incidents, however I didn't find the quick release to be as effective. I recommend you try both and see which you prefer.
 
That seems reasonable enough. Just remember that if you end up feeling like you can take the withdrawal symptoms during the taper to slow it down a little or wait for an extra week or two before decreasing our dose. Any movement in the right direction should be treated as progress, and if you ever need to increase your dose a bit try not to be too hard on yourself. Slow and steady wins this race.
 
Thanks guys, I will try the taper method and tomorrow I will ask my Dr about Inderal. When I finish my taper I will use the Inderal as needed. Hopefully my doctor will prescribe it. Just hope that if I take it every day for a couple weeks give or take that I won't have withdrawals from that as well.
 
There may be rebound hypertension from propranolol, but it is far, far less significant than the acute withdrawal from gabaergic substances.
 
Hey guys, just came back from my Dr. She wants me to taper the gabapentin and baclofen, but wants me to decrease my dosages every 4 days. That seems pretty quick to me! Although I my try it and just see how it goes. I may actually start my taper with 600mg and 20mg baclofen every morning, followed by 300 mg gabapentin mid day and 300mg gabapentin and 10mg baclofen in the evening. I was taking such large doses and I don't know where to start my taper. Any suggestions where I should start, I was taking around 4-5000mg gabapentin and maybe 60-70mg baclofen about 3 times a week for 4 months.

She also prescribed me clonidine 0.2 for when I finish the taper to take as needed. I mentioned to her about Inderal but she was he'll bent on this drug. What do you guys think?
 
I was taking 80mg baclofen daily. I cut it back by 20mg a week and did not have any withdrawals. I'm on 900mg of gabapentin, all taken at a single dose at night. I tried taking 300mg/3x daily, but it made me too dizzy to function. I don't know how well this translates to your situation, but I would cut back by 300mg a week.
 
I'm originally supposed to take gabapentin 300mg 3 times a day and baclofen 10mg twice a day. She said it's important to start a taper and continue taking it three times a day. She also wrote me an rx for 100mg gabapentin. She wants me to take 200mg 3 times a day for 4 days then start to lower my dose.

She doesn't know I took way more than I was supposed to. I figured I'd start at 1200mg gabapentin and 40mg baclofen for 4 days then go to 600 and 30, then 300 and 20, 200 and 10, 100 and 5 and then off both the gabapentin and baclofen and use the clonidine 0.2 as needed. She wants to to lower my doses every 4 days so I will try this and see what happens.

I've read online that it's easier to lower doses when they are large and as u get lower and lower the withdrawals really begin to show. Not sure if there is any truth to that or not
 
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