Misc Gabapentin Recreation addiction

[Leo89]

Hello all
This is my first post here, I hope this is the right category to start my thread. I have been taking Gabapentin recreationally for about a year now. I was getting them from a friend but with my chronic back pain, I went to the Dr and was easily prescribed the drug. I usually take 3 300mg capsules and they take 2 hours to fully kick in. It gives me a similar high to smoking weed, I get euphoric, and sometimes nod off in my chair. I have been doing this 1-2 times a week, but some weeks I feel like it causes severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. My problem is I want to keep taking it, I feel addicted. I feel so good when I'm on it, and my anxiety is diminished. But it seems like once a month or so the 3-4 days after taking it, I feel extremely depressed. I have so many more of these pills it will be so hard to not take them. I would like to hear others experiences and thoughts on my situation. This drug seemed to truly help my anxiety but now I feel like it's taken control of me. Please give me your advice.

 

[Jabberwocky]

pretty commonly used drugs around these parts; if you did a search you would see plenty of threads related to gabapentin/neurotin and its older brother, lyrica.

if you have a daily script and can take 900/MG/daily, why do you not take it daily? what you are going through is pretty common for 'off' days when taking the drugs/not taking the drug.

you feel addicted? yet you only used it once or twice a week!? hell, a lot of people would kill for that type of addiction. anyway, you have a full-time script and you say it helps, so go ahead and give it a go.. but be aware that if you do decide to take the drug daily it WILL lose its potency in the body and will NOT have the same effect. then again, I do not know your background, your weight, height, or anything else, so I could be wrong - but based on my own experience and the experience of many others form this board, it will eventually die down and not have that same euphoric effect.

 

[Leo89]

pretty commonly used drugs around these parts; if you did a search you would see plenty of threads related to gabapentin/neurotin and its older brother, lyrica.

if you have a daily script and can take 900/MG/daily, why do you not take it daily? what you are going through is pretty common for 'off' days when taking the drugs/not taking the drug.

you feel addicted? yet you only used it once or twice a week!? hell, a lot of people would kill for that type of addiction. anyway, you have a full-time script and you say it helps, so go ahead and give it a go.. but be aware that if you do decide to take the drug daily it WILL lose its potency in the body and will NOT have the same effect. then again, I do not know your background, your weight, height, or anything else, so I could be wrong - but based on my own experience and the experience of many others form this board, it will eventually die down and not have that same euphoric effect.

Well you basically stated the reason I don't take it daily. Tolerance. I never had any intention for it other than getting me "high". About a year ago when I started taking it it felt so amazing. Way better than now. I would do it 3 or 4 times a week then, but after say, 6 months, the effects weren't as nice. Back then it was way more euphoric and also felt like an upper. I felt invincible. But now it's just a weekly thing and it's more of a downer.

Anyways I'm just concerned about the negative thoughts and feelings I've been getting in the days following a dose. As for my background I am 5'9" about 150lbs 26 years old. I have experimented with all kinds of drugs, and right now take Flexeril and Gabapentin, and smoke weed regularly.

 

[Jabberwocky]

if you are feeling down and out, stop taking the GABA. its your call, man. you are just experiencing the after effects. OR, you can continuously take the drug daily and have a more steady path, but you wont consistently feel that 'high' but you will NEVER feel that low.

if you dont need it, stay away from it. drugs are baddddddddd, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkkk!?

 

[chrisincville]

First things first..don't keep chasing that initial euphoria. Pregablin is likely the closest you'll get to that again. I consider it an accomplishment to make my gabapentin script last 2 weeks.

The longer break from it that you give yourself, the more impact it will have.

Depression is also a common side effect of the drug, so that is possibly more normal a reaction than you think.

Does the benefit outweigh the risk to you?

 

[tacodude]

I started cutting my wrists because of how gabapentin affected me on and quitting it.... Just my xp

 

[Rio Fantastic]

lmao gabapentin addiction

But seriously though, you don't even take it often, just quit. I highly doubt it's the cause of your depression. Please don't take this the wrong way, but your text is kinda disjointed and doesn't read very fluently, and this combined with the slightly bizarre statements instantly rang a "psychosis" alarm in my mind....I may be totally jumping the gun here, you may just remind me of a couple posters I've seen before who were troubled and had mental health problems, but have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness? If you feel it's making you depressed, simply stop taking it. The withdrawals are for most people non-existent and for the vast majority of the rest only negligible. I'd say you should quit and also speak to a psychiatrist to treat your depression.

 

[chrisincville]

lmao gabapentin addiction

But seriously though, you don't even take it often, just quit. I highly doubt it's the cause of your depression. If you feel it's making you depressed, simply stop taking it. The withdrawals are for most people non-existent and for the vast majority of the rest only negligible. I'd say you should quit and also speak to a psychiatrist to treat your depression.

I mostly agree..doubtful that gabapentin is the root cause of his depression, but more likely a tipping point (the thing that made him realize how he was feeling bad), so to speak. If that makes sense.

It's certainly true that among the vast array of drugs, gabapentin is a walk in the park to withdraw from..really, sleep is what's effected most. At the same time, everything is relative to one's own experience. For people that haven't experienced different types of withdrawal, all they know is what they HAVE experienced..no base for comparison.