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Misc Need some advice for coming off of gabapentin

downfallin

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
188
Location
Somewhere in California
Okay so I`ve been on gabbapentin, (me and my friends call em gabbys) for about a year on and off. Was taking a bunch at once to get high at first, then realized they actually helped me feel normal if I took em as prescribed. I am taking it because I got prescribed it for heroin withdrawl and told the doc it was helping so he kept me on it. Doc said it`s completely safe and non addicting. WELL it definitely IS physically and mentally addicting, and I wish I would have known this before taking it. BUT now I`m at the point where I start feeling very similar to an opiate or maybe benzo withdrawl feeling coming on right before my next dose and if I skip a day, I get really irritable, not comfortable in my own skin feeling; sensitive skin where my clothes bug the shit out of me, depression really bad, cold sweats, insomnia, anger and just an overall shitty feeling. I`m at 300 mgs a day,(not too bad I know) used to take alot more around 2000-3600 mgs for a while until I ran out then do a little gabby kick for a few days until I picked up my next script then do it all over again. I want to know, what should I expect coming off of a steady dose of 300 mgs, how long will it last, will I still feel not right for a month or so after withdrawls are done? I just wanna be free of everything and this drug is no good. It`s just not researched properly, shit they said heroin was non addictive at the start too, I feel that gabbasergenic drugs like gabbys and lyrica will soon be found to be addictive. Anyways, I know I can handle it, I`ve kicked heroin many times before but this feels different and I don`t know really what to expect. Should I go cold turkey, wean, any otc supplements that might possibly help? (I have access to trazadone but that`s if as far as prescription meds, and I`m on Vivitrol) Anyone with experience with this I`d appreciate some advice very much.
 
I just finished a long taper to come off Lyrica, and had a rough time. Toward the end I found something called GABA at GNC. It is an over the counter analog of Lyrica, and two at night helped more than anything else I tried. In fact, finding it was the only reason I was able to finally walk away. I think it's kind of like opiates and loperamide. Cost around 15 bucks.
 
With that low of a dose theoretically you should not experience too much of a withdrawl. But because you have been ~a year on them and you have symptoms, I would taper in 100mg incriments since I know that this dose exists.
The problem with Gabapentin is that it affects people very differently when it comes to potential WD-symptoms.

I was on 300mg a day for about 2 months and kicked it without strong withdrawal. But I took some Benzos during the time.
Maybe look into L-Theanine or Kava-Kava as WD-tools but I don't know much about them so if anyone could say more regarding this substances it would be great.

Good luck :)
 
I've tapered from 600 mg Lyrica/day to zero in something like 3 months. I'd imagine WD being quite similiar, Lyrica probably worse. But it wasn't that hard honestly. Nothing like benzo WD. Some anxiety, but nothing severe. Of course if you have benzos they will help, probably take away all feelings of WD, but only when used in really bad moments. Not continuously. They are too addictive to recommend even for temporary nasty gabapentin WD because you risk switching to a much more severe addiction. The aforementioned L-Theanine and Kava both work but aren't strong, some may have help from taking GABA (which both L-Theanine and Kava affect too).

If you've kicked heroin I don't think you'll have that big problems, really. While I don't have experience with opiates I've been addicted to both Lyrica and benzos and quitting Lyrica was peanuts compared to benzos (required treatment in hospital for me).
 
Okay just for anyone wondering, I kicked and it wasn't actually that bad like when I was coming off of grams of it. I used otc magnesium supplaments that helped a whole lot and trazadone 25 mgs a night. It was actually pretty easy this time thanks to everyone who responded. I thought I was gonna go though a heroin like kick so this was a relief.
 
Good job! Yeah, unfortunately many moons ago I was locked for 18 months in the Federal system. I came in on massive amounts of Oxycontin and was weaned off over a couple months but their drug of choice to replace it was good ole Gabapentin. I was on something like 900mg daily and I honestly used to save them for the afternoon. I would get a bunch of energy and bounce off the walls until lights out. It was kind of fun considering where I was, definitely beat the daily boredom. Glad to hear you got off them. I wasn't convinced they did a thing for my chronic pain but they pushed them like candy in that place! it was one of the few drugs they would give you a bottle of and not make you stand in the 3x a day pill line. That line sucked!! Rock on Downfallin!
 
Good job! Yeah, unfortunately many moons ago I was locked for 18 months in the Federal system. I came in on massive amounts of Oxycontin and was weaned off over a couple months but their drug of choice to replace it was good ole Gabapentin. I was on something like 900mg daily and I honestly used to save them for the afternoon. I would get a bunch of energy and bounce off the walls until lights out. It was kind of fun considering where I was, definitely beat the daily boredom. Glad to hear you got off them. I wasn't convinced they did a thing for my chronic pain but they pushed them like candy in that place! it was one of the few drugs they would give you a bottle of and not make you stand in the 3x a day pill line. That line sucked!! Rock on Downfallin!
Thanks beach bum! Ya I got pushed em in rehab, that's actually kinda cool you got them in prison like that, when I got locked(county not prison) up I got like 10mg of valium, a sleeping pill and a multivitamin cuz I showed them my track marks I had at the time, but after 5 days, cut off! Better than nothing though. Glad ur out dude! 18 is a long time to be stuck in a cell or wing.
 
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