Misc 10 weeks off short term use of Gabapentin

[blue comet]

Quick backstory: Took valium (20mg) and Ambien (20mg) for about 3.5 years and detoxed in August 2014. Went through the usual hell of withdrawal but began making major improvements in December, and in January I had resumed going to work, socializing, and driving. As I returned to work, I had a difficult time keeping up with the lack of sleep I was getting, and I was still a little anxious, so my doctor prescribed me gabapentin in the beginning of February 2015. I took it for seven weeks, starting at 900mg per day and stopping at a dose of around 1200mg-2100mg per day. I stopped due to horrible physical and psychological side effects it was causing.

As soon as I stopped I dealt with the following; RAPID heart palpitations that never ended, nerve pain, a sharp tingling and pins & needles on the right side of my body only, the shakes, nausea, major fears, crippling anxieties, cognitive impairment. I could not drive, work, or do anything.

I am now 10 weeks off of this stuff and still have some strong symptoms remaining. The heart palpitations don't seem to have really improved and are around 24 hours per day, nerve pain is still around but has been reduced, nausea and the shakes come as go sometimes. I have major irrational fears that come and go (dying, getting maimed, losing family members) and I feel like my brain is almost mentally ill in its function. I go through waves of depression, anger, and depersonalization. I have begun to drive again and have returned to work. My social anxiety and cognitive impairment have improved a great deal. The pins and needles have gone away. I can not drink any alcohol because it aggravates my body and causing me to shake and intensifies nerve pain.

WHAT IS GOING ON? Every doctor I go to looks at me like I'm crazy when I correlate gabapentin to these symptoms. I had none of these psychological symptoms and none of these physical symptoms before I got on gabapentin.

I got tylenol with codeine today to help deal with the nerve pain and heartbeat and it helps somewhat, but I think it makes my shakes worse.

What the hell is going on?

 

[Joey24x18]

Your dealing with PAWS. Im not sure if There's any other fix for it than just time. I'd say stay away from all GABA drugs from this point forward. It only gets worst, trust me.

 

[blue comet]

That's my plan. I took three doses of ativan at the end of March to deal with the pain of all of this, and I think that set me back a little bit in terms of cognitive impairment. I feel I have gotten a lot of it back at this point.

The most frustrating thing about this is the lack of help I've received from doctors. In March I went to the ER six times without any help. My psychiatrist looked at me like I was making all my symptoms up, or that they were already present before gabapentin and would require SSRIs, seroquel, etc. In April I saw a bunch of specialists (cardiologist, internist, neurologist, pain management) and people tell me that they don't see anything wrong with me.

The two worst things about this right now are 1) the rapid heartbeat that NEVER ends and 2) the psychological crap I deal with. I feel like this has made me mentally ill. I have irrational fears, anger, and depression. I'm fearful this will last forever. I'm also devastated that this has derailed me from the progress I was making during my benzo withdrawal.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[blue comet]

How long should I expect this to last? The nonstop heart palpitations and mental health issues are pure torture and I figured they would have let up by now. Sometimes I have better days with the mental health issues, but the heart palpitations are persistent.

 

[jammin83]

You are still going through withdrawal. Gabapentin causes massive dependency for some people. Your nervous system is trying to regain a sense of balance. Some people can't simply just stop these types of drugs. You may want to go back on it and taper down. Take as low of a dose as possible, maybe 300 mg? Taper down from there at 10% every few weeks. Some of these drugs are beyond fucked up. There isn't some type of normal withdrawal period and it ceases...it can take some time and a lot of mental fortitude.

I still take 900 mg at night or I can't sleep and I will start going through withdrawal just after 24 hours. I'm especially pissed because I have been going through zyprexa withdrawal for 9 months. Still fucked up. I have to wd from neurontin next. yay. I was told both of these substances don't have withdrawal or cause dependency. Zyprexa wd has been worse for me than opiate or benzo withdrawal, and I have wd'd very hard off of both. Almost a year on this one, could take a long time on the next one. Fuck these damn pills. Never again for me. I've been pushed to the edge in a major way with this shit.

I feel for ya. Gabapentin can be rough, I've been there and will be there as soon as feel like I am ready to take on another wd. I highly recommend magnesium citrate or another high quality form. Do your research on the right types. It helps immensely. I have also found b12 useful in my wd. Epsom salt baths, rubbing the magnesium oil on your skin can help too. Hang in there, let me know if you need anything.

 

[Joey24x18]

I can't give you an exact time frame of how long it'll last, since everyone's body chemistry is unique. But I'd say no more than 6 months to a year. Im actually in a similar situation. Except instead of gabapentin, I've been on phenibut daily for 8 months. I went with a taper plan and I'm down from 3.5g to 400mg once a day. It's been a grueling two month process, and if I'd of just cold turkeyed I'd probably be feeling normal by now.

I feel your pain man. Ever since I got to the under 1 gram point in my taper I've been dealing with a good bit of anxiety, depression, chest pain, shortness of breath, irrational thought patterns, lethargy, and an all around feeling of detachment from reality. Not to mention the brain fog and these splitting fucking headaches that not even opiates can put a dent in.

I can't wait to be off completely. But im pretty sure it's going to take me months to feel back to "normal". I hate gaba drugs. Especially the subtle ones like gabapentin and phenibut. The amount of pleasure and anxiety relief they provide is not worth the terrible after math of withdrawals. Might as well shoot up heroin, the withdrawal from that isn't even as bad as GABA drugs lol makes no sense.

 

[blue comet]

Appreciate all the replies. Jammin and Joey, I'm sorry to hear that you guys are going through similar situations.

I declined to go through any type of gabapentin taper because 1) it was causing severe depression 2) it was causing weight gain and bloating and 3) I was still feeling like shit even when I took it. I thought I would readjust in a short period of time since I was only on it for 7 weeks.

I have noticed improvements but things seem to wax and wane. I had a lot of anxiety today for some random reason and difficulty driving. Yesterday I drove for 90 minutes in random pointless driving, just because I could.

The never ending symptoms right now are the rapid heartbeat/heart palps (literally 24/7) and the psychological symptoms. The psychological symptoms are brutal; irrational fears, depression, depersonalization.

I can't drink any alcohol due to it strongly intensifying my nerve pain and it makes me very upset.

 

[Joey24x18]

Yeah the psychological aspect of gaba withdrawal is like my personal hell. Hate it.

But I wouldn't even attempt drinking alcohol for a long time. Until you're fully recovered it'll only set you back.

 

[mygreenbic]

it sounds to me almost like you might still be withdrawaling from benzodiazepines which is something that should not be taken lightly. when was the last time you've had a benzo and how much? you said you've detoxed off benzos, however if you did it in a rehab there is a good chance they just treated your symptoms for as long as your insurance would pay and then let you to fend for yourself in an incomplete benzo withdrawal. you must taper very slowly under the care of a doctor who cares enough to take the time to do it properly. then you will need to be monitored for seizures. even after the initial detox there is a great chance of experiencing these unpleasant symptoms for a long time. you'll learn to deal with your anxiety eventually without medicine but that's for another thread and a personal choice of yours. I'm not minimizing Gabapentin withdrawal, I'm just trying to remind you of the medical importance of this! good luck

 

[blue comet]

I understand the thought that this is still benzo withdrawal, but based upon my experience this is most definitely gabapentin withdrawal.

As I got off benzos, I was bedridden for a month with severe fatigue, cognitive impairment, etc. They gradually got better and by month 4 I was driving well, back to work, out socializing, etc.

The gabapentin provided totally different symptoms that gradually began as soon as I started taking it. Physical pain, depression, anger, irrational fears, etc. Everything I'm going through now is stuff I NEVER went through with getting off benzos or the five months I was off of it before gabapentin.

This gabapentin stuff is the worst thing ever. The psychological symptoms blow any benzo stuff out of the water. I can barely walk down the street without a random fear of something shooting me in the back of the head. I can't fall asleep without laying in bed afraid of some arbitrary thought like being kidnapped, blinded, etc.

Things are definintely improving but at the same time things are still extremely crippling. The worst thing is the psychological stuff and the rapid heartbeat that NEVER ends.

I wonder how much longer of this bullshit I have left.

 

[mygreenbic]

did you have any types of psychological issues prior to the Neurontin withdrawal that could have become more pronounced because of the withdrawal? or are these all new things you've never even faced before on any level?

 

[blue comet]

I dealt with some psych issues during benzo tolerance (ocd, lack of emotion, etc) but nothing like I am experiencing now. I've never experienced the crippling fear or roller coaster of depression and mood.

I was very angry during bento tolerance similar to how I am angry now. My anger is mainly harvested toward my outpatient clinic that is put me on this, refused to believe it could've caused these problems and sent me on a wild goose chase between doctors, ER visits, etc. I went to so many places crying of the pain and was just sent elsewhere.

Does gabapentin act on the same manner as bentos? I still feel like I have healed from a lot of benzo symptoms since this ordeal, such as having more energy and having a better sleeping schedule (excluding the heartbeat keeping me up)

 

[mygreenbic]

no both drugs work through different mechanisms although both have a relation to the neurotransmitter GABA. Benzos bind to receptors on GABA A called benzodiazepine receptors. Gabapentin is an analog of GABA but works via a different mechanism.
this is just advice but did you ever consider getting back on a small dose of Neurontin and slowly weaning yourself from it? that might help the problems caused by both drugs.

 

[blue comet]

I have thought about it but I am hesistant for several reasons. 1) gabapentin caused severe depression and anger 2) i seemed to get interdose withdrawals very quickly and 3) wouldn't going back on it just delay healing?

I was given Tylenol with codeine for the nerve pain and rapid heartbeat I've been having. I got it yesterday and took 5 throughout the day. Today I feel like I'm very tired, uncoordinated, too anxious to drive, a little cog fog, and lazy. However, I have not had nerve pain since I began taking it and my rapid heartbeat is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced.

Could the tylenol with codeine be causing me the tiredness, anxiousness, and laziness? I got it to get rid of the nerve pain and heartrate and it has succeeded, but now it appears to have given me new problems.

 

[mygreenbic]

I have thought about it but I am hesistant for several reasons. 1) gabapentin caused severe depression and anger 2) i seemed to get interdose withdrawals very quickly and 3) wouldn't going back on it just delay healing?

I was given Tylenol with codeine for the nerve pain and rapid heartbeat I've been having. I got it yesterday and took 5 throughout the day. Today I feel like I'm very tired, uncoordinated, too anxious to drive, a little cog fog, and lazy. However, I have not had nerve pain since I began taking it and my rapid heartbeat is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced.

Could the tylenol with codeine be causing me the tiredness, anxiousness, and laziness? I got it to get rid of the nerve pain and heartrate and it has succeeded, but now it appears to have given me new problems.

you are just adding another dependency to the mix. While codeine might be a mild opiate, it still causes severe withdrawal. you are best getting back on a small dose of gaba and very slowly tapering off while getting your affairs in order so you could be more prepared to handle any withdrawal complications that may arise

 

[THCified]

Isn't GP known to cause just very "light" WD Symptoms? I take 2,400mgs/day and am really puzzled because i fear dependency, even though i cannot be completely free of Meds because of my Back Issues (which is why i, besides others, gettin' the Gabapentin prescribed)!

 

[Joey24x18]

Isn't GP known to cause just very "light" WD Symptoms? I take 2,400mgs/day and am really puzzled because i fear dependency, even though i cannot be completely free of Meds because of my Back Issues (which is why i, besides others, gettin' the Gabapentin prescribed)!

Gabapentin withdrawal can be quite severe. It depends on how much you take for how long, and of course your own personal body chemistry. Tapering off is always the best method of avoiding harsh withdrawal.

 

[blue comet]

Gabapentin withdrawals have been worse than benzo withdrawal for me.

Benzo withdrawals were brutal for 4 weeks after my cold turkey but after that it was just severe fatigue, cog fog and insomnia.

This has been both physically and psychologically torture. I am awake right now because I can't sleep due to my nonstop heart palps and shakiness.

 

[Joey24x18]

I feel you man. I'm up right now because of phenibut withdrawals lol it's some nasty shit. I've never actually withdrawn from gabapentin but I'm sure its similar to what I'm going through.

I swear I'll never abuse another GABA drug after I'm done with this taper. Its totally not worth it

 

[blue comet]

Yeah dude same, this is horrible. The psychological symptoms are the worst, and when you add the uncertainty of the situation into the mix it is a nightmare.

One of the worst things about this is the lack of knowledge by doctors. I was put on this by my outpatient psychiatrist at a rehab clinic under the pretense that it was safe, non habit forming, and I could stop whenever. After I had problems after one month on and couldnt just stop it, I went to the ER 9 times, a bunch of other doctors, and even was impatient for a few days. Nobody helped nor had any idea what I was talking about. I get vein-popping mad just thinking about it.