Misc Gabapentin W/D - More so prolonged issues from use

[XANAX XR]

As gabapentin (and antidepressants) is about the only thing my primary physician and every psychiatrist I've seen so far (3), will prescribe me, which doesn't work -- so I figured I'd get this last one to raise the dose. I was on 3600mg/day and my metabolism and memory still seem to be incredibly inactive even though I've been off gabapentin for about a month, and sober for about 4 months.

I do have a lyrica script at walgreens, just don't have insurance and I don't even know if I wanna go down that road again -- My anxiety ruins my life, alongside my depersonalization but at the same time I don't wanna get fat and be retarded... I was working out everyday on the gabapentin and was still gaining fat. Seems my amazing metabolism is not so amazing anymore after messing with such a high dose.

All that's ever worked for any of my mental disorders is clonazepam, and I know the risks but can't seem to get any doctor's attention.. I see why but fuck man, all these other pharmaceuticals seem to do more damage to me than any benzo or benzo w/d has.

Anyway, anyone have any guesses as to when my memory will return or at least get somewhat better than what gabapentin did to it? I feel like my metabolism is toast.

I was on gabapentin 3600mg/day for about a month, maybe a bit more and then I eventually took half that dose for about 2-3 weeks after I realized my memory was gone.

 

[XANAX XR]

funny how gabapentin improved my mood for a mere 3 days - never helped with my anxiety or anything else... can't believe I kept taking it for as long as I did.

now that i've been off it, I lost motivation I never had......... i wish the doctors I went to and paid for would listen to me.

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

People seem to have some weird issues after gabapentin.

I would give it time and try practicing mindfulness meditation (will help with memory and underlying anxiety/depersonalization issues). Ampakines like piracetam are an option to try for memory but might make anxiety worse.

 

[XANAX XR]

People seem to have some weird issues after gabapentin.

I would give it time and try practicing mindfulness meditation (will help with memory and underlying anxiety/depersonalization issues). Ampakines like piracetam are an option to try for memory but might make anxiety worse.

Thanks.

Do you think that all these issues will resolve themselves because I wasn't taking gabapentin for all that long?

 

[blue comet]

I took gabapentin for seven weeks at doses of 1200-2100mg per day. I stopped because of nasty psychological and physical side effects.

That was 13 months ago and I still suffer horrific protracted withdrawal symptoms. If you can tolerate to do so, I'd go back on this medicine and taper off slow.

 

[XANAX XR]

I took gabapentin for seven weeks at doses of 1200-2100mg per day. I stopped because of nasty psychological and physical side effects.

That was 13 months ago and I still suffer horrific protracted withdrawal symptoms. If you can tolerate to do so, I'd go back on this medicine and taper off slow.

Yeah, you're not withdrawaling, you should really look into your mental disorders because that's what you are experiencing.

 

[jammin83]

Yeah, you're not withdrawaling, you should really look into your mental disorders because that's what you are experiencing.

clearly you have no clue what you are talking about...also not helpful in the slightest.

 

[XANAX XR]

clearly you have no clue what you are talking about...also not helpful in the slightest.

Unless he was at an extremely high dose, I can't for the life of me, see how he is still having "severe withdrawal symptoms" after 13 months.

I take back my judgement but I will still recommend that he looks into his symptoms a bit more closely.

EDIT - Everyone is different, so anything is possible... it's just highly unlikely. I took a look at his thread and I experience basically the same things as he does but I can't tailor it to any withdrawal, sometimes I wish I could.. so I'd know it would end.

IME - my mental disorders are progressive.

 

[blue comet]

Yeah, you're not withdrawaling, you should really look into your mental disorders because that's what you are experiencing.

Don't tell me what I'm suffering from and not suffering from. Don't like hearing that gabapentin can cause long term damage and slow healing after such a long time off short term use? Me too, which is why I suggested you go back on and taper slowly.

 

[XANAX XR]

Don't tell me what I'm suffering from and not suffering from. Don't like hearing that gabapentin can cause long term damage and slow healing after such a long time off short term use? Me too, which is why I suggested you go back on and taper slowly.

Didn't mean to come off as I did, and I'm not going to bother editing what I said.

No, quite frankly, I don't. I feel the same as I did before I went on it, which is quite similar to the way you feel now - so in a way, I'm glad things didn't get worse for me... The only thing that did get worse is my memory and how fast I can gain fat now days. Lucky, nothing with my anxiety and DP have gotten worse..

I can't get back on gabapentin even if I wanted to because I quit going to that wack job of a psych and don't have insurance - I do have a lyrica script at the pharmacy but I don't wanna even touch that shit. Last thing I need is more weight gain along with tooth decay. I'd rather be addicted to benzos than fuck with these 2 drugs.

 

[blue comet]

Gabapentin really messed with my memory and cognition. I also put on an uncomfortable 10 pounds when I took it. I say uncomfortable because it was bloated water weight which had a very unique feeling to it.

The weight all went away about four weeks after I stopped gabapentin.

 

[XANAX XR]

Gabapentin really messed with my memory and cognition. I also put on an uncomfortable 10 pounds when I took it. I say uncomfortable because it was bloated water weight which had a very unique feeling to it.

The weight all went away about four weeks after I stopped gabapentin.

This is how it feels to me... But it keeps adding on even though I stopped taking it.. Hopefully it goes away during the summer.

Yea, my cognition seems to be worsened ever so slightly but it's hard to say... like when I type, I usually have to edit it because I see "Lucky" as "LuckILY' if I meant it that way, or "mean" as "meant".

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

A psychologist told someone suffering from residual effects of MDMA that "All drugs leave the system in 3 weeks so whatever effects you're experiencing now are entirely psychological". This position is naive and should be avoided. Instead, consider how every learning experience, including drug experiences, might effect the brain long term via effects on neuroplasticity. Even after one single trauma, or bad drug experience, the effects can be felt for the rest of your life.

If a drug induces a permanent state of mental illness, do we label it a drug induced mental illness even if the mental illness is present when the drug has been gone for years? I think we should. If the drug caused changes in the brain that resulted in mental illness or worsening of already present mental illness, we should maintain that the drug has involvement so we can best figure out how to reverse the drug's effect.

In this case one of Gabapentin's mechanisms of action is to slow synapse formation - using the brain, learning, and exercising, can help counter this (assuming this mechanism might be playing a significant role anyways). Not that things like meditation/learning/exercise/sleep won't help regardless of the exact cause, just in the same sense that anti-depressants that boost serotonin will help with depression even if the depression is not being caused by a serotonin shortage.

Another mechanism of action of Gabapentin is to reduce the release of a neurotransmitter important for memory called glutamate. Glutamate potentiators like piracetam might be of use there. Although piracetam isn't very strong.

 

[XANAX XR]

A psychologist told someone suffering from residual effects of MDMA that "All drugs leave the system in 3 weeks so whatever effects you're experiencing now are entirely psychological". This position is naive and should be avoided. Instead, consider how every learning experience, including drug experiences, might effect the brain long term via effects on neuroplasticity. Even after one single trauma, or bad drug experience, the effects can be felt for the rest of your life.

If a drug induces a permanent state of mental illness, do we label it a drug induced mental illness even if the mental illness is present when the drug has been gone for years? I think we should. If the drug caused changes in the brain that resulted in mental illness or worsening of already present mental illness, we should maintain that the drug has involvement so we can best figure out how to reverse the drug's effect.

In this case one of Gabapentin's mechanisms of action is to slow synapse formation - using the brain, learning, and exercising, can help counter this (assuming this mechanism might be playing a significant role anyways). Not that things like meditation/learning/exercise/sleep won't help regardless of the exact cause, just in the same sense that anti-depressants that boost serotonin will help with depression even if the depression is not being caused by a serotonin shortage.

Another mechanism of action of Gabapentin is to reduce the release of a neurotransmitter important for memory called glutamate. Glutamate potentiators like piracetam might be of use there. Although piracetam isn't very strong.

I completely agree, I didn't mean to come across as naive nor rude.

I was trying to say, unknowing of his current situation, that the medication ISN'T always the problem (it can be), and sometimes medications can trigger disorders as well but that's a whole other topic.

Regardless of what happens to the user of gabapentin or pregabalin - this stuff is plain and simply dangerous.

6 weeks of taking it, my teeth started to decay and I gained a lot of weight and of course lost motivation I never had. Not worth it. Just hoping it passes.

 

[Cosmic Trigger]

I've been on gabapentin for about two years now for polyneuropathy. I do difficult board puzzles to keep my brain working. They seem to really help a lot. I don't gain weight either. I could use about 15 lbs. I'm thinking about trying to get off as my condition has improved and I don't know if the gaba is working anymore. I plan on a hella slow taper. Maybe over 5 months or something. Also using fasoracetam to help with the wd. My doc finally put me on Oxycodone and it's really helped with my neuropathy pain and also my life long depression. I'm pretty old so I figure I can afford that addiction for the rest of my days. I'd like to just be addicted to one thing though.

 

[XANAX XR]

I've been on gabapentin for about two years now for polyneuropathy. I do difficult board puzzles to keep my brain working. They seem to really help a lot. I don't gain weight either. I could use about 15 lbs. I'm thinking about trying to get off as my condition has improved and I don't know if the gaba is working anymore. I plan on a hella slow taper. Maybe over 5 months or something. Also using fasoracetam to help with the wd. My doc finally put me on Oxycodone and it's really helped with my neuropathy pain and also my life long depression. I'm pretty old so I figure I can afford that addiction for the rest of my days. I'd like to just be addicted to one thing though.

Yeah, gabapentin and pregabalin seem to work for some people just fine.

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

Sorry Xanax I wasn't implying you were naive, I was just generalizing about medical professionals

Hey Cosmic Trigger, careful with fasoracetam - it is a GABA antagonist. Don't believe any of the hype about it being both a GABA agonist and up regulating receptors. It up regulates receptors because it blocks them - which could induce seizures and make withdrawal worse.

 

[Cosmic Trigger]

Sorry Xanax I wasn't implying you were naive, I was just generalizing about medical professionals

Hey Cosmic Trigger, careful with fasoracetam - it is a GABA antagonist. Don't believe any of the hype about it being both a GABA agonist and up regulating receptors. It up regulates receptors because it blocks them - which could induce seizures and make withdrawal worse.

I've been using it for awhile so please link me to this information. I've decreased my phenibut use from 3400 to 0 mg using it so I'm wondering if you are correct. This is the third day off without symptoms. I never heard this anywhere before from anyone. You're scaring me which is something I really don't need right now so I hope you have some real proof of this. Actually I hope you're wrong.

I planned on stopping using it tomorrow now that I'm off the phenibut.

From wikipedia. Fasoracetam


In in vitro studies on mouse neurons, fasoracetam modulated mGluR II/III activity.[4] In studies in rats, it blocked memory disruptions caused by baclofen, a GABAB agonist[5] and upregulated production of GABAB receptors after repeat dosing.[6]

And from Longe City
Effect of a novel cognition enhancer NS-105 on learned helplessness in rats: possible involvement of GABA(B) receptor up-regulation after repeated treatment.
"Biochemical data showed that repeated administration of NS-105 increased the number of GABA(B) receptors in rat cerebral cortex without affecting the binding properties of beta-adrenoceptors and 5-HT2 receptors. In contrast to other antidepressants, NS-105 did not inhibit monoamine uptake in vitro, nor did it change monoamine concentrations in brain tissues or extracellular fluids. These findings suggest that NS-105, which lacks an effect on monoaminergic systems, has potent antidepressant activity, which may involve up-regulation of GABA(B) receptors after repeated administration."


**In theory... Fasoracetam may reverse phenibut/baclofen/GHB/GBL tolerance, and its withdrawal could be the opposite of the aforementioned chemicals. This means fasoracetam will not be acutely anxiolytic but will likely induce anxiolysis with long-term administration. Awesome! I have been looking for a compound like this for years!
It also seems to have a ridiculously short half life. Perhaps it has active metabolites, though.

 

[Cotcha Yankinov]

Sorry to freak you out cosmic, but I do think fasoracetam is a GABA-B antagonist, although my guess would be it mainly mediates its effects via glutamate/acetylcholine, and I might add that glutamate is incredibly complex and that you might get any number of effects from that interaction, that otherwise you might attribute to the GABA B upregulation. The GABA B antagonism could be playing only a small role in its effects.

So just to be clear, the biggest piece of evidence that it is a GABA b antagonist is that it up regulates GABA b receptors. I cannot stress enough that it would be an absolute miracle if fasoracetam was a GABA b agonist that also up regulates receptors.

The reason why it helped with memory disruptions due to baclofen was probably because it was competing with the receptors.

You'll notice no one (that I've seen) is actually claiming that fasoracetam is a GABA B agonist - people would probably shoot down that claim pretty fast. Instead they are only emphasizing that it up regulates receptors, but they don't mention that this is probably due to antagonism of said receptors.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10494996/?i=6&from=ns 105

"NS-105 also reversed memory disruption induced by baclofen, a potent GABA(B) receptor agonist, but all of reference drugs did not. These results suggest that antiamnestic action of NS-105 is due to the facilitation of cholinergic neuronal activity and the suppression of GABA(B) receptor-mediated responses"