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Misc Need more help with Gabapentin withdrawal

I was able to get an appointment with the NP that referred me to the doctor that prescribed me the gabapentin since that doctor refuses to return my calls. I am able to see her tomorrow. She is pretty understanding and actually listens to what is going on. Is there anything I can mention to her about medications to help with the withdrawals for a short time. I don't want to trade one dependence for another but if I can get something for a week or two to help that would be great. Any suggestions?
 
If I was cut off from my gabapentin I would immediately order some phenibut only to take for a short term period until I could get back on the gaba and slowly taper off. You can always walk into urgent care and ask for some gabapentin as it's unscheduled and can be easily obtained.

Sometimes you have to take a taper into your own hands. Actually every time. That means making sure to get a dosage reduction each time you pick up the scrip from the doc. This is a med you take and it is your responsibility to get off if thats what you want. Your doc may not even bring it up or she will try to cut you off cold or keep you on the same dose. You have to advocate for yourself and if the doc is not on board you have to take things into your own hands.

The taper that you described sounds reasonable but maybe dropping 100 mg every 4-7 days would work better. Stopping at 50-100 mg is doable but painful. Stabilizing for a week at an extremely low dose like 50 mg could make this much smoother when you stop. Those 100 mg caps can be opened as far as I know and the powder can be separated in two. Cal- Mag, memantine or even low doses of DXM could be helpful only to combat PAWS and mild WD symptoms during a taper from the gaba. Definitely get a good calcium with magnesium supplement.
 
I definitely know how some docs are about cutting people off from unscheduled medications and believing that the WD should be non existant. There are a number of articles and studies I think on web MD and pub med about serious WD symptoms requiring hospitalization from DCing gabapentin as well as lyrica.
 
I wrote this in a different thread, but I think a duplicate is justified.

Gabapentin reduces magnesium in the body, therefor a magnesium supplement should be taken to restore natural levels. This will help reduce the intensity and duration of wd. Secondly Kava tea should be consumed at least once a day, kava 'heals' the gaba system, and reduces tolerance. This will also help with the intensity and duration of wd.


- Hopeless Soul

Hey Hopeless - any sources on the Gabapentin reducing magnesium?
 
^ I'll try looking for the source I read, it was years ago so it isn't in my history. I also read it in a thread around here too, I'll look for that as well!


- hs
 
One thing you could try is L-Theanin, it's an amino acid and ime it does help with anxiety etc. (I take something between 50-500mg of pure L-theanin)
 
Well I was finally able to see my primary doctor yesterday (the one that referred me to the dr that prescribed the gabapentin.) I explained how she told me to just stop and how I went to urgent care and was tapered so quickly. I also explained all the horrible side effects I was experiencing. She told me that I was being tapered way too quickly and that it needed to be reduced slowly at low doses over several months. She increased my does to stabilize me and will be reducing my does slowly over a longer period of time. Thank God for doctors that actually care and are willing to help. Once I am finally off, I will never touch this stuff again!
 
glad to find this thread and it's interesting to hear people's experiences with this Medication.
 
Hello. I was prescribed Gabapentin back in 2011 when I first sought treatment for my chronic back pain. I have a really good pain specialist and made it clear that I was NOT interested in going down the opioid road without first trying other non-opioid alternatives. She prescribed me Gabapentin. At first I thought I was cured. I really did. Needless to say that did not last long at all. Of course the next step was to increase the dosage until I was at 400mg, 8 times a day!! I gained a ton of weight which only makes the pressure in your spine worse. Soon after I reluctantly began a 2 tier opioid program, 1 extended relief and another for breakthrough pain in addition to the Gabapentin and epidural injections every couple of months. Don't get me wrong. I asked for these meds. My doctor did not force them on me. Earlier last year (April 2017) I decided that I wanted to get off all of these medications because we all know how lousy (being nice) they make you feel. So, like an inexperienced idiot I began a really fast taper from Ativan and Gabapentin at the same time quitting the Ativan completely in less than a month (bad idea). I had been taking the Gabapentin off and on in small amounts but not regularly because of the weight gain. Within the first 2 months I had lost almost 50 pounds (47 to be exact) without even trying which is fantastic. Problem is that now even after 8 months I am still in a perpetual state of withdrawal. I know it can take many many months to recover from the Benzodiazepines but really had no clue as to the severity and length of time it would take to be over the Gabapentin. My last Gabapentin dose was back in October, going off cold turkey. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about how long it could take to start feeling better? The headaches, anxiety, insomnia, physical pain, ringing in my ears, muscle spasms, etcband now a new symptom of abdominal pain has arisen and has been bothering me since I stopped the Gabapentin. I got checked out back in October with a complete lab workup, MRI, CT scan with everything coming back as normal so they sent me home. I chalked it up after that to the withdrawal symptoms. I have an appointment next week with my PCP to see if he can check me out again and hopefully get him to order some x-rays or a possible upper GI to see if it's something else more serious like stones, ulcers or even the "C" word. I am attached to 2 heating pads all day and night. Is this the Gabapentin?? This is silly I know but what keeps me going is waiting for the next Star Wars movie to come out and other milestones just to get through it. I'm scared to death that I will never get better and that this is the new normal for me. I'm tempted to take a dose of Gabapentin just to see if that is whats causing the problems. Don't know what else to do. I have really good insurance and can go anywhere and see anyone but still cannot find relief. I truly am out of options. Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the all over the place ramble.
 
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