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Misc Please Help! Does memantine cause withdrawals? Am I in WDs?

W

wanderingsoul12

Greenlighter
Joined
May 22, 2020
Messages
15
I have taken memantine (not recreationally) for 7 days at 10-20mgs a day (therapeutic range). Yesterday, I decided to stop. I am experiencing anxiety, tinnitus, agitation, senseitivity to sound, slight tremor, slurring, and pins/needles feeling.

Last time I checked, no medical literature showed anything on memantine discontinuation. What the heck is going on? This is so distressing

I also found that NMDA antagonists don't usually have WD symptoms beside slight anxiety and cravings.

I also consumed nicotine, caffeine, and a prescribed 50mg of amitriptyline daily

EDIT: It has significant Sigma agonism activity. Does sigma agonism have anxiogenic effects?

Trying to rule things out:
- D2 agonism (does that create such effects?)
- NMDA antagonism (while rebound of NMDA can cause anxiety, memantine is extracelleular and voltage gated, unlike classic dissos)
- Anticholinergic activity (this is at the nicotinic receptors; AFAIK, muscarinic receptors are the nasty ones)
-5Ht3 antagonism (this is related to motility only, right)?
- Sigma agonism (now this bitch, I don't know much about)
 
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I feel my body buzzing/vibrating in a weird manner. I am really exhausted/tired, and have zero focus. Did I mess myself up? Why is everyone having good experiences except me? I didn't even take large/recreational doses
 
Why did you take it, is it for Alzheimer's disease are you taking it for that?

If not then can I ask why, if its not recreational like you say in your post, I'm just interested in why someone would take something that could be dissociative in high doses but they didn't take high doses?
 
Flower Fairy said:
Why did you take it, is it for Alzheimer's disease are you taking it for that?

If not then can I ask why, if its not recreational like you say in your post, I'm just interested in why someone would take something that could be dissociative in high doses but they didn't take high doses?
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Great question. I am not taking it for AD, but in the past, I abused GABAb drugs, and to a much, much lesser extent, GABAa drugs. Years later, and I am still experiencing weird effects that resemble hyperstimulation. I also have horrific depression, and obliterating anxiety. I tried everything (that is legal and affordable), so I tried memantine as a last resort. Pretty much every single anecdotal report I read on it was positive (except for people who take very high recreational dosages). But now I am freaking out and angry at the same time. I reached out to at least 20 people who did it (short term, long term, one time), and NONE of them experienced what I am experincing. I just want to know what the hell is wrong with me.
 
I love gaba drugs, had a phase of GHB when I was younger and a raver and then more recently diazepam and other benzos, weirdly enough I don't like drinking and as you know that also affects gaba, but it's not for me

I don't like pregabalin and gabapentin either

I don't know what's the difference between GABAa or GABAb is there much difference?

I was interested in memantine when I heard its like Ketamine

I took ages trying to find something to help my anxiety disorder I have GAD, I'm on mirtazapine now, have you seen a doctor or a therapist to see if you have a mental health problem from past drug use or do you already know you are like you are from over using gaba drugs?
 
Flower Fairy said:
I love gaba drugs, had a phase of GHB when I was younger and a raver and then more recently diazepam and other benzos, weirdly enough I don't like drinking and as you know that also affects gaba, but it's not for me

I don't like pregabalin and gabapentin either

I don't know what's the difference between GABAa or GABAb is there much difference?

I was interested in memantine when I heard its like Ketamine

I took ages trying to find something to help my anxiety disorder I have GAD, I'm on mirtazapine now, have you seen a doctor or a therapist to see if you have a mental health problem from past drug use or do you already know you are like you are from over using gaba drugs?
Click to expand...

I certainly understand the interest. Afterall, I was also obsessed with GABAb drugs more than GABAa. My GABAa receptors seem to have had a decent recovery. I only use benzos/bars in extremely stressful situations (family deaths and so on).

GABAa is an ionotropic receptor which directly polarizes a cell by opening a channel, and allowing the flow of Cl- ions resulting in inhibition (so its a bit more dangerous to mess around with)

GABAb is a metabotropic receptor, which is G-protein coupled. The mechanism is a bit more intricate and has several other effects. Messing with them is dangerous as well, but slightly less dangerous than GABAa (my understanding)

In my experience, GABAa withdrawals (diazepam for me) was what I imagine hell in the afterlife will be like. God doesn't exist at that stage, and cannot be there for you when you do cold turkey from high amounts. It also takes a hell of a lot longer to recover, and its not linear (you may be fine for a month, but a week after, you are sort of back into full withdrawal mode).

GABAb on the other hand (it was baclofen for me) was much more physical, and I had more seizures, and I lost all my energy to walk. I literally could not stand up without assistance (but keep in mind it was so dopaminergic, I cannot even begin to describe it). It was the only time I was scared for my life. Interestingly, it lasts about a week. I experienced it twice because I am a dumb human being who doesn't learn (also, its otc where I live and extremely cheap).

I hate gabapentinoids. Never enjoyed them, and they actually stimulated me/made me jittery.

Mental healthcare where I live has a horrible social stigma. People look at you as a weirdo (including your parents, and relatives). Medical confidentiality is a thing in the law, but its a small country, and you would be surprised how easily word gets around.
 
wanderingsoul12 said:
I hate gabapentinoids. Never enjoyed them, and they actually stimulated me/made me jittery
Click to expand...

Yeah and me, I don't see how people take them to enjoy them

That's really interesting about GABAa and GABAb, I didn't want to take balcofen as I read about insomnia and that was enough to put me off, if a medication says it may cause insomnia then it definitely does that to me, I get bad side effects off everything, apart from benzos but I got addicted to them (diazepam too) and paws was so bad I ended up on mirtazapine yet again

Its a shame there's so much stigma in your country with mental health, it's making people self medicate and end up worse off
 
Flower Fairy said:
Yeah and me, I don't see how people take them to enjoy them

That's really interesting about GABAa and GABAb, I didn't want to take balcofen as I read about insomnia and that was enough to put me off, if a medication says it may cause insomnia then it definitely does that to me, I get bad side effects off everything, apart from benzos but I got addicted to them (diazepam too) and paws was so bad I ended up on mirtazapine yet again

Its a shame there's so much stigma in your country with mental health, it's making people self medicate and end up worse off
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Indeed, such a crappy thing to go through. It is so stigmitized that I would rather be known as a criminal than someone that goes to therapy or a mental health professionals. Which is why I started memantine.
 
So anybody have any idea? I would really appreciate some help with what im going through. I reached out to three doctors, and several uni professors-- all of whom said this is not withdrawal, and withdrawal is not a thing for memantine.:(:(
 
Which W/D-Symtoms do you have? AND: Why are you taking meds against alzheimers???

Trolling?

JJ
 
JoEhJoEh said:
Which W/D-Symtoms do you have? AND: Why are you taking meds against alzheimers???

Trolling?

JJ
Click to expand...

Memantine is used as a nootropic, and for whatever reason some people enjoy it recreationally. DXM is an anti-tussive, yet people use it to get high. So do some research on the drug before making assumptions that someone is "trolling"
 
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