Help...I need to taper off 1200mg Gabapentin

[[Ka...]]

New here so sorry if I'm posting in wrong place.

I am presently on 1200mg Gabapentin...400mg 3xday and I need to taper off

My pharmacist suggested 400mg morning....400mg afternoon....300mg night for 1 week.

 

Then 400mg morning....400mg...afternoon....200mg night for 1 week.

 

Can anyone please advise if this is okay or should it be slower.  My mind isn't working too well even though I've only been on Gabapentin for  6 weeks.  Has not helped me at all.  Feel so dopey all the time.  Can't hold onto a thought for very long and can't figure things out.

 

Please help.

Karen

[[be...]]

Try other medications board but your pharmacist is being cautious. You could after only six weeks I imagine take one complete dose of per week. I often miss or don't take a full 300 dose and I've taken them for quite awhile. Some have trouble but many don't. If I followed the pharmacist though (and they're very good to listen to) I'd do what you're doing but start with morning or afternoon doses because if you're sleepy etc it's better to leave the nighttime one for last. It would be for me. Avoid daytime drowsiness in the day this way and enjoy it at bed. B

[[Ca...]]

I did a taper from 3600 mg - taken over 4 years - to 100; did it over 18 months. This is another one you have to be really really careful with, cause the withdrawal was hell. In many ways worse than what I am experiencing with the Valium taper because it involves so many weird neurological things: tremors, attacks of amnesia, incredible pains, as well as all the valium-related stuff like insomnia and nausea and anxiety. Go very slowly - once I got to 100 mg I made the mistake of jumping, and that's what put me into hideous WD. There are support pages for people doing the Gabapentin taper if you want some links. They were helpful.

 

[[Ca...]]

Hope I said it plainly enough but maybe not - if you are like many people, it should be much slower

[[be...]]

3600 mg over 4 years. 1200 over 6 weeks. Apples and oranges. Just listen to your pharmacist. You'll be ok I'm sure. Above all don't fear it. It took me time to get used to it and I too felt dopey for awhile. Better to stop them now and 100 mg a week is more than reasonable after six weeks of taking. B

[[be...]]

Some can get off of it relatively easy, and for others it can be very difficult. I unfortunately am one of the later.  I am assuming that you are reducing for more weeks than two.  Right now the taper plan looks reasonable, but 100 mg becomes a much bigger percent of your dose as you get  lower and lower with your taper. You may also want to consider cutting every two weeks vs every week if too many symptoms emerge.

[[Ca...]]

I second this. And there are many people who have had dramatic withdrawal symptoms after relatively brief periods of taking it - even just a few weeks.

[[lo...]]

so yeah, some people have 0 problems getting of it, some have a lot. i would follow the pharmacist recommendation and you can always slow down.

but don't expect the worst, there is a good chance that you will have no problems at all