Low dose Gabapentin taper

[[Re...]]

Hello all.

 

I've had to hold on my gabapentin taper again due to a significant uptick in symptoms.  I am hoping to have some insight from anyone tapering gabapentin and especially at the lower doses. 

 

You can see my story in my signature.  In short, I originally tapered rapidly after being on 600mg for a short period (about 9 days); I went to 500 then 400 then 300 and 200 within a 5 week window. It was too much and too fast. I had to updose to 300 and then stabilize for nearly a month.  I resumed a much slower cut and hold down to 216mg without horrible symptoms and then hit a major withdrawal period near the end of July thru early August.  I held at 216 until August 3rd, and then began cutting again.  Since August 3rd, I've been cutting 2mg per day.  Now, at 136 mg per day, I've been hit with another major withdrawal experience.  I currently dose 2X per day so each dose is 68mg.  I do a dry cut measurement of my dose.

 

I'm wondering how to deal with this circumstance?  I know the tapers can get harder at lower doses,  However, I thought that my dose was getting low enough I could start planning on how to jump.  I was hoping I could get down to 25mg 2X per day and maybe stop.  However, this latest experience has me wondering if I'll have to taper this right down to 0?  If anyone can let me know what they experienced with gabapentin, especially at lower doses such as mine, I'd really appreciate it.  I've had some really helpful advice from some BB people but none of them have managed a low dose gabapentin taper before.  At this point, what are arguments in support of the options to updose, hold or continue tapering?  Has anyone experienced this and found a solution in terms of modifying the taper?  I'm pondering an even slower taper from here on out but I don't know how much slower I can actually go with a dry cut method because at some point it becomes difficult to be precise with very small measurements even though I have a good miligram scale.

 

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and offer a response.   

[Guest [ba...]]

I'm sorry that you're having difficulty tapering gabapentin.  I wonder if your difficulty getting off that last bit is because you were forced to taper diazepam so quickly.    Gabapentin was probably masking some of those symptoms, and now that you're removing it, those symptoms may be popping up. 

 

I used gabapentin during withdrawal, and there was a brief uptick in my symptoms when I withdrew it.  That stuff always made me feel just a bit 'buzzed', but it definitely helped my sleep.

 

Seems like you're doing this right.  Taper down and hold as necessary.  Are your symptoms mostly physical or mental/emotional (or both)??

[[Re...]]

Hey badsocref

 

My symptoms are primarily physical although this latest round of symptoms has delightfully revisited upon me an increase in anxiety.  It's not overwhelming, thankfully.  It's definitely bothersome but I can handle it at this level of intensity. 

 

My symptoms throughout this ordeal have been mostly physical as opposed to mental / emotional (although I have had the cog-fog and still do from time-to-time)  The most constant are burning feet, arms, chest and face; tingling tongue / lips / mouth; insomnia; muscle jerks and muscle stiffness; lack of energy / fatigue; and sweating.  The 'benzo flu' isn't so bad this time, nor are the muscle issues.  My fatigue doesn't seem to be as bad as it has been before, either. 

 

Anyway, I'm on my second full day of holding today and I'm hoping to see a difference over the following week.  Otherwise, I guess I'll revisit my taper and plan accordingly.  I was just hoping to be getting nearer to the place where I could slowly and simply slide off the dosage.  Alas, I guess not.  Wow.  11 days of Ativan started this and here I am 7.5months later still trying to figure out how to get out of the vortex!!

 

Anyway, one foot in front of the other.....  Always forward.  :thumbsup:

 

-RST

[Guest [ba...]]

Sucky as they are, I think it's easier to deal with the physical symptoms.  I'm glad it's not overwhelming, and hope that you'll improve from this last cut soon.