Gabapentin can be help to taper off Benzos?

[[Br...]]

A recent research article suggests that gappentin may help with benzo withdrawal.

[Gabapentin plus benzodiazepine safe for benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment. May 02, 2021](https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20210502/gabapentin-plus-benzodiazepine-safe-for-benzodiazepine-withdrawal-treatment)

 

Yes, withdrawing from Gapapentin will also require long tapering, but if it doesn't take as long as benzos (as for me, it's been 7 years since stating tapering, including my first failed taper), The tapering duration from Gapapentin is surely pretty acceptable.(e.g. 18 months? -> https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33783336/).

 

What do you think, everyone?

[[Br...]]

I believe that the essence of protracted benzo withdrawal symptoms lies in the long-term potentiation(LTP) of the glutamate receptors (NMDA, AMPA) rather than GABAA receptors not working well by downregulation. (Although the trigger could be that the action potential in the neuron spiked due to the downregulation of GABAA receptor).

 

Gabapentin binds to the α2δ subunits of voltage-gated calcium channels and inhibits presynaptic calcium influx of excitatory neurons. As you probably know, calcium is a stimulant that flow in neurons when the ion channels of glutamate receptors (NMDA, AMPA) are opened. (Yes, on the other hand, when the ion channels of GABAA receptors are opened, the sedative chlorides flow in.) As a result, gabapentin can be expected to suppress excitatory nerves?

 

For patients like me who are unable to reduce the dose even with utilizing micro-tapering, I think it is effective in the sense that micro-tapering can be promoted while alleviating withdrawal symptoms to some extent by Gabapentin...

 

We can expect Gabapentin creates a situation where micro-tapering can proceed. One problem I can guess is that one can be tolerant to gabapentin during long tapering term.

 

 

 

 

[[we...]]

I was on Gaba all of 2022, 900mg a day. Gaba made me feel really strange but with all the feeling flying I am not really sure of anything. I tapered to 0mg 12-22 and wasnt as bad as for me as some mention.

 

 

[[Re...]]

Doctors give out Gabapentin like Trident gum. It's crazy. I have read many stories on this forum of difficulty coming off of it after benzos or it not working well. Science must find an answer to this polypharmacy bridge commonly used (the addiction medicine paradigm) to get off benzos. It can introduce other symptoms and cause further harm.

[[Ma...]]

Made me feel-TWICE (yes: TWICE)-like I had been stuck with a syringe of cocaine 🤦‍♀️

[[Nu...]]

The gabapentin thing is getting off the charts. I've seen multiple surgeons refusing to give pain medication after surgery but instead prescribing gabapentin for the post surgical pain -- a true musculoskeletal type pain whereas gabapentin is for neuropathic pain.

 

And I bet those same surgeons, if they were the patients, would likely demand opioids instead of gabapentin for their own post-surgical pain.

 

It's been a while, but there was a piece of literature that came out just recently showing the trend to avoid opioids and favor gabapentin is very misguided and needs to be reconsidered by healthcare. Doubt anyone will care, though.

[[Ar...]]

Gabapentin makes me feel more stable.  I know it's a bitch to get off of, but I don't really care at this point.

[[Pa...]]

The gabapentin thing is getting off the charts. I've seen multiple surgeons refusing to give pain medication after surgery but instead prescribing gabapentin for the post surgical pain -- a true musculoskeletal type pain whereas gabapentin is for neuropathic pain.

 

And I bet those same surgeons, if they were the patients, would likely demand opioids instead of gabapentin for their own post-surgical pain.

 

It's been a while, but there was a piece of literature that came out just recently showing the trend to avoid opioids and favor gabapentin is very misguided and needs to be reconsidered by healthcare. Doubt anyone will care, though.

 

Veterinarians have jumped on the Gabapentin bandwagon for pain too, and from what I can see, its worthless.  I wonder if you need to taper your dog off of it? 

[[Ov...]]

I take it but not everyday,  along with phenibut and lyrica I found them to work when I had non stop anxiety,  didn’t go away til end of day when I decided to take a gabapentin,  only 300mg did the trick.

[[Su...]]

The gabapentin thing is getting off the charts. I've seen multiple surgeons refusing to give pain medication after surgery but instead prescribing gabapentin for the post surgical pain -- a true musculoskeletal type pain whereas gabapentin is for neuropathic pain.

 

And I bet those same surgeons, if they were the patients, would likely demand opioids instead of gabapentin for their own post-surgical pain.

 

It's been a while, but there was a piece of literature that came out just recently showing the trend to avoid opioids and favor gabapentin is very misguided and needs to be reconsidered by healthcare. Doubt anyone will care, though.

 

Veterinarians have jumped on the Gabapentin bandwagon for pain too, and from what I can see, its worthless.  I wonder if you need to taper your dog off of it? 

My vet insisted that our old dog get gabapentin as "it was harmless".  When I refused and said we needed to find another med or way to control arthritis pain she really scoffed at me.

No way I would put my precious pooch through anything like this -- or the potential for anything like this!

SS

 

And I did taper a rescue cat off Prozac!

[[Pa...]]

The gabapentin thing is getting off the charts. I've seen multiple surgeons refusing to give pain medication after surgery but instead prescribing gabapentin for the post surgical pain -- a true musculoskeletal type pain whereas gabapentin is for neuropathic pain.

 

And I bet those same surgeons, if they were the patients, would likely demand opioids instead of gabapentin for their own post-surgical pain.

 

It's been a while, but there was a piece of literature that came out just recently showing the trend to avoid opioids and favor gabapentin is very misguided and needs to be reconsidered by healthcare. Doubt anyone will care, though.

 

Veterinarians have jumped on the Gabapentin bandwagon for pain too, and from what I can see, its worthless.  I wonder if you need to taper your dog off of it? 

My vet insisted that our old dog get gabapentin as "it was harmless".  When I refused and said we needed to find another med or way to control arthritis pain she really scoffed at me.

No way I would put my precious pooch through anything like this -- or the potential for anything like this!

SS

 

And I did taper a rescue cat off Prozac!

 

Good for you!  We couldn’t spare ourselves from this nightmare but we can keep our precious pets from suffering.