Is Gaba a safe option for anxiety post-withdrawal?

[[Bu...]]

Hi! It's been awhile. I've been 100 percent healed from benzos for five years. I did an extremely slow taper which served me well. I can drink alcohol in moderation also will no ill effects. Currently facing some medical anxiety and wondering if it's okay to take Gaba now? Tried CBD oil but just not sure. I'm very sensitive to supps and meds generally. So interested in most effective options that are safe.

 

I'm sorry that I don't have the bandwidth at the moment to answer questions about my benzo experience and withdrawal but for anyone who's interested, feel free to read through my old posts.

 

Wishing you all peace and excellent health,

 

Bubbles

 

 

[[mi...]]

I would stay away of any psicotropics. If you are very sensitive as I am, learned it the bad way, you risk to go back to a place you don't want to be. There is a lot of ways to treat anxiety, talk therapy with pacience will help. There are not any safe suplements or medications. All bring some risks. Aven alcohol.

Mice

[[Ca...]]

Micedana is absolutely right! I have nothing to add! Gabapentin is very similiar to Lyrica.  I had the worst Lyrica withdrawal from only 7 weeks on it. It didn't help at all, rather ampliefied my anxiety tenfold and I had a withdrawal that lasted half a year with the worst akasthisia and crying spells and depression (I was NEVER depressive before.!!).. I can only warn you! I tried a lot of medications  for anxiety. ..every medication just made it worse... worse than my withdrawals felt.... and Lyrica withdrawal was worse for me than Klonopin and Valium together! Gabapentin could be like that! What really helped me with anxiety was Acceptance and not fighting it and sometimes just face it! I was on a lot of forums for anxiety... I never met anyone who said any medication really helped them with anxiety... not even the benzos helped me. I got hooked on benzos (again) because I was put on them for Lyrica withdrawal

[[dj...]]

You’re just talking about a gaba supplement, right?  I’d imagine it’s fine if you’ve been healed for 5 years.

 

If it makes you nervous to touch something gaba related, there are other options.  Propranolol, a blood pressure medication, could possibly help.  Hydroxyzine is another. 

 

 

 

 

[[Ca...]]

Gabapentin is not a supplement. It's a medication not any better than benzos in my opinion. I would really stay away from that if I was in your shoes! Propanolol is the only medication that might help with anxiety that is worth a try, if no other option... I take it myself and gladly it is no psych med. People say it could be tapered faster than psych meds. Well I haven't tapered it yet, so I don't know... it doesn't have all these severe side effects that I personally all had with psych meds...

[[dj...]]

Gabapentin is not a supplement. It's a medication not any better than benzos in my opinion. I would really stay away from that if I was in your shoes! Propanolol is the only medication that might help with anxiety that is worth a try, if no other option... I take it myself and gladly it is no psych med. People say it could be tapered faster than psych meds. Well I haven't tapered it yet, so I don't know... it doesn't have all these severe side effects that I personally all had with psych meds...

 

OP never said Gabapentin, just GABA.  No, I wouldn’t take Gabapentin if that’s the question.  That’s a hard no.

 

After this whole process, I’m against taking anything daily for anxiety.  The brain gets accustomed to it.  For situational stuff, I would do propranolol.  It’s no benzo but it will slow your heart rate and keep you from sweating bullets, and is somewhat calming.  If you need to take something daily, Buspar would be my first option. 

 

 

 

[[Ca...]]

Oh I'm so sorry , I somehow mistakenly read Gabapentin.... So if it's a supplement maybe it's not as dangerous... but I don't know... to me personally everything that has "Gaba" in its name sounds evil!, just evil

[[dj...]]

For what it’s worth, I tried a GABA supplement twice and felt absolutely awful.  I tried Gabapentin and didn’t have any issues.  But, it didn’t do enough to justify taking it so I stopped.