Gabapentin

[[He...]]

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the right place to ask. But recently I tried Gabapentin, and I really felt for a moment I could cope with my withdrawal. Now, I did this just twice, one was 3 weeks ago, the other was last week, I tried 600mg first time, 900mg second (separated with hours of difference). I felt really good, and I'm considering going to a doctor to talk about this. I just would like to know you guys opinions, if you ever used it for the withdrawal process... Is it dangerous long therm?

Thanks.

[[ph...]]

Hey there!

This is not my advice so much my personal experience.

So I actually take gabapentin! I actually started taking it BEFORE the w/d experience for really bad social anxiety (works very well), but I can say it has 100% helped me survive my withdrawal.

I know gabapentin is very controversial here and a lot would say it’s a dead-end road and just another thing to taper, but PERSONALLY, it is probably one of the only things that allowed me to survive this at all. I’m really not strong at all. 

Gabapentin does not directly act on GABA, and I can say with confidence I’ve made significant healing even with the gabapentin.

I know a lot of people have big time difficulties trying to get off of gabapentin, but if you don’t exceed 900mg a day, chances are it shouldn’t be a problem. (Usually 300mg three times a day). Personally gabapentin is very gentle for me.

I’ve been on doses as high as 3,600mg and I got down to 1,200mg in about 3 months with really no problem! And this was during benzo withdrawal, too (But again, we’re all different). I plan on tapering off completely when I feel I’m healed enough to do so.

If you feel that using gabapentin can help you get through this, and it doesn’t rev you up or anything, I would say it’s worth a shot. I would rather survive this than give my life up at 23, y’know? But this is not my hard advice or anything.

Just make sure you’re very careful and listen to your body and try not to exceed 900-1200mg to avoid strong dependence. As long as you use it to help yourself, it’s really not a huge problem. It will also be SIGNIFICANTLY easier to quit than benzos, despite everything.

These are extremely difficult times and if you need a little extra help and you feel it will help you survive, that’s not a bad thing. Especially if you only use it short term.

I’ve been on it for about a year now and when I drop a dose (or miss a dose), it’s not difficult FOR ME.

When it comes to long term risks, I know you can become dependent on it, but it’s much safer than benzos and if you need gabapentin to break free from a chemical prison, then so be it. Life is short.

Good luck with everything!

 

 

[[He...]]

5 minutes ago, [[p...] said:

Hey there!

This is not my advice so much my personal experience.

So I actually take gabapentin! I actually started taking it BEFORE the w/d experience for really bad social anxiety (works very well), but I can say it has 100% helped me survive my withdrawal.

I know gabapentin is very controversial here and a lot would say it’s a dead-end road and just another thing to taper, but PERSONALLY, it is probably one of the only things that allowed me to survive this at all. I’m really not strong at all. 

Gabapentin does not directly act on GABA, and I can say with confidence I’ve made significant healing even with the gabapentin.

I know a lot of people have big time difficulties trying to get off of gabapentin, but if you don’t exceed 900mg a day, chances are it shouldn’t be a problem. (Usually 300mg three times a day). Personally gabapentin is very gentle for me.

I’ve been on doses as high as 3,600mg and I got down to 1,200mg in about 3 months with really no problem! And this was during benzo withdrawal, too (But again, we’re all different). I plan on tapering off completely when I feel I’m healed enough to do so.

If you feel that using gabapentin can help you get through this, and it doesn’t rev you up or anything, I would say it’s worth a shot. I would rather survive this than give my life up at 23, y’know? But this is not my hard advice or anything.

Just make sure you’re very careful and listen to your body and try not to exceed 900-1200mg to avoid strong dependence. As long as you use it to help yourself, it’s really not a huge problem. It will also be SIGNIFICANTLY easier to quit than benzos, despite everything.

These are extremely difficult times and if you need a little extra help and you feel it will help you survive, that’s not a bad thing. Especially if you only use it short term.

I’ve been on it for about a year now and when I drop a dose (or miss a dose), it’s not difficult FOR ME.

When it comes to long term risks, I know you can become dependent on it, but it’s much safer than benzos and if you need gabapentin to break free from a chemical prison, then so be it. Life is short.

Good luck with everything!

Thank you very much for your answer. I'm going to go to a doctor first of course. I know both are CNS depressants, my biggest worries are they could cause some bad things, did you have any problem side effect by mixing both? thx again

[[ph...]]

5 minutes ago, [[H...] said:

Thank you very much for your answer. I'm going to go to a doctor first of course. I know both are CNS depressants, my biggest worries are they could cause some bad things, did you have any problem side effect by mixing both? thx again

Of course man, I’m here to help.

I’m assuming you’re still on a benzo? Are you tapering right now?

What’s interesting to me is when I WAS mixing, gabapentin to me was its own seperate entity. I felt the benzo separately, and I felt gabapentin separately. And when I started to taper the benzo, the gabapentin simply helped me. It didn’t “mask” the withdrawal or anything. I just was able to keep my life up instead of fall apart altogether. And it still helps me currently.

Again, this is my personal experience only. Though, you said gabapentin allowed you feel good, so that’s a good sign!

As far as side effects go, if you ARE mixing, obviously more drowsiness, slow thinking, clumsiness etc etc. If I were you, I would just use the gabapentin for the taper only. As long as you’re on gabapentin, use that to get off of the benzo.

Otherwise though, nothing crazy happened to me. Didn’t make withdrawal WORSE or anything. Again, it doesn’t act directly on GABA, so it shouldn’t directly interfere with your taper.

Good luck my friend!

[[He...]]

3 minutes ago, [[p...] said:

Of course man, I’m here to help.

I’m assuming you’re still on a benzo? Are you tapering right now?

What’s interesting to me is when I WAS mixing, gabapentin to me was its own seperate entity. I felt the benzo separately, and I felt gabapentin separately. And when I started to taper the benzo, the gabapentin simply helped me. It didn’t “mask” the withdrawal or anything. I just was able to keep my life up instead of fall apart altogether. And it still helps me currently.

Again, this is my personal experience only. Though, you said gabapentin allowed you feel good, so that’s a good sign!

As far as side effects go, if you ARE mixing, obviously more drowsiness, slow thinking, clumsiness etc etc. If I were you, I would just use the gabapentin for the taper only. As long as you’re on gabapentin, use that to get off of the benzo.

Otherwise though, nothing crazy happened to me. Didn’t make withdrawal WORSE or anything. Again, it doesn’t act directly on GABA, so it shouldn’t directly interfere with your taper.

Good luck my friend!

Yes, I don't remember quite much the dosage I was using last time I posted in here. I came back here because I really felt Gabapentin can help me. I'm on 4mg Klonopin right now. I abused it for years and I started therapy which made me much better and I could see how this abuse of the substance was harming me, so I decided to stay on 4mg, which is little for me, but I can live with the symptoms, they are not hard as a cold turkey, nor harmful - I work a 9h hour shift from monday to friday and go to the gym/exercise basically everyday. Sad thing is that I feel down all the time with extreme apathy and Gabapentin didn't make any miracle about this, but it makes part of my apathy go away for example, which is a big thing for me. 

When I took it I felt the same you described, they work in a separate way, yes!

Thank you. 

[[jo...]]

Hi there, 

i was CT off of Xnx at a detox place. I had previously fast tapered an AD, and was having difficulty with anxiety 7 months later. My doc gave me the Xanax to use. I had no idea of the dangers and didn’t even know what a Benzo was.

I took the Xanax for 3 months and started getting burning on my arms and head. I went to numerous doctors who said it was stress!!  I finally researched the Xanax and landed on bb and realized I was having interdose withdrawals.  I tried to taper for 4 months and the burning got worse along with a plethora of other horrible symptoms. I could hardly reduce because my body was so paradoxical from the Xanax. Called a detox place and they said they could help and that I just needed to get off it so I could heal! My doc wouldn’t cross me over, so I went to detox and spent $6000 for them to cook my CNS! Biggest mistake ever!!

Once I left detox my body was on fire, like someone doused me in gasoline and lit a match!!  It was insane pain and there was no relief! I ended up on gabapentin in order to take the edge off of the burning nerve pain. I was literally on fire! Inconceivable pain! 

As mentioned above,some people are against adding other meds. I didn’t want to get on it but I had to be able to live and function. I was/am grateful for it!!  It doesn’t affect the same receptors as benzos but is a calcium channel blocker which allows for more of our “existing” gaba to be used and helps to calm the glutamate storm that the benzos leave behind.

Some people think that because the word “gaba” is in the name that it hits the gaba receptors. This is not true. The gabapentinoids do not hit the same receptors as benzos. You will also see horror stories of getting off the gabapentin, but everyone is different. You will need to taper slowly.  There is a gabapentin channel on Reddit that’s very helpful with questions on the med and tapering or starting up.

Again, everyone is different but I’m grateful there was something to help some. It doesn’t prevent all the burning and I am still very symptomatic with the burning nerve pain (burning brain, head/scalp, legs, and shoulders) but better. I’m 21 months off the Xanax and new symptoms came on in year two. I have never had a window, but some symptoms have dropped. I’ve had labs, mri,nerve conduction tests, multiple doctors appointments…all test normal! It’s insane what the Xanax CT and AD fast taper did to my CNS. I’m still on the gabapentin for the burning and will taper very slowly once I heal. 

There are other users that have been helped by the gabapentinoids (you can search on the archive site) and there are others who had a different experience and difficulty getting off. I wouid say if it you can do your recovery without it and just push through maybe that would be best, but if the recovery is difficult, you can choose what is best for you. Gabapentin is prescribed for various issues, not just nerve pain.

Hope this helps and I wish you success and peace. 

[[al...]]

I have been active or passively monitoring these forums since 2015 and have found that most of the people who finally overcame their withdrawal misery did so without the aid of additional pharmaceuticals. Using drugs to combat the side of effects of other drugs is the American way but that does not ensure safety. The choice is yours but don't believe that you can't heal on your own. 

[[wi...]]

It's about staying safe and alive.  If w/d is posing a serious threat to mental health, it is wise to use all possible bridges to get to the other side.

Healing does happen without the use of additional drugs, and can also happen while support meds are  used.  This is about surviving the day, so we can get to the finish line.  There is no wrong choice.  

Sending you thoughts of healing and support!

[[...]]

It felt good when I'm on it.but the next 3 days my aniexty was worse than it was before. It only helped at the moment. Made things worse for me in my experience.