Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[ga...]]

gabapentin is not because as you go down the Bio availability becomes greater.

 

What? How the heck can you taper that?!

 

Does this me we want to go down 10% of the bio availability each time and not based on the dose?

 

No, just do 10% of your dose and adjust as necessary. As with any taper, you go by how you feel. Taper rates are suggested starting points. Just keep in mind that if you are pushing your limits with your taper, you may need to slow down or make smaller cuts when you get really low.

Thank you for your reply gardener. I was a bit shaken.

 

Yeah, we're all shaken by this. It's a steep learning curve made steeper by the effects of the drugs. But we get through it together.

[[Se...]]

What do you do if you are in tolerance and yet every time you take Gabapentin it makes you feel awful, but also helps with a few symptoms. I’m barely making it to each dose and have severe symptoms. I’m kindled a few times and don’t know what my next step should be. I have tried going up slightly, but it doesn’t affect me well at all. Not sure I could handle a rapid taper, but I am not stabilizing. I have been in the hospital now for six weeks. Every second of every day I am in total agony and things are beyond unbearable. Please help!

[[Be...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

[[ga...]]

What do you do if you are in tolerance and yet every time you take Gabapentin it makes you feel awful, but also helps with a few symptoms. I’m barely making it to each dose and have severe symptoms. I’m kindled a few times and don’t know what my next step should be. I have tried going up slightly, but it doesn’t affect me well at all. Not sure I could handle a rapid taper, but I am not stabilizing. I have been in the hospital now for six weeks. Every second of every day I am in total agony and things are beyond unbearable. Please help!

 

I'm sorry, this is beyond my knowledge. You might try survivingantidepressants.org. I got most of my gabapentin info from them.

[[Th...]]

Seekinghope I agree survingantidepressants may be helpful.

This is also a Gabapentin WD group on facebook. They accepted my request to join in 24 hours. If you post there you may find insight.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438525646474773

 

 

 

 

[[Se...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

[[Se...]]

What do you do if you are in tolerance and yet every time you take Gabapentin it makes you feel awful, but also helps with a few symptoms. I’m barely making it to each dose and have severe symptoms. I’m kindled a few times and don’t know what my next step should be. I have tried going up slightly, but it doesn’t affect me well at all. Not sure I could handle a rapid taper, but I am not stabilizing. I have been in the hospital now for six weeks. Every second of every day I am in total agony and things are beyond unbearable. Please help!

 

I'm sorry, this is beyond my knowledge. You might try survivingantidepressants.org. I got most of my gabapentin info from them.

 

Thank you gardener99. Yes, I posted there, so hopefully I can get some guidance.

[[Se...]]

Seekinghope I agree survingantidepressants may be helpful.

This is also a Gabapentin WD group on facebook. They accepted my request to join in 24 hours. If you post there you may find insight.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438525646474773

Hi ThatOneGirlStitch, I made a post over on survivingantidepressants. I am also a member on the Gabapentin FB group too. Thank you for your response. 

[[Th...]]

Seekinghope I agree survingantidepressants may be helpful.

This is also a Gabapentin WD group on facebook. They accepted my request to join in 24 hours. If you post there you may find insight.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438525646474773

Hi ThatOneGirlStitch, I made a post over on survivingantidepressants. I am also a member on the Gabapentin FB group too. Thank you for your response. 

I will keep an eye out for anything that might be useful.

[[ga...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

[[Se...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

 

Yes, I am being discharged next Monday I believe. I’m here on a voluntary basis, so could leave when ever, but am so scared to be alone and feel like I don’t know where to go. I have such extreme symptoms right now and react to everything so poorly. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get out. They only ever diagnose me with somatic symptom disorder. Every time I have to talk to another doctor, I just upsets me so much because I don’t feel heard. It’s hard because I can’t find a doctor in my area that has knowledge of how damaging these meds are.

[[ga...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

 

Yes, I am being discharged next Monday I believe. I’m here on a voluntary basis, so could leave when ever, but am so scared to be alone and feel like I don’t know where to go. I have such extreme symptoms right now and react to everything so poorly. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get out. They only ever diagnose me with somatic symptom disorder. Every time I have to talk to another doctor, I just upsets me so much because I don’t feel heard. It’s hard because I can’t find a doctor in my area that has knowledge of how damaging these meds are.

 

I never found one doctor who would admit the drugs were causing symptoms. I eventually stopped looking for validation and only looked for scripts. I saw the doctor as infrequently as possible to still get my scripts, because every doctor contact was upsetting. The less I saw them the better. I tapered following advice about taper rates and methods that I found online. I got my benzo info here. I got my other drug info on survivingantidepressants. I also had a booklet called Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs by the Icarus Project. I had a paper copy but I think it is free online.You might try googling it. It has a nice overview and is very validating.

[[Se...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

 

Yes, I am being discharged next Monday I believe. I’m here on a voluntary basis, so could leave when ever, but am so scared to be alone and feel like I don’t know where to go. I have such extreme symptoms right now and react to everything so poorly. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get out. They only ever diagnose me with somatic symptom disorder. Every time I have to talk to another doctor, I just upsets me so much because I don’t feel heard. It’s hard because I can’t find a doctor in my area that has knowledge of how damaging these meds are.

 

I never found one doctor who would admit the drugs were causing symptoms. I eventually stopped looking for validation and only looked for scripts. I saw the doctor as infrequently as possible to still get my scripts, because every doctor contact was upsetting. The less I saw them the better. I tapered following advice about taper rates and methods that I found online. I got my benzo info here. I got my other drug info on survivingantidepressants. I also had a booklet called Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs by the Icarus Project. I had a paper copy but I think it is free online.You might try googling it. It has a nice overview and is very validating.

 

Thank you for the book suggestion! I will certainly look into it. I just can’t get stable for the life of me and haven’t received any answers on survivingantidepressants, so just couldn’t feel more hopeless. Yes, I would never listen to a doctor about a taper rate, but the thought about a rapid taper still crosses my mind. I think it might be totally detrimental, but just want the heck off of this. I am in so much discomfort all the time and not having any Doctors recognize or admit to how harmful these meds are is just so upsetting.

[[ga...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

 

Yes, I am being discharged next Monday I believe. I’m here on a voluntary basis, so could leave when ever, but am so scared to be alone and feel like I don’t know where to go. I have such extreme symptoms right now and react to everything so poorly. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get out. They only ever diagnose me with somatic symptom disorder. Every time I have to talk to another doctor, I just upsets me so much because I don’t feel heard. It’s hard because I can’t find a doctor in my area that has knowledge of how damaging these meds are.

 

I never found one doctor who would admit the drugs were causing symptoms. I eventually stopped looking for validation and only looked for scripts. I saw the doctor as infrequently as possible to still get my scripts, because every doctor contact was upsetting. The less I saw them the better. I tapered following advice about taper rates and methods that I found online. I got my benzo info here. I got my other drug info on survivingantidepressants. I also had a booklet called Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs by the Icarus Project. I had a paper copy but I think it is free online.You might try googling it. It has a nice overview and is very validating.

 

Thank you for the book suggestion! I will certainly look into it. I just can’t get stable for the life of me and haven’t received any answers on survivingantidepressants, so just couldn’t feel more hopeless. Yes, I would never listen to a doctor about a taper rate, but the thought about a rapid taper still crosses my mind. I think it might be totally detrimental, but just want the heck off of this. I am in so much discomfort all the time and not having any Doctors recognize or admit to how harmful these meds are is just so upsetting.

 

This site is member-driven. SA is moderator-driven. Also, people are corralled into their personal threads on SA which makes the site a bit different. You kind of have to figure out how to work it. They do have a benzo area that only members can see. A member can start a separate personal thread in the benzo area (and thus have 2 threads of their own). Not sure if you can finesse it, but maybe start a benzo thread asking if you could still be experiencing symptoms from your benzo taper? If Shep is still overseeing the benzo area, and if she notices you, she is very helpful. Otherwise, keep posting, respond to other people, and be patient. It can take awhile to get noticed. That site moves a lot more slowly than this site.

 

In my situation, not as bad of yours but some similarities, my doctor was prescribing some drugs "as needed" which really destabilized me. I got a new doctor who said, "The brain likes predictability. Take the same dose of each med every day and make no changes." It took me 6 months of doing that to notice improvement. But I did improve. After a year, I started tapering again. I was able to function and care for myself during my second taper.

 

Unfortunately, a rapid taper is sometimes needed when a person is having an adverse reaction to the drug itself. But I would not be able to say if that was your situation.

 

You're in a tough place, but you will get through it no matter which method you choose. 

[[Se...]]

SeekingHope, why are you in the hospital?

 

Because I felt as though I had no other place to go. I haven’t been able to care for myself or be alone. My symptoms were beyond unbearable. I pretty much came for my family as they were at their end of the rope with all of this and I felt guilty doing it to them. Didn’t know where else to turn. It’s upsetting because I’m back where the nightmare all began and know they can’t offer me any help. I don’t want to add anything else to the mix either, so it’s certainly not the right place for me.

 

I agree completely! I checked myself in once for word for word the very same reasons. I told them I wanted to stabilize and possibly cross over to a slower benzo. They agreed, but once the door was locked they tried to cold turkey me off my Xanax. Scared me to death. I got myself back out again as fast as I could and went back to tapering with my doctor.

 

We are better off helping each other than depending on a hopelessly broken system. Will they discharge you?

 

Yes, I am being discharged next Monday I believe. I’m here on a voluntary basis, so could leave when ever, but am so scared to be alone and feel like I don’t know where to go. I have such extreme symptoms right now and react to everything so poorly. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get out. They only ever diagnose me with somatic symptom disorder. Every time I have to talk to another doctor, I just upsets me so much because I don’t feel heard. It’s hard because I can’t find a doctor in my area that has knowledge of how damaging these meds are.

 

I never found one doctor who would admit the drugs were causing symptoms. I eventually stopped looking for validation and only looked for scripts. I saw the doctor as infrequently as possible to still get my scripts, because every doctor contact was upsetting. The less I saw them the better. I tapered following advice about taper rates and methods that I found online. I got my benzo info here. I got my other drug info on survivingantidepressants. I also had a booklet called Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs by the Icarus Project. I had a paper copy but I think it is free online.You might try googling it. It has a nice overview and is very validating.

 

Thank you for the book suggestion! I will certainly look into it. I just can’t get stable for the life of me and haven’t received any answers on survivingantidepressants, so just couldn’t feel more hopeless. Yes, I would never listen to a doctor about a taper rate, but the thought about a rapid taper still crosses my mind. I think it might be totally detrimental, but just want the heck off of this. I am in so much discomfort all the time and not having any Doctors recognize or admit to how harmful these meds are is just so upsetting.

 

This site is member-driven. SA is moderator-driven. Also, people are corralled into their personal threads on SA which makes the site a bit different. You kind of have to figure out how to work it. They do have a benzo area that only members can see. A member can start a separate personal thread in the benzo area (and thus have 2 threads of their own). Not sure if you can finesse it, but maybe start a benzo thread asking if you could still be experiencing symptoms from your benzo taper? If Shep is still overseeing the benzo area, and if she notices you, she is very helpful. Otherwise, keep posting, respond to other people, and be patient. It can take awhile to get noticed. That site moves a lot more slowly than this site.

 

In my situation, not as bad of yours but some similarities, my doctor was prescribing some drugs "as needed" which really destabilized me. I got a new doctor who said, "The brain likes predictability. Take the same dose of each med every day and make no changes." It took me 6 months of doing that to notice improvement. But I did improve. After a year, I started tapering again. I was able to function and care for myself during my second taper.

 

Unfortunately, a rapid taper is sometimes needed when a person is having an adverse reaction to the drug itself. But I would not be able to say if that was your situation.

 

You're in a tough place, but you will get through it no matter which method you choose. 

 

Thank you for the words of encouragement.  I honestly am not sure what to do or what the next step will be, but hopefully will figure things out soon as I’m  desperate for some sort of relief and stability.

[[ga...]]

 

Thank you for the words of encouragement.  I honestly am not sure what to do or what the next step will be, but hopefully will figure things out soon as I’m  desperate for some sort of relief and stability.

 

I suggest you check out the Long Hold Support Group. Unfortunately, there was a software error that required the group to restart from scratch recently, but they have been around for years. I was there every day when I was holding. It's a nice group. They might help you with your decision.

[[Th...]]

I'm wondering how anyone tapers this drug at 10% or less. I tried doing math and the shortest time I got was five years. And that is if I was reckless.

[[ga...]]

I'm wondering how anyone tapers this drug at 10% or less. I tried doing math and the shortest time I got was five years. And that is if I was reckless.

 

Hopefully Katz will chime in. I think she tapered faster than that. As for me, I was able to taper faster at the higher doses. You may be able to, also.

[[or...]]

I had a very unscientific taper. Not knowing that the drug was water soluble, I just opened my 100 mg capsules and "eyeballed" how much to throw away. I went from 100 mgs to zero that way. Every week I tossed a little more. (I also did a fast taper from 2300 mgs to 100 mgs at the rate of 300 mgs a week ). I really didn't have excruciating s/x -- some dizziness some malaise, some headaches . . . the usual suspects.  It didn't take me more than a few weeks. And then it was done.

 

In a way I'm gad I didn't know that gaba is water soluble. Lordy, if I had made up a "witches brew" of gaba and water and reduced as slowly as I did my valium on my  DLMT I would have been at my 100 mg taper for 100 days. I can overthink things.

 

Hope you folks do okay. 

 

Katz

[[ga...]]

I had a very unscientific taper. Not knowing that the drug was water soluble, I just opened my 100 mg capsules and "eyeballed" how much to throw away. I went from 100 mgs to zero that way. Every week I tossed a little more. (I also did a fast taper from 2300 mgs to 100 mgs at the rate of 300 mgs a week ). I really didn't have excruciating s/x -- some dizziness some malaise, some headaches . . . the usual suspects.  I didn't take me more than a few weeks. And then it was done.

 

In a way I'm gad I didn't know that gaba is water soluble. Lordy, if I had made up a "witches brew" of gaba and water and reduced as slowly as I did my valium on my  DLMT I would have been at my 100 mg taper for 100 days. I can overthink things.

 

Hope you folks do okay. 

 

Katz

 

Thanks Katz. Does this (bolded sentence) mean the symptoms didn't last more than a few weeks after your taper ended?

[[or...]]

No. The unscientific taper took me a few weeks . . . open capsule, eyeball contents, toss some etc. I went slowly. I was a weenie. The "usual suspects" I referred to, the dizziness etc, ebbed as I was tapering. I had some post-taper s/x that resembled my taper s/x that lasted not very long at all, like maybe 10 days but they were really nothing serious. As I recall, it was the headaches that persisted. They finally quit.

 

I think I got off lightly. Don't know why. The gaba taper was pretty much a nothing burger compared to my benzo taper.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

[[Th...]]

Thanks gardrner and katz

 

I'm not sure what a normal gabapentin taper looks like but hopeful I will get more insights by reading along.

 

katz, you did a taper before then right? How was that withdrawal. I am worried because my current WD is bad. I really don't think I could survive another one after being bedbound for 10 months.

How long after did you wait to taper the GabaP?

[[or...]]

Yes I did my benzo taper first, then my Ambien, then gaba. Of the 3, gaba was the easiest. Benzo was very hard. So, by comparison, maybe anything would have been easier. I waited until I had "recovered" from my Ambien taper -- a couple of months -- to tackle gaba. But as I said, it wasn't too bad. Headaches, dizziness, malaise. Nothing like my benzo taper where I thought I might perish almost every day.

 

Katz

[[Th...]]

So by recovered did you mean until all your symptoms were gone?

[[or...]]

Yes, most. I had w/ds from Ambien -- I had been on the drug way too long and it was not helping me sleep, just making me feel ill/nauseous. After I quit taking it and the nausea went away (a few weeks) I tackled the gaba. My nasty triad of drugs took me a while to shed, but one at a time . . . and I felt lots better once I got rid of all three.

 

Katz