Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[ga...]]

Thank you so much!

 

I’ll see if someone in other board can guide me a little bit so I tell her correctly! Im an engineer and should be used or numbers yet benzo brain has me easily mixed up some times and when it so someone else I want to be super super careful of course!

 

She moved to Wisconsin(randomly enough!)  actually from California bc of the CT from K and losing her home there and to be closer to family (who now don’t help and tell her she is causing them to get sick and ill from her situation). It’s so tough as I know so many have challenging family support at times bc it’s not understood!

 

Again, awesome job give done and helping others yhru your own battle! Best wishes as you resume your taper and what an accomplishment thus far if what you’ve finished!!

 

Thanks for your feedback and wishing you well going forward!!

 

Cool. Last I knew, there were 3 peer support houses in Wisconsin. One in Appleton. One in Madison. One somewhere more west. They also run peer support warm lines. I'm sure Iris Place can help her find resources. Her family situation does not sound good. Peer support would be very helpful to her, I'm sure. These are all people who had had experience with the mental healthcare system, usually not entirely good ones. I highly recommend getting any kind of support you can in place so as to avoid hospitalization.

 

 

[[or...]]

gardener, about this:

 

I'd be curious as to what Katz thinks about the need to dose 3 times/day now if she never did before.

 

I didn't feel the need to dose more than 1 x a day when I got down to 100 mg. I had some rotten s/x . . . dizziness, headaches, malaise . . . but I also had them all the way down from 2300 mgs. Off and on. I definitely did take gaba 3 x a day on the higher doses, but somewhere (sorry, don't remember where) I ditched one dose . . . then another and got down to 1 dose a day. I didn't seem to feel any worse. I took that dose at bedtime. It sure wasn't making me feel any better -- all I was getting from the drug was s/x, so I wanted to take it at bedtime and forget it. I was SO looking forward to getting rid of the damned drug, and  eventually I did. I felt lots better after a few weeks off the gaba.

 

So . . . that's all I can say about dosing. I think the young lady in question ought to maybe institute a nice long hold until she feels like she can handle a taper. It might be helpful to look into the water + gaba method for a taper. Later. After getting to feel better. And perhaps ditch that pharma liquid. (Pharma benzo made me p*king sick.) Maybe sticking to capsules until she feels better will set her taper up for success.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

[[ga...]]

gardener, about this:

 

I'd be curious as to what Katz thinks about the need to dose 3 times/day now if she never did before.

 

I didn't feel the need to dose more than 1 x a day when I got down to 100 mg. I had some rotten s/x . . . dizziness, headaches, malaise . . . but I also had them all the way down from 2300 mgs. Off and on. I definitely did take gaba 3 x a day on the higher doses, but somewhere (sorry, don't remember where) I ditched one dose . . . then another and got down to 1 dose a day. I didn't seem to feel any worse. I took that dose at bedtime. It sure wasn't making me feel any better -- all I was getting from the drug was s/x, so I wanted to take it at bedtime and forget it. I was SO looking forward to getting rid of the damned drug, and  eventually I did. I felt lots better after a few weeks off the gaba.

 

So . . . that's all I can say about dosing. I think the young lady in question ought to maybe institute a nice long hold until she feels like she can handle a taper. It might be helpful to look into the water + gaba method for a taper. Later. After getting to feel better. And perhaps ditch that pharma liquid. (Pharma benzo made me p*king sick.) Maybe sticking to capsules until she feels better will set her taper up for success.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

 

:thumbsup:

[[Bo...]]

Thanks very much!! She’s in her 70’s so is fearful she is running out of time to get her life back to enjoy some years. So hard and her family is pushing Inner Fire and I think she’s going to try it out. It’s a year long program so a long taper which hopefully that will be better bc she’s alone every day and needs support.

 

Thanks for everyone’s advice, I’m passing it along in small chunks and still hoping she can get more stable and then maybe try the capsule emptying in water. Hopefully that will go better.

 

Hugs and best wishes to y’all persevering on the GP journey!

[[ga...]]

Thanks very much!! She’s in her 70’s so is fearful she is running out of time to get her life back to enjoy some years. So hard and her family is pushing Inner Fire and I think she’s going to try it out. It’s a year long program so a long taper which hopefully that will be better bc she’s alone every day and needs support.

 

Thanks for everyone’s advice, I’m passing it along in small chunks and still hoping she can get more stable and then maybe try the capsule emptying in water. Hopefully that will go better.

 

Hugs and best wishes to y’all persevering on the GP journey!

 

This is such a hard thing to go through so late in life. She is very blessed to have you. I hope you are able to keep in touch.

[[Pa...]]

I was having an awful time with my valium taper.  Severely depressed and non functioing. Really bad insomnia.  I started taking a nightly dose of gabapentin of 600 mg ten nights ago.  It has cleared up my insomnia and depression .  But reading all this, i am now nervous about being being on it.  I still have three months left on my taper.  Am i already addicted to the gp after taking it ten nights in a row?  I know now that i should ha ve just slowed down my valium taper, but i also thought the valium was making me extremely deeply depressed as my depression would clear about 13 hours after taking it.  I am at 6 mg now, dowm from 11, and feel like I can finish the taper now with help from the gpentin.  I was ready to abandon the taper.  But now i am super worried about the gpentin.  Any advice?  Is it too late already to stop taking it?

[[ga...]]

I was having an awful time with my valium taper.  Severely depressed and non functioing. Really bad insomnia.  I started taking a nightly dose of gabapentin of 600 mg ten nights ago.  It has cleared up my insomnia and depression .  But reading all this, i am now nervous about being being on it.  I still have three months left on my taper.  Am i already addicted to the gp after taking it ten nights in a row?  I know now that i should ha ve just slowed down my valium taper, but i also thought the valium was making me extremely deeply depressed as my depression would clear about 13 hours after taking it.  I am at 6 mg now, dowm from 11, and feel like I can finish the taper now with help from the gpentin.  I was ready to abandon the taper.  But now i am super worried about the gpentin.  Any advice?  Is it too late already to stop taking it?

 

Hi. This is just my opinion, but it seems unlikely you would be physiologically dependent on the gabapentin after 10 days. (I'm not saying addicted because you really do not seem one bit addicted.) You could stop it for a day and see what the effect is. I've forgotten my dose without any huge effect, just an increase in anxiety that was solved by the next dose.

 

After you see what the effect is, you will need to decide which is the lesser of the two evils, the gabapentin or the Valium. I chose gabapentin, obviously.

 

I'd add that it is very likely you will eventually habituate to the positive effects of the gabapentin.

[[Pa...]]

I think i am a unique case, because the valium was given to me after I ct'd phenibut, which is a gabapentinoid and a gaba b agonist.  I should have been put on baclofen or gabapentin right away, i now know.  So, i was only on valium one month and it was not helping except for sleep, so i started my taper.  I think the gabapentin is helping me so much more, as it is closer in structure to phenibut, which was my addiction.  So, now I am using it to get off the valium which i never should have started, and two or three months after the taper ends, i will have to taper the gabapentin, so I will be on it about 6 months total before tapering, i guess.  It is so discouraging, if you read my signature, i was off all meds, and then my son died suddenly, i took 11 doses of phenibut it totally kindled and restarted my addiction. Sigh

[[Pa...]]

So, you are saying I will eventually habituate to the positive effects of the gabapentin, then either updose or be super unwell again?  I was actually hoping the gpentin would help speed up my valium taper, i never should have been put on it, and was only on it for one month before starting the taper.

[[ga...]]

So, you are saying I will eventually habituate to the positive effects of the gabapentin, then either updose or be super unwell again?  I was actually hoping the gpentin would help speed up my valium taper, i never should have been put on it, and was only on it for one month before starting the taper.

 

Yes, most people seem to habituate to the effects of gabapentin. But, that could take months or years. It seems like the gabapentin is serving its purpose now, right? And the Valium is doing nothing but causing misery? If it were me, I would focus on getting rid of the drug that is doing you no good and carries a much higher risk for dependence and addiction. That would be the Valium.

 

A gabapentin taper is not as big a deal as a benzo taper for most people. Some people jump into the gabapentin taper too soon after their benzo taper which can cause problems. The key to an easier taper is to make sure you have recovered from the one taper before you start the next, IMO.

 

I'm sure I am habituated to my gabapentin by now. It's a fairly low dose. It's seems to be doing me no good but also no harm. I have other health problems I am dealing with that are more urgent than tapering the gabapentin. So my choice is deal with other things first, deal with the gabapentin later.

[[Pa...]]

Thank you for your reply.  Yes, I need to get off the valium first, it was a huge mistake.  I hope I don't habituate too quickly to the gpentin, but i might as it is so similar to phenibut.  How much gpentin are you on now?

[[ga...]]

Thank you for your reply.  Yes, I need to get off the valium first, it was a huge mistake.  I hope I don't habituate too quickly to the gpentin, but i might as it is so similar to phenibut.  How much gpentin are you on now?

 

I take 100mg 3x/day.

[[Ch...]]

Interestingly, I joined the BenzoBuddies yesterday in order to support my wife in her efforts to withdraw from Ativan. But, low and behold, I found this forum on Gabapentin. I was recently prescribed( 8-10 weeks or so ago) this drug by my GP (300mg 3xd) to ease leg pain associated with a degenerative back. She also sent me to a pain management Dr. who I saw last week. I told her I didn't feel I was getting noticeable results from the Gabapentin. she said, "well, you can either stop or increase the dosage". She more or lees blew off my "let's stop..." and increased my dosage to 400 mg 3xd. Now I intend to stop asap!

[[ga...]]

Interestingly, I joined the BenzoBuddies yesterday in order to support my wife in her efforts to withdraw from Ativan. But, low and behold, I found this forum on Gabapentin. I was recently prescribed( 8-10 weeks or so ago) this drug by my GP (300mg 3xd) to ease leg pain associated with a degenerative back. She also sent me to a pain management Dr. who I saw last week. I told her I didn't feel I was getting noticeable results from the Gabapentin. she said, "well, you can either stop or increase the dosage". She more or lees blew off my "let's stop..." and increased my dosage to 400 mg 3xd. Now I intend to stop asap!

 

Yes, gabapentin is prescribed frequently for pain, and for some it works. Since you've only been on it a few months and you haven't taken a benzo, I wouldn't expect you to have a lot of trouble tapering off of it.

[[lo...]]

quick note of encouragement for all. as a side note i've been healed for years now.....worrying about other stuff lol

but i got back to gabapentin a month ago or so, for unrelated reasons. i took 300mg for 3-4 weeks at night only and stopped 9 days ago.

remembering my withdrawal years ago (with no major issues, at least mental, physical were  bad but short-lived) i did not except any w/d.

well, I was wrong. initially i got some bad interdose w/d with that nighttime dose. then I just stopped, since tapering from 1x a day did not make much sense.

I had a really rough week or so. BP through the roof. sweats. this mirrored my withdrawal in the past.

but I also got bad anxiety. not as bad a benzo by any means, but bad enough to get me worried. it lasted 7 days or so. it seemed to improve every day a little bit, and today day 9 I feel 100% good. this is not a 'window'. I truly believe I am over this. there might be small aftershocks which I do expect.

what I noticed compared to the benzo withdrawal, this one felt much more 'shallow'. I slept good (with some herbals). i exercised hard through the entire week, weights, cardio....to the max. that definitely helped a lot. in benzo w/d - no way i could have moved my ass.

also a bunch of supplements got me through the worst of anxiety: apigenin - simply amazing. 200mg/3x a day. no and don't come me with this 'works on gaba' bullshit. i've taken herbs for years on/off and never had issues. this is one of the biggest misconceptions on this forum 'stay away from any gaba stuff'.

others of course magnesium, some antihistamines for sleep. i tried kava (works but gives hangover). a good 'mood' type probiotic. lots of exercise. hoth baths etc....

some clonidine is also handy for 3-4 day or so.

best of luck to all of you. don't fear the gabapentin w/d. my benzo was hell, but this is nothing.

ok now back to my daily life. cya all

 

[[mt...]]

I have a generic question regarding short term use of low(er) dose gabapentinoid Pregabalin: if only used for a short term such as 10 to 14 days, is there a need to still taper it or can it be stopped cold turkey? If there is a need to taper it after such a short time, what would you guys suggest as a general rule?

In my particular case I'm talking about 25 mg 2x/day, but I can say that after 5-6 days or so,  some physical dependency had already established itself,because I feel some symptoms if there's too much gap between doses. Any thoughts?

[[Pa...]]

I am very concerned about this as well, having been on 600 mgs of gabapentin for 15 days now, during my valium taper now, and having second thoughts about continuing it.  Thank you locotus for your reply.

[[lo...]]

so I don't think i could have come off clonazepam without gabapentin+seroquel(25mg).

my w/d was through mental hell, and those 2 made it manageable. 2 years in benzo w/d i tapered it slowly and was fine. totally worth it.

if you want to taper gb while still on a benzo, you need to make sure you are stable and do not cut the benzo, otherwise you won't know what is what.

i think it all is individual. if you benzo taper is smooth, and gb gives you bad s/x then maybe. but all in all gb is not the worst drug compared to a benzo.

i don't feel a 2 week course required a prolonged taper, i prob would do a rapid one, lowering 100mg each week at the slowest. if you are not dosing 3x day and have no interdose, you might as well just CT.

[[Pa...]]

The gabapentin has been helping me for sure, but I can tell that I need to start taking it during the day as well.  I've taken it 17 nights now and am starting to get higher than normal anxiety in the mornings.  I am just concerned about how hard it is to taper from, afterwards.  How hard was it for you, compared to your benzo taper?

[[Pa...]]

Also, did you take the gp daily during your taper?

[[lo...]]

as mentioned couple times, GB w/d is short-lived and fairly light.

I took it once I reached 0.25mg at my K cut.

does 3xday /600MG. you definitely need dose 3x/day.

if you already start getting anxiety at the night-time dose you should expect some w/d if you stop. you can either do that and ride it out for 2-3 weeks or adjust dosing 3x day

i think the min. effective dose during benzo taper is prob 200mg/3x day and up to 600mg/3x a day. beyond that the absorption tanks and it is a waste.

[[Pa...]]

Thank you for replying.  How hard was your gp taper with respect to your bz taper?

[[Pa...]]

Oops, sorry, you did answer that.  When you say short, months? Weeks?

[[lo...]]

2-3 weeks. i think by day 10 things are starting to go easy.

i think I am 16 days off or so, and all my symptoms are essentially gone.

 

i also started doing caffeine withdrawal....fun, a complete different story lol

 

[[Pa...]]

That is for your most recent gpentin use?  How long did your 1800 mg one take?