Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[ga...]]

Thank you for the reassurance. It was the gabapentin withdrawal support group on fbook.  It is terrifying me, so i left it.  Not just 100mg of gabap  I take 600mg at night for sleep and last week, starting taking 100mg around 2pm.  I am going to try to keep it low, but realize it will probably go up as my valium lowers.  I am at 5.3mgs of v now, down from a start of 11.3 jan. 20, so halfway there, hopefully the rest of the taper will go ok,  with the help of gabapentin. I was really nonfunctioning without it.

 

One thing I found helpful during my taper was dosing evenly 3x/day. Gabapentin is a short-acting drug. I never needed to raise the amount. I only redistributed it.

 

[[Pa...]]

Yes, i realize that will have to happen.  I am hesitant to lower my sleep dose as it is working at 600, and 300 was not.  In fact, it was giving me 8 hours of sleep a month ago, and now it is just 5 or 6, which is still better than none.  I realize i will start to get interdose wd in the daytime from the one big dose of gabapentin at night, but so far, it has not shown up till some afternoons.  How much gpentin did you take during your taper, or were you on it before then?

[[or...]]

I am going to try to keep it low, but realize it will probably go up as my valium lowers.

 

Why will it "go up"? One, you're nervous, you say, about gaba. So why tinker with the amount? Two, is someone (like a doc) overseeing your gaba? Three, it's never been proven (not even on here, anecdotally) that more gaba = an easier taper. Four, th emore you increase, the more you'll have to recue. As Gardener said, if you feel you need to tinker, why not redistribute your present amount.

 

Speaking just for myself, I left my "adjunct" drugs (gabapentin and Ambien) alone, including their dosage, until I was done with my valium. I was in enough distress with one taper.  I don't understand your logic in messing around with your gabapentin while trying the reduce your valium.

 

Katz

[[Pa...]]

For me, it seemed to be helping with my taper, at least the first few weeks.  I had been totally depressed and housebound, and it got me functioning a bit.  The sleep from it really helped, although that is not as good now.  I don't want to lower it until I'm done with valium.  I am nervous to mess with my bedtime dose.  I started getting depressed and sleep loss again two weeks ago, and found adding 100 in the afternoon helped.  My dr said that if I needed to, I could increase my daytime doses of gaba, which were at zero at last appt.  I'm just hesitant to decrease my nighttime dose and redistribute it throughout the day.  I don't really know what is best, that is why I am asking.  There are no guidlelines, even from my dr.  I just want to get out of this V taper alive, and my depression, before i started the gabap was very deep. I think a combo of the valium, which i should never have touched in my life again, after 2006, and my dear son's death probably were too much.  I was only on the valium for one month, and have now been tapering for two!

[[or...]]

I don't really know what is best, that is why I am asking.

None of us (including your doc) knows what is best, Paula. All we can do here is tell you what worked for us . . . and that may not work for you. I'm glad your gaba is helping you. The good news is that you're not on a big dose of valium . . .  you should soon be off.

 

Best,

 

Katz

[[Pa...]]

Thanks Katz.  You are wonderful for replying.  My first valium taper in 2006 went so smoothly, and this one was a disaster from the very start.  I think i was too unstable mentally to have started a taper.  Yes, the gaba seems to help, but i feel tired all morning, which is so not me and depresses me.  I have considered stabilizing my V dose and cutting out the gaba while i still can, but I was convinced the V was exacerbating my depression, so I need to get rid of it first, I think.

[[ga...]]

Thanks Katz.  You are wonderful for replying.  My first valium taper in 2006 went so smoothly, and this one was a disaster from the very start.  I think i was too unstable mentally to have started a taper.  Yes, the gaba seems to help, but i feel tired all morning, which is so not me and depresses me.  I have considered stabilizing my V dose and cutting out the gaba while i still can, but I was convinced the V was exacerbating my depression, so I need to get rid of it first, I think.

 

I agree with tapering the V first. When I switched to librium (similar to Valium) I was also very depressed. It got better as I got lower.

 

I don't remember all the details of my meds and taper, but most of it is in my p-log (along with a lot of other random stuff). It's linked in my signature.

 

[[Pa...]]

How much gabapentin were you on gard?  How many times a day did you take it?  How did you taper it?  I am now taking 100 at 2pm and 700 two hours before bed for sleep.  I think i will have to start taking some in mornings soon as well, as am anx and depressed most mornings.  But part of that is I feel tired from the gabapentin night dose combined with my valium.  I am usually a morning person, and feeling tired and sluggish all morning is very depressing to me.

[[ga...]]

How much gabapentin were you on gard?  How many times a day did you take it?  How did you taper it?  I am now taking 100 at 2pm and 700 two hours before bed for sleep.  I think i will have to start taking some in mornings soon as well, as am anx and depressed most mornings.  But part of that is I feel tired from the gabapentin night dose combined with my valium.  I am usually a morning person, and feeling tired and sluggish all morning is very depressing to me.

 

I don't remember all those details but they are in my p-log. Just updated my signature, so basics are in there. Link to p-log in signature. Make note of the dates. This has been a very long process, and I am not a patient person!

[[Pa...]]

Ok, thanks for replying.  Was just wondering what your starting dose of gpent was. Np.

[[ga...]]

I just did 4 days of dumping out half my midday capsule, and then 4 days of dumping out most of that capsule, and then quit that capsule. Not much difficulty so far.

 

 

Holding at 100mg x 2.

 

[[or...]]

I just did 4 days of dumping out half my midday capsule, and then 4 days of dumping out most of that capsule, and then quit that capsule. Not much difficulty so far.

 

 

Katz

[[Pa...]]

Sounds good so far!

[[ga...]]

Holding for awhile. Not going to push my luck any further.

[[or...]]

 

Fingers, er paws, crossed for you Gard

 

Katz

[[ga...]]

 

Fingers, er paws, crossed for you Gard

 

Katz

 

 

[[ga...]]

Been kind of on edge since eliminating a third of my dose, but nothing horrible. Then today I had an actual wave. Thank heavens I knew what it was, and thank heavens it was only bad for an hour or so.

[[Pa...]]

An hour is ok i guess!  I am following your posts to give me hope for my eventual gpent taper that I am really dreading.  I'm down into the 4mgs of valium..woot!

[[ga...]]

Good for you, Paula!

 

I think the key to this is making sure you are well into recovery from the benzo before trying to knock off the gabapentin. I did part of my G taper awhile back. It was a bit harder than this round. Still, much easier than the benzo.

[[Pa...]]

Phew, that's good to know that it was a bit easier!  I have been so worried about it, ever since i started the gpent, but it has really helped me alot, so far.  I realize that could change though.  I was deeply depressed and nonfunctioning,  literally couchbound, and this week I travelled with my husband, to open up our summer cottage and visit my granddaughter. 

[[ga...]]

Phew, that's good to know that it was a bit easier!  I have been so worried about it, ever since i started the gpent, but it has really helped me alot, so far.  I realize that could change though.  I was deeply depressed and nonfunctioning,  literally couchbound, and this week I travelled with my husband, to open up our summer cottage and visit my granddaughter.

 

Glad to hear things are going better.

[[Pa...]]

How is it going gard?

[[ga...]]

How is it going gard?

 

It's not going too badly. Every now and then I think I will make another cut, but I know it's too soon. I'm still kind of on edge. Lots of life stress, too, makes it a good idea to be more cautious.

 

My theory is, if you wait until you feel well healed before you start the gabapentin taper, it will be similar to benzo in how it feels but much, much less intense and faster. I'm guessing if I went more slowly and did the micro taper liquid method, the symptoms would be trivial. But, after years of dealing with liquid, I can't face it again right now.

 

I got into so much trouble from trying to rush my benzo taper, ignoring the symptoms that told me to slow down. I'm not going to do that again.

[[Re...]]

Hello Beautiful People

 

I'm off Gabapentin now for almost 2 years.  It was challenging for me.  It's very easy for some and harder for others but for me it is done. 

 

I want to encourage all of you to keep up the fight.  Nobody knows how strong you all are.  Nobody knows the challenges we've all faced on this path.

 

I hold you all in my heart as you go forward with one foot in front of the other.

 

All the best.

 

RST

[[Pa...]]

I am up to 800 at night for my sleep dose and take 100 in tham and 200 in the pm.  So my gpent dose has gone up, but my valium dose has been dropping nice n steady so far.  Am just below 4mgs now, 3.8 so hopefully the end is in sight.  I am dreading another taper looming with the gpent, but am trying not to think about it right now, but it is hard not to.