Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[gr...]]

Its a devils drug also....one week....think you would be OK but not sure. Try and see.

[[ra...]]

I got addicted in just a few weeks. 

[[so...]]

Niners,

 

Gabapentin is the drug that I took for 3 years, then CT'd, and is responsible for my withdrawal.  It's been a rough 14 months, to say the least, with no windows.

 

I don't know how to advise you, but it has been the most difficult time of my life.

 

Love, Sofa

[[lo...]]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been meaning to say this for a while. I took Gabapentin for half a year and withdrew this summer. Aside from minor sleep disturbances, it was not that painful. My theory is that because I started supplementing with Inositol two months before I tapered Gapabentin, it was a much smoother experience. Inositol is helpful with a bunch of stuff - it's the only thing I found that re-synthesizes previously desensitized serotonin receptors (which happens after prolonged antidepressant use and results in tolerance increase and need of a higher dose of ADs).

 

It is also posited to have GABA-ergenic effects- it increases increases the efficiency of GABA transmission in the brain. I know a lot of folks in this website run the other way when they see that anything affects GABA receptors, but I am not part of that group. Even green tea is GABA-ergenic, and its benefits far outweigh its role on GABA. GABA receptors post benzo use are fried (they are pruned back due to chronic flooding of GABA via benzo), if you can do something to help them - such as increasing efficiency of transmission, I am on board with it. The way I view it, if I was in car accident and needed Physical Therapy, it would be encouraged for me to get massages to increase efficiency of my damaged muscle use. Lastly, it also opens up calcium channels (the same channels Gabapentin blocks).

 

It's not an instantaneous cure, I built it up slowly over the course of the month.  When I reached 12g (about 3 weeks in), I definitely felt a positive difference in anxiety (panic attacks and OCD that I developed after benzo w/d) and sleep. The only side effects is increased bowel motility in the beginning. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing. And I am super sensitive to meds, so if I was okay chances are you will be too.

 

Btw, Inostiol used to be considered Vitamin B8, but they changed its classification. You can find it in smaller quantities in certain foods like cantaloupe.

 

 

[[so...]]

Would inositol help 14 months out?

[[lo...]]

It doesn't hurt to try.

[[Hi...]]

I am in severe  torment  benzo  paradox after many cts and reinstatements. I just wwwwent into the psych ward and they ctd gabapentin  im going  on day 5 and not doing  well at all i am wondering  how long till thhe worst of it is over? I have to get off the benzos and  methadone  and i cant  handle  a taper they switched me to klonopin 4mg from 7.5mg of ativan and im wanting to go back to detox ive been  this route before but i cant  handle the  tapering  proccess ive tried everything  to get stable and its been  making  me worse i stopped  the gabapentin  because  i thought it was conttributing to my akathisia  and inner torment and terror  and mood swings im nt doing  well they released me from the hospital  unable to care for myself the restlessness  is so extreme idk if switched to the kpin as doing  this too its technichally an eauivelant dose but benzos dont do anything  possitive  for me whats going on?

[[do...]]

So I am 9 days away from my one year anniversary from being klonopin free...I quit was med free from late September until January of this year when I had delayed onset withdrawal from stopping prozac back in September 2015.  I ended up in the hospital and they have me on gabapentin and lamictal.  I have been on gabapentin 900 mg for one week and 1200 mg for a week then back down to 900 mg a few days ago and I have been down to 300 mg at night for sleep for 5 days so on gabapentin for 3 weeks.  I don't do well with long tapers I have next to zero patience and I fear the longer someone is on a medicine even while tapering the more likely I will build a tolerance to it so I usually foolishly do rapid tapers.  I stopped my 25 mg of lamictal last night and want to stop the gabapentin.  I am hesitant to stop it because the withdrawals from the antidepressant really kicked in 3 months after being off of it so I wonder should I wait a few more months to make sure I am antidepressant withdrawal free before I try to quit the gabapentin?  Also, if I am able to just take the 300 mg of gabapentin at night for a few more months when I get ready to taper the gabapentin how long would it take to quit the 300 mg of gabapentin?  Thanks in advance!

[Guest [jc...]]

I've been on it 2.5 years and am tapering from 2000 mg.  I'm down to 1300 and doing well, going 100 mg. at a time.

[[do...]]

I've been on it 2.5 years and am tapering from 2000 mg.  I'm down to 1300 and doing well, going 100 mg. at a time.

 

Glad your taper is going well...how long are you holding between reductions in dosage?

[Guest [jc...]]

I kind of play it by ear, but about 100 every 1-2 weeks, giving myself "permission" to updose if needed.

[[do...]]

I kind of play it by ear, but about 100 every 1-2 weeks, giving myself "permission" to updose if needed.

 

When you reinstate or update does the gabapentin work as well as it did in the beginning...I was gabapentin free for about a week and then had to reinstate last week and it doesn't feel like it is working as well as it did when I began it about 6 weeks ago.

[Guest [jc...]]

I haven't noticed that it's less effective.

[[ho...]]

Hi All,

 

Just wanted to post a quick update. I've been tapering gabapentin for a very long time and I am just a few days from my final dose. I have been using the liquid form since I got down below 100mg for each dose. I am now down to 1mg, 1 time per day. Super tiny, especially considering I used to take 2700mg. I've been on for 10 years and still have waves from my Xanax taper so I decided to walk off rather than jump and take it all the way to zero, 1 mg at a time. Anyway, I am always encouraged by others making it to the end, so I thought I'd share. I'll post again when I hit zero. I am planning on taking my last dose on Tuesday morning.

 

Hopefulgirl

 

[[Hi...]]

I know the benzos are an issue but what if this akathisia is being caused by the gabapentin? I ctd the gabapentin a few months ago and the akathisia didnt go away it got worse. I haven't really heard of gabapentin causing akathisia but its possible it says it can cause morbid ideation. But the mental torment part of the akathisia can that be permanent? Oh man im so so scared it feels like all this is just masking stuffHas anyone had or heard of gabapentin causing severe akathisia?

 

 

[[Hi...]]

See i take the methadone and some days it makes my brain line up and its like glue and it holds me together for a few hours but i know its not the methadone cuz see when i was off of everything and i think past acute but thats when my akathisia stsrted taking flight and it started getting worse while only on gabapentin. Like there were days i would have no akathisia and then those were my Windows everything was more or less ok besides burning and hypochondria and then those days started slipping into every day id wake up and be tormented kept saying i have to make this stop i have to and was tortured and then when the day would be over it would like flip off and i would feel normal and be like oh thats ok thats weird but it became worse and worse and then i realized it wasn't anxiety and thats when i got scared and i was in pain and i stsrted taking a pain killer here and there and it would make EVERything go away. So i didn't know what akathisia was at that time and then i figured out what it was and i was listening to my gut instincts for a long time thinking that it was being caused bu the gabapentin. Does this sound like it is? Cuz i didn't have it all those cold turkeys ago its something that slowly just got worse and worse as time went on whether on the benzos or not coming in waves but now ive been on it for two years and thats enough time to cause irreversible akathisia isnt it?

m on a really high dose im getting worse headaches im scared i have med induced akathisia and it says that if treated in time it can be reversed but if you wait to long then its permanent. When i was in Tarzana and they pulled me off benzos and i was off gabapentin too the akathisia came out and some things felt like the meds were just covering them up and the psych said theres no way to tell unit your off everything for at least a year to see whats permanent but i was getting severe physical akathisia worse than that guy josh or about the same but it was becoming non stop and i never had that before. Like right now im not having any physical akathisia or maybe i am but its being covered up. How do you survive when you cannot lay in the ved you march in place next to the bed and the second that you lay in the bed it becomes even more tormented you have to get out of the bed or you will die.

 

Im so scared  and my brain is coming unglued has anyone here suffered from severe akathisia? Physical and mental?

 

 

[[so...]]

This is awesome news Hopeful!

 

Sofa

[[ho...]]

I know the benzos are an issue but what if this akathisia is being caused by the gabapentin? I ctd the gabapentin a few months ago and the akathisia didnt go away it got worse. I haven't really heard of gabapentin causing akathisia but its possible it says it can cause morbid ideation. But the mental torment part of the akathisia can that be permanent? Oh man im so so scared it feels like all this is just masking stuffHas anyone had or heard of gabapentin causing severe akathisia?

 

Hi there,

 

It sounds like you are having so many symptoms and that is understandable. I have heard of others on here having severe akathisia from all kinds of psych meds. Hang in there. I had horrific withdrawal but it is not permanent. The outcome of withdrawal is healing. You will recover but it takes more time than any of us wish.

 

Take care!

 

Hopefulgirl

[[ho...]]

This is awesome news Hopeful!

 

Sofa

 

Thanks, Sofa! I'm in bed right now with withdrawal symptoms that are not fun but I'm so excited to take my last dose tomorrow!!!

[[Hi...]]

Has anyone had severe restlessness and emotional terror or seemingly psychotic  side effect from gabapentin. I know some people who have had a severely hard time coming off but i mean from taking it i ctd it while in hospital and switched to klonopin at the same time all in one day and didnt seem to have that much of a difference i was already really messed up all over the place but ended up back on ativan and gaba two weeks later i wish i could figureout the rooot cux i kknow the methadone makes me feel almost all better until under a certain dose which means the root problem is akathisia

[Guest [jc...]]

Has anyone had severe restlessness and emotional terror or seemingly psychotic  side effect from gabapentin. I know some people who have had a severely hard time coming off but i mean from taking it i ctd it while in hospital and switched to klonopin at the same time all in one day and didnt seem to have that much of a difference i was already really messed up all over the place but ended up back on ativan and gaba two weeks later i wish i could figureout the rooot cux i kknow the methadone makes me feel almost all better until under a certain dose which means the root problem is akathisia

 

No, I don't think this is a typical side effect from gabapentin. 

[[Hi...]]

I know its not typical but i have severe akathisia and it was getting worse when i was off everything except the gabapentin i just wonder if im so so sensitive that its all causing it the problem is slow tapering is not working for me because the akathisia is so severe. The akathisia is by itstself is a host of symptoms and for me bordering on psychotic episodes of inner torment combined with whatever else is going on its to much for me to bare

[Guest [jc...]]

I know its not typical but i have severe akathisia and it was getting worse when i was off everything except the gabapentin i just wonder if im so so sensitive that its all causing it the problem is slow tapering is not working for me because the akathisia is so severe. The akathisia is by itstself is a host of symptoms and for me bordering on psychotic episodes of inner torment combined with whatever else is going on its to much for me to bare

 

Maybe it's time to put your big boy pants on, get off the drugs and grit your teeth and bear it like the rest of us.  Maybe that way you can actually get well instead of posting the same thing month after month after month.

[[ho...]]

Hi All. Just thought I'd share that after 10 years on gabapentin, including a 2 year taper, I finally walked off the drug on March 30th so I'm finally free! I've been off for 4 days now. I have some crummy symptoms but not worse than a cut. Let the healing begin!

 

Hopeful

[Guest [Jo...]]

drugbank ca says its highly lipid soluble so i guess you could do a milk microtaper.