Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[ca...]]

hi rob - i had a super hard time with the xanax - and i didn't know any other way to detox from it other than what i thought my body and brain could handle. i am xanx free for 7 months now..but i'm in a huge wave and life is pretty miserable - although i'm sure you already know this..i used to take 50 or 60 mg of vallium daily and didn't have any problem stopping that..i'm wondering if the gabapentin will be the same...i was just going to stop taking it - i'm one 800 mg at night for sleep, but now reading all these posts i guess i should start slowly..it's funny how everyone seems to have a different sx? i can only describe how i feel now and it's like the worst hangover everyday..

[[ho...]]

What I found that may work. Is to use a scale from Amazon. They are pretty precise. Also you can buy very tiny spoons. You remove very small amounts of powder. Also you can buy 500 empty gelatin capsules. So say you have a 300mg capsule of Neurontin. You weigh the capsule and it weighs .482 grams. 10% of 300 mg is 30 mg. So you want to get 270mg of Neurontin.

I set up a ratio and I solve for weight. Here is how it works  300mg/.482grams = 270mg/ x grams. X grams will be what 270mg capsule of Neurontin should weigh. So 300mg*x grams = .482*270  So 300mg*xgrams= 130.14 So Xgrams =130.14/300= .4338gms  so remove enough powder by pouring powder into empty gelatin capsule or by using tiny chemist spoon to remove powder. Round off .4338 to .434gms. If we look at the ratio both sides of the equal side should be the same. So 300mg/.482= 270mg/.4338  300/.482=622.41 and 270/.4338=622.41 So after you remove your powder put the capsule back together and weigh it if it is almost .434mg Then You have removed 10% or 30 mg of Neurontin powder. It is just using math algebra to figure out how many grams a certain mg of neurontin should weigh.

 

An easy example If I have a 300mg capsule and I weigh it and it is .482grams. I want lets say a 150mg capsule of Neurontin so half of .482 is .241.  So doing with ratios it is 300/.482 = 150/x grams so 300*xgrams =.482*150 so  300*xgrams =72.3 so xgrams =72.3/300=.241grams. Using ratios a you can solve for any weight you wish to remove from your capsule to get the % reduction you need. If you used the formula for 150 mg and you removed  .241 grams of powder and put this in your empty gelatin capsule you will now have the original Neurontin capsule now at 150mg and the empty gelatin capsule you put the powder in you removed would also be a 150mg Neurontin capsule. I hope this is right It seems like it should be.

If any one finds any error in my method or calculations. Please let me know.  I tried reducing from 300mg to 235mg in one cut. Almos 22%. I had bad symptoms and I have gone back to 300mg

 

 

Hopefully the binders and fillers mixed with The active Neurontin are evenly distributed in the capsule. I think the tiny spoons that chemists use may be helpful

Amazon sell tiny measuring spoons. I thought by transfering powder directly from the original capsule to an empty capsule would elominate having to empty the capsule in the tray of some other container

 

Thanks for sharing all of this. It all looks good to me.

I look forward to hearing of your success!

Hopeful Girl

[[ro...]]

I had started my Valium taper at 20mgV. I was told by the doctor to cut by 1mg and hold for 2 weeks and to hold for longer if necessary until my symptoms improved . I had no sxs at 20 but at 19mg Tinnitus started. I t did not improve and stayed the same. I figured this was a common symptom of Benzo tapering so I continued at day 6 of my 16mg dose cut. I started getting these burning sensations on the skin of my face,eyes felt like on fire. Throat felt like I had acid in it and mouth also and skin on my chest felt like burning . I told the benzo wise Dr and he had me go up to 25mg V. When he went over all the medications I was on and found I was taking 300mg Neurontin and Trazodone he wanted me to stop immediately. I had been reading in forums on BB and elsewhere that these need to be tapered off of. When I tried to do the Neurontin at 200mg these sxs all came back again. I have gone back to 300mg now it is day 3. Yesterday I had no sxs. Even the Tinnitus was gone for the day.

I had to take my wife in for surgery and I was so grateful I did not have to drive her there and wait in the waiting room with bad sxs. I am noy sure what to do now as far as tapering anything yet I need to get more stable. I wish I were one of those people that could just stop taking a medication and have no sxs . I am trying to see an addiction specialist. So far no luck I have to wait 2 months for an appointment. This one is also 60 miles away, The benzo wise Dr is 100 miles away. I have a few addiction specialist to call next week 80 miles from home. I live in a small village and to get help I have to travel. Even the medium size cities only have a couple of specialists.

 

These forums have been my only source of help. Some days I feel so depressed and hopeless about my situation I don't even want to wake up and just sleep the day away. I guess for me to taper off the Valium and Neurontin I have to go super slow. That I s why I wrote about the scale and measuring. It is for people really sensitive to these drugs that need to reduce so slow and then hope they don't get bad sxs. I have a wife with Multiple Sclerosis and is legally blind so I have to be functional to help her. Whatever taper I do has to keep my sxs to a minimum. Darn the Tinnitus came back today!!

[[ca...]]

hi rob - i'm sorry you have so much going on right now..can i ask why you decided to stop taking valium? and gabapentin?? just curious why people stop...you have a lot going on right now, it seems like you have more on your plate than some other people..you are much stronger than i am..

 

i have stopped every other medication without any sx at all - like the vallium but the xanax is kickin my butt..i have the tinnitus in my left ear only, and i don't have it everyday, and some days just during the day for a few hours.

 

i'm thankful for this forum as well..i'm still confused about the taper from the gabapentin, but i'm not even sure i want to go off of it..why are you trying to stop taking it??

 

hope you are having an ok day - at least you have people here who you can connect with..thank you for sharing...

 

hope you have a big window soon..

[[ro...]]

Cagr1, I guess I am afraid of getting Tolerance to the Valium. In mu signature you will see I was on 3mg Klonopin for 3 years. I had built up tolerance and had to stop taking it . I substituded the phenibut which is very benzo like and I also built up tolerance to it. I stopped taking it and all the Klonopin W/D sxs came back. So I saw a Dr on the benzo wise list of Doctors and he put me on Valium. My klonopin and phenibut experiences have scared me so much. That may be why I was wanting to come off the Valium because of tolerance and dependency issues and also damage it may due to my health and cognitive ability. memory etc. The Neurontin I was honest with the benzo wise Dr. I was thinking he was a caring Dr and would know if it was Okay to take and if not he would help me to taper off them but he became very rude and angry and told me to stop both Neurontin and Trazodone immediately. I told him I had severe insomnia issues and both Neurontin and Trazodone helped me to sleep. Which in fact they did. He said I would sleep on my own naturally even if I had insomnia for 2 days the third day I would sleep. Some people in this forum think Neurontin would interfere with Valium Tapering. I have heard elsewhere that it would reduce the symptoms of the Valium Taper. So I have become confused? What is the correct answer. I know for me trying to just Taper the Valium was difficult and also trying to just Taper the Neurontin was also difficult. The fact may be because of the cold Turkey of the Klonopin in 7 days I may have become more sensitive to benzo reductions. Had I never taken the Klonopin and detoxed from it . I think I would not be in this position right now

 

cargr1, I am not a strong person by no means every day when the Tinnitus flares up or my eyes feel like they are on fire I just want to go to my bed and close the door and shut out the world. I wish I had someone to comfort me and tell me it will get better or some Doctor will help me and listen to me and let me tell them the symptoms I have, But all they have done is dictate what they want me to do and do not even listen to what symptoms I am having or why I don't want to stop taking Neurontin or Trazodone. Next week I will need to try again to find an addiction psychiatrist. I have too much to handle by myself and I need someone who is willing to listen to me and help me. I need to find a Doctor who cares and will help me get better

[[Is...]]

CaGrl,

 

I found the Neurontin comes in 100mg capsules. I had the Dr write a rx for 100mg capsule. That way I could taper slowly, but with little hassle. Once i got to 600 mg (started at 2400mg)I went Down 100mg ever 7 days until I got to 100mg and then I just poured some out, about half...  I  hope this helps.  Neurontin is bad stuff. I believe it fools you into thinking the sxs are from the benzo, but in reality I think it is the Neurontin. On top of that the Neurontin makes you believe your sxs are better after taking it making you stay on it longer while it weave its web of evil.  Just my opinion based on my experiences.  Do not underestimate the power of this med.

 

Good luck an heal well.

[[Is...]]

Rob,

 

I sure can relate. I was on 20mg of Valium for 18 years. Not sure if the Neurontin helped me while I tapered.  Another bb member Lexi has done this. He believes as I that most of what we feel are Neurontin  sxs.  I agee with him.

 

Be safe and heal. Need some to talk to we are her

 

 

[[ro...]]

Island girl, Thanks. I have been so down for so long now. I have lost 50 pounds in a couple of months I barely have an appetite. When I failed my V Taper and had to go up even higher than the 20mg I started at to 25mgV I felt so angry at myself.

Then when this ignorant benzo wise Dr was so rude and demanded I stop Neurontin and Trazodone immediately I was so disappointed. I was begging him to let me Taper and have him prescribe 100mg Neurontin and let me stay on the Trazodone so I can sleep and he said no stop it at once. He would not even listen to the symptoms I was getting as I reduced the Valium or what may happen if I stop the trazodone and Neurontin abruptly. I don't know yet where I can find another Doctor who will prescribe me Valium. I have too many problems right now to stop or taper off anything. My search for Doctors had now taken me 80 miles from home. I have an appointment in 2 months with a Doctor 60miles away. I guess it is better than driving 100 miles to see this rude uncaring benzo Doctor. I only have the benzo buddies for any support and to empathize with.

 

Island Girl, I remember years ago . Someone posted how Neurontin helped then to come off benzos.Then how they tapered them off the Neurontin. I will find this thread and post it so you can read how it worked for them and what kind of Neurontin Taper the clinic put them on. Everyone of us is unique and what works for one of us will not work for another.

Next post I post will have this thread. I hope you heal I can relate to your sxs also.

[[ro...]]

Islandgirl, Here is the post of the bb member who had success with gabapentin. We are all so different. I don't know why this worked for this person but for many it would not work.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=70712.msg942155#msg942155

 

 

Rob

[[Is...]]

Rob,

 

Thanks for the thread to read. I sure wish mine was that easy.  I am so sorry you have ti deal with another idiot Dr. I hope this new one will listen to you.  Hang in there and keep posting. We will listen..  take care and be safe..

[[ro...]]

Thanks, Island girl. It is good to know someone is out there even if it is in cyperspace and I will never meet or talk to a live person which would be even better. But BB members are real we just never actually meet them or speak to them. A chat feature would be nice.

 

any way I went to another forum outside of BB and I got a suggestion from a guy named Fred. Here is his suggestion for a smooth Neurontin Taper and the reason why. " The Neurontin taper might be smoother if you took off 5mg/day, less if there is ANY discomfort other than return of symptoms. It gives the body a chance to correct itself on an smooth continuing basis rather than by the big chunks, and that is what you want, a smooth withdrawal rather than super chunks"

 

Someone added to Fred suggestion  That after you have made these 5 mg daily cuts in dosage for 5 days that you hold at that dosage for a week. So your body adjusts to the reduction. Then start cutting 5mg/day again then hold again for another week and keep doing this until the Neurontin is gone.  It is like doing a daily taper off of benzos rather than a bigger cut and hold. Some people react better to small daily reductions rather than to large cuts

[[Is...]]

Rob,

 

Are you going to try the Neurontin taper? Seems reasonably slow.  Good luck to you... heal fast

[[ro...]]

Island girl, I am scared to try it. I have had such bad experiences and no luck with tapering. I am still thinking of seeing an addiction specialist. So Far the quickest I can get in is 2 months wait. Next week I will keep making more phone calls to see if I can get in sooner. I just don't know if I should get off neurontin first or Taper of Valium first. I need expert advice. I don't want to keep guessing. I found a listing for an addiction specialist that looks promising 30 years experience. But so far I have struck out on every one I have called.

 

You may have had a rough time getting off the benzos but at least now you only have to deal with the gabapentin. You can come off of it as slow as you want. Maybe then your symptoms would be milder

[[ca...]]

hi guys - i started my taper last night..after sharing messages with rob he said something about pouring a little powder out and taking the capsules that way. so i did that last night and about an hour later my body from my butt down started vibrating..and my left ear only started ringing..so weird..

 

 

[[Is...]]

Hi guys,

I know it is ruff. I have been off the benzos for 160 days. Off Neurontin for 37 days. I am still having major sxs. I am vomiting, inner vibrating, Akathisia,  insomnia,  stomach problems, I cant eat or things get worse. I have lost weight and I am so tired.  All I can do is hope it will get better.  I dis have 2 hours today when all was good, then baam I was back into it.  Hang in there and make the best of what your body is telling you....  islandgirl

[[ro...]]

cagr1, I had ringing in my ear also when I reduced so I went back up to my original dose of 300mg. The ringing stopped. The less powder you take out the better. A very small cut and long hold between cuts is better than too large of a cut and too short of a hold. Gapapentin is pretty potent.. So the taper has to be slow and any cut has to be small

[[ca...]]

hi rob - i just am getting ready for bed and i opened a capsule and poured a little amount of this f******g drug out, i am going slow, i've been taking 800 mg for 7 months, i asked my dr if i needed to taper this or just stop it entirely and he wrote me back that i can just stop it, then i found this thread and asked him once again, i got the same answer. makes me think 2 about him now...

[[Is...]]

Cagrl,

 

Maybe you could tell your Dr you are having side effects and maybe he could rx 300mg and 100mg pills.  That way you always know how mush.  Just a thought.  Night

[[ro...]]

cagr1, The same thing happened to me. My benzo wise Doctor told me I could stop the Neurontin at once and have no problems but I had ringing in the ear(Tinnitus) and other symptoms burning sensations in face. So I read the forums and other forums and found people are doing slow Tapers and some had to go back to the original dose and then go with an even slower taper. Some people can stop with no problems other people have problems.

 

Rob

[[ca...]]

i don't think i'm going to have very many problems..i took less last night, i don't know how much i don't measure but i got a good nights sleep and some of my sxs are gone..the inner vibration, almost no ringing in my ears..

[[ro...]]

Doctors get their information on drugs from the company the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. I doubt any pharmaceutical company will write in their Literature that to discontinue the medication it must be slowly tapered or Titration should be used. It may be for Neurontin discontinuation it may say if patient has no history of seizures it can be continued without Tapering. The Doctor who prescribed me the Valium told me since I had no seizure history I could stop taking it immediately. I begged him to prescribe 100mg capsules and he got very angry and said no just stop taking it. He did not even want to listen to what I wanted to say about the symptoms I was having or my concern what may happen if I stopped it abruptly. He was the same way when I asked if I could taper off Trazadone and again got upset if I asked if I could taper it and get help with a Taper. He just said stop both at once and walked out of the office upset. It seems Doctors don't like it when you question them , They work with big Pharma and read what the pharmaceuticals say about discontinuation. They don't seem to know about all these forums on the internet and the people who suffer coming off of these meds.

[[ca...]]

hi rob - i have to disagree with you on this one. i asked actually pleaded with my drs to find me something for sleep, and they listened and i didn't care about what was going to happen if i were to stop the medication. so this was my fault for taking xanax and the gabapentin, i had decided to take these for the rest of my life, and it wasn't til my dr told me how horrible i looked, the xanax was no longer working, at that time he told me how horrible it was going to be, the same with the gabapentin..he did tell me that the gb needs to be tapered when i stopped, i just looked at an old email i sent him, so this was my fault, i may have written earlier that he didn't tell me, but he did, i just didn't hear him..so i had major problems with the xanax, but not too many with the gb..i do plan on wd at a slow pace as i don't know what would happen if i stopped all of the sudden. i have taken valium for so many years and stop that with no problems at all - i feel bad for people who are having a hard time with this..we are all so different..

[[ho...]]

Doctors get their information on drugs from the company the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. I doubt any pharmaceutical company will write in their Literature that to discontinue the medication it must be slowly tapered or Titration should be used. It may be for Neurontin discontinuation it may say if patient has no history of seizures it can be continued without Tapering. The Doctor who prescribed me the Valium told me since I had no seizure history I could stop taking it immediately. I begged him to prescribe 100mg capsules and he got very angry and said no just stop taking it. He did not even want to listen to what I wanted to say about the symptoms I was having or my concern what may happen if I stopped it abruptly. He was the same way when I asked if I could taper off Trazadone and again got upset if I asked if I could taper it and get help with a Taper. He just said stop both at once and walked out of the office upset. It seems Doctors don't like it when you question them , They work with big Pharma and read what the pharmaceuticals say about discontinuation. They don't seem to know about all these forums on the internet and the people who suffer coming off of these meds.

 

Hi Rob,

I have been following the posts...I'm sure you read a couple of my posts earlier. I just wanted to write back and encourage you! It is so frustrating and overwhelming to try and search for a doctor who can help. You can see from my signature I have been on a LONG road to getting off these meds and am finally nearing the end of a 2 year Xanax taper. I will begin Gabapentin soon after my last dose of Xanax and I will be doing it nice and slow and steady...with tiny cuts made daily followed by holds. I saw 22 doctors prior to finding one that I really liked and who would support me tapering at a pace that I could handle and who also allows me to manage it myself. I will tell you that I think a lot of people really have a hard time with addiction specialists. While we are addicted to these drugs it is very different than other types of addiction. We have taken drugs as prescribed. Addiction specialists in general take a very firm hand like yours did to muscle people off meds. This can really work for drug addicts but is not successful with those that are prescribed meds. I'd encourage you to look for an integrative medicine doctor or a doc who is board certified in Holistic Health. This is where I finally found a home. They are MDs but have a very different approach to medicine and in many cases the philosophy is to trust the patient's ability to co-manage their health with their doctor. You may find some support with one of these types of docs. Regardless, I'd like to encourage you to continue to move forward with getting off these drugs. You sound like you understand and know a lot. Trust yourself to move at a safe pace. I don't know if there is an exact right or wrong to choosing which drug to taper from first. I chose the benzo first because it is overall the hardest for most people. However, it can be done successfully either way. So go with your gut instinct and don't look back. One thing that I do and that I've observed in others who are successfully tapering is to make a commitment that you will get off the meds, that you will go as slow as you need to, and that you will never increase your dose once it is dropped. In order to do this, you typically have to go slower than you'd expect. Also, I know that acceptance is key! I mean that accepting that you will have symptoms and that they may be just awful but that they will be temporary will help you get through this. I have had over 40 symptoms for almost a year. It has been the hardest and most awful experience of my life. Yet I know that the only way out is through! Some people have an easier time, but I have learned that for me, I am sensitive to this and also I used a large amount for over 7 years so it is what it is. I hope this helps in some way. If you do need someone to bounce off a taper schedule with I am happy to give whatever perspective I might and I'm sure others here will do the same. Hang in there! With or without a doc who gets all of this, you will make it through!

Hopeful Girl

[[ro...]]

I do plan on tapering again, But right now Today I don't have any symptoms not even Tinnitus. My wife is very Ill with MS and now may have another disease where she has to see a specialist. I may also have to go for a  medical procedure. I have had pain in my Colon and other symptoms and don't know what it is. I thought it was irritable bowel but it has gotten worse. My doctor want me to have a endoscopy of my colon.  I was afraid they would use Valium for this procedure but I guess they would use propofol. I don't have anyone to help me. I live out in the woods away from any city and have no friends or relatives and my Wife can't drive because of her eyesight. WE are trying to find someone to help us. So until everything is resolved with our health issues I will just hold and do nothing. It is difficult to find that kind of Dr you are speaking of. I need the Doctor to be in our health insurance network. I don't even know if they have that category of Doctors on our DOC find Network for our health insurance. AS long as this Doctor will continue to prescribe the Valium, I can hold out. I think the cold turkey W/D from Klonopin really messed me up and then substituting the unknown supplement Phenibut may have done more damage. That is why it may be so hard to taper off of the Valium now. Days like today when I do not feel ill and can function make it hard for me to start a Taper. I need these days to take care of my wife and myself before I start any Taper and get those horrible symptoms.

[[ho...]]

I do plan on tapering again, But right now Today I don't have any symptoms not even Tinnitus. My wife is very Ill with MS and now may have another disease where she has to see a specialist. I may also have to go for a  medical procedure. I have had pain in my Colon and other symptoms and don't know what it is. I thought it was irritable bowel but it has gotten worse. My doctor want me to have a endoscopy of my colon.  I was afraid they would use Valium for this procedure but I guess they would use propofol. I don't have anyone to help me. I live out in the woods away from any city and have no friends or relatives and my Wife can't drive because of her eyesight. WE are trying to find someone to help us. So until everything is resolved with our health issues I will just hold and do nothing. It is difficult to find that kind of Dr you are speaking of. I need the Doctor to be in our health insurance network. I don't even know if they have that category of Doctors on our DOC find Network for our health insurance. AS long as this Doctor will continue to prescribe the Valium, I can hold out. I think the cold turkey W/D from Klonopin really messed me up and then substituting the unknown supplement Phenibut may have done more damage. That is why it may be so hard to taper off of the Valium now. Days like today when I do not feel ill and can function make it hard for me to start a Taper. I need these days to take care of my wife and myself before I start any Taper and get those horrible symptoms.

 

Hi Rob,

That all makes sense. It sounds like you have so many factors going on. I am sorry to hear about your wife. She is lucky to have someone to help her. I am sure it will all work out when the timing is right. Hang in there, my friend! Sending thoughts and prayers your way!

Hopeful Girl