Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group

[[Ca...]]

Thanks TeeCee... my upper GI was destroyed to a Nil transit by opiates pre benzo, and the benzos are slowing my recovery... -I found a specialised medicine that has reset peristalsis, and am a new person...

BUT whenever i have to take gabapentin (GPN) or worse, lyrica, it realy hits my peristalsis...

But i am learning how to ballance the books, -just havnt perfected it yet...

The more little pieces of info i get the more it helps...

Only months ago one gastro dr was talking about removing my large bowel and baging me... -there was nothing wrong with it..!!!!

-now i can even eat a little pizza... -thats the last of the cant eats...

So im pretty happy, and i owe a chunk of that to this site... (and ncbi)...

Thanks for your little piece of info too...

Take care...

[[Te...]]

Cantfly,

You've been through a lot! You take care too!

[[NW...]]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm currently tapering very slowly off of liquid Ativan with a long way yet to go, and I'm taking 700 mg of Gabapentin at night for sleep and have been since October - per a psych doctor's recommendation.  I initially got hooked on Ativan after a GP prescribed it to be for sleep issues I was having post concussion in August.  The Gabapentin has truly helped me get the rest I needed to heal from my concussion while also dealing with Ativan withdrawal.  And I continue to rely on it for sleep since my body hasn't relearned how to sleep since the concussion.

 

I've also been taking an antibiotic for a urinary tract infection during the past week, and due to extreme fatigue last Saturday I fell asleep without taking my nightly Gabapentin dose.  I slept through the night (which was great), and upon waking noticed my Gabapentin pills on the night stand.  I pondered whether to take them and decided not to, figuring I would just resume again that night.  As you all might imagine, this was a bad idea.  I ended up getting hit in the afternoon with an incredible wave of anxiety and headache in the afternoon and took a 400 mg rescue dose around 2:00 PM.  This staved off the worst of it, but the headache and itchy feelings continued into the next day.  Since then I've continued to stick to the lower end of my nightly dose (700 mg vs. 900 mg) have continued to feel some added anxiety and itchiness on top of my usual benzo withdrawal feelings.

 

I now have an inkling of how I would react to a rapid reduction in Gabapentin dose, and I don't look forward to it.  Knowing I have a long road of Benzo withdrawal ahead of me, and that Gabapentin continues to help me with sleep, I feel like I probably need to continue the Gabapentin for the forseeable future - much like PhotobugSF has. (I can't take Trazodone or Mirtazapine for insomnia due to priaprism issues).

 

For those of you who've also taken Gabapentin during/after Benzo withdrawal, I'm curious if you have any advice/thoughts for me.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

NW Guy

 

 

 

[[Po...]]

I did a detox c/t from Lorazepam.  I took Gabapentin to help with the c/t symptoms for about seven months.  I then did a slow taper, but I had only taken 300mg a day - couldn't handle any more.  It made me feel very drugged at higher doses.  It did help me sleep, I am finally starting to sleep with the aid of hydroxyzine, 50mg at night.

[[Te...]]

New Guy,

My doctor also put me on gabapentin to wean me off a benzo, in my case klonopin. She wanted me on it at least 6 months. I had developed gastroparesis, an ulcer, and severe weight loss inducing diarrhea on the klonopin. After reading this forum, I decided that the gabapentin would add to my misery. It no longer helped me sleep and I believed it was impeding the recovery of my GI tract. It had served its purpose in preventing a seizure while weaning off the klonopin, I asked my doctor to taper me off it as well.  With each cut I had fresh withdrawal symptoms, either from the gabapentin withdrawal itself,  or because the klonopin withdrawal was no longer dampened by the gabapentin. I'm over a month off the gabapentin and 15 weeks off the klonopin. I don't  regret getting off the gabapentin. It's an anti seizure Med being used off label for anxiety. It affects the CNS and has its own set of withdrawal issues. In my opinion it's just another poison to have to withdraw from. My belief is that while adding meds to wean off benzos may be necessary in the short term, in the long term these meds just create more issues and more withdrawals. Withdrawal sucks, and at some level you just have to deal with it once you are not in danger of seizures  etc. This is just my opinion. We all do what we have to do.

As for sleep, for a while I was using a supplement that contained a number of ingredients including melatonin. The safety and efficacy of long term melatonin use has been called into question, so I first stopped using it regularly to get off it. Here's how I am retraining my sleep with some success, given that I am in a stage of life where sleep is more problematic.

Make sure your room is dark. Cover all blue lights from electronic devices.

I used a sleep meditation at first. There are a number of apps you can down load.

Now I use a white noise machine and belly breathe. I'm falling asleep pretty fast now. Though I wake up, I'm able to get back to sleep.

Best of luck,

TeeCee.

 

 

Hello everyone,

 

I'm currently tapering very slowly off of liquid Ativan with a long way yet to go, and I'm taking 700 mg of Gabapentin at night for sleep and have been since October - per a psych doctor's recommendation.  I initially got hooked on Ativan after a GP prescribed it to be for sleep issues I was having post concussion in August.  The Gabapentin has truly helped me get the rest I needed to heal from my concussion while also dealing with Ativan withdrawal.  And I continue to rely on it for sleep since my body hasn't relearned how to sleep since the concussion.

 

I've also been taking an antibiotic for a urinary tract infection during the past week, and due to extreme fatigue last Saturday I fell asleep without taking my nightly Gabapentin dose.  I slept through the night (which was great), and upon waking noticed my Gabapentin pills on the night stand.  I pondered whether to take them and decided not to, figuring I would just resume again that night.  As you all might imagine, this was a bad idea.  I ended up getting hit in the afternoon with an incredible wave of anxiety and headache in the afternoon and took a 400 mg rescue dose around 2:00 PM.  This staved off the worst of it, but the headache and itchy feelings continued into the next day.  Since then I've continued to stick to the lower end of my nightly dose (700 mg vs. 900 mg) have continued to feel some added anxiety and itchiness on top of my usual benzo withdrawal feelings.

 

I now have an inkling of how I would react to a rapid reduction in Gabapentin dose, and I don't look forward to it.  Knowing I have a long road of Benzo withdrawal ahead of me, and that Gabapentin continues to help me with sleep, I feel like I probably need to continue the Gabapentin for the forseeable future - much like PhotobugSF has. (I can't take Trazodone or Mirtazapine for insomnia due to priaprism issues).

 

For those of you who've also taken Gabapentin during/after Benzo withdrawal, I'm curious if you have any advice/thoughts for me.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

NW Guy

[[Ca...]]

TeeCee,

Thank you, good timing... i needed a reminder...

is so tempting to get a break from GI cramps/pain...

Hope you get improvment too...

[[Ho...]]

I've been tapering from about 1500, I'm at 300 now. Was wondering if anyone wakes up really cold? Also very irritable, jaw clenching, aggressive. It's been on going as I have taken this med. I'm just really hoping it's not from my Anafrani I take for OCD. Thanks in advance

 

I might add through my benzo withdrawl, I woke up freezing as well.

[[Po...]]

I've been tapering from about 1500, I'm at 300 now. Was wondering if anyone wakes up really cold? Also very irritable, jaw clenching, aggressive. It's been on going as I have taken this med. I'm just really hoping it's not from my Anafrani I take for OCD. Thanks in advance

 

I might add through my benzo withdrawl, I woke up freezing as well.

 

This medication can have symptoms of its own.  I was cold, swollen feet, tinnitus.  Each person is different.  I have been off Gabapentin since October 14.  Am happy to be done with it.  I think your symptoms probably come from Gabapentin.  If you want you can do a search.  I found plenty of info that way.

[Guest [...]]

I've been tapering from about 1500, I'm at 300 now. Was wondering if anyone wakes up really cold? Also very irritable, jaw clenching, aggressive. It's been on going as I have taken this med. I'm just really hoping it's not from my Anafrani I take for OCD. Thanks in advance

 

I might add through my benzo withdrawl, I woke up freezing as well.

 

This medication can have symptoms of its own.  I was cold, swollen feet, tinnitus.  Each person is different.  I have been off Gabapentin since October 14.  Am happy to be done with it.  I think your symptoms probably come from Gabapentin.  If you want you can do a search.  I found plenty of info that way.

Popcorn lady...I see you mentioned tinnitus. May I ask if your tinnitus was use of gabapentin or withdraw of it? I.was actually put on 100 mgs 3 times daily of gabapentin and.experienced little T. But in October when I was put up to 300 mgs 3 times daily it ramped up loudly and has stayed since. At first I thought it was because I cold turkey from Ativan (since then reinstated and now tapering)_I about a week and a half ago cut out my mid day dose of gabapentin,  now only morning and evening.  Afraid to do too much while tapering Ativan, but wondered!

[[Ca...]]

So I took Gabapentin for 4 years at the max dose - 3600+ a day - for horrible Lyme pain. I weaned down from that dose to 100 mg/day over 18 months, and finally jumped at 100. Went into a terrible withdrawal that is the reason I ended up taking Valium - to ease my Gabapentin withdrawal, which can in fact decimate your GABA receptors - and other things - especially at those doses, for that length of time. I am doing a liquid Valium taper, and am stuck at 2.25 ml.

I can confirm that Gabapentin wreaks havoc with your brain while you are on it, and is an incredibly difficult drug to get off, with symptoms ranging from psychosis to seizures to really intractable stomach distress. My challenge now is finding ways to manage the Gabapentin withdrawal - taking GABA precursors and a ton of magnesium, biotin & Theanine (which help a lot) and not use more Valium than I need to keep me sane and on my feet while (hopefully) my system repairs over time. I have realized lately that it is going to take me more time than I'd hoped: my last cut from 2.35-2.25 has done me in: the nausea is back, and some of my rebound neuropathic pain.

Has anybody else juggled the two drugs and gotten fully off - or made decent progress? Done a microtaper (I am thinking that might be the way I have to go...)

 

[[Ho...]]

This drug absolutely blows me away. I was at 2000 about three weeks ago and every 2 days I have gone down 100 mgs. I'm sitting at 200 mg a day right now. I've had some irritability, jaw clenching, restless, and some of those electrical zaps. But not too bad. I have been reading posts through out this thread about people taking months and months to get off this stuff. I have been on it about a year. My most consistent dose was 900. I always worry about seizures. I hope I don't get hit with nothing major as I finish this crap off.

[[Ca...]]

Good luck. And sometimes the lower you get the worse the withdrawal - I was good til I got below 300 a day, and then each 100 mg was more and more difficult. When I jumped all hell broke loose - hence resorting to Valium

[[lo...]]

CallyDex: did your doc put you on valium? I mean there is no guarantee that a valium w/d will be any easier. In fact for most (long term) people it is much worse.  I hope you have no prob of course, but getting on a benzo seems strange.

how long have you been on valium?

and I did also see a similar w/d pattern. 0 problems till 150mg or so, and then more s/x. I am thinking this has to do with its bioavailability. the higher you go, the less you absorb. I think at 3600 you only absorp like 20something %.

what is also strange, 75-150mg per day I would be fine (1 nighttime dose), and post jump more s/x. with a short half life that makes no sense. seems like there is some delay in the brain once you jump.  maybe a super slow taper for the last bit makes sense for this drug after all.....

 

[[Ca...]]

Well, after 3 months of hideous withdrawal from the Gabapentin, I was unable to stand my life.Couldn't sleep, eat, work, got down to 98 lbs, had medical tests for pain and neurological symptoms - took one dose of Ativan to cope with a presentation at work one day and all symptoms magically disappeared!!! For 24 hours - then back. I found I was taking 1 mg Ativan every third day to survive: magnesium and Biotin and Theanine helped but I was feeling really suicidal. The Valium was suggested by someone who knew someone who had done an Ashton switch and taper successfully. I ran it by my internist (holistic but with me on my Gabapentin w/d journey and aware of how I was suffering) and my homeopath (who btw was the one who finally helped me get over Lyme after 4 years on abx (Gabapentin originally prescribed for unbearable Lyme nerve pain) - and they said go for it. Internist is prescribing the Valium. The plan was to use the Valium, tapering off, to help me cope with the time necessary to rebuild GABA and seratonin receptors destroyed by years of Neurontin. So I eat well, take GABA precursors and a bunch of other supplements, meditate, blah blah. It will probably take years, and I think what has happened with the V is that I am finally taking a low enough dose so that I am re-experiencing my Gabapentin withdrawal.

[[Ho...]]

Thank you and that sounds rough. I hope I can just cruise off of it. How long were you on it for and what dose?

[[Ca...]]

4 years at 3600 mg a day. Without it I was suicidal with pain and could not work. The Lyme yielded to treatment - abx for 4 years and then homeopathic remedies for another 18 months, during which I was able to get off the Gaba. Thought long and hard about the switch to Valium, but I am on a much lower equivalent dose (2.25 ml/day) than the Ativan (1 mg every 2-3 days, with terrible interdose symptoms). I am managing to work, though about every third day is rough, but not as rough as off everything. Thanks for the good wishes

[[Ca...]]

And I am going to do the super slow taper - it actually seems like the last one I did - 2.35-2.25 - was just a bit too much. Still trying to figure out microtapers and long holds

[[Ho...]]

Slow is good. I think looking back at my taper, I went too fast at times. I was a tolerance withdrawal, so everyday was absolute hell. I couldn't wait to get off. The gaba has been a result of many problems, I just couldn't put two and two together until recently. Now I'm upset I ever started taking it. Hope it all goes well for you! Hang tough.

[[lo...]]

i'm certain you will be free of it, this is a super low dose.

in regards to the gabapentin, I am wondering if there are other factors which made your whole situation worse. I mean the max. dose and duration did not help for sure, but something like the lyme itself cause nerve problems, you mentioned antidepressants?

anyways...good luck....

 

And I am going to do the super slow taper - it actually seems like the last one I did - 2.35-2.25 - was just a bit too much. Still trying to figure out microtapers and long holds

[[Lo...]]

I used to take Gabapentin occasionally. Basically a 100mg pill here and there. But as I tapered the ativan down to 0.62mg from around 2-3mg, I realized that the valium was not holding me and so my Gabapentin slowly went up to 400mg/day. Is that too high? I am thinking of not going over 600mg/day under any circumstances, but staying at 400mg/day for now. Is t hat reasonable? How hard is it to taper from 400mg/day?

[[Te...]]

It took me 8 weeks to taper from 400 mg of gabapentin that was used to get me off klonopin. It was excruciating. I've had this discussion with other people on this thread.  It's unclear how much of the difficulty was due to the gabapentin itself, or the fact that it masked the klonopin withdrawal, or both. I am 6 weeks off the gabapentin and just under 17 weeks off the klonopin, and I'm still having withdrawal symptoms, although they are getting better. If you're not having severe side effects from the gabapentin, as I was, you can take longer than 8 weeks. But you most likely will have some withdrawal, because of the Ativan and Valium.

[[Ca...]]

Yes, my personal feeling is that Benzo, gabapentin and lyrica (probably opiates could be added to a point), are all somewhat interchangable in relation to W/D...

Sorta robbing from Peter to pay Paul...

Though as with all things benzo, there are variances from person/situation, to person...

 

I try to practice caution... -if it seems to be too good to be true... -it probably is...

This thought saved me with lyrica... -yet some report few problems...

-sorry, just my 2cents...

 

[[Ca...]]

Yup the Lyme is definitely responsible for some nerve damage. But the interesting thing was that as I came off the Gabapentin, I would have rebound spine pain at each drop that would then resolve. And then come back after the next drop. So when I jumped from 100 mg to 0, I had no pain. But I did have other bizarre side effects of Gabapentin and Gabapentin withdrawal, which neurologists will tell you they cannot really distinguish between. Amnesia. Woke up one day and forgot who I was. Tremors. Odd thoughts. And then the usual - exhaustion, nausea (which I never had with Lyme). And once I was off the Gabapentin, I could take 1 mg Ativan and feel absolutely wonderful - no pain, no exhaustion, no anxiety - until it wore off. My levels of inflammation are also very low at this point - I eat really heathily - and all docs feel that what I am now experiencing are "the effects of treatment" - basically being hooked on the Gabapentin for so long, and going through withdrawal. When I did the crossover to Valium and was at 5 ml a day, I also felt wonderful. It is as I get down to 2.35 (and now 2.33) that I feel like crap: nausea, insomnia, some pain in my spine. Pretty sure it's wd. Just trying to figure out the best way to go forward, recognizing that I've got the Lyme damage to my brain as well as the damage from all the meds (including 4 years of abx which wreck your digestion and thus your gut seretonin and gaba receptors). Felt lousy yesterday, better today. GO figure

[[Po...]]

I've been tapering from about 1500, I'm at 300 now. Was wondering if anyone wakes up really cold? Also very irritable, jaw clenching, aggressive. It's been on going as I have taken this med. I'm just really hoping it's not from my Anafrani I take for OCD. Thanks in advance

 

I might add through my benzo withdrawl, I woke up freezing as well.

 

This medication can have symptoms of its own.  I was cold, swollen feet, tinnitus.  Each person is different.  I have been off Gabapentin since October 14.  Am happy to be done with it.  I think your symptoms probably come from Gabapentin.  If you want you can do a search.  I found plenty of info that way.

Popcorn lady...I see you mentioned tinnitus. May I ask if your tinnitus was use of gabapentin or withdraw of it? I.was actually put on 100 mgs 3 times daily of gabapentin and.experienced little T. But in October when I was put up to 300 mgs 3 times daily it ramped up loudly and has stayed since. At first I thought it was because I cold turkey from Ativan (since then reinstated and now tapering)_I about a week and a half ago cut out my mid day dose of gabapentin,  now only morning and evening.  Afraid to do too much while tapering Ativan, but wondered!

 

I have had a light case of tinnitus that I got when I had the flu years ago.  I could always deal with it, got used to it.  Then came the Gabapentin and c/t from Lorazepam.  I still have the tinnitus.  It is worse if I eat MSG, get tired or am stressed.  There is a vitamin mixture that is supposed to help, but I don't want to add anything to the mix until my nerve pain is gone.

 

If we had only known what one little pill would lead to     

 

Good luck.

Patti

[[Ca...]]

Yup I hear that. At this point I have about 2 good days and 1 bad: the balance seems to be shifting in a positive way, and I am leaning towards just doing a real slow microtaper cause I love being able to function. Good luck to you as well