butterfly65 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I started my gabapentin journey after trying unsuccessfully several times to get off of .25 mg of Klonopin even with a proper tapering schedule. I was switched to gabapentin 1200 (400 x3)in Jan 2015, and now beginning to taper this. Began to taper on April 17. I had been tapering 100 mg per week but had to stop at 900mg to stabilize. Started taper again last week. ( 200,300,300). Using magnesium 500 mg per day spread out, helping very little. I'm experiencing extreme burning pain, needle feeling throughout body, headaches, Body Aches, fatigue, weird coldness in face and head, and some anxiety. The withdrawal is hell. I have completely withdrawn from life. I don't want to give up on this as I want my life back. Need help maybe with a better taper schedule. If withdrawal symptoms don't get better do i reinstate? For how long? I have read on this site that some people never fully stabilize but just keep going after 10-14 days. Even if i slow down to a taper of 50mg per 2 weeks, instead of 100 every two weeks, not sure I can deal with this withdrawal for 16 weeks(8 months). Or maybe I could if these symptoms would be also be halved. My Medication History: Jan 2012 Zoloft .25mg up to.50 mg bad weight gain 60 lbs July 2013 switched to prosac was hospitalized for akathisia from this Sept 2013 in hospital was put on klonopin .5 and Lexapro 5mg Oct 2013-March 2014 dr's tried to get me to come off klonopin five times, benzo wds were horrible. March 2014 dr switched me back to zoloft .25mg began another taper off .25 of Klonopin wd's. horrible got to micro cuts by Dec Jan 2015 Neurontin (gabapentin) was prescribed for neuropathic pain caused by benzo (z-drug) WDs, 1200mg dose for 4.5 months. Feb 2015 tapered off zoloft April 2015 Started to taper neurontin April 17, at 100mg every 10-14 days, now down to 800mg. (200,300,300) wds to hard May 2015 per dr reinstated back to 1200 mg of gabapentin July 2015 upped to 1600 Gabapentin. Link to comment
westcoast Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Hi, Butterfly65, welcome.Your situation looks pretty rough and I am sorry to hear that you're going through it. Is an kind of medical professional working with you on this? We have some other members here withdrawing from Gabapentin. I hope they stop by soon. You can also used "advanced search" (by clicking the grey gear to the right of the search button in the upper right of your screen) to look for them. Enter what you want to, and make sure to choose between "any words" and "all words" (dropdown menu) before searching. I like the results to be listed by post rather than by topic (dropdown menu). Topics can have hundreds of posts to wade through looking for a hit. Glad you're here, and I hope you find support and fellowship. PS You'll see that you just got some answers to your magnesium question in another thread. Also, expected have any double posts fixed by a mod. One will be removed. 2009: Cancer hospital said I had adjustment disorder because I thought they were doing it wrong. Their headshrinker prescribed Effexor, and my life set on a new course. I didn't know what was ahead, like a passenger on Disneyland's Matterhorn, smiling and waving as it climbs...clink, clink, clink. 2010: Post surgical accidental Effexor discontinuation by nurses, masked by intravenous Dilaudid. (The car is balanced at the top of the track.) I get home, pop a Vicodin, and ... Whooosh...down, down, down, down, down...goes the trajectory of my life, up goes my mood and tendency to think everything is a good idea.2012: After the bipolar jig was up, now a walking bag of unrelated symptoms, I went crazy on Daytrana (the Ritalin skin patch by Noven), because ADHD was a perfect fit for a bag of unrelated symptoms. I was prescribed Effexor for the nervousness of it, and things got neurological. An EEG showed enough activity to warrant an epilepsy diagnosis rather than non-epileptic ("psychogenic") seizures. 2013-2014: Quit everything and got worse. I probably went through DAWS: dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. I drank to not feel, but I felt a lot: dread, fear, regret, grief: an utter sense of total loss of everything worth breathing about, for almost two years. I was not suicidal but I wanted to be dead, at least dead to the experience of my own brain and body. 2015: I began to recover after adding virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed fed butter to a cup of instant coffee in the morning. I did it hoping for mental acuity and better memory. After ten days of that, I was much better, mood-wise. Approximately neutral. And, I experienced drowsiness. I could sleep. Not exactly happy, I did 30 days on Wellbutrin, because it had done me no harm in the past. I don't have the DAWS mood or state of mind. It never feel like doing anything if it means standing up. In fact, I don't especially like moving. I'm a brain with a beanbag body. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 24, 2015 Administrator Share Posted May 24, 2015 Welcome, butterfly65. Please read Why taper by 10% of my dosage? and Tips for tapering off Neurontin (gabapentin) This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
elgee Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Hi Butterfly, So sorry to hear that you are having such a difficult time. Are you completely off the Klonopin? Sounds to me like you've been through a cold turkey. I would hold off on tapering another drug if you want to avoid a lot of suffering. It took me at least 2 years before I felt well enough to begin tapering gabapentin. I've been on gabapenting for over 5 years. I was prescribed this drug to help with my benzo taper. I thought that benzos were hell to get off of, but for me gabpentin has been much more difficult. I am so grateful for having found this site. I learned there is a much saner approach to getting off of these poisons. I had great success using the liquid titration while tapering valium so I decided to use the same method with gabapentin. When I first started I had to experiment with cuts to determine how much I could cut and remain functional. After I make a drop I hold for 4-5 days before my next cut. This method has worked very well for me. It might take me years to get off this drug, but I have a lot on my plate and can't afford to be bedridden. I highly recommend reading through this topic on slow tapers. Tapering slow has allowed me to have a pretty normal life. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2364-the-slowness-of-slow-tapers/ I tried taking magnesium a few times and always ended up feeling horrible and unable to sleep for days. Let me know if you have any questions butterfly. Hang in there. elgee 2.5 tapered to .75 mgs ativan (7 months) c/o to 7.50 valium tapered to 0 (15 months) benzo free 12/2011!<p>1500 mgs gabapentin microtapering, down to 1350 as of 1/5/2015, 1225 as of 11/1/2015 Link to comment
butterfly65 Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi Elgee, Thank you for your reply. In answer to your questions, yes I'm off Klonopin and no it was not cold turkey. I did a slow taper several times and I was only on it for a year at .25 mg, but couldn't get off of it completely. I was at really small cuts. My doctor switched me to Xanax at the very end for approximately two weeks. I had a paradoxical effect to Xanax and thus they put me on gabapentin to help get off the benzos. I remained on Zoloft .25 through Feb 2015. Then tapered off that as i was diagnosed with serotonin syndrome. Yes I've been off benzo since January 2015. Off SSri since Feb 2015 The gabapentin was great for a couple of months but then I started having problems with the gabapentin, joint discomfort, swelling of the feet, and numbness and tingling or in my lips and fingers. My psychiatrist thought it might be a good time to start to taper on April 17. But I think he started me too fast. He had me come down 400 for my first taper. Since I wasn't seeing him again for another month I decided to do 100 per week. When I hit 900 I hit a wall. So I stayed there but never really fully stabalized. I just started the taper again from 900 to 800 last week. This is the last of the 100 increments as this is just more than 10%. But I have been miserable with these tapers and I am thinking now, after seeing all the info from you and alto, that I need to go at this much much slower. Maybe I need to be on gabapetin longer?. The information is very helpful.So I talked to my doctor today and we decided to reinstate. He has me going up to 1000mg.? Will I feel like I did when I was at 1200? And how long do I stay there before tapering again? I read that you took 4 months to stabilize? What does stabilize mean to you? I read your thread "not a happy camper". A lot of good information there. I would like to keep this post exchange going. It is hard to find support and you seem to be as sensitive to these changes as I am. I am hanging in there. butterfly My Medication History: Jan 2012 Zoloft .25mg up to.50 mg bad weight gain 60 lbs July 2013 switched to prosac was hospitalized for akathisia from this Sept 2013 in hospital was put on klonopin .5 and Lexapro 5mg Oct 2013-March 2014 dr's tried to get me to come off klonopin five times, benzo wds were horrible. March 2014 dr switched me back to zoloft .25mg began another taper off .25 of Klonopin wd's. horrible got to micro cuts by Dec Jan 2015 Neurontin (gabapentin) was prescribed for neuropathic pain caused by benzo (z-drug) WDs, 1200mg dose for 4.5 months. Feb 2015 tapered off zoloft April 2015 Started to taper neurontin April 17, at 100mg every 10-14 days, now down to 800mg. (200,300,300) wds to hard May 2015 per dr reinstated back to 1200 mg of gabapentin July 2015 upped to 1600 Gabapentin. Link to comment
butterfly65 Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Update, okay I went up per my psych dr on the gabapentin to 1000mg, dosing four times a day from the 800 mg.. I am feeling somewhat better already but I am sure I need to give it a few days more or longer to see if I stabilize. Yet I still dont know what that means. My mood is very somber, don't want to get out of the house or do anything, still have nerve sensations, although better, burning razors under the skin! I hope I don't have to go back to 1200mg or more!! But if I have to then so be it. I want to function, let things heal and then try again later. Also, I just found out today that my thyroid is all out of whack and now I have to get meds for that. Because I am so sensitive I'm going to start a very small dose. I also need to take a lot of other supplements B-12, Vit D but I'm scared to do that as I don't want any of it to rev up my nervous system. For me everything has to be one thing at a time so I can isolate what may or may not bother my already sensitive nerves. It may take more time, but I will endure and conquer this!! butterfly65 My Medication History: Jan 2012 Zoloft .25mg up to.50 mg bad weight gain 60 lbs July 2013 switched to prosac was hospitalized for akathisia from this Sept 2013 in hospital was put on klonopin .5 and Lexapro 5mg Oct 2013-March 2014 dr's tried to get me to come off klonopin five times, benzo wds were horrible. March 2014 dr switched me back to zoloft .25mg began another taper off .25 of Klonopin wd's. horrible got to micro cuts by Dec Jan 2015 Neurontin (gabapentin) was prescribed for neuropathic pain caused by benzo (z-drug) WDs, 1200mg dose for 4.5 months. Feb 2015 tapered off zoloft April 2015 Started to taper neurontin April 17, at 100mg every 10-14 days, now down to 800mg. (200,300,300) wds to hard May 2015 per dr reinstated back to 1200 mg of gabapentin July 2015 upped to 1600 Gabapentin. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted May 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 30, 2015 I'm happy to hear you are feeling a little better butterfly. These topics may answer your questions: What does stabilizing mean? - Surviving Antidepressants About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
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