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Na2112 Gabapentin withdrawl


Na2112

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I was on 3600 mg a day of Gabapentin for about 8 years. I suddenly developed severe side effects to the medication and it really wasn't helping my mood disorder any longer, so I was taken off the Gabapentin with no taper. It has been 2 weeks since my last dose. The first week I couldn't get out of bed due to horrific withdrawals; severe anxiety, severe back pain, fear, nausea and vomiting and diarrhea and extreme fatigue. Some symptoms have improved somewhat but all in all it's still pretty bad. I'm now also having headaches, itching, feelings of despair and hopelessness, as well as debilitating panic attacks. I can't even leave my house.

I came to this group looking for support and hope as well as any suggestions for anything that may help my symptoms and make this process more bearable. I feel like this may kill me before I can recover. Any input appreciated.

Medications and Supplements: Lisinipril 10 mg, lamactil 50 mg, simvistatin 10 mg, gaba supplement 750 mg, magnesium 400-800 mg, Ativan 1mg as needed, melatonin 10 mg.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Na,

 

Welcome to SA.  I'm glad you have found this site.  It is full of helpful information and the mods are very knowledgeable and the members are very supportive.

 

Thank you for completing your signature block.

 

Going CT off any psychiatric medication is highly likely to produce withdrawal symptoms.  It seems like you have had a really rough time of it.  I'm sorry that your doctor allowed this to happen.  This site recommends a 10% taper.  This is the link for Tapering Gabapentin.  You may want to consider reinstating so you can stabilise and then taper slowly.  I am not sure what dose you would need.  Best to wait for a mod to offer a suggestion on what dose.  If you are thinking of seeing a doctor, I would suggest that you post his/her recommendation here before following it so you can get a second opinion.  Doctors quite often determine that what you have is a relapse or give a new diagnosis and may suggest going on an even higher dose or adding another medication.

 

To help you understand why these suggestions are made please read this analogy of Brain Remodelling or this video Healing from Antidepressants:  Patterns of Recovery

 

I hope this information helps.  You can use this Topic to ask questions and journal your progress.

 

Wishing you all the best.  CC 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi again,

 

I've just noticed that you are taking Simvastatin.  Once you are feeling more comfortable you may want to research taking Coenzyme Q10.  I've heard a radio medico saying that this enzyme is depleted by using statins.  I've also been told that the very first statin medications had CoQ10 added in.  I am not a medical person, it's information that I have gained over the last few years.

 

CC

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Administrator

Welcome, Na.

 

What was the reaction that was attributed to gabapentin?

 

A very small amount, such as 50mg, might reduce the withdrawal symptoms -- a small amount might not trigger an adverse reaction. To take a small amount, see Tips for tapering off Neurontin (gabapentin)

 

However, it could be you had a drug-drug interaction. Did you add or increase anything before you started reacting to gabapentin?

 

Please put ALL your drugs (including gabapentin) in the Drug Interactions Checker http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and copy and paste the results in this topic.
 

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.

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Welcome Na,

Wow 3600mg of gaba a day that sounds like an insane amount of drug ...is that 2 600 mg tablets for breakfast lunch and dinner.

 

What mood disorder requires that kind of dosage?

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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It was 1200 mg 3x a day. My diagnosis for years was bi-polar with depression major and generalized anxiety, I have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals several times. The last hospitalization, there was a group of doctors who evaluated me and they did not agree with my previous diagnosis. They said my real diagnosis was generalized mood disorder and generalized anxiety.

I really wanted to soldier through this and get off of this medication for good. I thought after 2 weeks I'd start feeling much better, but after doing some research, I found that CT of such a high dose can make you sick for months.

Yesterday my withdrawals were so bad I thought I was dying, my chest was hurting really bad, my heart was pounding so hard that I could look at my chest and see my heart beating, I was shaking uncontrollable and panicking. So I went back to my doctor and he reinstated the gabapentin. He put me on 400 mg 4x a day, which is 1600 mg a day (As opposed to the previous dose of 3600). He said that he can reduce the dosage every month or two for a slow taper....what do you guys think?

Medications and Supplements: Lisinipril 10 mg, lamactil 50 mg, simvistatin 10 mg, gaba supplement 750 mg, magnesium 400-800 mg, Ativan 1mg as needed, melatonin 10 mg.

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oops i forgot to put the 'times' in so 2 x 600 mg breakfast lunch and dinner. was 1200 3times a day

 

Bet you always ended up in hospital when trying to get off this drug right. And sounds like the bipolar diagnosis has resulted from that.

welll what do you think...do you feel stable/safe?

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Administrator

As you've had such a bad reaction, stressing your nervous system, going off more slowly is much safer for you. Please read Tips for tapering off Neurontin (gabapentin)

 

Please do the Drug Interactions check.

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.

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