DJT2020: Gabapentin for anxiety for a year, tapering off help

[DJT2020]

I have been on Gabapentin at 600 mg (200 mg 3x a day) for over a year for General/Social anxiety. I tapered off over the course of 3 months by lowering 100 mg every 2 weeks. Ever since being off for the last few months, I have depression moments, higher anxiety than before I started Gabapentin, and lack of appetite and dizziness at times. Help!!!

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, DJT2020.  I'm sorry you're experiencing these difficult symptoms.

 

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months, in particular the dates and rate of your Gabapentin taper.  Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

We recommend tapering very slowly, no more than 10% of current dose every four weeks.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  Your taper was much faster, resulting in the withdrawal symptoms you're experiencing.  All the symptoms you list are common withdrawal symptoms.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

This explains it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

The only known way to reduce withdrawal symptoms is by reinstatement of a very small amount of your previous drug.  Reinstatement works most predictably within 3 months after your last dose.  It can work beyond that time, but there's never any guarantee that it will work.  The other alternative is to wait it out until your system reestablishes homeostasis.  There is no way to predict how long that will take.  For some it can be a fairly short time, for others it can much longer.  Please read:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

Please let us know if reinstatement is something you want to consider and we can suggest a dose.  Please don't reinstate without letting us advise you first.

 

It's important to learn and use Non-drug techniques to cope

 

These links contain tips on dealing with anxiety:

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

VIDEO:  Peace from Nervous Suffering - Claire Weekes (1 hour) (http://sendvid.com/vgquc1dg)

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help …

10 minute Restorative Yoga for Relaxation | Up the wall

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  I'm glad you found your way here.  Again, once you've compiled your signature, we'll be in a better position to make suggestions.