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willow61: Gabapentin Taper Help


willow61

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Hi Everyone. I'm wondering how long it should take to stabilize after a cut from Gabapentin.

I've been on only 100 mg  for about 6 months, maybe more. I decided to get off of it and start tapering on April 10th. I went way too fast (25% every 5  days). When I began having  severe withdrawal symptoms, I bumped my dose from 50 mg to 75 mg in hopes of stabilizing. That was 10 days ago.  Do you know how long it takes to stabilize after something like this?

 

I should mention, I'm obviously very sensitive to meds and was tapering off Valium last year but had to stop at 8 mg because my doctor was asking me to cut too much, too fast.

I've decided I would rather get off the Gabapentin first and then go back to tapering Valium.    

Thanks so much

 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a peer owned and run forum of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm sorry to hear that you are going through psych med withdrawal.  I know, I've been there, done that, got that t-shirt.  

 

First of all, can you please give us specific information about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.  

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we taper by 10% of the current dose, so that the taper becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering off Gabapentin

 

 

Also, as we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. 

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

When we recover, there are times of feeling OK mixed in with times of feeling bad.  This is called windows and waves.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

A reinstatement won't necessarily take all the WD symptoms away, but often it will decrease them.  Given that you did a very fast taper, I would suggest you hold on your current dose for at least 4 weeks, but perhaps longer.  Your system could very well still be recovering from the Valium taper from last year as well.  If it were me, I would listen to my body and not taper further until I felt somewhat OK and stable.  Here is a link that goes into the various issues around tapering, and how long it takes.  

 

How Long Withdrawal Could Take

 

What symptoms are you having, and how would you rate them on a scale of 1 - 10 overall, with 10 being the worst?  

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart.  We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through.  Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities.  It takes time, but healing can and will happen. 

Please do not private message me.  Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you.  

 

***Please note this is not medical advice.  Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one.

 

Lexapro   Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg;  started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20  0.18 mg; Jul 16  0.17 mg, Aug 23  0.16 mg, Oct 7  0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005,  Jul 8, 0.00.  Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!!  Woohoo!!!

other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg

magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed

suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc

suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg

 

Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 

Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 

Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly 

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  • getofflex changed the title to willow61: Gabapentin Taper Help
  • 2 weeks later...

HI Getofflex. Thank you for all this information. I am still on .75 mg of Gabapentin because I started having withdrawal symptoms again. I have found that Magnesium and Epsom Salt baths unfortunately cause withdrawal symptoms for me. My days swing back and forth between good and terrible, so it's hard to rate. My main symptoms are neck pain, leg cramps, back pain, anxiety, insomnia but taking something for that. And I get strange cold sensations on my scalp.

Thank you,

Jeri

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Administrator

Hello, @willow61

 

Are you taking 75mg gabapentin? What other drugs are you taking, at what times of day? Are your symptoms worse at any particular times of day?

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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Hi Altostrata. Yes, I'm on 75 mg of gabapentin. I've postponed my valium taper for the past 5 months because I was having such a difficult time. I decided to try the gabapentin recently.  I"m splitting the gabapentin into 3 smaller doses. I haven't noticed that my symptoms are worse at certain times of day although I often feel I do better at. night, but tonight I'm having a very bad time of it. 

Other meds I'm on are Armour thyroid, 8 mg valium, Buspirone, estrogen, sometimes I take midodrine , I also take cbd and sometimes cannabis to help me sleep. I'm a walking drugstore. 

as far as supplements go, I take fish oil, probiotics, zinc, copper, monolaurin. I have multiple health issues.

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Administrator

How did your symptom pattern change after you went back to 75mg gabapentin?

 

Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right. This can show if your symptoms are adverse effects from one of your drugs.

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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Thank you, Altostrata.  I've posted my symptoms below. One thing I'm suspicious of is my doctor just put me on two weeks of estrogen. I normally take it twice a week, but she wanted to give me more for a while to get me back on track. I was using a brand that wasn't absorbing well so she switched me to this compounded cream. I need it to prevent UTI's.

I have had terrible withdrawals from Gabapentin but I would have some good days and some bad and it was when I was cutting very high doses.

Now I'm just trying to stabilize and ever since restarting the estrogen, I've not had a single good day. I feel bad everyday. It has been a week since restarting the estrogen. I don't know that that could be it because it's been a terrible experience from day one. 

I can tell you that my symptoms are usually all day long and don't let up. 

Armour Thyroid at 6:30 Am

Gabapentin at 7:00 Am

Buspar at 8:00 Am

Up at 8:00 and have mild neck pain which worsens as the day goes on. I feel cold and my skin feels cold, sometimes my head. I'm a little anxious. I also have blurred vision.  These symptoms except the neck pain and blurred vision tend to lessen in the afternoon. Fatigue and mental confusion last all day. 

All supplements at 11:30 am

Buspar at 12 pm and 4 pm

Gabapentin at 3:00 pm

Gabapentin at 11:00 pm along with Estrogen, CBD, cannabis, valium. ( I have bad insomnia.)  

 

The main difference this time from when I cut Gabapentin before is I'm not having the suicidal ideation I had when I cut the gabapentin too much and too fast. The other symptoms are the same.

 

Thank you again,

Jeri

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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HI Altostrata. I've come to the conclusion that it's the estrogen, but I'm not sure if it's the Diazepam or Gabapentin that it's affecting. The symptoms I'm having are more similar to Gabapentin wd than Diazepam wd but I can't find anything that says estrogen interferes with absorption of Gabapentin. I think it's the Estrogen because my doctor recently increased my dose and my symptom started around that time. Do you know if estrogen affects gabapentin? Thanks so much for your help. 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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Hi. I am wondering what happens if you stay on a dose of Gabapentin for a long time. Do you develop tolerance and at that point do withdrawal symptoms kick in? Is this why people keep increasing their dose? 

As you can see from my signature, I got halfway through a taper off Valium and had to hold. My doctor suggested I take Gabapentin to calm my nervous system. I reluctantly agreed but only took 100 mg a day. 

After about 6 months I decided to taper off of it and went too quickly (25%). I bumped my dose from 50 mg to 75 mg and can not seem to stabilize. It's been almost 2 months. I am not doing well on this and can barely function each day. Does anyone have experience with reinstating Gabapentin? Thanks so much. I'm feeling afraid and desperate. 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

Link to comment
  • Administrator

Too-high a dose of estrogen has adverse effects, too, please look it up on drugs.com

 

I don't know the interaction with gabapentin, please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

 

I moved your question about gabapentin here, since it seems to pertain to your individual situation.

 

Yes, people develop tolerance to gabapentin and increase their dosage.

 

Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right. This can show if your symptoms are adverse effects from one of your drugs.

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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  • Mentor

Welcome! I'm sorry that you are in the gabapentin mess. Of the people I know who have been injured by Gaba, my observation has been that recent benzo tapering, especially if fast tapering or cold turkey, seems to put people at risk for more incapacitating gabapentin withdrawal symptoms. How long it takes to stabilize from a gabapentin cut like any other drug, is highly individual. When my fast taper exploded before I found this site, it took me about 10 weeks to get over the worst of it. Hopefully you will be much quicker. I stabilized by reinstating to a dose and sticking to it. Based upon your exposure to benzos, I would encourage you to be extremely careful and slow with the gabapentin when you restart your taper. I'm glad you updosed and are holding. 

Now: 100 mg Zoloft am, 50 mg Trazodone.  Daily drug burden decreased from 2050 in 2018 mg to 150 mg 🐢🐢

Zoloft: 1/24/23 increased to 100 mg after suicide attempt 9/17/22 cut 6 mg, 8/14/22 cut 6.5 mg, 5/7/22 cut 12.5 mg 3/20/22 cut 12.5 mg 10/26/21 cut 6 mg 10/17/21 cut 5 mg, 9/17/21 Cut 3 mg,  9/13/21 cut 4 mg, 8/29/21 Cut 2 mg 8/8/21 Cut 3 mg  7/30/21 Zoloft: Converted 25 mg to liquid. Also take 100 mg pill & 25 mg pill=150 mg total
🌞 Feb 28, 2021 0 mg Gapapentin 2021 Gaba each dose 4x/day: Feb 27 7 mg (one dose only), Feb 10, 7 mg, Jan 14 10 mg 2020 Current taper schedule from Aug 30-present: drop 8 mg every 2-3 weeks. Aug 20 31 mg, Aug 18, 33 mg, July 29, 35 mg, July 23 38 mg, July 22 40 mg Jun 24 42 mg, Jun 15 44 mg, Jun 9 48 mg, May 22 50 mg, May 14 54 mg, May 7 56 mg, Apr 16 58 mg, Mar 28 60 mg, Mar 18 62 mg. Feb 26 64 mg. Feb 19, 66 mg. Jan 23, 70 mg. 2019 Dec 19, 72 mg. Nov 14 ,76 mg. Aug 8, 80 mg. Aug 6, 85 mg. Jul 26, 90 mg. Jul 11, 95 mg.

Jul 16 trazodone from 100 to 50 mg.

Jun 17-July 10 Slowly changed gab fr pill to liquid at same dose 100 mg 4x/d.

Apr 24 Stopped klon!!! 🌞 Apr 4  Decreased gaba to 400 mg (100 mg 4x/day)-Apr 4, 2019   0.25 klon March 11  Klonopin .5 mg twice daily, varied dose til Apr 15. Started Klon fast taper 25%, short use

Mar 16, 450 mg gaba 3x/day cut 600 mg--not exact!--updose after learning w/d

Feb 20, 2019 1800 mg gabapentin; MD taper; off 3 days=mvt disorder & autonomic instability. July 2018 temazepam 15 mg 1-2; prn several x/wk til Jan/Feb 2019 when cold turkey, flu illness for months

July 2018 started gabapentin 100 3x/day; titrated up to 1800 mg (600 3x/day)

Buspar, I forget how much, 2 pills a day Jan 2017-July 2018 cold turkey. On Zoloft since maybe 2004? After trying many.

*I speak from my experience. Nothing I say is medical advice. I'm not a doctor.

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Hi Shining Light. I believe your screen name is very fitting. You've given me hope this morning. On the 28th it will be a month since I started my hold on 75 mg. I am finally starting to feel normal although my neck pain is coming and going.  I'm realizing this may be a very long process just like the Benzo taper will be. It helps to understand that my previous troubles with the Benzo taper could be the cause of my reaction. I have accepted that from here on out it's low and slow for me! Thank you so much for your response. 

 

(By the way, I noticed in your signature that you ct Buspar. I'm taking it too to help with anxiety. Did you have withdrawal symptoms? I've been wondering lately if that's going to be another med that will involve a long taper. )

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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Altostrata, thank you for your help with the estrogen question. I am starting to think the estrogen was causing problems with my Valium absorption as well. So it was a double whammy. 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Hi everyone. I have tapered down to 75 mg of Gabapentin from 100 mg. I believe I've reached tolerance because I have experienced constant wd symptoms from day one. I haven't dropped my dose for an entire month. I am considering going back to my original 100 mg and would like to know if I can then take Magnesium at the same time. What I'm confused about is when we take magnesium with Gabapentin does it cause constant withdrawal or does our body adjust? I'm thinking if I start taking Magnesium at the same time I start back on 100 mg,  my body will think I'm at a bit lower dose than 100 mg and therefore I will have no wd symptoms.  I hope that makes sense. I was using magnesium baths and supplements before I got on gabapentin 7 months ago and I continued to use it the entire time I was on it until I started my taper. Then I noticed it was worsening my wd symptoms.   I need the magnesium for restless leg syndrome.

 

I should also add that I believe the reason I'm having such a difficult time with such a small dose of gabapentin is because my doctors all told me there was no such thing as dependence on gabapentin, so when I decided to get off of it. I dropped by 25% the first week , then 25% the second week and went into a horrific month of withdrawal symptoms including serious suicidal ideation. To compensate, I increased my dose from 50 mg to 75.  I think this quick withdrawal further damaged an already damaged nervous system and has caused kindling. ( I have Dysautonomia.)    I would just go ahead and force myself off of this drug since I'm on such a low dose but I have to work and simply can't function.  

 

I'm also curious to know if I stay on this drug for a long period of time without tapering, will I develop tolerance withdrawal even if I'm not tapering?

Thank you

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Previous post moved to your intro topic to keep your history all in one place.  Please post questions and discussion about your situation in this one thread, to avoid confusion and duplication of efforts.  Thank you.  

Please do not private message me.  Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you.  

 

***Please note this is not medical advice.  Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one.

 

Lexapro   Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg;  started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20  0.18 mg; Jul 16  0.17 mg, Aug 23  0.16 mg, Oct 7  0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005,  Jul 8, 0.00.  Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!!  Woohoo!!!

other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg

magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed

suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc

suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg

 

Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 

Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 

Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly 

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Hi All. I've heard that when taking Gabapentin we're  supposed to wait to take Magnesium 2 hours before or 4 hours after a dose. Is that correct? 

Also, is it ok to soak in Epsom Salts while on Gabapentin? I just ask because it is made up of magnesium sulfate. I'm having a lot of pain and really, really miss my magnesium and soaks. 

Thanks so much. 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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Hi everyone. It has been over two months and I'm still not stabilizing after upping my dose to 75 from a rapid 50% taper off 100mg of gabapentin. Does anyone have any clue as to what could be my problem? I very rarely have good days. I've developed tinnitus and stomach pain and nausea which is bad because I am already very underweight due to an autoimmune disorder.  I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. I'm wondering if I should just go back up to the original 100, stabilize and try again later. I wonder though, if I'll even be able to stabilize on 100 mg now. 

Any help you have to offer is greatly appreciated.

(By the way, per my previous posts, I decided the estrogen was causing me to go into withdrawal because of the benzo I'm on. I quit taking the estrogen and I felt a little better after that but I've never stabilized.) 

Thanks so much,

Jeri

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi willow61--

 

First, the usual disclaimer: everyone is different and there's no actual research on the deep long term effects of the use of drugs that mess with neurochemistry in humans, and no actual research on the effects of changing and removing those drugs either. So everything is best guess.

 

On reading over your history though what strikes me is that you were on Klonopin for 10 years, and then you switched to Valium just last year, and then it sounds like you started tapering the Valium pretty fast (right away after switching?) and your doctor wanted you to go faster than felt safe to you so you quit tapering it but you added in gabapentin, and then you recently did some pretty large cuts on that down to a lower dose, and then increased the dose again.

 

If you try to imagine this from your brain's point of view, it's a lot of changing and ups and downs in a pretty short period of time.  I think our nervous systems react to those kinds of changes by trying to adapt, by turning genes on and off to try to adjust various receptors and transmitters and what have you, in order to regain homeostasis. Since evolution never equipped us to cope with the chemical changes caused by these kinds of drugs (since they are new in human history) these adaptation processes really can't be very efficient and they are probably not fast. Definitely not "multiple switches and ups and downs in one year" kind of fast.

 

So it really doesn't seem that strange to me that after only 2 months after the most recent drug change--after a history starting 10 years ago, and the past year with multiple disruptions and large changes--you aren't feeling normal and hunky-dory yet. And I kind of doubt that any further changes at this point would do you any good. I think the changes are the problem.

 

My hunch is that your best bet at this point is to just hold still and stabilize and give your poor nervous system a break from further changes. It may overshoot up and down for a while in attempting to get back to a healthy state.  I think the best bet is to give your actual natural processes a chance to do their thing. I would be patient with them, they have had one hell of a year and may need many months of peace and support to recover.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Hi Rhiannon. You have my history correct! 

You make so much sense. I didn't mention this above, but I also have Dysautonomia so my nervous system is already out of whack and now I've done all this to it. It's no wonder I'm having troubles! I can't thank you enough for calling my attention to this. I am going to sit still for a good long while. 

I just have one question and I know I'm hardheaded BUT would it be a bad choice to at least go back up to 100 mg from the 75 and stay there? I know you can't say for sure one way or another but the reason I ask is I am mixing the 100 mg capsules in water, reducing by 25mg and splitting the remainder into three doses. It's a pain and I would really like to avoid doing this for a year or however long I take to stabilize. I don't know if I would be playing with fire by doing this but my hope was I could go back to where I was and just take the 100 mg capsule one time a day rather than the water mixture three times. 

Thank you again. I copied and pasted your comment to read and reread so that I can remind myself to stay put and give my body a break.

And by the way, I read your history. I am so inspired by you and all you've managed to accomplish!  

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/24763-willow61-gabapentin-taper-help/?do=findComment&comment=536709

 

Above linked post moved to your intro topic to keep your history all in one place.  Please post questions and discussion about your situation in this one thread, to avoid confusion and duplication of efforts.  Thank you.  

Please do not private message me.  Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you.  

 

***Please note this is not medical advice.  Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one.

 

Lexapro   Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg;  started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20  0.18 mg; Jul 16  0.17 mg, Aug 23  0.16 mg, Oct 7  0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005,  Jul 8, 0.00.  Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!!  Woohoo!!!

other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg

magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed

suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc

suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg

 

Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 

Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 

Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
7 hours ago, willow61 said:

Hi Rhiannon. You have my history correct! 

You make so much sense. I didn't mention this above, but I also have Dysautonomia so my nervous system is already out of whack and now I've done all this to it. It's no wonder I'm having troubles! I can't thank you enough for calling my attention to this. I am going to sit still for a good long while. 

I just have one question and I know I'm hardheaded BUT would it be a bad choice to at least go back up to 100 mg from the 75 and stay there? I know you can't say for sure one way or another but the reason I ask is I am mixing the 100 mg capsules in water, reducing by 25mg and splitting the remainder into three doses. It's a pain and I would really like to avoid doing this for a year or however long I take to stabilize. I don't know if I would be playing with fire by doing this but my hope was I could go back to where I was and just take the 100 mg capsule one time a day rather than the water mixture three times. 

Thank you again. I copied and pasted your comment to read and reread so that I can remind myself to stay put and give my body a break.

And by the way, I read your history. I am so inspired by you and all you've managed to accomplish!  

 

I can't really answer that because I don't know, and the stakes, for you, are too high for me to just make a stab in the dark. Alto and some of the other moderators are more knowledgeable about reinstatement kinds of stuff than I am. I know that for me, usually if my symptoms are tolerable and I know I need to stabilize, the best thing to do is really just do nothing for a while.

 

How did you do when you went up from 50 to 75? Do you feel like, if going up to 100 made you feel worse, you would be okay with that? Listen to your body.

 

I certainly understand the issue with measuring and not wanting to have to fiddle around with preparing your doses. Ugh.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Hi Rhiannon. Thank you so much for responding! You make a good point about the possibility of feeling worse at 100 mg. I would be very upset with myself if that happened. I'm already furious with myself for ever agreeing to take this drug.

 

 I did feel better when I went up from 50 to 75 but I never felt like I did before I started this taper. I was stable for a while before I started it.  

 

I'm also concerned that the water taper is not precise enough. I am very careful about mixing everything well but I feel like there is so much room for error. I'm considering asking my doctor if she will prescribe liquid gabapentin but I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of letting her know I had this experience. She says Gabapentin does not cause dependency and she was very shocked to see the state I was in when my psychiatrist cut my valium dose too fast. She just doesn't understand any of this stuff. However, I'm fortunate that she has agreed to fill the Valium script and wait on me to restart my taper and move forward at a speed that suits me. I just don't want to give her more ammunition to possibly cut me off from everything.

 

Anyway, thank you again. You've been a huge help! 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • 1 month later...
  • Mentor

Sorry, I just saw your question to me about Buspar. I don't think I had any symptoms from that CT, but I do believe it was a precipitating event/background noise to my central nervous system blow up during the Gaba fast taper before I found this group. It was just one more thing that led my nervous system to say, 'I'm done with you and adjusting to your blasted drugs!' 😂😭💔

 

My vote would be to ask the doctor for liquid Gaba. The worst she can say is no.

 

Nothing symptom wise when Gaba and benzos are both involved would surprise me at this point. 

 

 

Edited by ShiningLight

Now: 100 mg Zoloft am, 50 mg Trazodone.  Daily drug burden decreased from 2050 in 2018 mg to 150 mg 🐢🐢

Zoloft: 1/24/23 increased to 100 mg after suicide attempt 9/17/22 cut 6 mg, 8/14/22 cut 6.5 mg, 5/7/22 cut 12.5 mg 3/20/22 cut 12.5 mg 10/26/21 cut 6 mg 10/17/21 cut 5 mg, 9/17/21 Cut 3 mg,  9/13/21 cut 4 mg, 8/29/21 Cut 2 mg 8/8/21 Cut 3 mg  7/30/21 Zoloft: Converted 25 mg to liquid. Also take 100 mg pill & 25 mg pill=150 mg total
🌞 Feb 28, 2021 0 mg Gapapentin 2021 Gaba each dose 4x/day: Feb 27 7 mg (one dose only), Feb 10, 7 mg, Jan 14 10 mg 2020 Current taper schedule from Aug 30-present: drop 8 mg every 2-3 weeks. Aug 20 31 mg, Aug 18, 33 mg, July 29, 35 mg, July 23 38 mg, July 22 40 mg Jun 24 42 mg, Jun 15 44 mg, Jun 9 48 mg, May 22 50 mg, May 14 54 mg, May 7 56 mg, Apr 16 58 mg, Mar 28 60 mg, Mar 18 62 mg. Feb 26 64 mg. Feb 19, 66 mg. Jan 23, 70 mg. 2019 Dec 19, 72 mg. Nov 14 ,76 mg. Aug 8, 80 mg. Aug 6, 85 mg. Jul 26, 90 mg. Jul 11, 95 mg.

Jul 16 trazodone from 100 to 50 mg.

Jun 17-July 10 Slowly changed gab fr pill to liquid at same dose 100 mg 4x/d.

Apr 24 Stopped klon!!! 🌞 Apr 4  Decreased gaba to 400 mg (100 mg 4x/day)-Apr 4, 2019   0.25 klon March 11  Klonopin .5 mg twice daily, varied dose til Apr 15. Started Klon fast taper 25%, short use

Mar 16, 450 mg gaba 3x/day cut 600 mg--not exact!--updose after learning w/d

Feb 20, 2019 1800 mg gabapentin; MD taper; off 3 days=mvt disorder & autonomic instability. July 2018 temazepam 15 mg 1-2; prn several x/wk til Jan/Feb 2019 when cold turkey, flu illness for months

July 2018 started gabapentin 100 3x/day; titrated up to 1800 mg (600 3x/day)

Buspar, I forget how much, 2 pills a day Jan 2017-July 2018 cold turkey. On Zoloft since maybe 2004? After trying many.

*I speak from my experience. Nothing I say is medical advice. I'm not a doctor.

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Hey Shining Light! I know what you mean. I think my nervous system is saying the same thing! I have stayed at 75 but still feel lousy. I did get the liquid gabapentin though. I think it's definitely better than mixing it, except for the fact that you have to refrigerate it :( 

Hope you are well!

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Mentor

I got a little lunch bag with block ice and small glass bottles to store gaba doses and keep it cold when on the go.

Now: 100 mg Zoloft am, 50 mg Trazodone.  Daily drug burden decreased from 2050 in 2018 mg to 150 mg 🐢🐢

Zoloft: 1/24/23 increased to 100 mg after suicide attempt 9/17/22 cut 6 mg, 8/14/22 cut 6.5 mg, 5/7/22 cut 12.5 mg 3/20/22 cut 12.5 mg 10/26/21 cut 6 mg 10/17/21 cut 5 mg, 9/17/21 Cut 3 mg,  9/13/21 cut 4 mg, 8/29/21 Cut 2 mg 8/8/21 Cut 3 mg  7/30/21 Zoloft: Converted 25 mg to liquid. Also take 100 mg pill & 25 mg pill=150 mg total
🌞 Feb 28, 2021 0 mg Gapapentin 2021 Gaba each dose 4x/day: Feb 27 7 mg (one dose only), Feb 10, 7 mg, Jan 14 10 mg 2020 Current taper schedule from Aug 30-present: drop 8 mg every 2-3 weeks. Aug 20 31 mg, Aug 18, 33 mg, July 29, 35 mg, July 23 38 mg, July 22 40 mg Jun 24 42 mg, Jun 15 44 mg, Jun 9 48 mg, May 22 50 mg, May 14 54 mg, May 7 56 mg, Apr 16 58 mg, Mar 28 60 mg, Mar 18 62 mg. Feb 26 64 mg. Feb 19, 66 mg. Jan 23, 70 mg. 2019 Dec 19, 72 mg. Nov 14 ,76 mg. Aug 8, 80 mg. Aug 6, 85 mg. Jul 26, 90 mg. Jul 11, 95 mg.

Jul 16 trazodone from 100 to 50 mg.

Jun 17-July 10 Slowly changed gab fr pill to liquid at same dose 100 mg 4x/d.

Apr 24 Stopped klon!!! 🌞 Apr 4  Decreased gaba to 400 mg (100 mg 4x/day)-Apr 4, 2019   0.25 klon March 11  Klonopin .5 mg twice daily, varied dose til Apr 15. Started Klon fast taper 25%, short use

Mar 16, 450 mg gaba 3x/day cut 600 mg--not exact!--updose after learning w/d

Feb 20, 2019 1800 mg gabapentin; MD taper; off 3 days=mvt disorder & autonomic instability. July 2018 temazepam 15 mg 1-2; prn several x/wk til Jan/Feb 2019 when cold turkey, flu illness for months

July 2018 started gabapentin 100 3x/day; titrated up to 1800 mg (600 3x/day)

Buspar, I forget how much, 2 pills a day Jan 2017-July 2018 cold turkey. On Zoloft since maybe 2004? After trying many.

*I speak from my experience. Nothing I say is medical advice. I'm not a doctor.

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yeah, that's what I'm doing now too. Thanks again, Shining Light.

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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HI Everyone,

 I think I'm kindling and am wondering if this is a permanent state. I can not seem to stabilize at my current dose no matter how long I wait. It has been 4 months since cutting my Gabapentin too fast and I am still in a state of distress everyday. I wonder if I wait long enough, will I start to eventually feel better and then resume my taper or am I stuck with this feeling forever? Please help! 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Administrator

Hello, @willow61. Why do you think you're experiencing kindling? 

 

What are the drugs you're taking now, at what times of day and dosages? How do you feel before and after each dose?

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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I think I'm kindling because  I've been on the same dose of Gabapentin for 4 months and can't stabilize. I cut from 100 mg to 75 , then 50 over the course of 2 weeks and had very bad withdrawals. I was suicidal so I bumped my dose back up to 75 and split up into 3 smaller doses 8 hours apart.

 

 

I tried to add these details regarding time of day to my profile but it wouldn't save them: 

The drugs I'm on are:

Gabapentin 75 mg split into 3 doses, each 8 hours apart. (7 Am, 3 PM, 11 Pm) Before taking a dose, I feel agitated, anxious, muscle tension, have mood swings, muscle twitching, restless legs, neck pain. After a dose, I feel a little better. Symptoms are just milder.

 

Diazepam, holding at 8 mg.Taken at bedtime (11 PM). Stopped taper halfway through because doctor was pushing me to drop too fast. Had panic attacks, insomnia, muscle cramps, neck pain. I fall asleep after taking it. 

 

Buspirone 10 mg 3times a day to control anxiety. Anxious before, Buspirone takes the edge off. (7 Am, 10 am, 3 pm) Anxiety is worse in the morning. 

 

 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Administrator

What times o'clock do you take each of your drugs, with their dosages, and how do you feel before and after each dose?

 

Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it 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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Altostrata, i entered my meds in the interactions checker before. I tried to edit the information to add times but it's not saving the information. I also entered everything in the  interactions checker. Here is the link. 

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=441-0,862-0,1147-0

 

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • Administrator

Sorry, I do not see a link to your Drug Interactions report. Please post it again in a response.

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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  • Administrator

Please supply this:

35 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

What times o'clock do you take each of your drugs, with their dosages, and how do you feel before and after each dose?

 

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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As I said before, I tried to edit that information and include times but it won't save the information.

.75 mg Klonopin for 10 years

Switched to Valium in 2020 to begin taper

Current dose of Valium is 8 mg. Holding

Gabapentin, 100 mg 6 months. Tapering. at 75 mg now

Buspirone 10 mg 3 times a day.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Willow, do not use magnesium with gabapentin, magnesium interferes with gabapentin and that might explain your withdrawal effects. I take gabapentin 100mg 3xday for 2 years now, still take until i feel fine.

May - october 2017 - Mirtazapine from 7.5 - 12mg mg for insomnia

May - october 2017 Lyrica 100mg a day.

October-november 2017 - both mirt and Lyrica, or one of them went paradoxical, exteme vertigo after Lyrica. Cut down Lyrica to 3x25mg a day, same vertigo, CT Lyrica. Insomnia developed severe on 12 MG mirtazapine, reduced to 7.5, still insomnia, reduced to 3.75 still.insomnia. CT mirt. 

November 2017 - present burning feet, pins and needles, muscle spasms, myoclonus limbs, head, bugs crawling my head burning hands, left side worst. Ears cracking sensation.

May 2019 - put on gabapentin 100mg 4xday to counteract insomnia

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