Gabapentin for pain

Hi guys

 

I was wondering how many of you have tried gabapentin for pain/withdrawal and if it has helped? I know meds are not ideal but I'm in a very bad place. There's seems to be a school of thought that the CNS cannot properly heal whilst on other medications but does this apply to everyone? I have tried CBD and it really didn't agree with me at all.

 

I promised myself I would not take any other medications during my taper or after but my withdrawal has gotten so severe to the point where I'm completely bedridden, unable to walk and in crippling pain that impacts my sleep. I'm siting at around 1.8mg of Valium and I've been at this a long time. After failed tapers and cold turkeys I'm really feeling defeated at this point. If I try and make a cut I get thrown into acute withdrawal with akathisia and terror. I'm at my wits end and have been at this for over 6 years now.

 

Would appreciate hearing any experiences with this medication.

 

Staunch

It does help. I started it about 2 days ago and noticed my joint pain (tmj) and other parts of my body aren't as bad. I just got out of a wave so it's hard to tell but i do feel slightly more alert with my surroundings than i did. It's still early for me but i would say it definitely helps.

I have been taking 600mg x 4 a day to help me wean off benzos. Now I just found out that gabapentin is addictive and it can even cause tolerance.I also read that weaning off of gabapentin is similar to weaning off of benzos.

  If you have been using gabapentin for pain then the withdrawal should not be too bad. But I have been using it for assistance with anxiety and now I am in trouble with it. I have been using it for 3 years now so I have decided to wean off the gabapentin first and then continue with the benzos. I made good progress getting off the 4mg of Xanax I was on. I was able to switch over to 5mg x 3 of Valium which was not easy after taking the Xanax for over 30 years. Keep up the fight and remember that everyone is different 👍

I tried Gabapentin at low dose for muscle spasm and rigidity a few mo the back. Did ease it a bit but caused head to fizz and whoosh more, flickering lights in eyes and vision tunnelled and pushed to the right.

Also stultifying severe depression.

 

Odd because when O tried it many years ago for pain it made me manic.

 

But, we are all different.

I'm conflicted about it too.

 

I think we need to know more about your situation. Sometimes I can live without the gabapentin and sometimes I cant. Mine is for my eyes.

I was on 3200mg of gabapentin during withdrawal

 

I decided to get off about a year later and the second I was finally off completely, that’s when real healing started

 

I got off super slow - and the side effects were still awful

Lots of neurological ones like benzo withdrawal

 

I would recommend avoiding this drug like the plague

I was on 3200mg of gabapentin during withdrawal

 

I decided to get off about a year later and the second I was finally off completely, that’s when real healing started

 

I got off super slow - and the side effects were still awful

Lots of neurological ones like benzo withdrawal

 

I would recommend avoiding this drug like the plague

 

How long did you taper it? Was it for pain?

I'm glad you are seeing improvement.

I'm considering maybe something like Baclofen to take very sparingly when pain is above an 8.

I was on 3200mg of gabapentin during withdrawal

 

I decided to get off about a year later and the second I was finally off completely, that’s when real healing started

 

I got off super slow - and the side effects were still awful

Lots of neurological ones like benzo withdrawal

 

I would recommend avoiding this drug like the plague

 

How long did you taper it? Was it for pain?

I'm glad you are seeing improvement.

I'm considering maybe something like Baclofen to take very sparingly when pain is above an 8.

 

No I’ve never had chronic pain. My doctor literally poly drugged me with very unnecessary off label things for the longest time. And my dose was really high.

Please see my thread "gabapentin warning'

I was initially given gabapentin and lamictal for horrible nerve pain. The lamictal has been a constant since 2011 ( still baffled on why). I have taken gabapentin off and on- and it is helping with Ativan withdrawal symptoms- burning neuropathic pain in between doses. I do not take as my neurologist has prescribed though. I might take one 300 mg tablet in the evening or before bed. It does extend my hrs I sleep I think.

My psychiatrist prescribed Gabapentin for insomnia after my first too-fast taper. It didn't help me fall asleep but it helped me stay asleep. I read more about it and discovered that although it does not dock to your GABA receptors the way benzodiazepenes do, it is a GABA analogue so it will provide some of the benefits of benzodiazepenes (i.e. more GABA in your synapses). The downside is that your neurons will probably be slower to rebalance, which is the healing process. As for me, I decided I'd stick with the devil I already know and tapered off Gabapentin after a month.

 

Hope that helps at all.

 

Love,

hopesavoy