Gabapentin advice ?

So originally I was on 300 mg of gabapentin 1x a day sometimes 2x a day for nerve pain from 2 different neck fusion surgeries, also was on Lunesta for to help with sleep. After about 6 months I decided to to quit the gabapentin because it occasionally caused me to have trouble finding the right words i was trying to use in sentences and just weird stuff like that. Not knowing any better I c/t the gabapentin and hrad awful w/d and side effects. After 3 weeks of the insane w/d from the c/t I was put on .5 mg of Klonopin  about every other day and everything seemed to settle down and I wasn’t suffering anymore. About 9 months later I started having interdose w/d from the Klonopin and figured it was time to get off. After some minor tapering for a few weeks I was off and figured in a couple weeks I’d be ok. After 2-3 months and still suffering from the Klonopin w/d I started frantically searching for what the hell this could be and eventually found all the YouTube videos and benzo buddies and well you know the rest. At this point I was still taking Lunesta so at least I was sleeping and could still partially function, mainly was having extreme nervousness, paranoia, uncomfortable around people, the usual benzo w/d stuff .  As I researched more I realized Lunesta was probably hindering my healing so I tapered a couple weeks and quit. Here’s where I start to suffer even more as I no longer can sleep at all and it makes all the benzo symptoms just sky rocket and eventually I’m basically non functional.  Well 28 months later and nothing has changed as I’m still suffering from not sleeping, I’ve been medication free this whole time , no alcohol, no caffeine, nothing at all. Tried every diet but then they get hard to stay with as I’m so exhausted and can’t prepare the food so I just end up quitting.  All the safe sleeping supplements etc. just rev up my symptoms so that’s a no go. When I do eventually fall asleep it’s usually only a few hours 1-3 max and it feels like I’m 50% asleep and 50% consciously aware that I’m not fully asleep, so when I awake I’m still so exhausted that just taking a shower and eating is a win for me. Every once in a while maybe once or twice a month i will somehow drift into a deeper sleep and wake up with some slight rejuvenation etc.. and I can tell the rest of my benzo symptoms are much less , not great but still it’s something. I can even go to the grocery store on those days at least at night anyways when it’s not crowded.  My point is I can’t even judge how far I’ve healed if I can’t sleep and get rejuvenated sleep, and after 28 months of basically not sleeping I’m questioning if I should at least try to see if going back on a lower dose of the Gabapentin at 100 mg before bed might help,  I realize my c/t of the Gabapentin is what started this whole crazy saga but I just don’t know what else to do, and I would never consider reinstating the Klonopin. This might be the dumbest idea ever I have no idea , but I’m exhausted 😴.  Im 46 yr old male and have been 95% quarantined for 28 months , and literally spend all day just trying to drift off to sleep even if just for another 45 minutes. This has got to end and I don’t know what else to do. Is the Gabapentin idea just straight up dumb ?  I’m not even sure what I’d do if it worked, say I stabilized and was getting better, I’d have to stay on it forever I guess , or at some point just liquid taper the gabapentin since 100 mg is the smallest dose available.  Ideas/thoughts ?

Very sorry about your continued struggle. I understand the fatigue of ongoing symptoms as I've wound up with two different drug WDs. Both were from hospital prescribed meds. I've spent over 2 years dealing with tapers. I get it.

 

I would NEVER recommend reinstating gabapentin. Had two male relatives do this- it was horrible for them. You won't get relief and then you'll be in the same or worse shape on the other side. Not diagnosing you, but sounds like excess glutamate could be an issue. Also if the liver enzymes are not correctly working, then other systems go awry like thyroid issues and low gut serotonin. Sorry that some supplements have given you problems, because it seems you might need something more to help get things back on track. I offer what worked for me. Take what you like from it.

 

The first taper was caused by short term Lyrica use after a disc injury. I tapered it over several weeks and still got horrific withdrawal. After that, did a very slow, low dose Valium taper, but also used three key supplements- Vitamin C, taurine, and flush free Niacin. I had no bad reactions from any of these, and I am generally sensitive to supplements/drugs. On the second taper, I've used the taurine less due to a different set of symptoms.

 

The taurine has a natural anti-seizure effect as well as many other benefits, especially to decrease accrued glutamate. In a study, they analyzed cerebrospinal fluid in seizure patients given taurine and it reduced glutamate in CSF. I found it very useful for tremors, muscle stiffness, and sleep.  Lyrica and Gabapetin have magnified effects at the nerve/muscle interface. High glutamate makes nerves fire more easily.

 

*Taurine lowers blood sugar by reducing glutamate's effect on the pancreas so you must eat when you take it. (I used 100mg or 500mg capsule doses w weight<120lbs.) Nothing else seemed helpful for these symptoms. I took it at regular intervals during the day, but especially first thing in the morning after some juice to interrupt the "morning shakes" so many of us get.

 

The niacin was flush free, and I took it as scheduled and anytime I felt psychological symptoms, especially anxiety. The vitamin C helps the liver to detox all the chemical craziness. It seemed to be calming

as well. I tried to eat protein and complex carb before bed to prevent BS drops. I also kept all the supplements and food/drink at the bedside in case I woke up with symptoms.

 

Still had some issues, but these steps reduced the struggle.  Hope something in here is helpful to you.