Benzo w/d vs Gabapentin w/d?

Hi hi, I am hyping myself up to get off this last bit of xanax and then preparing for my gabapentin taper.

 

I've already searched all over the forums for people's stories of getting off gabapentin and some people say it was much easier, some said much worse some said about the same.

 

I would love to hear stories of people who had taken gabapentin to help withdrawals, any details like what symptoms it helped with, how long it was taken, how long to taper off, and what w/d were like compared to benzos.

 

since adding gabapentin to my taper, I dont experience debilitating vertigo (it's still there though), and during PAWs of my drug free days I had adrenaline rushes, tachycardia, and palpitations which I haven't had at all with gabapentin. I'm concerned whether the vertigo and adrenaline rushes and heart symptoms will return once gabapentin is off, or whether they were benzo symptoms. I never took gabapentin before this taper.

so i'm on pregabalin, a very close relative of gabapentin, and i've tried to taper a benzo (clonazepam), a z-drug (zolpidem - successfully eliminated), and pregabalin (lyrica).

 

in my experience lyrica withdrawal is just as brutal as benzodiazepine withdrawal. i was successful in getting off of ambien, although i expect to remain on some amount of lyrica and klonopin based on both the severe withdrawal symptoms i've had with both drugs as well as very severe and disabling anxiety disorders from which i suffer.

 

i would be quite cautious if you suffer from an underlying anxiety disorder - i'm not sure what you were initially prescribed the drugs for - but i would treat the gabapentin taper as you would a benzodiazepine taper.

 

good luck!

Basura, do you think that lyrica has protracted type of withdrawals like a benzo ?

 

Im on lyrica too, thanks for sharing your experience

hi deniz,

 

i'm not sure because i have such severe underlying anxiety disorders that i'll never be off of either lyrica or klonopin completely, but in my experience, the withdrawals are very much the same when i've tried to reduce the dosages of either medication. it's hellish for me to be honest and it's very difficult to pick apart what is a symptom of withdrawal and what is a symptom of the return of the underlying illness as they really do mimic each other in my case quite a bit, so i've found that if i just don't improve at all or if i completely relapse and/or fall into a state of utter dysfunction, which has happened a number of times in the past as i've tried to reduce too much of lyrica, then i have to increase and stay there.

 

right now my goal is to reduce from 4mg to 3mg of klonopin which is going decently. i'm not totally dysfunctional at this dose, but i know i won't be able to reduce further. i don't know if i will attempt any further medication reductions, i.e., a lyrica taper, after i fully stabliise on 3mg of klonopin.

Thanks, keep going the way you can, Hope youncan reach your goals i already felt Whats like going tô half a dose that i was .. It was hard too and i couldnt function properly , it its difrent a benzo its harder, that doesnt change How hard must be go off from lyrica

 

Interesting my mom was.on.lyrica.for 5 years after a meltdown+.benzo WD , she jumped after 5 years from 75 mg of It and 50.mg.of.cymvalta , and.she didnt had much problems, nothing like a benzo WD or a breakdown

 

.bê well

yeah, i think withdrawal symptoms depends highly on the individual and the underlying illness severity. also, 75mg is a very low dose of lyrica. i'm taking a much, much higher dose to control my symptoms.

 

thanks for the good wishes - i wish you the same!

so i'm on pregabalin, a very close relative of gabapentin, and i've tried to taper a benzo (clonazepam), a z-drug (zolpidem - successfully eliminated), and pregabalin (lyrica).

 

in my experience lyrica withdrawal is just as brutal as benzodiazepine withdrawal. i was successful in getting off of ambien, although i expect to remain on some amount of lyrica and klonopin based on both the severe withdrawal symptoms i've had with both drugs as well as very severe and disabling anxiety disorders from which i suffer.

 

i would be quite cautious if you suffer from an underlying anxiety disorder - i'm not sure what you were initially prescribed the drugs for - but i would treat the gabapentin taper as you would a benzodiazepine taper.

 

good luck!

 

hi thank you for replying to my post!

I feel like during the benzo tapering I've had to learn so much about managing anxiety, and it went rather smoothly at the slow slow pace, so maybe I'll be alright with the gabapentin as long as I go just as slowly too. the gabapentin was used to help with the withdrawals (severe dizziness) and the xanax was to help with dizzy spells I'd have panic attacks over, but during the taper I've gotten dizzy spells so often I think I'm not as scared of them anymore. my theory is that the gaba receptors helped me not feel dizzy and by going slowly I tapered off at the same rate that new ones grew in.

yes, that'd be my best advice: go slowly!

 

good luck - you can do it!

I went on a low dose of gabapentin for a year while I was tapering down from 2.5 mgs of xanax to .5. I ended up developing an allergy to gabapentin and having to go cold turkey. The withdrawals were similar to xanax and even though they were difficult, they did go away much quicker. I felt rough for about a month and had some effects off and on for another month. It may depend on how much you are taking as well but my experience was that it was not as bad as I was anticipating.