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Gabapentin (Neurontin) Withdrawl Support Group


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This is a pub med article, so doctors should trust it.

It is proposed herein that a gabapentin taper should follow a course similar to that of a benzodiazepine taper -- slowly and over a period of weeks to months.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15898970/

 

How is your Gabapentin taper doing compared to Librium?

 

I find I can taper faster, but still get similar symptoms. I suppose if I slowed down it would be better. But I am so impatient!

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This is a pub med article, so doctors should trust it.

It is proposed herein that a gabapentin taper should follow a course similar to that of a benzodiazepine taper -- slowly and over a period of weeks to months.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15898970/

 

I understand. I really do. Are you still able to live life normally? Work, enjoy life, etc.

 

How is your Gabapentin taper doing compared to Librium?

 

I find I can taper faster, but still get similar symptoms. I suppose if I slowed down it would be better. But I am so impatient!

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This is a pub med article, so doctors should trust it.

It is proposed herein that a gabapentin taper should follow a course similar to that of a benzodiazepine taper -- slowly and over a period of weeks to months.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15898970/

 

I understand. I really do. Are you still able to live life normally? Work, enjoy life, etc.

 

How is your Gabapentin taper doing compared to Librium?

 

I find I can taper faster, but still get similar symptoms. I suppose if I slowed down it would be better. But I am so impatient!

 

I'm retired and cooped up because of the pandemic. Lots of my life plans are not happening right now. That's why I'm pushing the taper. I probably am tapering too fast to have a normal life. But it's bearable. If it gets unbearable I'll pause or updose.

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This is a pub med article, so doctors should trust it.

It is proposed herein that a gabapentin taper should follow a course similar to that of a benzodiazepine taper -- slowly and over a period of weeks to months.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15898970/

 

I understand. I really do. Are you still able to live life normally? Work, enjoy life, etc.

 

How is your Gabapentin taper doing compared to Librium?

 

I find I can taper faster, but still get similar symptoms. I suppose if I slowed down it would be better. But I am so impatient!

 

I'm retired and cooped up because of the pandemic. Lots of my life plans are not happening right now. That's why I'm pushing the taper. I probably am tapering too fast to have a normal life. But it's bearable. If it gets unbearable I'll pause or updose.

 

 

Understandable. Thank you for your input and I hope you have continued success!

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I’ve been on and off gabapentin since 2016. Suddenly stopped in 2018. Didn’t know I was withdrawing. Tried it again in 2019. Bad reaction so stopped it and it took almost 2months to recover. Baclofen is the same way. All of my doctors and psychiatrists say that it’s not habit forming. It is. Before BB, I’ve been on several gabapentin support groups through Facebook. There is literature about it but it’s hard to find. Some people feel it’s as hard as benzodiazepine WD. They all work on our gaba. I was up to 1600 mgs a day. If I went longer then 7 hours to take a dose, I’d feel it. That’s what it did to me. Not everyone is sensitive. My sister stopped.5 mgs of Xanax nightly in 2 days.
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I’ve been on and off gabapentin since 2016. Suddenly stopped in 2018. Didn’t know I was withdrawing. Tried it again in 2019. Bad reaction so stopped it and it took almost 2months to recover. Baclofen is the same way. All of my doctors and psychiatrists say that it’s not habit forming. It is. Before BB, I’ve been on several gabapentin support groups through Facebook. There is literature about it but it’s hard to find. Some people feel it’s as hard as benzodiazepine WD. They all work on our gaba. I was up to 1600 mgs a day. If I went longer then 7 hours to take a dose, I’d feel it. That’s what it did to me. Not everyone is sensitive. My sister stopped.5 mgs of Xanax nightly in 2 days.

Sorry I didn't read this clearly.  I see now you are no longer on it.    ;)

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No way! Baclofen either. So in the past almost 2 years taking meds, withdrawing and taking more. I told my doctors that I’d rather have tms or ect. Lorazepam really did help me through those times. But I think that I reached a tolerance because all that was given to me.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone,

Did anyone get headaches, every morning you wake up your head kills. Plus, its like you brain is frozen, you can't think. I don't know how to explain. Thank you.

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  • 3 weeks later...

When I started reducing my gaba, I dropped by 100 mgs at a time. I felt dizzy and headachey and sort of stupid, but that only lasted a couple of days. When I felt better, I waited a week, then dropped another 100 mgs. It's a miserable drug to w/d from, I found. But the w/ds did not last as long as benzos w/ds.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Katz

 

Katz, I'm wondering how many times a day you were dosing throughout the taper. I was dosing 3 times and recently dropped to 2 times. Feeling pretty crummy. I'm probably tapering too fast, but I just have no patience with this any more.

Also, if you dropped 100mg at a time, does that mean you jumped from 100mg? Thanks! :smitten:

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Katz, I'm wondering how many times a day you were dosing throughout the taper.

 

I only ever dosed once a day, in the evening. That made tapering easy.

 

And yes, I "jumped" from 100 mgs. I didn't realize the drug could be dissolved in water. That would have made tapering gentler, I suppose. But I was happy to just drop the d**ned drug and be done with things. I sure felt better when I was no longer taking it.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

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Katz, I'm wondering how many times a day you were dosing throughout the taper.

 

I only ever dosed once a day, in the evening. That made tapering easy.

 

And yes, I "jumped" from 100 mgs. I didn't realize the drug could be dissolved in water. That would have made tapering gentler, I suppose. But I was happy to just drop the d**ned drug and be done with things. I sure felt better when I was no longer taking it.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Katz

 

Thanks, Katz! I am dissolving so I can make smaller cuts, about 25mg at a time. The dissolving is very easy compared to the benzo dissolving. Just dump the capsule in water and shake. 

 

I'd really like to get to 100mg at bedtime only and then go back to my Seroquel taper. I think I will try shifting most of my dose to bedtime this weekend and see how that goes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone.

 

Does anybody feel that gabapentin makes them extremely hungry? I'm hungry at all times. I don't know if it's the gabapentin. I am considering resuming the valium taper (just cut 0.10 two days ago), or holding valium and tapering the gabapentin as I really find it so difficult to not overeat, and I don't recall being like this before the gabapentin.

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I’ve read of gabapentin increasing appetite in a lot of people.  I’m almost off - last dose today but I don’t think it’s changed my appetite one way or the other.  My stomach has been upset on and off since I’ve started tapering.
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Hi v,

It didn't make me hungry. I do notice since I've lowered i eat more. Imo, I think you should hold of on the gabap for a while. For me I have in creased anxiety. But I went down too much. Its crazy because I think was it masking  benzo anxiety or is it gaba anxiety. I know you get anxiety bad like me so I don't want to see you feel any worse. Its so hard to tell with these drugs.

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I’ve read of gabapentin increasing appetite in a lot of people.  I’m almost off - last dose today but I don’t think it’s changed my appetite one way or the other.  My stomach has been upset on and off since I’ve started tapering.

 

Thank you Heather. I'm using Myfitnesspal app to control what I eat but it's taking all I've got. I hope you manage to come off without too much trouble.

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Hi v,

It didn't make me hungry. I do notice since I've lowered i eat more. Imo, I think you should hold of on the gabap for a while. For me I have in creased anxiety. But I went down too much. Its crazy because I think was it masking  benzo anxiety or is it gaba anxiety. I know you get anxiety bad like me so I don't want to see you feel any worse. Its so hard to tell with these drugs.

 

Thank you DD! I'm very sorry you're feeling the cut so badly. I hope they allow you to stay on 300 mgs. I finally made a cut of the valium, 0.10 a couple days ago, so I'll probably hold the gabapentin and try to stay away from food no matter how hungry I get. I really hope your anxiety lifts soon  :smitten:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello!  I'm so glad I found this thread.  I C/T'd off a benzo four years ago.  It was pure hell (big surprise to everyone here), but I was prescribed Gabapentin to mitigate the w/d.  My doctor (a wonderful man) has allowed me to determine where we need to go with GP, and I know it is time (passed even) to get off of it.  I started at 300 mg 3x/day, and I'm down to 500 mg (200 mg 2x/day; 100 mg at night).  My plan will have me off by March.  I know this may sound crazy long, but I've tried to go faster, and it was a disaster.  I could barely function!

 

Any way, I'm just writing to say I so appreciate everyone here.  It's like BB is an underground society where only its members realize and understand the damage caused by these drugs.  I cannot tell you how many times I've heard doctors say there is no way I'm still having withdrawals.  It's crazy!  Why, why, why isn't there more research being done?!? (Rant over.)

 

So, the GB taper is going ok, but there are days that I struggle so badly, I consider just giving up.  BUT - I remember that the last time I felt really good was when I was on NO MEDICATION!

 

Anyway, I'm open to any words of encouragement or advice anyone has to offer.

 

Blessings!  hhaw

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Hello!  I'm so glad I found this thread.  I C/T'd off a benzo four years ago.  It was pure hell (big surprise to everyone here), but I was prescribed Gabapentin to mitigate the w/d.  My doctor (a wonderful man) has allowed me to determine where we need to go with GP, and I know it is time (passed even) to get off of it.  I started at 300 mg 3x/day, and I'm down to 500 mg (200 mg 2x/day; 100 mg at night).  My plan will have me off by March.  I know this may sound crazy long, but I've tried to go faster, and it was a disaster.  I could barely function!

 

Any way, I'm just writing to say I so appreciate everyone here.  It's like BB is an underground society where only its members realize and understand the damage caused by these drugs.  I cannot tell you how many times I've heard doctors say there is no way I'm still having withdrawals.  It's crazy!  Why, why, why isn't there more research being done?!? (Rant over.)

 

So, the GB taper is going ok, but there are days that I struggle so badly, I consider just giving up.  BUT - I remember that the last time I felt really good was when I was on NO MEDICATION!

 

Anyway, I'm open to any words of encouragement or advice anyone has to offer.

 

Blessings!  hhaw

 

So glad to hear you are being sensible about your taper and that things are going reasonably well. :) I'm tapering my gabapentin after a benzo taper, too. I find I can go faster than I did with the benzo, but the withdrawal symptoms are similar. I'm just proceeding with caution and slowing down when things get too rough. Slow and flexible wins the race. :thumbsup:

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