Advice regarding Gabapentin
Posted , 8 users are following.
I was recently prescribed gabapentin for pelvic pain from my ortho, this was after not getting much relief from celebrex and flexeril. I started day one with x1 300mg and then day two I took 600mg. I am not noticing much in the way of pain relief and actually it caused quite a few side effects: out of curiosity I decided to do a little research on this drug - omg I wish I had done this before putting this stuff in my body, the horror stories on here about this drug have changed my mind about continuing. Is it possible for me to just cold turkey quit the drug since I haven't taken it for very long or do I still need to taper it?
I am extremely grateful to the brave people who have shared their stories on here as it creates awareness for people like me who may easily stumble into the same situation only to regret it later.
Has anyone found alternatives for nerve/pelvic related pain that aren't as scary? Personally I don't like taking pharma drugs, if I can take something natural I would. Any help would be much appreciated.
0 likes, 9 replies
kathy87887 Guest
Posted
Hi just read your post and if it were me I would not take this drug for anything. To be honest after being on Gabpabetin for almost 3 years now Im so sorry I ever started. I started out taking 900mg a day and am now tapered to 200mg. The withdrawals are worst than the pain. I see a chiropractor and I have for the past year. He is helping my so much. My pain is different than your although I do suffer from nerve pain. I have spinal stenosis and scoliosis. Sorry I can't be of more help just know this drug is dangerous. Also some people have gone off of Gabpabentin cold turkey I couldn't it was to hard with the withdrawals again good luck. Lets us know how your doing.
v2806 Guest
Posted
Don't go cold turkey. It's best you taper off it slowly.
I was originally on ,2700mg daily which the Dr wanted me to increase to 3600mg daily.
Mine was for back probs .
I read up on the side effects and was mortified to read that almost honestly 80% of them I actually suffered from,so I never did increase mine to what was being prescribed.
When I was down to 2x300 mg daily I halved the night capsule by opening it up and taking half out. I stayed on this for about a week,then halved the morning one for same time. Then again I stopped the night one for another week before attempting to stop that last one. The side effects start then, and boy don't they,but push through it...it's not easy. It's taken me literally a few months to get this c...p Out of my system.Now finally,I'm getting back to normality .
I'd sooner suffer my reoccurring back pain than take these things.
Good luck,but as I said.please don't go cold turkey.
rita52071 Guest
Posted
beth47873 Guest
Posted
My first dose caused very shaky hands, and I told my husband that I didn’t trust it. Since it resolved by morning, I decided to try one more 300 mg capsule.
Later I learned that the capsule formulary reaches full strength within an hour. That’s the amount of time it took for me to develop a sudden onset of an uncontrollable movement disorder.
My brain MRI results were hidden from me, since the neurologist said, “Your results aren’t back yet, but I’m sure you didn’t have a stroke.”
Neurontin / Gabapentin was originally approved as an anti-epileptic drug, that slows down the brain synapses to control seizures. In 1996, which was 3 years after FDA approval, the pharmaceutical company set up a “Ghostwriting Shop” to produce false endorsements, then paid doctors $1000.00 to endorse them, and these articles ended up in many medical journals.
If you have questions, look up the lawsuit, “Franklin v. Warner Lambert.” They pled guilty to violating The False Claims Act, paid their $430 million fine, but it didn’t affect doctors ability to prescribe it for many off label uses.
No one should go cold turkey if they have been on it for quite awhile, but I had to stop immediately since I had an adverse reaction 10 years ago that ruined my life.
I’m a very twitchy, jerky old lady who also developed finger contractures on my right hand, who tries to warn others, but the decision is yours.
Guest
Posted
aaron03723 Guest
Posted
Honestly at that dose you would probably be fine going cold turkey however I would hate to give that as medical advice as I am not a medical practitioner. The three things to consider here are this. 1 it usually takes more than two days for the brain to become dependent on anyting, to your dose is considerably low compared to a lot of people taking this drug. If you decide to taper your body could get more accustomed to the drug which could cause you to have more severe withdrawals then if you just cold turkey given the short. Of time you've been on it. However a taper of two days wouldn't be unreasonable in my opinion I would simply cut half your dose on day 3 half of that dose on day 4 and on day 5 be done with it, if you decide to go that route. The short half-life of the drug will show you if you're going to have a withdrawal fairly quickly ( id guess in a matter of 2 days ) after your last dose. If that happened you could always reinstate and then do a gradual taper from there. Best of luck with whatever you decide.
aaron03723
Posted
Sorry for the grammatical errors in my reply, and I actually wanted to add a little bit more . I'm actually using talk to text as I'm walking my dog so hopefully this all comes out okay. This drug is as difficult to come off of as a benzodiazepine and has a very similar withdrawal. Even though it's not considered a controlled substance not only do I believe it should be, but more than that I think it should be . completely eliminated from the market altogether. It's a very bad medication with a lot of side effects, and for some people a very horrific withdrawal syndrome
Specialforces10 Guest
Posted
I don't think you would have to with any drug after only 48 hours.
scarja Guest
Posted