Feel awful after stopping Gabapentin
Posted , 5 users are following.
I was put on gabapentin about a year and a half ago for migraines. I took 600mg for quite a while then 300 mg for the past few months. I had no problems lowering it. I have been tapering down to 100mg for the past week. 2 nights ago I stopped taking it. The first night was fine but last night I was up all night with what felt like restless legs and insomnia. Today I feel very anxious and my legs are extremely restless. I also feel somewhat anxious. I am wondering if this is gabapentin withdrawls? I was only at 600mg at the highest and only 300mg for several months now. I felt fine until I stopped the last dose. Do these sound normal? How long might these last?
0 likes, 6 replies
rommon my2boys99
Edited
Welcome aboard, I actually found this board specifically for taking 300mg for a few months for severe nerve pain, and I get annual "Gabapentin nightmares" every October so it to me seems like it depends on the mental impact it leaves you with.
Though I would get like psychosis where I'd hear stuff that's not there, not be able to tell nightmares from being awake at night, it did pass after a few weeks but for two years now has haunted me every year on the month exactly. Crazy.
Anyhow my only advice would be to exercise and get vitamins regularly to keep yourself healthy, and whatever keeps you comfortable and happy. Others can probably talk about different durations, but for me it's been years on a tiny dose.
Keep yourself comfortable as possible and maybe find some support, as it really changes brain chemistry dramatically in some cases, so it may get worse (though I hope not for you)!
I'll let others chime in but I hope you just hit a small bump for you, as it is the most horrific Rx I've ever taken, and have suffered through terrible sciatica pain to avoid taking it ever again.
Yabatan0924 rommon
Posted
The only thing I can add to this is if you notice any palpitations of the heart or pain in your chest then rush to the nearest A&E. Also, continue to talk lots of fluids and have more rest. It will help in many ways.
Asteria my2boys99
Posted
Yeah, that's what happened to me. It's the gabapentin withdrawals. It'll take a looong time, I'm sorry to tell you. Mine lasted for months. Hopefully yours won't be quite as bad.
babs99203 my2boys99
Edited
Unfortunately what you are dealing with is withdrawal. You made a drastic drop in a relatively short time. We now know that it should be decreased by 10% or less over 4 weeks or more. It can take weeks for withdrawal symptoms to appear. Very few of us are told this can happen. There is really no "I was on only"... fill in the blank. The damage can be done at low doses too. No-one can predict how long this will last. It could be weeks or months. I'm sorry, I wish I had better news.
v2806 my2boys99
Posted
i was on it a couple of years ago and had to taper it off. i decreased from 3,600 mg day to finally done with it.
when i got to the last dosage i took 1capsule daily for a week and then i halved it( messy but i did it) for another week. then the half alternate days for a week then stopped.
i had lots of side effects from this horrible drug but managed over the course of a couple of months to push through . its hard work but your on the winners side of it now. once free never let the Dr put you back on them. The write ups on gabapentin are horrendous
Good luck and stay positive . I'm free of it now and will never take it again.
Ive been told that in some states of USA its classed as an A class drug.
I'm in UK so unsure here what the outcome is.
Babs on here helped me with her advice and knowledge
regards
Vivienne
babs99203 v2806
Posted
It's good to hear you're doing better Vivienne. I don't remember how long ago your last dose was and I hope any problems from gab and withdrawal are past. It's been 10 weeks since my last dose and the last 6 weeks have been really hard, but I think I'm turning a corner, so it really helped me to know you're better. When we're in the midst of it, it's hard to believe it will improve.
My2Boys, how are you doing? Things can change, even in the same day. I don't know the specifics of the dosing you were on, when you last stopped etc. Sometimes, people (if it's been only a week or so) go back up a bit on their gab if the withdrawal is absolutely impossible. They can get severe insomnia, not sleeping for days, or jerkiness or very severe depression. However, re-starting the gab can cause additional problems and I don't recommend it unless it's only been a few days. Psychologically, it can also be hard, as you know you've got to start all over again.
Let us know how things are.