Gabapentin tapering questions. When do you feel the cuts, and how long does it last?

OMG!  no wonder my son has not started take it yet.  This is unbelievable some of these horror stories I am hearing!

Hi. My God, what a story. I too am tapering off Gabapentin and have just been prescribed Sertraline for depression. I would not start taking the capsules apart as it would be very difficult to measure out exactly half the contents. But you could try taking it every other day, I read a post from another patient who was doing this. Just an idea but might be worth a try.

Sorry to hear about you experience but I've been on diazepam for 9 years now and taking just 4mg a day I've found keeps me sain and  I'm also taking 700mg gabapentin daily but I think 100 mg a day of gabapentin will help even though I don't think even the doctors no what they are used for!!!!!

I'm sorry you too got caught up in the "there's no harm at ALL with taking gabapentin" myth. I had shingles in October 2016, was prescribed gab, went up to 2700 mg and I've been tapering since Jan. 2017 am now at 800 mg. I worked as a medical secretary for over 30 years so it's easier for me than some to deal with doctors and sort through the studies and jargon. I've also read extensively and joined this group and more importantly a Facebook group called Gabapentin Awareness. The SHORT answer is taper at about 10% every 2-4 weeks. As you've already seen you have problems with these drugs, consider going more slowly. I take between 4-8 weeks to drop 100 mg. If I have a vacation or big event, I work around those dates and allow myself to be stable for a while before another drop. Look up benzo and tapering and you'll find good info. Gab and benzos work in a similar way on the brain. Remember it doesn't "stop your pain", it damages the neurons in the brain so it doesn't perceive the pain in the same way. When you taper, the brain is adjusting to the decrease, hence the WD symptoms. But if you think of it as the brain healing, instead, it may make it more palatable.

As far as a slower, smaller taper. Most do NOT recommend opening the capsules, it's hard to tell what's filler and what's active ingredient. With some drugs like Cymbalta, people actually open up and count the mini-balls or weigh them to determine the taper. You can also do titration, which is essentially opening the capsules, dissolving in water, removing 10% of the liquid with a syringe and dividing the remaining solution into 3 doses.  Notice I say 3 doses, You should NEVER take that high of a dose once a day. Gab has a short half-life, meaning that at about 4-6 hours, it's decreased greatly (but that doesn't mean it's out of your system and the side effects are gone. Nope, those can last weeks, months or longer, as it's the brain that still needs to heal). So essentially you're sending yourself thru withdrawal every day. I'm sorry that you've not been given good info, but honestly, I'd say only about 2% of us have. We've found each other through groups like this as our doctors are using the same outdated info from when the drug was first approved and pushed by pharma reps.

Yes, confusion, memory loss, decrease in cognitive function, depression, suicidal thoughts, extreme fatigue and lethargy, even panic attacks and rage are caused by gab withdrawal.

There's no way to predict how you'll react during your taper, and I don't know what to tell you about that 900 mg taken at once. Some people have trouble with WD at 900 mg/day with 300,300 and 300 mg doses. Some with 300 mg dose tapers. That question could be better answered by members at Gab Awareness who have a better background than I. At the very least, get a new RX so that you've got 100 mg tabs so you can easily get down to 800 mg.

Good luck, I'll try and get more info for you, but start reading and researching.

sorry to say this is one of the most god-awful medications that has ever hit the planet. I do not think there is any way to ease off of it. when I stopped taking it I tapered and I ended up with 16 side effects lasting for four months. this drug is currently being reclassified under FDA standards.