Gabapentin Withdrawal Horror
Posted , 180 users are following.
I want to start by giving an apology for my doubts towards patients who posted about problems with gabapentin withdrawal. How hard could it be? It has a short half life. It is not an opioid.
My plan was to write about my extremely painful and unexpected withdrawal experience after I felt better, but it has been FIFTEEN months.
I was on 1800-3600 mg /day for 20 years. My physician put me on a six day weaning schedule. The day I took my last dose my pain skyrocketed, but the pain has changed from low back to toes pain, to pain mostly to my anterior legs below my knees. Unfortunately, it is a very slow process. The internal nerve shaking that accompanies the pain is beyond annoying.
I often read patients on forums stating they have no problem with gabapentin. I did not think my problems were that terrible before I went off the drug. They all come with cautions and potential problems. I wish I had known of how difficult this drug was to discontinue before I had ever taken the first pill. I wish someone had warned me.
Good luck to everyone trying to discontinue gabapentin. I hope your experience is easier than mine.
18 likes, 1046 replies
AmazingDawn G.Allyn
Posted
Now 22 days in. Almost all of my withdrawals are gone. I noticed if I get too stressed or overly exert myself, that there is some shaking and feeling of the onset of a hot flash. But, I am using these feelings as feedback to help me stay in a place of happiness and contentment and calm. I have remained focused on what I want rather than the discomfort, and I have continued my supplementation and water intake. My weight is down 11 pounds since I first began weaning off of the gabapentin about eight weeks ago and then going cold turkey from 900 mg 22 days ago.
I went back in the gym, exercising very lightly, and I currently am feeling so much less pain than I had from even before I started the gabapentin. I am doing a form of self physical therapy called the McKenzie Method, and I have had more completely PAIN FREE moments in the last TWO WEEKS than in the previous 4.5 YEARS COMBINED! It has worked for me when nothing else did.
I meditate. And I do night time meditating and hypnosis as well. Look up Michael Sealey on YouTube. He has a great night time meditation on Pain Management! I listened to it nightly for weeks. He has dozens of great visualization/meditations/hypnosis recordings for all sorts of scenarios.
Other than a regimen of supplements, I’m only now taking 200 mg Celebrex daily. I just refilled a 90 day supply. My goal is to be off of it ALSO before I run out!
I believe it is possible!
Listen. There is a light At the end of the tunnel for anyone choosing this path.
IT IS NOT A NIGHTMARE. It is a PATH. I am now better off for being on it and coming off of it than I would’ve been otherwise. I know so much more about myself, my creator, and my ability to manifest a different reality than I could have ever figured out without all that discomfort to push me to a profound internal change.
Keep the faith. Keep your eyes on the prize.
I will probably not come back here. I wanted to check in one more time to encourage you.
You can find me on Facebook as Dawn Read, if you’re interested in following my story. Shoot me a friend request. I am a writer who seeks to encourage and inspire. And we podcast, as well. Our most recent episode was on STRUGGLE. We talk about all sorts of subjects, all of which you can relate. You can find us on AmazingLiving.net.
Your amazing life is out there.
PLEASE, Don’t give up!!! ??
kate13393 G.Allyn
Posted
Hi guys,
Thanks for posting so I knew I wasn't alone. I was taking up to 45 600mg pills at the end for pain relief. I was definitely addicted. I have found that CBD works great for these awful withdrawal symptoms. I cut back from 30-45 pills to 10 a day for a week then switched to CBD and I feel OK. The suicidal ideation hasn't returned. I am also taking a supplement called Kratom with it but mostly for the horrible headache. It sounds like that might be more severe with me because I was taking such an obscene amount in the end.
There is a CBD brand called Hemp Bombs that makes a CBD capsule that also has the following:
L-Theanine, GABA, Magnolia Bark, Scutellaria, Passiflora
The GABA might help replace what is lost in the system that the Gabapentin acted on. The CBD is made from Hemp, not marijuana and is legal to order online. It doesn't contain THC- the mind altering substance in marijuana.
Anyway, give it a shot.
Kate
Noahdaniel G.Allyn
Posted
I find these posts on gabapentin withdrawals comforting in a way because I feel like I've been going crazy the past four days since stopping the medication. I have been under a cloud of anger, depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, horrible thoughts, and truthfully, under demonic attack. I had no idea why I was feeling this way so on a limb, decided to google gabapentin.
I've been on this medication daily for over eight months for a sensory nerve that was cut during surgery. Doctors told me it would help regenerate the nerve. It's still completely numb.
But I had no idea how strong or bad this medication is until reading these posts.
While taking Neurontin, I didn't feel any different than I normally did before. No side effects. No altered moods, etc. that's why I decided to stop taking it, because I don't feel like it was doing anything. But now that I stopped, I feel like I'm losing my mind.
I pray this goes away fast!
Specialforces10 Noahdaniel
Posted
Hang in there pal. I'm going to be right be hung you. I went from 6 pills to 3 the first day and broke out in sweat and couldn't sleep. There's a light at the end of the tunnel but it's like walking uphill in a coal mine. Eventually we will see the exit.
Specialforces10
Posted
N2healing G.Allyn
Posted
I felt compelled to write after hearing so many horror stories regarding this drug. It makes me angry. Of all the doctors I have seen, not one of them is/was aware of the withdrawal symptoms from Gabapentin and are so quick to prescribe. THIS DRUG HAS RUINED MY LIFE TOO!! I was on it to treat my neuropathy before and after my lumbar fusion. I was also on Tramadol. I was weaned off both after almost 10 months of being on it. This is when I became terribly ill and still am. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, memory loss, slurred speech, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, stomach pain, bloating, balance issues. I have been seeing a GI for gastro issues and he is clueless as to why I am having these issues. It's been 10 months and I still have no relief. He didn't know much about Gabapentin. I have also been under the care of a neurologist and she is unaware of the withdrawal symptoms of this drug. My pain management dr and neurosurgeon are not aware of the withdrawal issues either! WTH!!!! I am so frustrated with these so called health professionals. There is a support group on Facebook for Gabapentin users. Their stories are all the same. This drug has ruined their lives as well. I am still suffering and am continuously being tested. This is not in my head. It's not in yours either. There is much data on this drug and there are certainly a large number of complaints. Why don't the dr's know anything about this drug and why are they pushing it? Sick of feeling sick. You have to read up on any drug a dr prescribes to you at this point and you need to be your own advocate.
Billyboy179 N2healing
Posted
of course all your different doctors know about all the withdrawal symptoms. They are all lying. Period. Doctors are constantly being updated on drug info, interactions etc. Keep in mind that Gabapentin is currently the 10th most commonly prescribed drug in the United States now. It's a I I've money generator for the fraudulent western medicine system. It will take years to get off the market. By then billions will have been made and the damage done
beth47873 N2healing
Posted
There’s another possibility for their unawareness. They have all been tricked by a pharmaceutical companies false advertising scam. Google this article:
“Inside Pfizer’s Ghostwriting Shop: Friendly Drug Studies for just $1000.” Pfizer bought Parke-Davis, which invented Neurontin.
These ghost written articles, signed by a doctor, ended up in medical journals, which touted it’s safety, and a bunch of BS. So when doctors hear patients complain, they just don’t pay attention to us.
I also heard on the TV news that Opiods are being replaced by safer drugs such as Gabapentin and Lyrica.
I’m sorry you are suffering from withdrawal from Gabapentin. I hope they can figure out something to help you.
Specialforces10 beth47873
Posted
We are their income and I'm sure the people that work for pharmaceutical companies get paid very well and it's the biggest money makers of any companies in America. They want you to be addicted to their drugs just like tobacco companies put substances in their cigs to keep you addicted and coming back. I read an article it stated America's pharmaceutical companies are losing 300 million dollars a year because people are buying cheaper drugs online. They are in a full blown panic. The feds are trying to shut these websites down and big pharma is so powerful they have the FDA and CDC and last but not least the DEA in their hip pocket. Just look at the smear campaign by all those agencies on kratom. They are losing millions. Just think of the Drs. Pharmacies and detox rehabs that are losing money because people are trying to heal themselves instead of cow towing to a Dr, like we are all forced to do. If you weigh a choice between our being healthy or 300 million dollars. Which do you think they will choose? I hope there is a class action suit against the manufacturer of this drug.
Specialforces10 N2healing
Posted
And the Govt. is focused on the opioid crisis. So they say. That's because it makes them look good to justify their jobs. The veterans hospital use to prescribe fentanyl for me about 16 yrs ago and of course eventually I started abusing it. I won't go into all the details but I went through opiate withdrawal almost every month. My point being for 3 days it was pure he'll but by the end of day 3 I started feeling better. By day 5 I was still anxious and that lasted for maybe a week then I was completely normal. Gabapentin withdrawal to me is far worse because it lasts alot longer. It was not prescribed to me because of opiate addiction. I had been opiate free for 3 years when they prescribed it for me. And get this. They said it would help with erectile dysfunction. It's been the total opposi. I swear they should be dressed in clown outfits when I go there. I don't trust any medication because there are negative side effects to everything the give you to ingest. Do you remember the law suits tobacco companies had to shell out? Millions of dollars and those very same companies are still making cigarettes with addictive substances. The pharmaceutical companies have been sued for certain drugs yet they are still making the same and physicians are still prescribing them. We can't count on them. It's up to us to, in the words "Nancy Reagan" just say no.
N2healing beth47873
Posted
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-latest-drug-threat-isnt-even-an-opioid/ar-AAvl2Xy?ocid=spartanntp
?This is a bad drug period and this article fails to mention the horrific effects it has on the mind and body after coming off and being off it. Thanks Beth!
v2806 N2healing
Posted
WOW!!! cant believe what I've just read.
Here in UK gabapentin is being handed out like candy. My dog is even prescribed it.
It took me sometime to get off the drug before I started to be anywhere near normal again.i was fortunate as I hadn't been on it that long, when I had decided to take myself off them because of how bad they made me feel.i had looked up the drug on this site and was so so pleased I did,because I had started to think I was going out of my mind.
Thank you for sharing the news story.i have passed that information to some other folk Here in UK I know on it.
I'm also going to see my Vet and try and get my old Belgium shepherd off it too.God knows what it's doing to him.i did question it but was told that it doesn't affect dogs like humans.
Yeah?????really.well im going to challenge them.
Good luck to all of you who are trying to get off it
Regards Vivienne
Billyboy179 beth47873
Posted
I just googled the above stated article and I'm sick to my stomach. There is no medical community in this country. It's just one big corporation. The doctors are just middle to lower management, getting their scraps and bonuses for prescribing off label drugs
beth47873 Billyboy179
Posted
My new primary doctor knows that Gabapentin can cause permanent movement disorders, but other doctors claim it doesn’t. After 10 years of being insulted every time I am referred to another expert, I feel even more invalidated. We had to take a flight to see a neurologist in Phoenix Arizona. She said my movements don’t match any known movement disorder but she recommended an annual brain MRI with Gadolinium contrast. I found information from their own world renowned clinic that it’s a dangerous heavy metal and has a cumulative effect even in people with normal kidney function. My hand developed a red burning area for about 3 weeks after undergoing my 4th brain MRI. I’m going to refuse to undergo any more MRIs.
Nanamaris G.Allyn
Posted
I am taking 2700 mg a day 600mg 4 times a day. I just found out my insurance raise the price that I need to pay $45 for a 30 day supply. I have called my Dr . to help me get off of Gabapentin. I have been taken it for over 8 years now. I started taken it when I told my Dr. I did not wish to take any more narcotic drugs. I believe I'm going to need a lot of help. I just don't know where to turn. The doctor is supposed to get back with me sometime later this week so we can discuss my options. I will take any suggestions at all.
Specialforces10 Nanamaris
Posted
It's a shame Drs don't take the time to go over the side effects of drugs they prescribe. Gabapentin should be temporary but I think it should not be to replace narcotics. It is in my opinion just as harmful as methadone and just as addicting. It's not in any Drs. Best interest to cure you because we are their bread and butter. I know your having a difficult time financially because your health insurance is running out. Most cities big and small have a free clinic and they can stear you to a social worker who can then help you get a medical card. I know it must seem like alot to go thru but if your not feeling well in the mean time you can always go to the nearest emergency room or go to a govt. Funded rehab. The medical community stopped prescribing benzos like valium and xanax to help with the sick feeling and sleepless nights of withdrawal. They say because they are fast acting and that'd what makes them addicting. Does that not sound like backward thinking? They don't want you to get well. They hand out their addicting poison like it's candy and it would not surprise me if there is a class action law suite against the manufacturer of this horrible life stealing drug...