Gabapentin Withdrawal Horror

I know someone who also abused them, taking 10-15 at a time. I was just wondering what the excess meds do for you guys? I tried it once but really noticed no difference. Best of luck to you as I'm also trying to taper down on them. 100 MGS a month is a good way of coming off....it must be done small and slow! GOOD LUCK!!

lorajean, I too have stockpiled it, because my doctor gave me too much and I never took as much as she perscribed, but I would fill it, and keep it hidden on a shelf.  Now im going through terrible withdrawls because I didnt do my research and quit cold turkey.  If you do decide to go off of it, please please go off very very slowly.  Good luck

Lorajean, here's my theory about your stockpiling. You're in a scary situation because of these meds, both in emotional and physical pain. This is a way you're dealing with the anxiety and fear these conditions are causing. It's a way of feeling more in control, in a way, that to some degree seems logical. Is the drug causing you (and me) to over-react to real-life stressers? I think so, but accept that and move on. You are NOT losing your mind, but gab definitely does change our thinking processes.

My situation is slightly different, but I too am making sure I always have enough of the meds. I can only take one generic suppliers version of gab, I'm so sensitive to it that I have problems like withdrawal on other brands. It took a while to figure it out. But last year, when we started our three week vacation, I left my meds at home. I only had 3 days of "road meds" with me and we couldn't find the same supplier in the midwest, but our final destination in FL had them. Now I want to make sure that I NEVER run out of them. We took along an extra supply of them this past trip (just got back) and I divided them into three suitcases. Crazy? Or a way to decrease my level of anxiety. I prefer the latter.

Hi Nathan, my name is Michele. I too had horrible side effects while on gaba as well as horrible wd effects. While on gaba i had a Constant overall feeling of not feeling well. Every time i went to get checked for whatever i was experiencing it would come up negative. I had chestpain, anxiety, panic attacks, i kept saying i felt like my nervous system had been compromised. It was. I only took 300 mg at night b4 bed. I woke up every morning with severe wd. But i didnt know it was the gaba. the list of wd symptoms is rediculous. You name it, i had it. Problem with gaba is you while you are on it, u are prone to infections. Its the worse drug on the market. I took my last dose 4 months ago. The first 2 months were frightening. I never knew what to expect from literally one moment to the next. There were times 1/2 of my body was paralyzed with speech impairment. Like a stroke. But it wasnt. The US military has banned this drug, yet it is widely prescribed for anything and everything. This is big pharma no doubt. We are the testing animals. One thing i do strongly encourage you is this,,,dont be afraid. It will get better. Remember whatever u r experiencing at the moment WILL GO AWAY.

I am so sorry Nathan. I haven't read the other replies, but you're been thru a lot and YES, the withdrawal process from gab can last weeks or months. I don't know why, but it does. If you go cold turkey you may get PWS Prolonged Withdrawal Syndrome. I can't say how long it will last, but that IS what's going on.  I truly understand, as I worked in healthcare for 30 years so can imagine the procedures, meds and diagnosis. I thought blood clot immediately, I'm surprised they didn't see it.

As far as going back on the gab, IF you do, which I don't recommend, but I'm sure it's tempting, you wouldn't want to start at 600, IMHO. Will it help to think It's Just The Drug, it's NOT me, I can get through this.  Yes, I know it's easier to say than do, but do you want to get back on that merry-go-round? All the symptoms you mention, are common in  gab withdrawal, but you're not alone in this, and you can get through, as you've been thru much worse the last few months, right?

I'm off the stuff now,since last November.I actually experienced similar withdrawal symptoms as you.Im in UK so it's prescribed like candy here.I had decided to get off it when I had looked this site up.i am amazed how many folk have/had experienced the same side effects as I did. I had started to think I was going crazy at the time as my Dr couldn't see why I was complaining about what it made me feel like at the time.

Thank goodness I'm finally free.Its taken months to get it out of my system,but I'm free of it.

Believe it or not,my Vet prescribed it for my 14yr old German shepherd who has chronic arthritis.As you can imagine I'm in talks about him being taken off it too.He had lost interest in anything, sleeping 90%of the time..he wasn't like it before.

Personally I think it should be a class A drug and not handed out until more research is done on it .I hope your friend Nathan with help can get off it too.

Good luck to all of you

I too just learned that vets use it. I'm starting to think this is the most widely prescribed drug in the world that no-one understands! My doctor also was skeptical of the problems I'm having. Long story short, I've worked in healthcare for years, have a good relationship with him and he knows I don't go off half-cocked. He realized if patients had problems, they probably didn't realize what the cause was or never told him about it. Not everyone does have problems, but it seems to be a large enough percentage that it should be better understood. So at least I helped educate one doctor.

I would have thought,that with all similar side effects folk seem to have,that more research should be carried out before it was handed out so freely.

its widely used here in UK,and the fact that a lot of people get it free on NHS (national health service) few seem unwilling to question it.

I also put on 28+lbs whilst I was on it too,in a short period of time. Pleased to say,that since I came off it by myself slowly that the weight has come off again.

I don't recommend anyone going cold turkey,but rather decrease it over a period of time

Speech impairment Michele? I forgot about that symptom. Yes, sometimes you can't find the words, but other times, I literally couldn't form the words with my lips, like they were numb. It was rare, but it happened at the higher doses.

I'm starting to think no matter what dose you're on, a very large percent of the side effects happen to us all. Maybe there's just greater fatigue and confusion at the higher levels. I've also read that beyond 1800 mg there's no decrease in pain, just more severe side effects.

I have become so disillusioned and discouraged with the medical field, the FDA/Food and Drug Administration in the US that approves and regulates drugs, Big Pharma, researchers and doctors that it's hard to trust them anymore. I've learned how low the bar is to approve some drugs. How about 50% effectiveness rating (such as it helps 50% of people with shingles so it's approved for shingles) and within that, even fewer individuals may feel success. Then once it's approved almost no research is done. If there are problems, the worst that happens is a "black box warning" meaning the ORIGINAL container lets someone know of the severe problems but the patient doesn't need to be told! As long as the  healthcare provider such as the pharmacist or doctor knows, it's fine! Only VERY rarely are drugs pulled.

Yes, it's used very often for off label uses. In the US, gab is approved for only three things, originally only two, Epilepsy, Shingles/PHN and specific types of diabetic neuropathy. That's it. Yet it's given for insomnia, RLS, sciatica, post-surgical for almost anything, anxiety, back pain, and many other conditions. Don't get me started.

I was referring to the time that i took the very last dose. The first day i didnt take any gaba i felt great!! I thought to myself ok! I was only taking 300mg 1x at night, perhaps i escaped the wd that everyone here was going through,,, Not! The 2nd day it hit. I was slurring, memory loss, couldnt remember what i did 5 minutes ago. This went on for a good month. I had double vision, hot flashes, tingling, the pain was thru the roof! But i refused to go backwards. At the 2nd month things changed. The slurring ended. Still had to write important things down to remember. During the 2nd month i had a overwelming feeling of calm. I had no pain whatsoever which i thought very strange because i went on gaba bc of chronic pain. That lasted one week. Then the pain came back, but the pelvic pain had stopped. I never had pelvic pain prior to being on gaba. It WAS the gaba causing pelvic pain. It felt as tho i had been stabbed. Now thats completely gone. There was one time, during that 2nd month, for about 2 long minutes where i had a loud vibration on the left side of my head/brain. It was horrible. It hurt so bad. the only way i could explain this sound/feeling is to compare it to an electric air compessor that one uses to fill tires with, that vibrates and is VERY loud, powerful. This went on for a good 30 seconds then it began to lower and slow up a bit, i thought it was ending, but then it went stronger, louder, then it lowered, slowed up again and then finally stopped. It never happened again. I dont think i could have endured that if it happened all the time. It was that bad. This gaba med needs to be taken off the market.

Babs, I’m also concerned about the widespread use of this drug that formerly was only used as an anti-seizure drug. Now it seems to be prescribed for everything.

In 1996, the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company had an employee who quit and became a Whistleblower. He alleged illegal encouragement of off-label use of Neurontin. The transcript can be found on the Dateline NBC newscast, titled. “Drug Giant Accused of False Claims.”

With all these complaints about Withdrawal, and my own personal experience of developing a permanent uncontrollable movement disorder during a short introduction period to Gabapentin, I feel compelled to do something to accept social responsibility.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a renowned neurosurgeon, is also Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN. I found his CNN address, and I have been thinking about writing to him, but it would be better to have others reach out to him about our problems with this drug. 

I’m also on Facebook, and have seen your comments, but I don’t know how to organize this. 

This must be part of my withdrawal. I went to church on Sunday and I don't remember who I spoke to afterwards or what I said. I think I was speaking to a friend about a ceiling fan he put on my Lanai for me, but I don't know if I did or is this my imagination. Has to be the Gabapentin. It's making my brain fuzzy. Am not feeling too well today. Have bad headache, fuzzy brain and tingling in both legs from the knees down.

I'm sorry Marie, yes, that's what happening. It's a drug that affects our whole body, but it's focus is on the brain. It's not you, it's the drug.

Hi Beth, so ya found me!! I agree with you, I wish, desperately, that we could raise awareness of this drug and it's problems. I don't even know where to start. It usually happens through sheer luck and networking. Maybe as we keep making our own luck something will change. The articles in the NY Times and the discussions in the British Parliament make me hopeful.

Anyone!!!!     How do I unfollow this subject?   Clogging my inbox up! 

First, make sure you're signed in. If you get updates and come to the forums, that doesn't mean you're signed in. Then go to My Account (it may be on the upper right), then settings. Ahh, sorry, then I hit a wall!! At least that's a start. I'd like to know how to stop some of these too. Let us know if you figure it out. They made some changes to our accounts and I'm lost now. Same with the messaging, that's totally different. Good luck

Hi Babs, I’m glad you’re here too.

I always answer people on Facebook who are considering taking Gabapentin but asking for opinions. One lady was from France, so I told her “tres mal,” very bad. She understood. 

Last night at a meeting, a friend told me, “I found your on YouTube.” I asked, “How could you have found me, when I use a pseudonym?” She said, “You were recommended to follow, so I subscribed.”  That made my day. One is titled, “Gabbing about Gabapentin.” It’s more like complaining about Gabapentin. 

It seems like the British doctors are making a lot of complaints about the top 10 US pharmaceutical companies who gladly pay huge fines for advertising off label.

Did you see the abbreviated video on Facebook of the British medical conference titled, “Honest doctors can no longer practice honest medicine?”

Gabapentin almost killed Me! Good for the British Government!  It isn’t ever listed as what is wrong with You but 22 Hospital stays with 16 being in ICU the gabapentin was underlying reason. It’s side effects were the reason I was hospitalized and came very very close to death. Brought back 2!  Upper respiratory infections and pneumonia the bacterial Menegitis was a month stay with one week in Nursing home. All the cases of pneumonia with I cured bacteria from lungs broke loose in blood stream!  That was one close call!  My Doctor had raised me to 3600 mg per day for chronic back pain. I was in a ball for over 2 years frompelvic pain!  I couldn’t think enough to stop taking!  Then I seized a only one Doctor out of at least a hundred said that’s way too much. I instantly dropped 1200 mg!  OMG at first the relief. Not recommended that much at a time. One year and no more hospitalization!!  I’m down to 300 and can’t wait for last dose then to recover!  We should still be able to sue Them. I’m bankrupted by their foolish and lying dangerous claims. They should be prosecuted too!  I hope everybody will start talking about dangers. I do!  In 5 years all these irresponsible Doctors  will see. Yet they can’t just cut people off and everybody withdrawals at their own brains capability to do so!  It’s miserable and painful. Worse than any benson or opiate I ever took!  Thanks for doing what you do!!

I’m glad you survived your ordeal, and that one doctor finally made the connection to Gabapentin. 

I wonder how long it will take more doctors to realize the dangerous side effects. Whatever happened to, “Do no harm?”

Recently when a neurologist told me none of her patients had ever developed a movement disorder from Gabapentin, I showed her information I found on the internet titled, “Neurontin (gabapentin) | Pfizer Medical Information - US, which was dated, November 7, 2016.  I  wondered if many doctors had received the updated information. I read the most common side effects:

lack of coordination - viral infection - feeling drowsy - nausea and vomiting - difficulty with speaking - tremor - swelling, usually of legs and feet - fever - jerky movements - double vision - unusual eye movement - suicidal thoughts or actions. The list goes on but Pfizer wants doctors to report to them and the FDA, but it’s a voluntary system. 

My thoughts and prayers are with you. 

 

Oh Beth, if I may tutoyer you, tu parle francais aussi?  I was going to be a high school french teacher, years ago, but I can still muddle through. I didn't see that video, it's on G.A? I'll have to look. You are so correct in your response to Rener. I told my husband today I am going to print off that that newest reports in that Pain journal for my doctor. I don't think they've ever been updated on PHN, shingles and especially gab and the meds they give out.

Phizer was sued over the gaba and lost ! But they put out again under a different name. The USA military has banned the drug but its still prescribed for us civilians! Big pharma for you!

Bon jour Babs. The next time I see a French person asking questions, I will definitely send them your way. 

Are you referring to the British conference?  

It’s on my Facebook timeline. Hint: Do you like McD’s hamburgers? 

(nom de famille) 

Look for this- sending pic

Now I'm confused. Are you in Gab Awareness? British conference? The article I meant was one that Victoria posted there written by some doctors of pharmacy and pain specialists. There is someone on that site who's "a tree hugger, and a hyphenated, toady, peon, NOT a boss". Either that's you or you have no idea. Oh gee, maybe we should just message each other!

I can't see that photo anywhere, but I think I found YOU. Cemetary??

Just wanted to ask what you meant by saying "my stomach has calmed down some"  As I have posted, I just went off of gabapentin and have this feeling of being bloated and some pain in the stomach/abdominal area.  I surely wish the doctor had never given me this drug.  Unfortunately, you, I and others may suffer for a length of time beyond what we should. 

Its a side effect, i had it real bad, it goes away. Im 4 months off and that abdominal pai was gone at about 2 months, completely gone.

very interesting you would mention gaining weight.  I am normally about 175-180 lbs.  I didn't know why but over the last year Ive gained around 20 lbs.  Im sure its the Gabapentin.  Now that I think about it, it seems like I ate more when I was on it.  And no, cold turkey is not the way to go.  I can personally attest to that.  

Michele, thanks for the encouragement.  I was just reading this post of yours and can identify with what you described as a loud vibration.  In Zoloft withdrawals they call these head zaps.  About 3 years ago, my doctor had prescribed me Zoloft for depression. Fortunately that time I had the wisdom to  slowly cut down over a month.  However, I still experienced the withdraws. One of the common symptoms is head zaps.  It feels exactly like what you described.  A buzzing almost that gets louder than dimmer.  I just had one of these yesterday.  I guess any drug that messes with the brain can cause these.   

Hello Michele.  Thank you for your kind response.  I am two days and 3 weeks since my last dose of Gabapentin.  I thought last monday my abdomen pain and flu like feeling was gone but not so.  Yesterday I had it all day and the dizziness still never goes away.  Its funny they have clinics for people getting off of narcotics where they give them methadone and other substances, but what is there for all of us here feeling like we're dying from this crazy drug?  My doctor had wrote me one script (about 2 weeks worth) for my knee surgery and I have been taking one dose a day and it seems to counter the bad wd symptoms from the Gab.

Thanks so much Michele for your reply.  It is comforting to know that my abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms of going off of this awful medication gabapentin.  I am hoping that what I ordered over the counter so to speak will help with the restless leg problem which has been such a problem in my later life.  that is why the doctor started me on gabapentin and at the time the restless leg problem was so bad and still is that one would be tempted to take posion (sp?) but that is what this drug is in reality. thanks again. garnella

Hi Nathan,

It wasn't until I made myself come off gabapentin without any help from my Dr,that I realized how quickly the weight I had put on, literally fell off me so quickly.

I was originally told to increase my gabapentin to 3600mg a day for my chronic back pain along with liquid morphine.It literally sent me into another dimension.slurred words,tingling sensation s, amongst other things, including depression and lack of sleep.the side effects were endless,and more than I've listed. I decided one day I couldn't carry on like that any longer,and it wasn't fair on my husband,me being like that, and so I reduced them over a period of time. The withdrawal wasn't nice either,but I persevered.im free from it now thank God.

I seriously think that more research should be carried out before anyone else is put through the bad symptoms we have all endured.

I couldn't believe it when my vet prescribed gabapentin for my 14yr Belgium shepherd for his arthritis recently.Oh yes we're in discussions on that one too,as he's not doing well on it at all.hes put on weight too

Getting back to weight...it comes off quickly once you get off it.

Good luck it's worth the WD symptoms to be free of it

I hate to but in here but I understand you should use magnesium as your withdrawaing. It helps some with abdominal pain. I have excruciating abdominal and pelvic pain I gained 80 pounds and soo bloated. I’m miserable!  This is by far worse than any other withdrawal I’ve experienced! Plus everyone is different so how I experience the withdrawal is going to different than anyone else. That’s why They can’t tell you how to withdrawal. I’m now on 300 mg and year ago it was 3600 mg. The last 100 mg I dropped as by far been harder than the first 1200 mg. The lower you are the harder it gets. In my experience. The pain wow plus 1000 other side effects. I want to just stop it but I know I can’t without a withdrawal whiplash!! I Ray for everybody stuck on this horrible drug. Plus wonder are the Doctors as clueless as it seems to the dangers of these type of drugs or as 1 doctor finally admitted is no one seems to know what to

Do!  Sorry but I’m so upset at the medical crisis I now find myself in because of the oh! It’s just gabapentin attitude of every Doctor I saw for 5 years!!’

Rener, you are correct.  Doctors just simply don't inform you because most of them honestly don't know.  Just out of curiosity, after reading everybody's posts here, I asked my family doctor (who actually did scold me for going cold turkey) how long the withdraws were.  She said 7-10 days.  I told her about this site and how many people are suffering up to and over a year after their last dose!!!  She seemed surprised.  I also informed my surgeon about the military banning the drug.  Now my daughter is on it, and I keep warning her, but what do parents know?  lol  My withdraw symptoms I think are being masked by the Hydrocodone.  I don't like taking another strong pill, but I know if I can quit this nasty drug cold turkey, I should be able to quit this.  Actually, I don't have a long term perscription, just one small bottle at the moment, but I went half a day without taking it, and the dizziness and depression and nasea returned immediantly.  I know at some point I will have no more Hydrocodone left, then will I be further past the symptoms?  Or will I have more symptoms from going through withdraw from this drug?