Gabapentin Withdrawal Horror

noooooo! keep going, it does pass! im at month 12 and the anxiety has decreased so much. forcing yourself to get out everyday will really help. being in the fresh air helps your cells to breathe the most so it helps to think straight. i find the more i stay indoors the more i become anxious yet when i spend a few hours out, i feel so normal! dont undo all your hard work. its really difficult but dont give in, its not the answer

I suggest staying the course. its going to be miserable for a while but by adding meds you could start the problems all over. Going up or down on gab causes problems. Unfortunately it's best to take it 3 times a day to keep a constant level in your body. 200, 200 200 would have been better or 200 100 200. i wish I had better news, but try and tell yourself that it is the MED not you. it affects the brain and the chemicals released cause the reaction. Believe me I DO understand, iI had a mini panic attack this morning from it. My husband could tell something was going on, so I told him. That did help but i knew I just had to wait it out. IT IS NOT YOU IT IS THE DRUG! You can do this. If you have a therapist ask for an appointment and advice and tools for coping. Get mad if it helps, walk, take a shower, call a friend. It will get better.

I agree Leenz about getting out. i had to force myself, but even little changes helped. being outside has been proven to help.

it really does. when indoors my whole body just feels stiff and tight and my brain doesnt want to function but as soon as im out, my body and mind feel relaxed. its like the brain and muscles need air to breathe and relax as they feel short on oxygen. i try to get out everyday and being distracted with family/friends has helped me the most. keep going everyone, theres better days ahead!

and agree with you babs, putting more meds or the gab back into your body will not help, it will only serve to recreate the symptoms youre trying to get rid of. this is a small wobble, we all have them but keep going, you can do it!!

Hi Leenz & Babs,

I'm just home from summer in Greece. I stabilized on 800 mg from 3600 mg since May. Even after two months on 800 I still felt crazy in my head till I added 10 mg of Lexapro. Yesterday I reduced to 750 so I'm on this crazy ride again but hope by reducing ~50 mg (10% as I get lower) every 2 weeks and with the Lexapro the ride may not be as crazy.

What I wanted to add was the going outdoor issue. When indoors I can feel so depressed, almost phobic about going out, but as soon as I am outside driving or walking, I see the beauty of the world and suddenly feel great and wonder why I felt so terrible indoors (literally 5 minutes ago). I question it everyday, and tell myself I am going to get out but for some reason it is soooo difficult just to go run an errand. I now realize this seems to be the most severe challenge I have faced the past year. I have to stay strong and FORCE myself outside as the payback is worth it!

Nice to be back with you all and let's stay strong together!

Isn't it strange how many ways this drug affects us? Here's another story. The founder of the US National Park System, Stephen Mather was an incredible man, yet he had severe depression. When it got bad, he knew he had to get outdoors. When I got so bad he was hospitalized, his wife made sure there was a beautiful photo of a national park in his room, so he could get his strength from that.

Patproto!

cant believe i missed this msg! so sorry. wow, Greece!! im so wanting a break in santorini this year! i managed two week break to netherlands at xmas and it was the best thing i did. changing your environment really helps the mental battle but i agree, to even make that decision and follow it through is the hardest part yet when youre out, you wonder why it felt so hard. go figure! the fresh air just helps my body to breathe so much! im even able to drive 2 hours each now and continue rest of my day as normal without getting tired.

what dosage are you down to now patproto? cant wait for you to be completely free of it!!

I find myself cocooning too when I'm in a taper. I'm not even very bad right now, but the familiar with less commotion seems easier. But, like you two, when I make myself go outside, it's always better. However, being with groups of people like at a movie, arena or restaurant doesn't help--too much over-load. And now we have spring, unless you're in a different hemisphere. But in the US in Wisconsin, it's nice to know that winter is past us and that makes it easier to get out. No more ice!

I'm sorry. But first you have to understand a few things about gab, there is no "only" on the dosage, some people take just 300 mg or even 100 mg and it triggers problems. The dosage and length of time are only one aspect of the recovery. What's more important may be how quickly your dropped and/or how drastic a drop. The best way to decrease the severity of the taper is to drop less than 10% over 4 weeks or more. Another component is what other meds are you on or have you been on. If there are multiple drugs, particularly benzoids, it's more complicated. Also, we're all different.

You will get better, but the improvement may be slower than you'd like, anywhere from 6 months to 2 years from the last dose is often the time table. I'm very sensitive to the drug. After tracking my tapers the last 2+ years, I found that the longer I take to drop, the "easier" a time I have. I now take 8-10 weeks before I drop. Try and focus on the small improvements, look back to how you were months ago. I've been told, and I believe it, that the memory issues (which I have) may take quite a while. Also, if you drink or take other drugs (legal or not), that can again trigger the brain to go back into WD symptoms.

Yes, it's a hellish situation than none of us should have been put into.

thanks Babs, i probably got off to quickly. i reduced 100mg per week. it was a living hell for about 4 months. but i didn't want that crap in my system any longer. after about 3 months i started to see some improvements, very slow improvements. i still get the headaches, and anything stressful triggers wd symptoms.. I can't drink any alcohol. one beer sets of wd symptoms. I'm not in any other drugs so there's nothing else interfering with my progress. I do smoke a small amount of marijuana before bed, it's the only thing that has helped me sleep. although, the high from smoking is not as enjoyable as it was before the gaba. I know the person that i was before gaba, and i know who iam now, and it's not the same person. I feel like i have brain damage. thanks for your response. it's been 11 months, i guess it could take up to 2 years to recover? Thanks for telling me that i will get better. it give me hope!

There IS light at the end of the tunnel Matt.

The doctor that I was going to told me that there were absolutely no symptoms to withdrawing from Gabapentin. NONE. He told me that after taking it it was out of your system in 12 hours and that he'd NEVER heard of anyone having a problem. Tongue in cheek, he looked at me and said "who knows, you might be the first". That SOB let me walk out of that office thinking it was me, not the meds. My daughter, God bless her, said "he's wrong, we both know that. Don't let him get to you".

I have been off Gabapentin for over a year now. Thank God. It was a rough ride, and although the illness that caused me to take it is still causing me havoc, the Gabapentin is not. I guarantee you will be back to normal. You've done the hard part, now let nature continue to heal you. I will pray for your complete recovery.

God Bless You

Oh Ann, how many of us have been harmed by doctors who say that exact same thing? There are thousands, if not more, people who are in support groups like this, on websites and on Facebook who were told the same thing and are suffering.

I'm glad you're better now. But I pray for the day that the real story on gab and other drugs comes out.

Matt, I understand you feel the marijuana helps you sleep, but it's very possible that it's delaying the recover. What is MJ (sorry, easier to type) or even CBD supposed to help with?? Pain, anxiety, epilepsy etc. The same things that gab is given for. I'm just a skeptical layperson, my years as a medical secretary only helps me question and theorize. But. Doesn't it make sense if the chemicals, molecules, whatever you want to call them, interact on those specific parts of the brain (GABA receptors etc. WAY too complicated for me to fully understand) they can cause the same problems?

There's someone I know who has taken years to recover from the damage from this drug, even now, she took a small dose of cold medication, and it set off WD symptoms. I don't know why our bodies and brains are wired like this. But to me if it works like a duck, quacks like a duck and makes us feel like a duck attacked us, it's duck, right?

All you can do is experiment by not taking it. See what happens. I don't know if it will take days or weeks, but if it were me, I'd do it.

Hi matt, recovering from Gabapentin will be a very slow progress but it is there, I was taken off a high dose of 1800 mg on November 15th 2016 and have been struggling since. I am about 90% better but healing takes time. I am also not on any other medications and struggling through the withdrawals was complete hell, i used essential oils to assist but was scared to put any other drugs or meds in my body, since they also had side effects. I understand your pain, the healing process from this drug is SO SLOW and you start feeling better only to start experiencing the symptoms all over again, unfortunately, the healing is never linear from gabapentin or Lyrica, our bodies want to heal themselves but we have to give it the time without adding anything else to the mix ( whether it be extreme change or drugs etc) because our nervous systems are still so sensitive. I went through 2 years of withdrawal from it, and i feel normal BUT i still suffer from restless leg pretty bad, small bouts of dizziness here and there and i still have daily headaches that are trying to work themselves out. Don't give up hope but stay the course and just know you won't stay this way forever, it does get better, but little by little. You don't have permanent brain damage, our brains are a complex thing. Just know that this is only temporary, a long temporary for healing but you will get there!!! Ps. if it will make you feel any better, i posted my story from withdrawal of the gabapentin in this forum post, just scroll through here and you will see it. Hang in there! -Heather

I will be right there with you hoping and praying this drug comes off the market, it is pure poison! I posted my story on this forum thread from gaba withdrawal if anyone wants to read, we are all in this together! Hang in there !

Heather, thank you for your uplifting response. i completely agree with everything you said and have a similar viewpoint. It will be exactly one year on April 4th since my last dose of gabapentin. I'm doing a lot better than i was a year ago, that's for sure. I'm at about 70% normal, although some days i feel almost 100%. it is such a slow healing process as you well know. I still get the almost daily headaches, which i never had before being introduced to gaba. I gave up on trying to drink a beer or a glass of wine its just not worth the problems it causes. i still occasionally get a night of insomnia, but it's happening less frequently. I do notice that my ability to handle stressful situations is not what it once was. to me this is the most frustrating part of my recovery. I used to be really good at managing my stress. I can't wait to get that back. I have to try very hard to avoid stressful situations because they cause minor withdrawal symptoms. it's unbelievable how this drug can alter ones brain in such negative ways. i feel like I've been assulted in the worst of ways. I'll take a compound fracture, a dislocated knee, or 1000 stiches any day over the pain that this drug caused me. People are being violated and assaulted by big pharma at an alarming rate and nothing is being done. One of my other major complaints is that I've developed tinnitus since coming off of that stuff. Its worst in the mornings, i pray to God that it will go away. I've heard that tinnitus is a common side effect. Well, it's only been a year since i got off that stuff, so i guess that's not very long for gaba revoverers and i should feel optimistic about continued improvement in the months to come. I'm just thankful that I'm out of that hellhole i was in coming off that drug. I'm happy to hear you are doing so well and i hope you continue to do so. i also hope that people suffering are reading this, and can see that there is hope. Heather and myself have been where you are, and we're both doing really well and continue to get better. I can honestly say that my quality of life is so much better in just a year and it continue to improve even if it's a slower pace than I'd hoped. I'm happy and blessed to have come this far. Good luck to all you people going through your ordeal. you will get through it just like Heather and I have. God bless!

Please know that candles and the wax that goes in warmers are highly toxic. They also effect the nervous system. Candle companies do not legally have to put their ingredients on the labels. Please, if anyone here is burning candles while wdg from these drugs, blow them out and throw them away. Do your own research of course. Im telling you all about this bc 2 weeks ago i purchased some candles and wax for warmers too. My symptoms were returning, getting worse daily. But i didnt know they were toxic yet. While looking online to purchase more, i ran across these articles about candles and wax being extremely toxic. When i shut off the warmer, withing that day i began feeling a bit better. Within one week the symptoms were gone. We dont need more neurological issues coupled with what were already battling. God bless all here

Matt, may I ask how quickly or at what type of dosages you tapered? I admit this is a bit selfish on my part, but I was at 2700 mg 2.5 years ago, down to 500 mg now. Between my research, support groups and my own notes, I found I need to go VERY slowly and carefully. The last year I've been taking 6-8 weeks, or longer, to taper by 100 mg. It seems that those who do it faster, and have problems (some have NO or minimal withdrawal, I know some) will have a longer complete recovery. I've had some very rough tapers with increased pain, and and very bad depression along with about 20 other symptoms. But the level of problems is much better than what others have. I guess I'm hoping that the type of taper can predict future success.

There aren't many like me who go so ridiculously slowly, as most groups suggest either follow your body (which I'm doing) or drop by 10% or less over 4 weeks. Some may see my schedule and say no WAY, I want off this stuff faster. Or they had no idea of the problems and found out later why they were so miserable.

Like you, my problems with WD are mainly brain related. I'm starting to think of our problems as a brain injury. Whether these symptoms are caused by injury or by medications, the results are often very similar. I share your frustration with big pharma.

hey babs,

i was on 1200 mg daily for approx 8 months. I tried to get off according to the drs. method of dropping by 300 every 3 days until i was off. Well the dr has no idea what he was talking about, and i almost lost my mind, so i decided to go back on it but this time i decided to only take 900 daily. I was able to get out of crisis mode, but i felt like crap mentally. i stayed on it for a few more months while i tried to figure out what to do. My first attempt was so horrific that i was scared about what lied ahead. I decided to try CBD to help with the anxiety while i was still on the gaba. i bought a cbd vaperizor and i noticed it immediately helped me. From there i decided, with the help and support from my girlfriend, she mainly just help encourage me to try again. i made a plan to drop 100 per week until i was done. using cbd to combat the withdrawal. i decided to stick with my plan no matter how hard it was going to be. It took a lot of cbd edibles, vape, and oil to get me through. i was consuming about$ 200 in cbd per week, but it was well worth it. it wasn't easy but i did it. so it took me 9 weeks to get off. It wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be, but it was still not a pleasant experience to say the least. i don't think i could have done it without the cbd. it took about another two months after my last dose to start feeling better. it's a slow healing process. I was getting about 10% better every six weeks. it's now been almost a year and I'm about 70% better. I'm the only one that notices the %30 of yuck that i still get on occasion. friends and family are always telling me how happy and healthy i look. and i do feel like i have my life back. i just have some lingering issues, mainly headaches, and tinnitus, and occasional anxiety, but nothing like before. Im really glad that i took the quick taper. i wanted that crap out of my life for good. no matter how you slice it, whether it's a quick taper, or a slow one, your going to feel like crap for a long time. lol i have no regrets with how i did it. people are going to get paws wheather they're tapering fast or slow. i did have paws and it still creeps it's ugly head but its showing up less and less as the months go by. and when it does now a days, it's a walk in the park compared to those first few months after my last dose. Ive been told that cbd can slow down the healing process. I'm not buying that notion. CBD was a gift from god for me. And I'm doing as well as many other people who have successfully tapered off without it. by the way, i take about ,80% less cbd now than i was, and doing great! My advice to anyone going through this is to stay physically busy all the time. whether it's working, yardwork, helping friends, hiking, joining an activity group or wherever, just stay busy. Sitting around the house with nothin to do was the worst. Im glad your down to 500, your almost there. stay busy! you'll get off and it won't be as bad as you you think! good luck and god bless!

agreed matt! youre going to feel crap no matter how slowly you taper. i had to quit cold turkey, i had no choice. but im so glad i got that crap out of my system!! i stabilised at 8 months, by 10 months i had more energy and by month 13 i started feeling amazing!! agreed, staying busy is the only way to mentally get over this nightmare. i take long weekend breaks away from home when i get, they help me soooo much! and anyone that says that quitting cold turkey has longer lasting damage, well i dont. i dont reccomend it AT ALL. its not safe and i was a reck for the 5 months straight, id suddenly just stop breathing, so yeah... dont do it but im doing fine!!

Yet another doctor who's an idiot. I was talking to a friend, who's extremely lucky as she's not having much WD, and someone said, "you can't do that without talking to your doctor!" I just laughed and told her they don't know anything. I'll keep plugging away at my slow way. As the bots--Mr. Moddy, get freaked out of we say we're having serious D and thoughts of S, I didn't put that in my post. But when I was tapering more quickly it was a serious mental health issue. I don't regret the slow schedule I use. Yes, it takes longer, but on a scale of 1-10, my level of impact to my life is much lower at this rate. I feel lousy a lot longer, but not absolutely horrible.

I do have to disagree with one thing. Not everyone gets PAWS, that's the more serious type of withdrawal that comes with cold turkey or huge drops. I think the majority have some type of withdrawal, probably everyone in fact. But I have a sister and friend who claimed they had no WD at all. But if I question them more, they'll bring up some things that I know ARE WD, but I won't get into an argument with them. At least they're cutting back or are off it now, which is the important thing.

I too totally support distraction and activity, as much as you can. I'm very lucky that I also do competitive ballroom dancing and once the pain decreased and I had more stamina I got back into it. It keeps me sane and for some reason, my memory is much better during dance. I feel whole and healthy on the dance floor, even tho I feel like a semi-invalid at other times. I can't work because of the cognitive and memory issues, but I'm getting at a backlog of housework (closets, basement etc) from when I worked. It's hardly exciting but gives a feeling of satisfaction and purpose. It's not my old life, but I'm about 80% there.

im not sure What you’re talking about when you’re talking about candles as essential oil’s are not candles essential oil’s are in a diffuser. Please explain what you mean when you’re talking about candles I don’t recall talking about candles at all thanks

matttttt!! how are you doing these days? hoping the grey matter has started functioning better 😉