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
timbrad G.Allyn
Edited
Thank you for your response, it means a lot to me. Sometimes I don't get one or it takes a while for someone to respond. It helps so much to get encouragement from others who are going through the same problems so you're not alone. My son stopped by last night to see me, and actually I was having a better night, this can change even within the same day. I guess that is the windows and waves everyone talks about. Anyway my son always laughs at me because my short term memory is shot, and come to find out on this site that is also due to the length of time I have been on gab and a side effect of the drug. I keep pushing ahead and trying to retrain myself to say it will end eventually and thanking God for each new day and getting through it. And the fact I am off of those terrible drugs and my quality of life will improve little by little, at least the part the drug has taken away. It has been a rough road and the worst thing I have gone through and so hard sometimes to understand how one drug can cause so much pain and discomfort. I hope you keep fighting as I will do the same. Please keep responding and talking to me as I appreciate it so much. Take care. Tim.
timbrad G.Allyn
Posted
I fully understand your suffering, I was on 2400 a day when I quit. My doctor didn't even have a clue how to taper me off of it. First like you I thought I could just cut way down quickly, boy did I realize that was wrong and reached out again to my doctor who put me on a different taper regiment that was still wrong. I didn't know how low a tapering dose and how long you should do it until I found this site, of course then it was too late the damage was done. The only big difference with me and you is I was kept on it for over 20 years. Every time I thought it was the gab I was having problems with my doctors assured me that it wasn't by saying it has no side effects or withdrawals. They are so uninformed about this drug it's crazy. I told one of my doctors I was so angry and frustrated with my medical community for putting me on this drug and keeping me on it. I assure you though I have no intentions of ever going back on it, it has been almost 10 months for me now, and I count each day I am off of it and I try to stay positive amidst the horrible nightmare this has been. I hope you continue to stay positive and move forward in your life. I am glad you have made it this far keep going. I have to tell myself the worst is more behind me all the time as I go one. Thank you for sharing with me and I am here if you need support always. Take care. Tim.
amy-jayne2213 G.Allyn
Posted
i have just started my with-drawl from gabapentin, i am currently on day 3, i was only on 300mg three times a day, my step down is to go two days at 2 tablets a day then two days at 1 a day, then stop and switch to pregabalin, i am in so much pain, i have a mix of other drugs i can take, even tramadol isnt easing this pain 😦 my legs hurt so much it feels like ive run a marathon 😦, im not sure i can do it, and i dont know whether i can start taking the pregabalin while gabapentin is in my system,
Mt treatment is for a nerve disorder, currently going through numerous tests, i started having seizures three years ago and leisons appearing, and they are going down the route of MS. but im not so sure, it does fit the symptoms.
Reading about the potential side effects of pregabalin is also worrying me. gabapentin was working well for the pain and slowly it seems to have lost its effectiveness 😦
How are you doing now
Thanks, Aj
Sdstedman G.Allyn
Edited
i have read many pages of this thread & hope it is still active. I only took gaba for 2.5 months 300mg/3x daily but i started having panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, my pain grew worse from bulging disks, and sometimes i couldn't separate reality from fantasy. My doctor told me to stop cold turkey so i did. i was ok for a few days but had the typical withdrawals for awhile. it has now been one month & 10 days and the worst things are that my blood pressure went sky high & has not come all the way back down, i have almost continual vertigo (is this a withdrawal symptom?), brain fog & awful memory loss. I just need to know if these things are typical so i can stop having panic attacks about them.
kevin59851 G.Allyn
Posted
I think its typical sdsteadman. or at least i am going through something very similar. i completely stopped about a month ago after tapering for nearly 9 months and i am still experiencing symptoms from what i believe is from the gabapentin. I feel, though havent measured, that i have high blood pressure, severe anxiety, depression, panic attacks, brain fog and trouble concentrating. However, my doctor and family are now very skeptical that what i am experiencing is from gabapentin that i stopped newrly a month ago. this drug is one of the hardest drugs to withdrawal from and as an additional cruel twist, the withdrawal is not well understood by the medical community. the beat information i feel i have received has been from forums and not from doctors, but then i constantly question who i should believe, a medical degree or people who seem to have similar symptoms to me. its a crazy and wild ride. i hope to be able to look back on this experience with a clear mind and can help others get through it.
reba123456 kevin59851
Posted
have your symptoms improved any since this post?
noor17272 G.Allyn
Posted
im sitting in the ER as I right this.
22 days off this poison.
Since earlier today, ive felt the worse fatigue, drowsiness, weakness. This is just horrible. ive never felt this ill getting off of a med.
i also have migraines and pmdd. im
a week away from period, & had a migraine yesterday. Not sure if this is a migraine hangover/withdrawal symptoms?
kevin59851 noor17272
Posted
Sorry this is happening to you. It really depends on a few different things, how long were you on gabapentin, what was your dose, did you taper before stopping or did you stop abruptly? This information should help followers of the forum provide their opinion. Hoping your doing better.
reba123456 G.Allyn
Posted
I could really use some hope I am 8 years post cymbalta withdrawal, 5 years today post klonipin withdrawal, now 4 months into a horrific gabapentin withdrawal I was given klonipin for the insomnia cymbalta caused and gabapentin for "help" with the klonipin withdrawali tapered the gabapentin for 1.5 to 2 years from 300 mg a day
i am really suffering I have a job i really love and dont want to have to leave because of this I currently have the following symptoms: extreme fatigue that varies in intensity, akasthesia, nausea (weight plummeting again), can't get warm, arms burn, bad agitation
Are any of you feeling similar? For those who have healed, how long did it take? For those who have had the misfortune of withdrawing from both a benzo and gabapentin.... which was worse for you?
please give me hope
kevin59851 reba123456
Posted
I was on Klonopin for about 8 months and went through withdrawal. I started taking gabapentin about 4 months later at a max of 900mg per day for about 3 months before tapering for 9 months. I ended at 12.5 mg gabapentin per day.
In my experience, the withdrawals were similar but different. With the Klonopin, i didnt experience much withdrawal while tapering but had a terrible week immediately after stopping. With the gabapentin, it lasted much longer but after stopping but started to feel better after about 2 months. It was amazing when the symptoms finally lifted. Everyone is different so timelines can vary significantly from person to person. Based on your timeline your passed where I started to feel better but you also took it for much longer than me.
Hang in there, it will get better. Some general recommendations that helped me were: talking to a therapist, exercising, forcing yourself to go about your day normally even if you dont feel well, meditation using the HeadSpace app, eating well even if you feel sick and limiting caffeine and alcohol.
shannon81000 G.Allyn
Posted
so i started taking gabapentin due to a spinal tap gone wrong i was taking for a month or so i started gradually like doctor said 300mg a day then 2 a day then 3 times a day. i stopped for a day to take a different medication but didn't work so nurse told me to go back to 1 300mg a day i started having a heart rate that was fluctuating from 135 to 99 within seconds with that i was nauseous, sweating, shakey. i stopped with the ok with neurologist yesterday so it would be over 24 hours but they cant explain the high heart rate i had ekgs chest xrays blood tests and heart monitor and no one can tell me why. i told my neurologist i thought it was the gabapentin but they told me that its not a side affect. my friend the med tech and my pharmacist say otherwise. im just curious if anyone else went threw this or am i alone?
susan93424 G.Allyn
Posted
My shrink first put me on Gabapentin for anxiety and PTSD . Then my PCP continued it for nerve pain from injuries when I was hit by a car. I'm down to one a day and my skin hurts to touch it! All over! The blanket hurts, the water in the shower, my clothes! If somebody even puts their hand on my shoulder WOW! My husband is trying to get off it too, even though his neck pain from a broken neck is still bad. It is wicked stuff!
ginny58240 G.Allyn
Posted
hey how you feeling. im on gaba and went to the ER for breathing issues and now my bidy is all screwed up. im hope this is permanant!!!!
thomas47741 G.Allyn
Posted
Hello. I took gabapentin for 2.5 weeks for anxiety (3x300mg per day) but i started to have a lot of pains in my legs and burning feet. so I stopped last Thursday. I have all sort of weird nerv firing going on in my legs the last days. uncontrollable fireworks. also my knees feel weak when walking. never had leg problems in the past. is that common for gaba withdrawal? weird drug
thomas47741 G.Allyn
Posted
and today also part of right forearm is numb. interesting to know if that would go away if i were to take one 300mg pill again. so scary