Gabapentin Withdrawal Horror

I've been taking Gabbapintin 1800 mg and Carbamezapine 600 mg for over six years. Nine months ago deep in my periphial pain I decided I just couldn't take one more jump up.in mg to fix it so I've been cutting back. Stressful cuts by half every 2 -3 weeks this month Down to 400 mg...down to 200 mg. Now ??! Almost done! In pain, p****d,sad but relieved to have the monkey off my back. Looking to increase my PH, diet, juiceing, excercisises yoga most importantly God and self LOVE. I've lost 60 pounds. This is soooo good I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I have this intense, insesive itching to that. I was wondering if it is a withdrawal symptoms from not taking gabapentin? I've only been off for about a week and the itching just started today. I also have numbness in my ankle. I have had a headache for 3 days now and I'm not sleeping. I suffer from insomnia anyway and now its worse. Is this normal withdrawal symptoms from gabas?

I hear magnesium oil applied on the skin helps lessen the itching, and maybe Epsom salt baths too?

I am off gabapentin 1 month 10 days, some symptoms still, insomnia and vivid dreams when I do sleep, balance issues, no appetite, but - better! Magnesium supplement has helped me, it calms. Exercise helps too. We will get through this.. 

I just foam the blog or whatever it's called today I have been struggling with chronic pain for 8 to 10 years and I have been on gabapentin for 5 to 6 and Lyrica I currently take 3600 mg of Gabapentin a day and 300 mg of Lyrica a day yesterday I was having trouble with pain and I called the pastor of a church and asked him to have the intercessory prayer group pray for me because I couldn't get any answers or pray for the doctors actually that the answers would come to the doctors well I haven't taken any Gabapentin for 16 hours now and my pain isn't that bad but I am getting some of the withdrawal symptoms I feel like the gabapentin the more of it i took my body would experience pain to feed my brain the drug it wanted but I'm going to have to figure out a way to get off gabapentin and Lyrica but it was pretty interesting that a lot of people have said something about praying or higher power and since I ask for help yesterday the answers are coming to me today so God is the way

I started on this a few months back. I noticed several side effects such as depression increase, anxiety increase, blurred vision, sweats. I didn't think much about it because I struggle in these areas. When I realized the only thing that had changed was the medication I came off it; having no idea the withdrawal would be way worse. My anger, depression, and anxiety went through the roof. Uncontrollable mood swings. So, I started reading on this I feel as though I have a rough spot to get through but the worse is over I hope. Good luck and this was very helpful.

And then, I said “screw it, I quit.”  

It’s robbing my life.  Any “good” it did is completely overshadowed by the damage.  

I am now pounding the water, taking lots of supplements and vitamins to help flush and heal my body and brain.  I also added CBD (not THC) oil to my regimen a few days ago.  I think it helps with pain, inflammation and sleep.  I only eat what want, when I want, and don’t force myself to eat.  But I drink lots of water.  

I’m resting all I want.  I have all the withdraws everyone has mentioned.  I thought I was crazy.  

But I’m on day four and not going back.  I have an understanding husband who is being so patient.

I’m taking my life back, dammit.  

I go back to the gym for very light, mild workouts in a few days.  It should stimulate my appetite, and help me rest.  

Thank you all for being so forthright in your experience.  

I’ll check back in in a week or so and let you know how it’s progressing.  

Dawn

I wish I had read these nightmare stories before I started taking it. I'm 68 years old and suffering from back issues due to burning nerve pain. Only been taking it for 14 days but tapering off already as it makes me feel so ill..... sick, dizzy, trembling inside, twitching, shivers, and burning skin all over my body especially in the lower legs which, I may add, I'd never experienced before, also terrible night sweats and extreme burning in the areas of my original pain. Coming off it is hard but I'm determined to run the course, I've only been cutting down over the last 3 days.Initially I was on 100mg 3 times a day. Day 1 I took a quarter of the powder out, day 2 half the powder and today, three quarters....yes I do have the shakes and yes I do have a headache but they seem to subside after about an hour. I am trying to take just a tiny amount tomorrow and drink plenty of water, hoping to be off it totally by the weekend? I know I'm gonna struggle for a bit but it's gonna be worth it in the end.

Funny how I told my doctor on Monday I wanted to come off it and she said 'just stop and I'll prescribe something 'cleaner'' That cleaner drug was Lyrica and there's no way I'm taking that either, it comes with the same risks. I'll let you know how I get on, so good to read your stories, so comforting to know you're not alone in this nightmare Going to a chiropractor tomorrow, gonna be worth every penny if I can stay off this poison xx

Hi, don't seem to fit any of the comments on here, but having my own devils to fight in trying to come off Gabapentin. I was prescribed it for pain relief, only took it for 5 or so weeks, and as it didn't work my Gp worked out a titration but only for 3 weeks. I knew nothing of this horror.

So, just about at the end of this time my pain came back but worse, much worse. I initially thought I had fibromyalgia as EVERYTHING hurt.

Went back to docs, and now on a much better titration. But still in pain, waking me up in the night umpteen times. Is there any hope out there? Anyone with the same problem?

Thanks

I’ve been on it only a year.  I was barely able to walk before starting it.  It helped me get around a lot, but it also came at a huge price to my nervous system.

I was losing my “feeling” for life, and all the things that made life fun and satisfying.

 Over a month ago, I started an intensive self therapy of supplementation to help my body build up its brain chemicals, and to help my system flush itself out as I began weaning myself off of this drug.

Here’s the short list of what I dealt with over the last few weeks...and it significantly intensified when I went cold turkey.

Anxiety.

Depression.

Constant Crying. 

Severe Insomnia.

Hypersensitive skin.

Fatigue.

All night Sweating.

Itching, tingling burning skin.

Feet on fire.

Dizziness.

Nausea.

Headaches.

Irritability.

Loss of appetite.

Restlessness.

Abdominal pain.

Pain EVERYWHERE.

Tremors.

Significant Muscle and bone pain.

Heart palpitations.

Incredible brain fog.

Inability to finish a thought Or even find the right words.

I almost gave up and went back in it.

But something shifted.

And even though I know some people are still experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms over a year later, and I was just starting,  I was convinced, that if I kept taking my supplementation, drinking my water, resting, and taking really good care of myself, that I could get this out of my system and help re-build my brain’s and body’s ability to do its job without being on hyperdrive.  

Somewhere after the first three or four days, something clicked in me. I stopped focusing on everything that I didn’t want to experience. I stopped focusing on the crazy growing list of symptoms, and how it felt like my body and brain was rebelling against me.

Something just clicked, and I began to relax, and accept what was, that this was a process I CHOSE, and that every day I stayed off that drug was bringing  me closer to what it was that I wanted.

Every time I flipped back-and-forth, and considered going back on the drug to start the weaning process all over again, I  every time I flipped back-and-forth, and considered going back on the drug to start the weaning process all over again, I asked myself a recurrent question:

Would going back on the medicine and weaning myself off the final 900 mg 100 mg at a time get me closer or farther from my goal?

I kept asking myself what it was what I wanted. I wanted to be off the drug.  And even though my body was seemingly rebelling against everything around it by being off of the gabapentin cold turkey, I just couldn’t see that going back on it just to start over 100 mg at a time was going to get me closer than where I was currently finding myself.

So, I stopped thinking about what was so awful about where I was and what I was going through, and I really kept my focus on what I WANTED.

What did I want? I wanted to feel great. I wanted my energy back. I wanted my sex drive back. I wanted my digestive process back. I wanted to lose the 20 pounds that I had gained since being on it for one year. I wanted to be able to feel my emotions without them being processed through a fog.

I got my mind off of everything that was feeling “wrong” about going cold turkey, and kept my mind focused solely on what it was that I wanted.

I was an absolute agony for the first three or four days, but after that mental shift of focus took place, things began to improve, very quickly. 

 Within the last three days, my appetite has returned. I’m no longer nauseous. My headaches have ceased. Most of my pain is gone. My mind is clear.  I’m able to speak passionately and clearly about a subject without going blank, or getting sidetracked midstream.  The night sweating and hot flashes intermittent with crazy cold chills has stopped.  I’m sleeping about 6-7 hours at a stretch at night.  I stopped crying.  

Holy s**t, I started giggling again!

Bottom line, I feel more like me than I have felt in a very long time.

I’m not saying that any of you need to go cold turkey. The reason that I’m telling you this, is that I see how discouraged so many of you are. And I was in that very spot for the month preceding deciding to wean off of that drug, and the month of weaning before I went cold turkey eight days ago...and 4-5 days into severe withdrawals and detox.

I’m now standing on the other side of something, only days after accepting that it could be several months to a year.  

And I’m telling you, You can do this.  You can get on the other side of it.  

The human body is an amazing machine of creation.  The human brain has phenomenal  how are to heal itself and its body that lives in .  The human spirit is unstoppable with the belief that something can be so.  

And with your faith, NOTHING is impossible for you.

Keep reminding yourself what it is that you WANT for yourself.   It’s bigger than wanting to be off of gabapentin. Let your mind and your imagination begin to paint a picture, like paint by numbers picture, of all the beautiful facets of life that you want for yourself.  

 As with anything else, your results may vary. But I can assure you, that it has been my experience through much of my life that what I focus on grows.

When I began to shift my focus away from what the drug, the detoxification, and the potential of staying on it or coming off of it was doing to me, and instead shifted it toward what I really wanted for myself, things began to change very quickly for me, miraculously so. 

I am still in process.  I will check in again.  

I hope this helps someone.

Stay strong.  

God bless...Dawn