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Gabapentin Withdrawal IMPORTANT

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I spent 4 days in intensive care following a spinal operation. This was found to be the result of the sudden complete withdraawal of Gabapentin.

For 3 whole days I was, to quote my surgeon, 'on another planet.' The only drug, of the many I was taking for pain, the only one that could not been given in an alternative form was Gabapentin. Fortunately, on the 3rd day there happened to be a charge nurse on duty who had seen a [b]previous case similar to mine, also resulting from withdrawal of Gabapentin.

My husband insisted that some way was found of administrating the drug. (I myself was una\\ware of any of this until later). There were objections from the staff since I would need sedating and was unable to consent! My husband over-rode them - thank goodness - and said he would take full responsibility and 'just do it.'

Some time after he left they did sedate me and administer the Gabapoentin. Then, as now, I had been taking 900mg 3 times daily for nerve pain, so I had obviously fallen off a cliff in terms of amount taken.

The following morning I woke up back to normal and asked for a cup of tea. When my husband arrived I saw him wipe tears from his eyes. If not back from the dead I WAS back from a living nightmare.

WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST IS THAT THIS WAS DISMISSED BY THE MANUFACTURERS WHEN ONE OF MY CONSULTANTS MENTIONED IT. YET IT IS A TERRIBLE REACTION, ALBEIT NO DOUBT EXTREMELY RARE. IT SHOULD BE MAD E KNOWN:!:

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  • linda88918
    linda88918 Guest

    Posted

    I have gone off gabapentin twice, once with major problems and the 2nd time with almost no side effects.  The 2nd time I took  it VERY slowly.  I dropped 100 mg every 1 to 2 months.  For 2 days after I stopped  my last 100 mg, my stomach was a little crampy, so on the 3rd day, I took  one more 100 mg pill and then I was fine after that.  Some people lower the dose only 50mg at a time,The key is,the slower the better.

     

    • me86638
      me86638 linda88918

      Posted

      thank you for answering.  she put me on 300mg 3 times a day right off the bat with all those other drugs  i dont think its funny.  i told her they used to give me norco for my back pain she said they dont do that there she probably thinks i am a drug addict seeings it was a mental place   sad think is she also put me on more then one drug  they think i am major depression cuz i wasnt very forth  coming when i was admitted about 2 years ago at a facility that works wiith them and yes i   was on norco at the time       
    • rita52071
      rita52071 me86638

      Posted

      I think you need a new dr....... they start you off very slowly with this medicine and then they will build you up if needed .......do you live in the states
    • me86638
      me86638 rita52071

      Posted

      that was in a mental facility and she said something about it and i said i was on that before and she asked me how much and i told her but that was over a year ago
    • me86638
      me86638

      Posted

      i should have known better should have kept my big mouth shut about the going off of xanax and just dealt with the it and the cymbalta and trazodone i mean could she have put me on any crapier combination than gaba pentin, remeron and trazodone   she put me on a low dose of remeron because she said i was sensitive to medication i think she was making fun of me seriously 
    • rita52071
      rita52071 me86638

      Posted

      Doesn't sound like someone I would stick with.  

    • kirk51905
      kirk51905 me86638

      Posted

      your suppose to taper up by going 300mg gabapentin the first day then 600mg gabapentin the next day then 900mg gabapentin the third day
    • rita52071
      rita52071 kirk51905

      Posted

      Hi Kirk. .......that's going up way too fast.....,,,, 

    • linda88918
      linda88918 me86638

      Posted

      So sorry.   I really think the doctors in the psychiatric hospitals need to read the blogs from people on the gabapentin withdrawal sites and the benzodiazepine withdrawal sites. It has been my experience that many psychiatrists  are very uneducated when it comes to the  various reactions to those drugs and the many complications of withdrawal. Many seem to only know what the books say.   I also feel that the psychiatrists in many of those mental facilities put people on way too many drugs. I think they should try one, maybe two  and if  that helps, then stop.  Sometimes they put people on drugs for sleep without even asking if those patients can or can't sleep.  I think they add too many things all at once.  Also, sometimes  patients don't realize that they can refuse the drugs that doctors prescribe.  Of course the doctors don't like that and often patients are so anxious for help or too ill to think things through, they just go along with whatever they're told to do. I think it's a shame that doctors do that to trusting and helpless people.It just seems wrong to me. So many times it seems like they do more harm than good.   They cause a lot more long-term problems for their patients.   Was your doctor from India?  Many psychiatrist don't understand, but I have especially had problems with the doctors who have come from India.

    • rita52071
      rita52071

      Posted

       Linda I really like your response and I couldn't agree with you more.   So sorry we will need to be going through this but we all need to do our own research into what we think is best for us I do believe a lot of these doctors just want to put you on medicine.  Yes sometimes we do need it but I think that's their first response to everything

    • me86638
      me86638 linda88918

      Posted

      how od you do that if you are taking it 3 times a day?

       

    • linda88918
      linda88918 me86638

      Posted

      If you are  referring to my comment about the Ashton Manual’s  dosing, if you are taking the medication 3x/day, you reduce 10% for each dose.  Example:   If you're taking 300 mg three times a day, you reduce to 270 mg 3 times a day.  (Since 30 is 10% of 300, you subtract 30 from 300 to get the to 70.)  Each dose is 270 mg. until you decide you are ready to reduce to 240 mgx3/day. Does that make sense?

  • linda88918
    linda88918 Guest

    Posted

    Also,the. Ashton Manual method is another slow,helpful way to do it.  It recommends 10% reduction every 3 or more weeks  until you get to the last 25% of the medication, where the reductions become 5% every 3 or  more weeks. 
    • deborah29818
      deborah29818 linda88918

      Posted

      I just got off Ativan and was put on Neurontin 300 mg 3 x a day for 2 weeks. I insisted that I come off this medication also - doctors telling me that it was not addictive. Anyway,  I went down to 100mg 3x a day for 2 weeks. Yesterday I dropped to 100mg 1x  a day.  Felt pretty bad yesterday - but I don’t want to go back up. My plan is to stay on 100 mg for ten days. Does that sound right? 
    • linda88918
      linda88918 deborah29818

      Posted

      I think that sounds pretty good.  You'll ave to be the judge of your own body, so I think I would make sure I was feeling mostly okay before stopping that last 100 mg/day.  Just remember, the slower and more gradual, the better.  You could even cut down to 50 mg/day.  They do make it in liquid form for smaller quantities.  I wish you all the best!!!

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