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Gabapentin withdrawal won't go away!

Posted , 6 users are following.

sandy97889
sandy97889

Was on Gabapentin for a year and worked up to 3200 mgs a day. Was taking it for Osteo Arthritis in feet and knees. Didn't do much for pain so decided to get off of it. My Dr said to take 1600 mgs for 5 days the drop to 800 mgs for 5 days! This was 3 weeks ago still fighting withdrawal. It's eased up some but still have some anxiety and like pressure in my chest. Almost makes me feel short winded at times. Has any one else had this and how long will the withdrawal last? Have heard the longer you awas on it the longer it takes. Tired of it just want to feel normal again!!

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Shammah
    Shammah sandy97889

    Posted

    That taper sounds waaayyyyyy too fast for you. Once you get below 1500, most people drop down by 300 mg. You have to stay there until you are stable. Your body will tell you when you are ready to drop again. When you get lower, it might be better to move to 100 capsules and drop down by 100 mg. You should talk to your doctor about your side effects. You may need to go back up a bit until you are comfortable and taper down slower. The lower you go, the slower you need to go. I'm tapering off 100 mg. I tried to taper down by 30 mg and had a bad reaction. I had to go back to 100 mg, stabilize, then try again slower. I'm now going down by 10 mg every 3 weeks. I still have side effects, but I can manage them. Be sure to communicate with your doctor and let him know you need to go slower. It's dangerous to determine your own taper. I'm only giving you an example. Only you and your doctor can decide what is best and your body will let you know. I wish you the best! :-)
    • emma68070
      emma68070 Shammah

      Posted

      Agreed. Gabapentin replaces the brain's ability to create its own gaba. The brain needs a lot of time to begin rebuilding on it's own. It slowly rebuilds over time. The brain still needs some of the oral medication in order to somewhat properly function.
  • Margot49
    Margot49 sandy97889

    Posted

    What kind if side effects exactly?  I am now on 1100 - 1200 mg a day. I want off this stuff!  I was prescribed it to help with GI issues and pain.  I cannot believe my dictirs are so flip about trying to stop this med.  I have had 3 different opinions.  One told me to decrease by 100 mg per week.  I feel so bad as it is, hard to tell if I am having side effects that's why I am asking.  I now have burning on the so,E's of my feet and both big ties are numb, no diabetes. They prescribe this med for these symptoms and I am already on it!!  
    • Shammah
      Shammah Margot49

      Posted

      The side effects I'm having are dizzyness, lightheaded, buzzing in my head, anxiety, insomnia, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, hot flashes and overall weird feeling in my whole body. And that is tapering down by 10 mg every 3 weeks. I'm down to 30 mg at this time and have one more week to be at 20 mg. I can't wait to get off, but my last dose will be mid-April at this rate.... hopefully, I won't have to go slower than this. It's best to stabilize at one place before dropping down further. I tried going faster than this and all those symptoms were greatly magnified. It was very scary. Now, they are present but at a much smaller scale than before. The lower the dose, the more bioavailable the medication is to your body, so it's utilizing it to function. Your brain and nervous system need time to adjust at each taper. Every person is different and needs to go down at your own custom pace.
  • rita52071
    rita52071 sandy97889

    Posted

    Hi Sandy...honestly I think you may need to find another doctor because I dont think he knows what hes doing......Sorry I had to be so blunt......Gabapentin is not a medicine you can mess around with...He took you off too much...like way too much at one time.......I was on it 400 mg for like 6 months........one month out of the 6 was 300mg....My doctor told me drop 100 mg every two weeks...I told her no every three weeks because I was deathly afarid of the withdrawals........I am now down to 100 mg everyday....so far so good........night hot flashes came back........lol.........Please go to another doctor......You have been on it for quite awile and a high dosage.....I would do 100 mg every three weeks.......I know its going to take awhile to completely get off but it sure beats the withdrawals.....The only other thing I got and this is a maybe.....got dizzy for like 2 days a half of day each day......that is a side effect.....everyone is different..........Please keep us posted
    • sandy97889
      sandy97889 rita52071

      Posted

      I have not taken any now for 25 days! First 3 weeks were bad. No energy, listless plus all the other side effects of withdrawal. Am slowly getting better. Still have some tightness in my chest off and on and anxiety is much better. I am NOT putting it back into me. Am praying I am on the other side of it. Only thing I miss is that the Gabby made me sleep like a baby lol!
    • rita52071
      rita52071 sandy97889

      Posted

      Im sorry for some reason I didn't notice you have not taken any for 25 days.......I would not want to take it anymore....by reading what other people say withdrawals can last for months it all depends....if the withdrawals are that bad their doctor may tell tell to up the dosage a little and then reduce it less each week.....Hopefully the worse is over.....Sorry about thatbiggrin
  • rita52071
    rita52071 sandy97889

    Posted

    They may even let you increase it again and then start over....Your doctor may even decrease it by 50 mg.........Please find another doctor.....Where do you live???  I am in the US
    • sandy97889
      sandy97889 rita52071

      Posted

      I keep thinking each day will get better..have good days and bad..yesterday it was mainly in my chest..even restless legs have calmed down a lot.  When it first started I thought I had a really bad case of the flu..felt horrible..it was actually my husband who picked up on it and had me look it up..and almost all the things people said about withdrawal fit me. I wish I would of known getting off of it was so horrid..but I keep hoping each day will get a little better..smile
  • tim72430
    tim72430 sandy97889

    Posted

    Sorry to hear you are having those symptoms Sandy. My case i can tell you, i experienced excatly the same symptoms. The Anxiety is absolutey horrible, which causes the chest pain amongst other terrible side effects. Just remember, your body will adjust and you will get better. Watch terrible t.v, try not to focus on the anxiety feelings( which is harder than i thought) stay away from coffee and any stimulants. B Vitamins seem to calm the nervous system and aid recovery.

    Listening to binaural beats for anxiety on you tube has helped a lot while focusing on slowing breathing.

    All the best smile

    • sandy97889
      sandy97889 tim72430

      Posted

      Thanks Tim..I am now 29 days from taking the last Gabapentin..I think days are getting better..not a lot of anxiety and chest pain has gotten better these past few days..almost afraid to let out a breath that something else will show up..very scary..I have read that the higher the dose and the longer you were on it which for me was 13 months..that is takes longer to get better..I just take each day at a time..I am still a little short tempered yet..seem to fly off the handle real quick..sad I will keep you posted..
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