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Gabapentin withdrawals

Posted , 4 users are following.

diane80014
diane80014

Hi,

Not sure if I have asked this before, but I’m wondering if anyone has had flu like symptoms after stopping gabapentin! I have been off approx 24 days and I still have itchy skin and flu like symptoms?? I am going crazy here!! It’s like it will never end!! 

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • sandra07610
    sandra07610 diane80014

    Posted

    I had flu like symptoms and spiked fevers that the fed could not explain while on the drug and for about two months after getting off of it. I am off this drug for six months and feel wonderful. I have piriformis syndrome with sciatica which flares and I work it out with exercise and some ice. It hurts a lot and I cannot do steps without crawling but it beats the way I felt on Gabapentin. The specialist wants me to try it again......no way!
    • diane80014
      diane80014 sandra07610

      Posted

      Hi Sandra,

      Thanks for responding! I have never felt so bad in my life! Gabapentin basically has ruined my life! It is absolutely crazy how long it takes to feel normal again! My dr tries to tell me it should be out of my system! Well if it is and I still feel like this it makes me angry!! So hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel! If a dr. ever tells me to try this again I swear I will go off on them! The sad part is when I told my dr about the side effects she didn’t understand why I felt so bad! They don’t get it!! Hope I can make another month or so to see if it goes away!! Glad you got through this nightmare of a drug! 

  • sandra07610
    sandra07610 diane80014

    Posted

    You will. It takes time. I drank a lot of water and walked a lot too. I just wanted it out of my system. In the beginning, the drug worked great . Then I felt like my brain was dying. I couldn’t remember things and got lost while doing things. There was absolutely no focus. I would spike fevers and my doctor couldn’t figure out why. I was so nervous, headaches all the time. It got to the point I was afraid to drive and cause an accident as I just wasn’t thinking right. So I withdrew from this drug over six months. Because I heard if you rush it, the side effects are unreal. I walked and walked. Two miles a day or more and I drank 8-10glasses of water a day. Avoid alcohol or teas as they dehydrate you. I wanted to really flush his stuff out of me. I went back to my doctor last week and told her why I did this. The reply was , “yes, it can do this.” After complaining to physicians for four years and I was on it eight years, I finally had confirmation. They say this is the alternative drug to opioids. Maybe I am wrong, but I think controlled opioids would be better than Gabapentin. This drug needs to be removed from the pharmacies. Haven’t heard anything good from the people that take it. Take it slow. Try the w/w method (water and walking) as I felt it helped my mind.
    • diane80014
      diane80014 sandra07610

      Posted

      Sandra,

      I am trying everything, but this has brought me so far down, it is even hard for me to leave my house! I worked full time! Now I can’t work! I agree this drug needs to be looked at more!! All I know is I will never take it again!! I’m hoping to get back to normal one day!! It has been a nightmare! 

  • Lukas24
    Lukas24 diane80014

    Posted

    How long were you taking GaBa? Did you taper or cold turkey? I haven't had any in 9 days and I seem to be getting worse each day. I only used GaBa for 2 weeks and cold turkeyed off a high dose.

    • diane80014
      diane80014 Lukas24

      Posted

      Hi Lukas,

      I was on gaba for 3 months! I was on 900 mg a day!! I got every side effect there is! I have been off for approx 25 days! I did wean off the way the dr told me! I hate to tell you that everyday is a crap shoot!! Today I am feeling absolutely horrible! I’m beginning to think I have to go to ER pretty soon! This is the worst drug in the world!! Cold turkey is not a good idea! I’ve been told so many different things! I don’t know what dose you were on, but you shouldn’t have went cold turkey!! People have told me it took them 2 months to get better! Other people say they heard it takes a month for every month you’ve been on it! Everyone is different! Should talk to your dr. and see what he/she says!! Why did you go off cold turkey? All I know is this drug gaba is poison! To me anyway! The dr doesn’t want to admit gaba can do this to you! I feel they need to look into this drug! Drs push it like candy! The way people on here talk is it takes a long time for your brain to recover! I can deal with the brain fog, but the rest of the withdrawals I can’t handle!! Hope things get better for you, but it might take a long time! Also what are you going through as far as withdrawal symptoms?? Sorry this is so long and probably confusing, but my brain is still foggy!!

    • Shewholvs
      Shewholvs diane80014

      Posted

      good morning I have been on gabapentin I would say about 10 years. I had no side effects from going on it first I was on 600 mg then last year they up me 6 more. But for some reason I didn't know it was addictive number one I just am tired of taking meds. So I stopped and I spent a month trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I really really sick and dizzy and could barely walk and it would take a few days of me up and down out of bed before I felt a little bit normal. I was also very nauseous and I did not eat much. So I don't remember exactly what day it was but I started to look up withdrawal symptoms. And I had more symptoms in that but it occurred to me looking at all these symptoms you're having withdrawal. so I took one in the afternoon and I noticed I was feeling better. Then that night I took one each 300 mg they're the capsules. And the next day I took one in the afternoon because I started feeling bad and then I took to it night. Since then I have been on 900 mg at night instead of 1200. So I guess I really messed up. I did that once before with my antidepressant not knowing it was addicting but I made it through a month and after that it was fine. And now I guess I'm going to have to make an appointment and talk to my doctor about weaning myself off. But I will say if I have any of the effects return for half of the reason I'm not sure I can handle it. It was given to me to help my Depression years ago along with my. I have chronic anxiety panic disorder and depression and PTSD. and I just know it puts weight on you I am 63 years old but none the less I have never weighed this. I have always been very tiny not anymore. my heart palpitations were so bad I could hardly breathe my anxiety with heightened like everything was so bad and yes I thought maybe I should go to the emergency room. Then I decided that I would try putting myself back on Neurontin so right now I'm doing okay and I'm not having any more withdrawal symptoms even though I'm only on the 900 instead of 1200 I think I may have waned the extra 300 out of my system that month. Well I have is hereditary it's genetic my middle son has it I have it my mother had it of course I didn't know about my mom till long after I had been diagnosed. I'm glad I did because I was ready to throw in the towel because I had three boys to take care of and my husband was over in Desert Storm and my attacks were pretty severe. So yeah I screwed up. why it is that I choose the one that is addicting to stop taking without looking it up and I know better. I was just so excited to finally be off of it and not have any of my symptoms extra that I had because my feet burned really bad and I had no idea what was going on and the doctor's like it's no big deal and I thought what do I have neuropathy I'm not a diabetic. My doctor said no no no it's okay and that's what he put me on the extra 600 milligrams. So it really bothers me that number one I was pretty stupid but number two but there was no way stopping cold turkey I could have made it. Thank you for writing back yeah I'm long-winded to no biggie. You have a nice rest of the day and a great weekend blessings!

    • Lukas24
      Lukas24 diane80014

      Posted

      Sorry for the late reply Diane, I rarely ever get on this website. I was only on GaBa for 2 weeks to help with opiate withdrawal. I was taking about 2,100 mg a day and CT because my doctor refused to prescribe me anymore and she said I could stop taking it and didn't need to taper. It's now been 3 weeks of GaBa and I am still suffering. My main symptoms are skin crawls, electric zaps, restlessness, tingling in my arms and face, and nerve pain. Honestly I can deal with everything but the burning skin and electric zaps. What are your symptoms now? How long have you been off and how are you feeling today?

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