Gabapentine withdrawal symptoms

I sympathize with you on your experience with Gabapentin. It is a common phenomenon and I went through the same experience when I stopped using it suddenly without a doctor's advice.

As absurd as my advice here may sound to you right now, I still believe it's the best way to end this experience.

Go back to Gabapentin 300mg for at 2 weeks. i.e 300mg x 3 times daily or 2 times daily depending on how you were using it before. This will help to restore you back to initial point you were initial.

Ask your GP to give you the 100mg doses, then drop from 300mg to 200mg for another 2 weeks, using it the same way you did with the 300mh. After 2 weeks, drop to the next 100mg.

At 100mg, you will change the pattern from 100mg x 3 times daily to 100mg x 2 times daily then 100mg per day (depending on how your body can adjust).

Go forward at that point to 100mg every other day (may be for a week or 2) and gradually come off it.

This is because Gabapentin interacts with the brain and a sudden withdraw is dangerous if not fatal, unless it's done gradually over a long period of time.

I wish you all the best

hi I'm sorry you are suffering. I'm not sure how long you have been suffering with withdrawal.

I cant comment on whether going back on them will help, but speaking from my experience I would change one thing about Yabatan09 suggestion. dropping to the 100mg capsules so you can gradually decrease from 300mg three times per day to 100mg three times per day would help. perhaps then dropping to 100mg two time a day. BUT I would give a warning about taking it only once per day. i did this. after finally finishing completely I realised I'd made a mistake in those weeks leading up to that point. the half life of the drug is so short, by taking it once a day I was suffering with withdrawal symptoms every day. I was irritable, cranky, generally upset and low by the end of the day. I wasnt my usual self.

when I eventually stopped I had about 7-10 days of pretty bad emotional feelings but I was very aware this was related to withdrawal and kept telling myself that. I would flip from feeling rage to tears in an instant.

I think I'm lucky that I could box it up and say those feelings were simply down to withdrawal, but I think it's harder for others.

anyway, I guess what I was saying was the next step from 100mg three times a day is none.

I did speak to a nurse once who said that some people find they end up staying in the lowest dose possible (100mg three times a day) as this manages their pain.

Hi Decndor

I Feel that your doctor is trying to help you with your back pain, cant understand why he did not give you co codamol for your pain or another pain killer. I have been on Gabapentin for 6 years.

3600 mg per day for nerve damage. 900mg 4x a day not very clever but they are the only tablet that has helped me with nerve pain. I did once try to come off them full stop, but you can imagine what happened to me, i had a seizure, The doctors put me straight back on to gabapentin and i am still on them today, Yes they have there side effects which Ithink effect all people in differnt ways.

I would say to you to go back on them but take as few as possible to keep you from feeling down.

You say you feel like ending it all, so did I but you have to fight it and keep going. Try and work with your Doctor and dont give up.Gabapentin have lots of side effects which I am sure you have gone through or going through, God Bless

i can identify with this. i would reinstate at say 300 then water titrate down very slowly. This is very easy. You can then split the 300 into 3 100 doses spread over the day.

Then cut back slowly by 10% per week. see how this goes.

You have come off too quick and will feel awful.

There are some great articles on this, including Face Book.

Good luck

I'm sorry. You're learning the hard way what most doctors don't know. For many people gab has side effects. They believe there aren't, but some are so severe they are life altering. Those same people (like me and you) also go through withdrawal when we try and get off the drug. You went cold turkey and had a typical to strong reaction. The best way to get off these is a 5-10% drop over 4 weeks or more to avoid the worst of it. But no matter what, a good number of us still go through withdrawal. Common symptoms of that are increased pain (it's caused by the brain, NOT by your original problem, it's withdrawal) depression and suicidal thoughts, abdominal distress, sleep disturbances such as extreme fatigue or insomnia.

I was at 2700 mg almost 3 years ago from shingles, and learned both the hard way and through others the best way to taper down, and eventually off this drug. I'm now down to 300 mg/day. I do NOT at ALL agree with the advice to go back up in your dosage. The only way that you could probably do that is if that initial drop was less than two weeks ago. Going back on will start another cascade of problems. The only thing that helps is time and self care such as rest, hydration, eating properly and I strongly suggest finding a good therapist. Explain you were on a drug that can cause severe depression and you need to talk to someone about this. DO NOT ADD MORE DRUGS. Any opioids, benzoids, MJ or alcohol will complicate and worsen the situation. Please look up info from benzoid groups. Many addiction websites give too fast of a taper schedule. As the one the other person mentioned. I take 10 weeks or longer to drop between doses.

You CAN get through this, realize it's the drug which causes problems in your brain. Look up Inner Compass, The WIthdrawal Project for some excellent information. Good luck, really. I know what you're gong through, I've been there. Take it one hour or one day at a time.