Magnesium and Gabapentin

Posted , 7 users are following.

I am slowly trying to stop Gabapentin and was wondering if anyone took Magnesium while on Gabapentin??  I started on 900mg a day went down to 600 and now I'm at 300. Feeling some withdrawal especially insomnia it is horrible. I read that you have to be completely rid of the Gabapentin before starting magnesium. Does anyone have any info on this?

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11 Replies

  • Posted

    I am currently taking a high end liquid magnesium supplement called ReMag liquid ionic. I take it at least 2 hours after I've taken my gaba. I have only been on this gaba for a total of 3 weeks, between 400 and 900 mg. I was rxed it to help withdraw from .5 miligrams of klonopin. It turns out now i will have to wd from gaba. The insomnia is the worst for me as well. Which is a WD symptom of klonopin... the gaba really helps me sleep 5-6 hours per night. Without it i have had nights with 0 sleep and cant nap durring the day. Which is so horrible. My insomnia is mainly from anxiety and addrenal surges. I am hoping once i get off the klonopin i wont have to hard a time with the gaba. But... i am going to take it really slow on the tapper. A lot of people get the capsules and mix it with water and reduce 10% per week some people go as far as 10% per month. For some people this drug can have very serious withdrawals just like a benzo. I have read people saying they use benzos to get off of Gaba as well as people saying they use Gaba to get off benzos, so clearly both are very serious drugs, the difference is Gaba isn't classified as a controlled substance which it should be. So even though it's frustrating to be bound to a pharmaceutical, the slower you wean yourself off of it the better off you'll be. I can't see the harm in taking magnesium even though it's not recommended by doctors, because after all those are the same people that put you on this medication and told you there was no withdrawal from it. Plus given the evidence that this medication depletes the body of magnesium, it just make sense. Magnesium depletion can be a fairly serious problem. A lot of us are in this fight together, and even when you feel alone and scared there are thousands of us fighting the battle with you. Im no doctor so i cant really give you medical advise. But i am taking magnesium, and i dont know if its helping or not because i have another drug tapper involved. What a mess... good luck to you.

    • Posted

      Thank you so much. Im going to health food store today and I will be getting the Magnesium. This is quite a mess but we can do it.  Good luck to you as well.
  • Posted

    I've been using magnesium oil as I go down. I did about one spray every two hours in between doses I was skipping (not within two hours of a dose) as I went down. I didn't have any side effects until now and I'm at just 100mg at night before bed. I've been stuck here for three weeks. Planning to go down soon though. I think the magnesium has lessened the side effects. It has made me a little sleepy, but my mind is so much clearer than when I was on the gabapentin. I also feel much calmer. If I start to feel tingling in my hands or legs I spray the oil right where it's tingling and it goes away within 20 min. It's kinda crazy. The only thing I've felt is some dizziness. I guess the real test will be once I stop completely, but I would imagine it will help lessen the withdrawal. 

    • Posted

      Thanks so much for your very quick response.  Im going to health food store today for Magnesium. This is such a mess but we can do it.  Thanks again and good luck to you.
  • Posted

    Hi Kathy,

     I actually stepped myself down from a 900mg daily dosage to a zero daily dosage in a three week period without guidance from my doctor. Yes. Very foolish and dangerous. I was so frustrated by the side effects of the drug I just took myself off of it. The insomnia was incredible. Many nights just a couple hours of sleep and a few stints where I didn't sleep for 36 or more hours. Well actually I would just crash out at my desk at work for 20 minutes here or there but no solid sleep at all. Now at the time I was taking magnesium with my usual supplements and vitamins. Not because I knew about the benefits of magnesium as part of withdrawal from Gaba. It was just a coincidence that I was taking it and still do. Worst part is my doctor talked me into going back on Gaba because of my neuropathy pain. Big mistake. I'm determined to get off of it again but I will do it under supervision. You are taking the correct approach to it. Best of luck to you. You will do it. It's a horrible drug. Buck 

    • Posted

      Thanks so much for getting back to me. Today is a really bad day. Feeling like I have the flu. Starting the magnesium and hopefully I start getting relief. Im so sorry to hear you went back on this terrible drug. I hope you can get off of it again. There has to be something else out there for the pain.Im trying to stay strong and not go back Im still on 300mg down from 900 so I still have a way to go.  Good luck to you stay strong.
  • Posted

    I was on 1200 mg a day for 10 weeks.. I got so p***** off I just quit cold turkey!!! ( after I talked with my 'real doctor'wink Of course I was in no danger of seizures since thats why I was taking it in the first place... It was pretty rough the first 5 days or so, I started taking 500 mg of magnesium a day along with a vitamin B complex and I do think it helped. I also took 5 mg Valium when needed to take the edge off the panic attacks and help me sleep.. It's been about a month and I think I'm getting back to 'my' normal self again..  

  • Posted

    Can anyone tell me why you can’t take magnesium while coming off of gabapentin ,what does it do
  • Posted

    Kathy I was on 1200 mg of gabapentin a day for 14 years ,good thing I didn’t take what the doctors wanted to me to take 4 x 600mg a day and I only took 1 in the morning and 1 at night for a total of 1200 mg a day and I just ran out on Wednesday so I couldn’t get ahold of my until Friday and my wife found in the drawers 5 600 mg gabs so I broke 1 in half Thursday so that’s all I had on Thursday and now it’s friday and I got a new prescription and I told my doc I wanted to come of it altogether that I wanted 200 mg tabs but he gave me scrip for 90 100 mg tabs so today I’ve had 500 mg and 300 yesterday so 800 mg in 2 days instead of 2400 mg ,with that being said it was a little rough last night and I was planning on taking 200 mg tonight but I am not going to do that

    Because I really don’t feel that bad if it gets worse I can always take a 100 mg tab, I’ll keep everyone posted and can anyone tell me what the side effects of taking gabapentin with magnesium I can’t wait to hear from anyone , also I am on 50 mg of morphine 2x daily for 12 yrs and oxcodone 3x a day for at least the last year an I hear to tell you all it’s time to take my life back I’m 54 and tired of being on all these drugs the docs have put me on in the last 10 plus years I was on 60 mgs of kadian morphine and 3 months ago and now I’m on 50 mg now this was rough going down 10 mg morning and night and the next month I was ok but rough it can be done and instead of taking 3 5 mg oxycodone a day I’m only taking 2. I will keep everyone posted . I’m excercising also , starting slow but as everyone knows all these drugs are good for anyone,Stay strong with me see everyone tomorrow .

    • Posted

      Sorry I didn't get back sooner but a really bad weekend with withdrawal.  That being said today is Monday and feeling a little better we will see I take it 1 day at a time.  About the magnesium with on Gabapentin I take it and its ok. I not on as much as you though. I give you a lot of credit for getting off the Gaba for me this drug was not good. Im on 100 mg twice a day hopefully soon down to 100 mg once a day slowly.  The withdrawal is worst than the drug.  Keep us posted how you are doing you stay strong as well.

  • Posted

    Hi, i started on gabapentin 2 weeks ago for sciatica, i started with 300mg day 1, day 2, 600mg and 900mgs on day 3, taking 1 tab 3 x daily.

    On day 10 stopped completely as i felt they didnt agree with me, couldnt stop crying and completely irrational thinking, also was quite unbalanced, my physio said it was the gaba so i quit cold turkey.

    Im 3 days off now and should be out my system therefore the awful withdrawal is kicking in. I have vomited, i have no energy, listless and tired but cant settle. I feel i am withdrawing from hard drugs, i want my normal self back.

    This drug is toxic and poison, for me, i will do my research carefully in future.

    Good luck everyone, we will feel normal, i am trying to get magnesium naturally through almonds, bananas, leafy green veg etc. X

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