Never ending gabapentin side effects ?
Posted , 3 users are following.
I stopped gabapentin 300mg 1x a day cold turkey after 6 months. Within 24 hours I was having every side effect you could name, it has now been 10 months and it has gotten better , but how can I still be extremely nervous for no reason at times, and sometimes I feel like my brain is about to short circuit . Sometimes around normal everyday friends I feel like a panic attack is about to literally give me a real heart attack. Is it possible this will never go away ? 10 months seems like it's impossible to still be feeling this way , and my low dose makes this even more hard to understand . Will this ever go away ?
0 likes, 2 replies
lynn72382 david_91537
Posted
Sadly, I have read that withdrawal effects can last up to a year. Gabapentin is not a drug that should be quit cold turkey. It alters the functioning of the brain. I have been trying to withdraw from Gabapentin for 9 months now. I have been on it since last July. I was only at 900, which is considered a low dose. I have gotten down to 100 twice but with horrible withdrawal effects. So much so, that I have had to go back on it. Even doing that I have been in constant withdrawal ever since December because I was cut back too quickly. I have done a lot of research and basically what I have read is that you should cut back 100 every 4 weeks or until your body adjusts to the lower dose. When they give you the print outs about the possible side effects of a drug, they should also include a print out of the withdrawal effects so a patient is better informed. Doctors also need to be informed so that they can discuss this with their patients as well. I was put on it for a constant headache. I still have the constant headache as well as the horrible withdrawal effects. I am trying to stay on the 300 and hope that eventually my body will adjust to it, then I will look at decreasing a lot slower for the final amount. All I can say, is hang in there. I feel your pain and frustration. I know there are people who say they quit and had no issues at all, but the majority of people seem to suffer horrible withdrawal effects coming off this drug.
Rener david_91537
Posted
I've been told the lower the dose goes it gets harder to withdrawal. Going cold turkey is never advised. Yet if You've made it 10 months then I would just wait for My CNS and brain to catch up so to say! It's a horrible drug!! No one knows as everyone is different. To start a Patient on a medication that has no withdrawal timetable just isn't right! I'm currently at 1200 mg after being on 3600 mg. The lower I go the harder it is! Some People claim as tapering off xanax helped. You go up and down on that at same time. Good luck! Don't start a benzo if you don't have too! Please talk to Your Primary who if like all My Doctors wil give the standard quote of it's a wonderful drug for most People etc....!