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Short term low dosage Gabapentin still experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms

Posted , 54 users are following.

keith_40678
keith_40678

Hi all

Took Gabapentin for 17 consecutive days at 1 x 300mg capsule at night. Prescribed for lower back neuropathic pain. No impact on pain and didn't like how this med made me feel - constant "spaced out" feeling, unable to focus or concentrate at work or driving and completely flat mood. So, decided to stop taking it cold turkey 7 days ago. Having taken a relatively low dose for just under 3 weeks I thought there'd be no issues at all. How wrong can you be?!!! I'll mention that I've no previous experience of anxiety or depression and not taken any other meds recently. Last course of tablets were antibiotics a couple of years ago. So, In no particular order I've experienced the following symptoms since stopping GP - Anxiety to the point of jumping out of my skin, periods of significant low mood, whole body tremor, chills, disrupted and non refreshing sleep, severe muscle twitching in legs and an array of stomach issues. I find it incredible that this has happened and that this med can have such a profound effect in such a short space of time. Would love to hear if anyone else has suffered similarly after taking low dose for short periods?

8 likes, 153 replies

153 Replies

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  • Jeshuaschild
    Jeshuaschild keith_40678

    Posted

    Took 1200-1809a day for 30 days

    Last taper pill was July18

    Still have anxiety creep up on me when I don't see it coming

    Dr doesn't get it

    Attributes it to my age

    I'm positive it was the gabapentin

    It was hell detoxing

    You will find many here w similar stories

    So sorry

  • kimberly45582
    kimberly45582 keith_40678

    Posted

    I am following this discussion and people are writing about having depression. Does anyone take antidepressant for nerve pain? I take nortriptoline 100mg a day....besides the gabapentin and nortriptoline I also have Tylenol 3 to use as needed up to 3 per day. I am wondering if the nortriptoline is helping me cope with the gabapentin? I don't seem to have any side effects from the gabapentin. Just a thought smile

    • heather91375
      heather91375 kimberly45582

      Posted

      Hi Kim, I was on celexa last year when I was also on the gabapentin.. The thing is is that The gabapentin and the anti-depressant both work on the serotonin dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, therefore getting off one or having no side effects on one while being on the other can and does happen often. For example, I had used a lot of Percocet sometimes two and three tablets a day after having a extremely difficult back surgery, I had no problem coming off of the Percocets at all while I was still on the gabapentin. Nor did I have any problems getting off of the Celexa that I had been on for a couple years while I was on the gabapentin. I just think a lot of it depends on the person, the drug, the dosage, and how long you have been on it and also whether you have other medications that could counteract with drawl symptoms on the drug you're trying to get off. Hopefully you're doing well and not going through any major withdrawal symptoms like the rest of us..

  • Domtah
    Domtah keith_40678

    Posted

    Wow, i just stumbled across this post. Ive been taking 2400 mgs daily for two months. My doctor put me on it for anxiety and sleep. Ive never felt different from it but ive definetly felt the withdrawel symptoms everyones describing. My dr. Told me this drug doesnt have side effects and prescribed it to me over benzos. I often leave the bottle somewhere for days or run out of pills and wait for another dr appt. I always thought symptoms were from another med im taking(methadone, decided to quit pain pills and heroin cold turkey was off 2 months then court ordered to do this outpatient program that got me hooked to methadone and gabbas. Well glad ive been informed ive been without them for a week now, ofen experience restlessness nausea and shortness of breathe i just thought i was dying. Thanks yall im gonna stay iff them and try not to die too much.
  • keith_40678
    keith_40678

    Posted

    Thought I'd post a bit of an update and let folks know how my experience with withdrawal symptoms has progressed.

    Been GABA free for 2 months now and things are a whole lot better than they were I'm pleased to say. It's been a rollercoaster but last 4-5 weeks have seen a significant improvement. I would say my only remaining symptom is the "out of the blue" anxiety moments. They're not something I'd experienced previously so they still catch me off guard and are very unnerving. However these are pretty infrequent now, to the point where I actually forget about them until the next moment happens.

    Kind regards and best wishes to everyone on these invaluable forums.

    • heather91375
      heather91375 keith_40678

      Posted

      Hi Keith40678,

      Glad to hear that you're doing much better I just hit the 99 day mark gabapentin free today and I'm just now starting to see some improvement. I'm still having some of the anxiety come and go, a little bit of insomnia here and there, and a few other things like restless leg and some rebound pain but that is slowly starting to go away thank goodness. Hang in there.. it's been one heck of a ride for me...

  • benjamin72483
    benjamin72483 keith_40678

    Posted

    Yes Keith don't worry I'd say what you are going through is completely normal coming off of gabapentin. I was prescribed it for anxiety and started off at 300 mg 3x a day. After only 2 doses in an 18 hour period I started experiencing terrible anxiety and restlessness. I called my doctor and he said to stop it immediately. The restlesssness stopped after about 30 mins but it was terrifying. The next day around 2:30 I started feeling super anxious again and that night I could not sleep and started sweating I felt like I was going to die. Fast forward 4 days after taking my last pill I'm still feeling anxious but starting to get a little bit better and can now sleep somewhat normally. 1 day of pure hell from taking just 2 pills and the 3 days since have been a minor form of hell. This drug is extremely strong. Hang in there Keith!

    • beth47873
      beth47873 benjamin72483

      Posted

      Hi Benjamin, I also only took two consecutive doses of 300 mg, but it caused an adverse reaction resulting in an uncontrollable movement disorder. 

      This drug is dangerous for many, then my prescribing doctor decided I didn’t need to know what my brain MRI results showed, and the doctor who ordered it, didn’t inform the radiologist that my main symptoms were twitching and jerking. So he concluded that I had a 5 mm lesion on my hypothalamus gland which was most consistent with a hamartoma, meaning I was born with it. 

      10 years later, my newest MRI called it a cyst, and they want me to have a brain MRI every year. No treatment, just that expensive test with a dangerous contrast material. I think I had an infarction that caused a movement disorder called Ballism. 

      You’re fortunate that it didn’t cause permanent damage.

      This Drug is becoming  the replacement for opioids given before and after surgery and many pain symptoms. 

  • rita52071
    rita52071 keith_40678

    Posted

    Hi Keith...gabapentin is a very dangerous med.......no matter what dosage you are on you must taper off very very slowly....causes bad withdrawals.....it messes with the chemicals in your brain........I hope your withdrawals let up soon.......I needed to go back on 100 mg once a day for an extra 3 months because of withdrawals....been off it since October...doing good now...still have a few issues.....your brain needs to reprogram itself........
  • benjamin72483
    benjamin72483 keith_40678

    Posted

    I took only 2 300mg capsules in an 18 hour period and I had terrible side effects. Called my doctor and immediately stopped. Been 11 days since I took the last pill and I'm still dealing with anxiety although most of the other affects are completely gone by now. Just a little lingering nausea and weakness. The anxiety is getting better each day though. Unfortunately I have had other bad experiences with other drugs which were supposedly safe and I'd gone through withdrawal from opiates so I wasn't completely caught off guard but wow this gabapentin really messed me up. Just 2 pills and I'm still getting over it 11 days later. Much love to all of you on here struggling also, it gets better! Please hang in there

    • Jeshuaschild
      Jeshuaschild benjamin72483

      Posted

      Took it for a month back in June and still have telltale signs of anxiety.

      And sleeplessness

    • benjamin72483
      benjamin72483 Jeshuaschild

      Posted

      So sorry to hear that. The worst is over for you though I'm sure smile! It's a terrible drug. Tomorrow will be exactly 2 weeks since I've taken a pill and I still can't say I'm 100% although I'm very close. Only symptom I have now is that anxiety creeeping up once or twice a day for an hour or so but it's greatly diminished. My doctor was so

      Surprised gabapentin caused this. Seems like a lot of doctors are clueless about this medicine. And mine was a psychiatrist! I hope you feel better soon

  • lynn72382
    lynn72382 keith_40678

    Posted

    Keith

    just wondered if your symptoms have improved. I am struggling to get off gabapentin too, although I was on it for a longer time (5 months). I was worked up to 900 over a period of 2 months but couldn't tolerate it so tried to come off it. I have tried to come off it 3 times now but the withdrawal effects are horrible. The withdrawal effects are numerous and can be very debilitating. My skin on my arms and face feels like it is crawling, kind of itchy and prickly. I wake up with waves and waves of heat, which is continuous. I feel woozy and lightheaded. I wish I had never gone on this drug. I have gotten down to 200 again but the withdrawal effects have gotten worse so I have gone back up to 300 with now relief. Did you succeed in getting off this drug?

    • keith_40678
      keith_40678 lynn72382

      Posted

      Hi Lynn

      Apologies but I’ve just been able to log back into my account now and have come across your older post to me.

      Yeah I’ve never gone back onto Gabapentin and have been free of it for about 16 months. Still have some unpleasant episodes, mainly with out of the blue anxiety , but this usually settles down within couple of days and I’m ok again. I would say however, that it’s had a long  term effect on me emotionally as I appear to be far more sensitive about things than I ever used to be and have some periods of obsessive thinking. Neither of which I ever had before taking Gabapentin. Hope you’re doing ok.

    • benjamin72483
      benjamin72483 keith_40678

      Posted

      Keith I had a similar situation to yours I only took 600 mg over a two day period and 14 months later I still have those out of the blue anxiety moments every so often (maybe like once every 6 week) and it lasts a couple of days. I also have that same increased emotional sensitivity you have, things bother me more now than they did before it’s weird. I will say though that I quit my ADHD meds after being on them for about 8 years like 9 months ago so the w/d’s from those could be a factor too but I do feel better now than ever before and I have some almost completely normal days so I feel like it won’t be long before those out of the blue moments will be gone for good. I’ve noticed too that those kinds of moments are much less intense than they were in the first few weeks so it does get better people! Hang in there
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