Short term low dosage Gabapentin still experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms

Vid you are definitely right. Even low doses for a short period of time can cause real, lasting side effects. My father tried this drug and had no issues whatsoever, but for some reason even 2 doses for me caused bad side effects. Very odd indeed

Hi Benjamin, 

I also had bad side effects after two consecutive 300 mg doses. What did it do to you?

I developed a sudden onset of a movement disorder which has been going on for 10 years. 

Evidentally, my condition doesn’t happen very often, but they should start people with a small dose to test for sensitivity. They could have used the liquid form to accomplish the test. I was given the capsules that stated, “Don’t open the capsule.” 

They know opioids are dangerous, but I think Gabapentin will prove to be worse.  

Wow Beth that is terrible that’s sad to hear. For me I had terrible anxiety, heart palpitations, feelings of impending doom, and insomnia. The first day felt like a “dirty acid trip”. I heard someone describe it that way and thought it was incredibly insightful. The second day the insomnia was gone but all the other symptoms remained pretty consistently for several weeks. I was also on my adhd meds during this time so that didn’t help the anxiety obviously with stimulants and my daily caffeine habit. I have since kicked both of those things and it’s been about 15 months since the gabapentin but I still get that weird anxiety every so often but I’m not sure if it’s my body still adjusting to being off the ADHD meds (I was on them for 8 years) or a combination of that and the gabapentin. Anyway I do feel a lot better and I’m basically functioning normally. Are you on any other meds? I hear some people struggle with balance issues (my grandma had this issue) with gabapentin so I wonder if that is why you have problems with your movement. For some people on gabapentin balance is affected so badly at times they need to lay down because of dizziness

I’m glad you are functioning normally. 

It’s been difficult to get the correct diagnosis since the doctor who was supposed to give me my first MRI review, said my results weren’t back yet.  Four years later I discovered in my records that he described a 5 mm hypothalamic lesion but claimed it wasn’t symptomatic,. That is the only abnormality on my scan. It looks like a white cloudy area, that won’t enhance with contrast.

I had to buy a Neurology textbook to learn that an infarction affecting the subthalamic nucleus, will cause a condition called Ballism, which is “irregular flinging of the limbs.” My arms twist and turn and fling around.  

It also caused continuous shoulder shrugging that led to my right thumb contracting tightly over my palm during sleep and that led to my right fingers developing  contractures.

A recent neurologist recorded: “That would be an unusual and significant Dystonic reaction to have one hand develop hyperextended joints while having normal joints in her left hand.” She decided I didn’t have any known type of movement disorder. However, that medical book stated, “Ballism may evolve into chorea or Dystonia.”

  My Hertz reading from my EMG testing were 12 to 14 Hz in my legs. Shaky legs while standing is called Orthostatic tremors, so I have half of a diagnosis.

She also recorded that I agreed to have an annual brain MRI, which I didn’t. I won’t ever have the contrast, Gadolinium again.

Thanks to Chuck Norris for suing a bunch of Gadolinium contrast companies, because his wife developed NSF from 3  MRIs with contrast within an 8 day period..

There was a Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Meeting in 2017, and they approved a pamphlet for patients to read and sign. 

 

Beth, I've heard from too many people who had this same disorder you did after starting gab, so I don't think it's as unusual as doctors think. As I learn more about this drug, the more I realize doctors aren't familiar with it's uses, it's side effects, the problems it causes or how to get off it. They're either too busy or too trusting to find out more. What a shame that you developed it.

Thanks Babs for your concern. I think it probably occurs more often than they think, but doctors  cover it up because they are more concerned about possible liability for not informing their patients. 

My 4th brain MRI called my hypothalamic lesion an incidental cyst as though it wouldn’t cause anything.

I feel like proving them wrong because I deserve validation. 

 

For most people even short term low dose usage can have profound side effects and problems as they discontinue. I’ve learned so much about this drug, a lot of which I wish I didn’t know. I just spoke to a woman who was only raking 100 mg, started at 200 mg and our side effects and withdrawal problems are almost identical. Yet I’m still at 1000 dropping 100 mg per month. Doctors are clueless.

Alan, gab should never be taken only once a day because as you figured out, it's got a short half-life so you do get withdrawal. Oh excuse me, Big Pharma calls it "Discontinuation Syndrome".  Normally a taper of 5-10% every two weeks to 4 weeks is recommended to lessen the withdrawal symptoms. If you were prescribed 200 mg tabs, do you still have some 100 mg tabs on hand? That may be a better way to do it, going down 100 mg for a few weeks, then drop again. Some people get severe withdrawal even from dropping 300. You may think that's a small amount, compared to others, but who knows how your body will react. Worse case scenario is pretty miserable, severe depression, anxiety, insomnia etc. That's why the drug info sheet says you can't stop suddenly. If your body's used to it, this will be a drastic change.

Please look up tapering and benzoid use, gab works much the same on the brain and body. Weights and cardio won't change the effect it has on the brain and body. Whatever side effects one has as they start the drug kick in as they taper on the drug. PLEASE be careful. Not everyone will have terrible or long-lasting problems, but it's likely your withdrawal could last weeks. When I drop 100 mg/month, each month is a bit different. Sometimes there are problems within two days, then it disappears and something else shows up days or weeks later. Panic attacks, memory loss and confusion are common. Please be careful. If you're already having the flat moods (I called it being a zombie) and suicidal ideation, this will increase.

Read up and research on the drug and tapering, then determine when you can do it. We all want to get off ASAP, but it can cause too much harm.  Looks up Inner Compass or The Withdrawal Project for some info. Also Benzo Buddies.  Take Care.

Thank you for that feedback. I’ve stopped taking the 300mg ( for sleep) and I don’t seem any worse for doing so.... not any more withdrawal effects than the small ones I was possibly having during the day already because As you said it’s not meant to take once a day. I was on about a month or two and was on only 200mg at night until the last couple of weeks. I think at these small doses and duration I’ll eventually return to my more optomistic self soon

Good luck, but no matter what you're off it. Some people DO drop at 300 or 200 as they want the misery to be over with. I don't know how common it is to have a really bad reaction at a low dose like yours, but it does happen. WHY can't they do studies on this? It's so very widely prescribed, yet there are no follow-up studies at all. And the studies they did when they were approving the drug were only a few months long, then stopped. Yup, we're Big Pharma's guinea pigs and neither they nor the docs seem to care.