Sick of being sick after gabapentin

Hi Tammy,

  Thanks for responding! A year is a long time! One day I think I am getting better then it hits me again! If you don’t mind me asking how long were you on them and for how long? I was on 900mg for 3 months! This is absolutely horrible! I don’t think I can make a year! Your right it is an evil drug! Drs don’t seem to get it! Mine anyway! 

I was on 900mg for about a year sickness shakes hot cold shivers crawling skin anxiety and more my doctors were no help at one point basically said it was all in my head try to keep going it's worth it there is light at the end of the tunnel xx

Omg I had all the symptoms you have/had also my legs became weak with my thigh muscles hurting!! I know what you mean Drs don’t believe you at all!! To me anyway this drug is poison and needs a lot more research!! I will never take this again even if they say I’m dying and gabapentin is the only thing that would save me I would rather die! That’s how much I have gone through with this drug!!! Wish luck to everyone who has to go through all this for one evil pill!!

Hello,

Oh my, I have been on gabapentin I would say maybe 10 years. I'm on 1200 mg at night. Nobody told me it was addicting I assume they knew what they were doing. So I decided about a month ago I was not going to take anymore. Cuz that was 300 mg 4 capsules at bedtime. So I was okay in the beginning and then I had this about with my anxiety which I have anxiety and panic disorder and chronic depression so my head was so dizzy when I tried to stand up he was all I could do to get to the bathroom. I had heartburn so bad I was eating tums like it was candy. This went on for a couple days and I really couldn't get out of bed I couldn't do anything because my head was swimming it was like vertigo. And all these other symptoms anxiety was worse the Panic was worse the heartburn which I've never had before and my legs got really weak I just couldn't do anything. My appetite very minimal. After about 4 days it started getting better and I was like well it must have been a virus. About a week later if hit me again only harder this time and I really thought it was a virus and that I just could not do anything I couldn't even see me going out of the house because I knew I wouldn't make it my head was so dizzy everything have heightened like you wouldn't believe. And still appetite minimal. So two nights ago I was wondering if it was because I quit taking the Gabapentin well it seems that I have symptoms of withdrawal. So I took a 300 gram capsule in the afternoon and about an hour later I started feeling better oh yeah I have The nausea also. So that evening at that time I took another one. So I felt a little better but when I got up but then later on I started feeling really bad so last night I took two because I had taken that one earlier. And are you supposed to take for. I'm really struggling because of the heartburn and I know I'm not back together no matter how hard I'm trying. So tonight I will take my three gabapentin and see how I am tomorrow. Lord knows I don't want this to hit me again I'm 63 years old and I just don't want to take him anymore but but I cannot handle everything I have been experiencing. I'll see my doctor Thursday and I'll let him know what I did. He'll probably told me to go back on the 400 a at night. I'm sorry if you have any typos I am using my microphone. This is a road I really don't want to travel because I've been on another medication for 20 years for my anxiety and panic disorder. They put me on originally was 2 300 mg at night I'm going for some strange reason my feet started burning and it was horrible so he opted it to 4 300 mg capsules at that time for my burning feet beginning it was supposed to help my depression and then more for my burning feet so in all I was taking 1200 milligrams at night. I'm really afraid of taking another step. I've gone through withdrawal before with a sleeping medication they gave me and then I realized that it was making me gain weight at incredible rate so once again I quit taking them and I couldn't understand why I was so messed up why my anxiety was so bad it was horrible I found out when I saw my doctor that it was addicted. So by then I was okay and he put me on something else. Which I have lowered the dose of that as long as it can go because I don't need the high-dose that he was giving me so I had him cut it down. So I can't deal with the anxiety and panic attacks at one point I was so mad I wouldn't leave my house here I had 3 kids to take care of my husband was over in Saudi Arabia I didn't want to leave the house I was scared to death. I did leave the house cuz I had to go grocery shopping had to take the boys to the doctor or whatever but I'd be home as soon as I could. Is there anyone that can give me some kind of encouragement that it won't be so bad again because I can't do it and if that's the way it is then I'll stay on it. Trust me I am crying in my Wheaties. Thank you very much for listening have a Merry Christmas

Shewholvs,

I was suppose to go to 1200mg a day, but when I got to 900mg a day all hell broke out! I got blurry vision, muscle weakness in my legs, chills/hot flashes, memory loss, pronouncing words wrong (I called it talking stupid), crying all the time, itchy prickly skin! You name it I had it! Sad part is I told my dr and she said she didn’t know why I felt so bad! UGH!!! I weaned myself off how the dr told me! I think it was to fast, but I trusted my dr which by the way is a neurologist! Now I’ve been off for approx 24 days and am still feeling like crap!! Other people on here say do it very slowly! I still have a lot of the symptoms! I am so angry my dr acts like it can’t be the gabapentin! I swear if I was dying and this was the only med that would save me I would rather die! I have never been so sick in my life! This is after only taking it for 3 months! In my opinion this med is poison! They need to study this more for off label uses!! I hope some day I will be back to normal!! I hope you can get some answer when you talk to the dr!! Going through this is hell!! Good Luck with this!! Merry Christmas!!!!🎄🎅🏻

good afternoon now afternoon. I have many of those symptoms when I quit taking it I didn't realize it was addicting I had those sometimes plus many more and I didn't take a 600 mg Neurontin at night for almost 10 years. then I had put up with the bottom of my feet burning really bad for a long time and I was like what is wrong with me so the doctor upped 6 more hundred. so I've taken that about a year I think but I had one of these brilliant moments I think somebody hit me with a dumb stick I'm tired of taking medicine so I decided not to take it anymore for a month I have been very ill I had your symptoms I was so dizzy I could hardly get myself to the bathroom holding onto things. I was nauseous my heart palpitations were horrible my anxiety was through the roof. And so much more. It took me a month to realize hey maybe it's the Neurontin. So I looked up withdrawal symptoms and I had almost every one of them. And I couldn't eat everything made me sick to my stomach even the smell of food. I'm 63 years old it was almost ready to go to the ER. So I had another lightbulb moment look up all the withdrawals and darn if I didn't have almost every one of them. So I took one in an afternoon and I felt better so I took one that night too so when I've got up in the morning I would feel better but the issue is the life spam really isn't long enough and would have worn off by morning. So I started feeling bad again the afternoon I took another one that night I took two. so the next night instead of taking one in the afternoon cuz I felt better I took 3 900 mg total. If there's typos I'm sorry I am using my mic on my phone. So I have not gone back on 1200 mg. I think maybe 300 mg was probably out of my system I pray so I won't have to go back and take that extra 300. So when I see my doctor I need to talk to him about weaning me off completely but even if I went 300 mg at a time I'm going to have some pretty wicked withdrawal. I can't go through that again oh no I am happy I lost weight because I was so sick I couldn't eat.I am eating but staying on a low amount., I was positive that the weight gain I had was the Gabo. I'm really not sure cuz I was so sick but I believe in it it was. So it is going to have to be a slow process. I'm sorry you have had to go through all this it's pretty bad. You have a great rest of the day and Merry Christmas!!

Shewhols,

I have never gone through such a nightmare in my life! I don’t understand why this drug is still affecting me! The last dose I took was 11/17/17 and still am sick! One day I think I am getting better and then next day is hell! I won’t put another pill in my body! Sounds like you have yours under control! I just feel this med has  caused other problems! I just can’t understand how this can still be making me feel so bad! 

Hi Diane80014,

I'm not sure if it's under control. Because I would feel better for a few days then down again. I agree it's living hell. I don't know how it will be even I come down another 300. I had such a hard time even trying to walk. I'm sorry you are going through this horrible mess. Some days I feel like I have been hit with a bat., I will keep you in my prayers this drug is horrible. I'm So sorry😢keep me informed goes your doing in here if you need to talk. I know so far there are days I feel like I'm coming out of my skin. Merry Christmas!!!!

Shewholvs,

Thank you and Merry Christmas to you! Hoping 2018 will be better! 

You as well. I know only can do is the best we! and at least we know we're not in this alone! blessings and Merry Merry Christmas

Shewilvs and Diane, I've been on gabapentin for 5 years at 3600 mg. I suffered from almost every side effect. It honestly almost killed Me. When I was increased from 3200 mg to 3600 mg something flipped in My mind and body. I could no longer work and thought I was going to die. That was 2 years ago. Since I continually asked if it could be gabapentin and told by every single Doctor I saw that it was a safe effective alternative to opiates I just kept taking it!  I should have known better but I had this brain fog when it came to this med. the dumb stick I guess!! It is an addictive drug that is being prescribed as non addictive. I don't know what it's going to take for Doctors and Politicians that are making laws in regards to what is safe to take and isn't like opiates for severe chronic pain. The opiates never put Me in the hospital over 20 times. Mostly ICU!  As I'm still lowering My dose My general health is slowly improving!  The damage that has been done may end up permenant and since it's not recognized as the problem then I don't know if it's permanent. Like adrenal insufficiency!  I acquired Addison's disease and auto immune disease!  It increased my pain I'm finding as I lower My dose. I can still hardly sit due to all the pelvic pain but I can sit now!!  My Daughter doesn't have to make all My decisions anymore!  I can now talk to My Doctors!  Why can't They see that I couldn't communicate until dosage was lowered. I went from communicating, not being able too back to communicating. By changing my dosages!! The withdrawals are hell!!!  The lower I go the worse They get!!  This evil drug needs to stop being prescribed for everything!! I'm just rambling but I agree with both of You!  Hopefully next Year will see Us all in a much healthier place and enable Us to share Our experience with others!  Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!

Rener,

I don’t know how you stayed on this poison so long and to me a high dose! I was 900 mg for 3 months and could hardly walk, cried all the time and probably pretty much you have been through! What I’m p****d about is I had to go to a psychiatrist because I got insomnia so bad and crying all the time that was 2 weeks into gaba! She never said a word about gaba causing it! Just threw another med on top of it! My neurologist said I don’t know why you feel so bad when I told her my symptoms! Two people who should know about this med!! Drs just don’t get it! When it came the day I could hardly walk and cried and wanted to die I decided to wean myself off per Drs plan! I think her telling me to stop after 5-7 on 300mg then off was to much! I am thinking of having my husband take me to the ER I can’t do this much longer! I believe this has caused other problems! This is no life to live! Oh I was going to ask did you have a bloating feeling? I feel bloated and like my chin is fat! Sounds crazy but it’s how I feel! Rant over 😁

*should be 5-7 days on 300mgs then go off! Sorry still brain fog!

Renee,

I do not know how long the side effects continue. And I have been on I know at least 10 years. But when I went cold turkey I did not know what was wrong with me and the second time in the same month that I was off the Neurontin I was very sick very dizzy I could hardly walk week I couldn't go anywhere I pretty much stayed in bed didn't really eat heartburn oh my goodness heartburn was so bad. And yes it one point I was thinking maybe I should go to the emergency room. we need to keep in touch with each other I don't know what the rules regulations are about this site if your allowed to give emails or Facebook or anything like that. but I don't know maybe a petition against the company about what it has done what it is doing to all of us that are taking this drug. my next step would probably in a month or so try to go down 300 again instead of 1200 at once. Because like you said I was under the impression that it was not an addictive drug because they tell you it's safe and obviously it is not.. I am feeling better almost back to normal I lost weight during that. Then I wasn't eating very much I'm still not eating very much I don't have the appetite that I used to have because when you take neurontin your appetite increases. And then I'll want something but then I eat only very little of it. So I'm not really sure what's going on but that started when I was coming off the 1200. yes you have to go slow mine or capsules and I kind of hate to go to my doctor and say hey I am trying to get off this medication that it is a horrible medication. I don't have side effects when I'm on it but the withdrawal is every symptom you can imagine. So I really don't know how to go about it but I'm sure if all of us could get together and shine of petition for what is it the FDA and force them to do something because I agree this is worse then taking the pain medication that many so desperately need and they're giving them Neurontin. So if any of y'all have any ideas that would be cool. We have to do something we shouldn't be so miserable. And then doctors are afraid to give you any pain medication because you're on Neurontin. Have a merry Christmas and I'll say it every time we rights keep in touch and I pray everything is better for you I really do because this is a wicked drug.

I agree something needs to be done with this medication! I don’t think they know enough about it to prescribe for all these off label illnesses! I would love to get something done about this, but when you have Drs telling you it can’t be the gabapentin it will be hard to do! If I can only get my life back!

no matter what the drug companies say now this is with anything it has to start somewhere and in order to give action you get enough people who are going through this the signatures then lawyers take over as pro bono and they go after the drug companies. Because they just because sorry I am using my mic and I'm thinking at the same time trying to put it into words. I might try to get some research done not so much on the drug as to what one does or has to do to prove the dangers of a drug that doctors use. Because I know there was one not too long ago that there was a lawsuit against. But I wish I had a magic wand because I don't want to go through this and I know I'm going to have to keep going through it get off of it and all the side effects really scare me.

I know there have been lawsuits on other meds! This has taken me down so much I had to quit my full time job! I do feel this needs to be stopped! For what it never helped my problem just caused me worst problems! Good luck in researching this! If you find anything keep us posted! Are you from the US?

I will let you know for sure. I am in the US. This is a horrible drug I am so sorry so many are effected by it. It's wrong. If some who say it is non addicting should be made to take it a few months and see how easy it is to say it is non addicting. Really makes me upset.. Merry Christmas hun, stay in touch!

Thanks!!!!! Merry Christmas 🎁 🎄 to you! Hoping for a much better New Year! I also agree! Any dr who tells you this is not addicting or can not cause these horrible problems needs to take it themselves and then go through withdrawals! I bet they would be singing a different tone! Also I say an episode of the Drs on YouTube and they are saying this is the latest drug of choice on the streets! They call them johnnies! Crazy!