Gabapentin And Subutex Breathing Problems

So, I started taking subutex, now up to 16mg, and gabapentin 900mg x3 daily. I’ve been to the ER twice in one week. I have episodes feeling like I can't breath. Even though I am getting oxygen, my brain is telling me it’s not enough. I feel like I'm suffocating. I stopped taking gabapentin a week ago, even stopped subutex 16mg for 2 days. Still my breathing doesn't feel right. I just don't feel like myself. I’ve been back on subutex for 2 days. Has anybody felt this way on subutex? I have had an EKG twice, blood work, chest xray, cat scan of neck to check for blockage. I do have high blood pressure and I am wondering if the subutex is restricting my vessels causing decreased blood flow, not carrying enough oxygenated blood to my heart. Does anybody have any suggestions or has this happened to you on subutex? Please let me know. This sucks.

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I take the same medication, I actually take more of the gabapentin. I have never had this problem. It could be anxiety. Have that checked out.

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I was on Gabapentin for awhile. Smaller dosage (300 mg) was helping with pain and needed more. Doc eventually put me on 600 mg 3X a day. Problems started, aching legs, breathing problems etc. Needed to get off of it. The 2-3 weeks of "coming off" this drug was absolutely terrible, including terrible insomnia, being unable to sleep at all until wee hours of morning. I would NEVER EVER EVER be silent around someone I knew who was thinking about going on this RX. There are more horror stories than you would ever want to see. I hope you find the strength and help you need with your problems.

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I take Suboxone, two strips a day, 16mg. I also take neurontin 300mg 3 times a day, about the same thing you are taking. I have C.O.P.D. and I have a hard time breathing as well. So if you smoke, it could be you have the same problem as me.

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Interestingly enough, the National Institute of Health lists "trouble breathing" as a possible allergic reaction to Gabapentin. They also go on to note "shortness of breath" as a less common side effect.

Hopefully this helps add some clarity as to the cause of your symptoms. I would definitely encourage any patients experiencing these challenges to contact your doctor about this if (or before) it becomes too bothersome or severe.

Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0045606

Feel better soon!

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I was taking gabapintin 6400my a day and it shut down my kidneys and liver almost died those gab,s are poison don't take them

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OMG thats serious bodily alarm bells ringing, sometimes its not wise to just stop taking a medication even if your having an allergic reaction to it. you need to speak to the prescriber or another doctor about it, like yesterday already (right now) 16mg Suboxone daily can wipe out your senses of smell, taste, balance, intuition perceptions of size & shape, it can exacerbate dark thoughts & moods & lead to suicidal thoughts & behavioural patterns of self harm. if it can do all that then tricking the brain into thinking its not getting enough air is a cakewalk for it! the Biggest secret to letting go of addiction is "disruption" start disrupting your regime ASAP do not be afraid to reduce your suboxone dose gradually. remember you have 3 days grace before withdrawal kicks in, so every second day reduce a little. I promise its not painful at all & you'll start feeling better too! many people report lower back pain on suboxone because it increases the pressure of spinal fluid. so reducing your dose will definitely make that go away. so make a promise to yourself that by this time next year you'll be on four green ones or off it completely. Good luck (you won't need it though) :D
Suboxone is a miracle drug if used correctly. longterm its harmful & radically alters bodily systems it actually says so on the leaflet in the box!

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thank you for your response, I decided to come off subutex, I am now on methadone, I did not want to go this route but I needed something for the pain. I will take it one day at a time as I go up with the mg. right now I am at 45, yrs ago I went up to 160mg daily. my breathing has gotten better, though I take neurotin 1 300mg tab qid. so will see what happens . I am tired all the time and if I continue to feel this way, I will stop the methadone, and figure out another game plan , again thank you for your input. Have a Great Day............

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How much did you say you were taking.6400 mg. A day l think you said

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I will tell you that taking gabapentin is a mind over matter. If you take a bunch and stay busy, they give you energy. If you take a bunch, and sit and do nothing you will sleep for hours. Just thought I would throw that out there¡

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I have had the same problem but I am only on Subutex it's been happening for about a year-and-a-half having episodes of feeling like I can't breathe my chest hurting I I went to the cardiologists I got x-rays in my chest blood work dr. Multiple times telling me it was nothing I finally quit smoking and it still didn't work for the last week I cut down to barely none on my Subutex and I'm being a able to breathe I don't know what it is but it has made my life a living hell for the last two years thinking I was going to die and that there's something seriously wrong with me so as of right now I think it isthe Subutex

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I was on gabapentin for 2 year's but only 100mg. At first I loved the stuff. I have bad back, problems sleeping, and colitis. I slept. I had no problems with colitis. I thought miracle drug. I was happy. Then my breathing went to seed. Asked doc. Couldn't be the gabapentin causing it, I had COPD. I quit gabapentin all at once. I do not recommend it. Mood swings, the list goes on. Can't seem to get deep breath. Feels like something blocking my throat. Now I'm on inhaler. I'd have rather not slept instead of not breathing. Gabapentin can cause seizure when stopping. So be careful when stopping. No doc will blame gabapentin. My recommendation would be DON'T START. This shouldn't be prescribed for anything other than seizures

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Gabapentin in the U.K. Just came out with its own individual respiratory depression warning added to the data sheet in July 2017. That warning is individual on its own. This may have added to the problem paired with a narcotic. All this is playing out in Ireland and Scotland and being documented in their rehab communities for Benzodiazepines Dependence, opiates and alcohol within their clinical causing a respiratory adverse events. It happened to be when taking all my medications "as prescribed" as well. There is a withdrawal syndrome associated with Gabapentin that is largely denied by the medical community as a whole. The intensity and duration can rival and supersede any medication on the market. But, there is a spread from no problems coming off the drug to kick your rear end difficult. So, you could be falling in the lighter end of the spectrum feeling some symptoms.

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Re: derekl (# 7)

Methadone. I have ruptured disks (L4 & L5) and was put on methadone. I was going to college and had a 3.87 gpa. 3 months of methadone and I flunked a course. I didn't find the course hard, I couldn't remember what I read. Didn't realize this was happening at first. I would just reread and reread thinking my attention span was off. This was also at the time my doctor put me on gabapentin. I quit the methadone and stayed on gabapentin for 2 year's. Out of the clear, I'm leaned up not able to breathe. Severe breathing problems. Doc said COPD but wouldn't blame gabapentin. I quit it cold turkey. Something I would not recommend. Now I'm breathing somewhat better but not without an inhaler. I am 60 and not done with life. Now I'm stuck with not breathing and not being able to do what I use to do and like to do

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Re: Sneed (# 5)

The highest dosage is 2700 mgs a day. What quack told you to take that much! That's an overdose. I've been on Gabapentin, 2700 mgs a day. Just makes me tired all the time.

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The UK just updated it’s DATA sheet for Neurontin/Gabapentin to include severe respiratory depression. The FDA has not addressed this issue yet. Gabapentin combined with Opiates are increasing Overdosage by 50% Plus with illicit Opiates in Tox reports rolling in. They were not tracking Gabapentin so the info is just rolling in and not consistent yet from state to state and country to country. PLOS has a Canada population study showing Gabapentin is increasing “as prescribed” Opiate and Gabapentin increasing accidental Overdosages by 50%. So with early data it looks like the combination is increasing Overdosage in the illicit and prescribed not abused population at about the same percentages points. Which is really weird because Benzodiazepines are increasing Overdosage by 30%. Population studies on the topic of either Gabapentinoids and or Gabapentin and Opiates combined are published and can be researched from Wales, Ireland and Canada. The PLOS study is from Canada. For me personally Gabapentin and prescribed Opiates caused a accidental overdose. They thought it was the opiate remover that. It continued with Gabapentin and needed a breathing machine three times a day or more not realizing it was Gabapentin because Doctors saying it doesn’t cause respiratory depression.

When the Gabapentin was stopped, it was my last medication standing so this was Gabapentin all on its own. I no longer need breathing treatments or having respiratory difficulties. You will have to pull the information on the case studies to self advocate to reduce or remove Gabapentin if that’s what you want to do because a lot of Doctors are not up on the topic. Btw: no good evidence that Gabapentin helps with OUD either. State with individual DATA and to. Reports rolling in is Utah, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Minnesota that I know if. The UK seems to be ahead of the topic as a country. I have no clue why they script it in Rehab for this. Gabapentin can double down and cause Dependence and Withdrawals that can rival any Opiate in intensity and longer in duration just like a Benzodiazepines. Acute Gabapentin withdrawals mimic acute Benzodiazepines withdrawals as both are GABA medications and share the same calcium channel. It’s running about 20% of the population and having a Opiate or a Benzodiazepines in the mix-ups those percentages points as well as long-term high dosage patients. But not always... because of the reverse bio-availability lower dosage Users are getting caught unaware also. These people are getting stuck with not much if any help from the medical community because of Pfizer’s lies and not following up on withdrawals issues on Lyrica and Gabapentin and denying it. Gabapentin (Neurontin): risk of severe respiratory depression.

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/gabapentin-neurontin-risk-of-severe-respiratory-depression

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