Gabapentin Withdrawals (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I'm being taken off of Neurontin/Gabapentin after seven years. I'm now crying, anxious, and itching all over! I have tried antihistamines and cortisone creams but with no relief.

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Hi I was on gabapentin 2,400 mg per day for 10 months (a few years ago I was on Lyrica 300 mg per day for over a year) and because of these experiences I can honestly say I feel your pain. Breaking free of both was incredibly difficult and required an extensive and slow taper over many months.

It does get better! Just having in there and reduce your dose very slowly. My advice is to always listen to your body and if the withdrawal symptoms are debilitating then slow the taper down even more so.

Please DO NOT TAKE MAGNESIUM around the time you take your gabapentin (+ or - 3 hours at least in my opinion) as it interferes with the absorption which would mean your doses are not consistent in amount. This could further prolong the recovery process as your body will have a more difficult time adjusting to the fluctuation of gabapentin concentration in your blood.

I would like to stress that I am not a doctor and hence can only offer friendly advice based on my two stints with gabapentin (and lyrica). I had used both to help cope with anxiety.

Wishing you all, all the best!

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Hi, I've been using gabapentin for several years now, and am desperately wanting to get off of it, but seems to be easier said than done. :( I actually use it off label--for anxiety and for my pmdd. It has helped alot with these issues, but it seems that a tolerance builds, and I have found myself now up to 3600mg. :( I now find myself needing to take more from time to time just to achieve what I need from the medication. I have tried several times before to taper off this drug and always end up back on it....I think perhaps it was done too fast. Idk. If I had known that gabapentin was so enslaving, believe me, I never would have touched it, in spite of how much it has helped me..... not worth it.
Anyway, It is so nice to know that there are others out there that are on the same journey I am. ;) I especially appreciated Gabyist's posts. Thank you so much for all the info and encouraging words.;) I am going to take your advice and taper down by 10% increments. Hope all is going well for you, btw. :)

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I had a horrible MVA 5-1-2015 in which I sustained herniated discs in C-5 and C-6, Cervical Radiculopathy, Peripheral Neuropathy, Concussion, and a host of other issues. I spent a week in a trauma hospital and 3 in a Physical Rehabilitation Center as an in-patient. This is when they began my on Neurontin/Gabapentin 100mg 3 Xs a day and now I am up to 600 mg 3 Xs a day along with Baclofen 5mg 3 Xs a day and Amytripltiline 50mg 1 x at night. I wish this had never happened because nothing has helped my pain and I have gone from 105 to 155 lbs in 5 months. I am clinically depressed and obese at 5'0". I begged my Neurologist to take me off the meds and now I suffering withdrawal. I can not sleep. I cry all the time, have constant headache, mood swings, and itching all over. I don't know how my family has not killed me yet.

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So very very true. 10 seeks still fighting it?!

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Should say 10 weeks still fighting some withdrawal

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I have been clean off gabapentin for 8 months, I am most certain that I could not have detoxed from this satan drug without supplementing with magnesium. There is no way. That stuff was a life saver. Also, taking baths with Epsom salt, I even went as far as using warm Epsom salt water as a mouth rinse twice a day. I'd take the magnesium. It will help. It will do wonders.

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Good luck Chrissy, it's rough. After what I went through, and I tapered myself off, without the help of medical professionals. I was using the drug without it being prescribed. Taking more than 4 300mg capsules a night. I got pregnant and to quit them quickly. So, I did what I call a fast taper. I stopped taking them all together in a 3 day period. This forum saved my life! I would have never made it without the help of everyone here. It was pure hell for a good 3-4 months. But, I feel fine now, and I have a beautiful healthy - month old daughter. I will, however, NEVER take another of this medication. I'd rather deal with pain than the withdrawls from this crap. Should be taken off the market. Anyway, good luck. It's hard, but you got this!

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Thanks @AJ84 for the good luck, it will come in useful, so I appreciate it. The magnesium is a miracle, dunno what i'd do without it. I take oral as well as transdermal, as I sometimes need oral. Sorry it was rough for you. Prizer have behaved very badly with this drug, there's a whole legal saga, if you google, you'll find some info on it. I could never manage moods and emotions to get me though the day. I drank for years, then hit the drugs, methamphetamine, opiates, benzos, currently addicted to those too. But, helpfully, recently a psychiatrist spotted Borderline Personality Disorder and C-ptsd although he said the latter is not recognized but it's kinda in with BPD. Sorry if I repeat myself, I also have suspected ADHD, so I find some tasks real difficult, but my drug use prevented them from getting an accurate assessment, but these observations and diagnoses have helped me realize why I find life and getting along with people so hard. I have to be a doormat to avoid conflict, and life hurts, so I self medicate, but at least, I know why now, I have a personality disorder, and its kinda relieving to know I am not just a hedonist. I don't use recreationally. I did with booze but not drugs. I use to come up to baseline so I can go about my day without breaking down or falling apart as I cannot handle stress well and freak out.

I'm really glad this forum has saved your life, sorry it had to be over three days, but baby comes first and you did it, but sorry you felt bad. Herbal medicine is as good or better than allopathic. Allopathic medicine, conventional medicine is about 2000 yrs old but herbal medicine, well, that's thousands of generations old, tribal folk know far more than us even though the more bigoted see them as savages.

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I used remag. Or a rendition of it even. I ordered mine off amazon. Was like 20 dollars. But, of course, I'm in America, so I don't know what it would cost you in UK. You can research it though. Remag helped a lot. Because, your body actually gets 99 percent of the magnesium. Usually wouldn't with regular over the counter capsules. I would most defiantly do the Epsom salt soaks too. They helped me more than anything I do believe. That, and Epsom salt water mouth rinses. Also walking and drinking a to. Of water helped me. The worst part for me was the depression feeling, crying out bursts for no reason. :( it's crazy. I have been addicted to many things in the past, but thankfully I have managed to come off them all, but this, was by far the worst. I honestly do not know how they can legally prescribe this stuff to anyone. Anyway, yea, I'd go for the remag, or a generic version. If I could, I'd mail you the rest of the one I used. I'll find the name of it and get back to you

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Hi, check out post # 2 in this forum below there is a link to pharmaceutical information about gabapentin, gabapentin contains no opioids. It is not a controlled drugg.

have a nice day.

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Only feeling a little better. Doing the Epsom salt bath but don't really know if its helping.

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Hi Chris, I should post one more thought, with the ReMag there is NO diarea at all. And I took 2 epsom salts baths a day and swished 4 times a day once after each meal and at bed time.

Sorry I didn't make this clear in my earlier post.

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Hi Chris,
I am currently taking remag 3 times a day, in 4 ml. dosage for total of 750 mg. a day. how are you doing with your taper?
Had any success? I find the Remag to be the best magnesium, I have replaced my multivitamins I purchased at the local drug store with a liquid multi, organic life. For magnesium to work properly we need plenty of Vitamin D3. I am not experiencing any ill effects from 750 mg. magnesium no diarea, fewer headaches and less severe.
ope you are doing well.

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I take jigsaw brand that I order over the Internet. Also take omega 3 fish oil. Try the website benzo buddies or the road back They talk about tapering off 10% at a time holding for 2-4 weeks before tapering again. I was on 1600 mg and have been tapering for a year know. I am currently on 160 mg (80mg every 12 hours). There is also the liquid magnesium by remag but it didn't help me like jigsaw did. Jigsaw has b6 in it and I think that's why it helps me more. If I skip a day or 2 of mag supplements, I become a complete mess again. I still have some anxiety and depression but not as bad as it was before. Good luck. I don't want to scare u but I've had a year of hell tapering off this medicine. Don't drink any caffeine or stimulants, or sinus medicine, makes anxiety worse.

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when u stopped the gabapentins, did u experience anxiety and chest pains as well as bad gas reflux? how long did u cope with the pain? i was on gabapentins off and on for a year and just experienced anxiety and chest pains and acid reflux for first time, i am still going thru it all since November 14th and dr said there's no such thing as gabapentin withdrawal, she put me on two different heartburn meds and 2 different anxiety meds, during the day it isn't bad but at nighttime it's like worst nightmare sometimes i feel as if i am dying...

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Walnuts were recommended as high in magnesium. It did help. Raw green vegetables and fish also. It took a few weeks before he was better but we saw improvement by the next day after starting this Magnesium diet. Slowly he regained strength and after a few weeks the sudden withdraw effects were gone. He feels so much better now and is on regular diet. Best wishes to anyone dealing with this as it is very difficult to watch someone you love go through this.

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Please check out transdermal application of magnesium oil, gel, or lotion. This bypasses your digestion, so you won't get diaherra, plus bioavailability is 100% this way. Your body will also eliminate any excess that it does not need. It's the best way to use magnesim. Check out Amazon for this form of magnesium. The brand I use is Ancient Minerals, 1 teaspoon of lotion = 185 mg. They also make gel, and oil. There are also many other brands to choose from. Apply anywhere on your body, I apply to the soles of my feet - works GREAT!

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I went to Walgreens and bought Nature Made "High potency Magnesium" its 400 mg. I take 3 a day when I'm "sick" (out of gabba) and IT WORKS. and I DINT get the s****. Its not like taking gabapentin, but helps big time with withdrawals. Good luck!

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I don't really know how much gabapentin I actually took, or for how long. I was not prescribed it, I just used it as a recreational drug. (Could kick my own butt for that). I do know at times, and it wasn't every single day that I had them. But, I could take 6 to 8 300mg capsules a night. I recently found out that I was pregnant. So, I quit taking them, bad idea. I had no idea there were withdrawals with these things!! I have, in the past, came off hydroconde, alone. The withdrawals of hydroconde are nothing compared to the ones I had with these devil pills. I couldn't continue to not take them, because the withdrawals were too much for me to handle. After reading a whole lot of these type forums, I decided to "taper" and supplement with magnesium while I did. I started Monday. With taking only one 300 mg at night. I also started taking 2 bath soaks in Epsom salt a day. Swishing, using diluted Epsom salt in water as mouth wash twice a day. I also have been taking a magnesium supplement called remag twice a day. This has eliminated 90 percent of the withdrawals. Grant it, I still get irritated easily and I have a small head ache from time to time... My taper I am doing fast. Last night, (Thursday night) I only took half of the powder that's inside the capsuel. I plan to do that once a night until Sunday and stop all together again. I highly reccomend that you try the magnesium supplements.. Along with the Epsom salts. There was a guy at the very first of this forum who had done this regim. That's where I got the idea. It really does help. I wish you the best of luck. This crap is no cake walk. And I will NEVER take another gabapentin as long as I live!!!' Devil drugs!!

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As far as I've read, I've read tons and tons of material on this medication. You should never just stop taking it. If you were in fact prescribed it, I'd talk to my doctor and have them set a taper for you to slowly ween yourself off of them. Those withdrawals are nothing to play with. I got so sick I couldn't move, or eat. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. Hand a very hard time breathing. It is scary business. I am now, 12 days free from them, but I still experience the anxiety from time to time, along with the jittery feeling. I can sometimes hear my heart beat in my head. (Annoying, but a whole lot better than at the beginning). The usual taper that I've read, would be dropping 100 milligram every week, until you are at zero. Seriously, talk to your doctor. As far as the magnesium, I got some off amazon, called remag. It's an iconic magnesium supplement. It is 99 percent absorbed at a cellular level. But really, just doing the Epsom salt baths and just taking a 250 mg magnesium supplement from Walmart will help. Warning though, too much will give you the runs! So if you get the runs, ease off the mag a bit. Oh, and if you have kidney problems, it's not a good idea to take magnesium. I read that too, but, I do have to say, I am not a doctor, and it would be best to consult an actual medical doctor. I just know from my experience, and what helped me the best. It's rough. It really is, and it takes time! Don't be in a rush, I had to be, because I'm growing a whole new life in my body. But, if you can slowly ween off these satan pills, that'd be the best. Just don't lose faith. It is possible to stop taking them and actually be semi normal again. Oh, one more thing, melatonin helps a crap load with sleep! It has been my life saver. My thoughts are with you. If you need anyone to talk to, I am here. You got this. It's hard, but it does get easier.

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