Sudden Withdrawal From Neurontin (Page 3)
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I have been taking 600 mg of Neurontin 4x a day for about 2 years and recentlty ran out of this medication due to excrutiating slow service from mandatory mail order RX company.... I was extremely agitated during this time (approx. 5 days), nervous, stressed out, etc. Has anyone else had these symptons as a result of sudden withdrawal from Neurontin? I can't understand why this happened, I felt so scared and lousy for that time. Is this a known reaction for this med? I haven't been able to find an answer. I take it for relief from carpel tunnel syndrom. Thanks

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I just read your post because I'm wanting to go cold turkey with my gabapentin. I'm down to 1800mgs, and I'm just ready to get this crap out of my system. Been on almost 2 yrs. How has it been for you since you went cold turkey?

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I know this is kinda old, but I was wondering how the cold turkey went. My best friend started on it a few months ago..100 milligrams a first, and up to 300 in the past month..She has Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and an auto immune disease and we couldnt figure out why shes been getting sicker and sicker..It hit me today and I looked up side effects and what the toxicity would look like..and she has every single symptom. Shes been in the hospital 5 times in 5 month for one thing or another and shes lost, shes afraid shes dying again...so Im trying to figure out how to get her off this stuff as fast as possible because I know when its out, she will be ok..because she was befor..she didnt take any for a couple days and she is very sick today..I told her to take 100 milligram and split it in half and hopefully that will help some..but Id really like some feed back from someone whos done this befor..Its one of the few psych meds I wasnt on for any length of time, so its alittle beyond my expertees...

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I am reading the book, "The Antidepressant Solution". It is very helpful in understanding how to step by step overcoming antidepressant withdrawl.

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Try medical marijuana. Get oil in capsules. Poke hole with needle and do few drops. Wait for few hours. Adjust as needed. My wife has been on this for along time. She is coming off with the help of mm. And she was a person who thought mm was a joke,but now is a believer. Watch Sanjay Gupta's doc on this legitimate med.

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I have been taking 1200 mg 3 x a day for nerve damage from surgery. Went to pick up today and the pharmacy said 483.00 for one month. I lost my job but I have alittle too much money for any state ins in calif...I'm gong to try to cold turkey this but I'm not sure how I will feel. I'm alittle scared.

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I have been on this drug 2 months 300 mgs twice a day. Dr raised to three times a day. After reading this I am getting off drug totally. Taking for hip pain. Plus have nerve damage from trauma of fall over 4 years ago. Quitting cold turkey wish I knew of foods that would help with stopping drug. Any help out there?

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I took a very low dose of Fabapintin for about a month for anxiety. I noticed that I was getting very agitated send I couldn't understand why. I looked up all side effects send read that it is VERY hard to get off this med. The only thing it helped was my restless legs, but that's not why I was taking it. It's a couple of weeks since I quit and now I'm having feelings of a heavy dark cloud being over me and I'm very ready and going on crying jags that I is hard for me to tolerate. I don't think this med is good for anyone for anything, period.

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Why in the world would you post such an insensitive message?

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I take 800 mg 4Xday for the last 11 years and I ran out in between switching insurance it was the worst week and a half. It was like the flu times three and felt stressed out. I take strong narcotic pain medication and I ran out and the withdrawal was easy compared the gabapentin. So I know that's it no fun.

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Even though this is an old post, I've personally experienced brutal withdrawals from Neurontin back in the past and they rival that of opiate withdrawals. Doctors can be some of the most misinformed people when it comes to medications. They look at the original information about the drug and unless a warning is personally sent to them have no clue about all possible side effects recently discovered outside of the original information.

I've conveyed to doctors in the past about certain side effects I was having on different medications and they went ignored. The doctor acted as though it was in my head and then later down the road discontinued said medication. Then to my surprise I see litigation commercials on TV for that drug... The doctor never said anything about any problem with the drug, but changed to a different medication. This unequivocally shows me that YES some/alot doctors help cover problems with drugs, just like they cover-up for each other.

If you personally don't keep up with facts about medications and your doctors answers to questions about them or procedures being done by your doctor to you, then you are nothing more than a lab rat... If you're seeing a doctor who doesn't like a well informed patient, the RUN away from that doctor as fast as you can!

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Thank you for your post. this drug has been totally ineffective for my nerve pain, but I have experienced about half the side effects. My Dr wants me to increase the dose , that's out of the question. My wife said if I get any worse, I would wind up in divorce court. I'm going to try cold turkey, hope for the best.

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Why would you be surprised withdrawal from an anti-seizure medication includes the possibility of seizures? No one should have to tell you that.

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In the '80's I was taking Trazidone at 375 mg. at bedtime and Lorazepam 1 mg. three times a day, both for about three years. With a job/insurance change my new Psychiatrist Initiated the then new drug, Prozac. I asked him about titration from Trazidone to Prozac and he said that I need only stop taking Trazidone and begin taking Prozac. Additionally, he reduced me from Lorazepam 1mg. to Lorazepam .5 twice a day. For the first four days I felt GREAT! I felt like I was able to solve any problem or situation life might bring-I felt invincible. Then about the sixth day I began to feel dysphoric and having extreme vertigo. By the following week I dropped into so deep a depression that I had to undergo Suicide watch. I felt more horrible than I have ever felt or will ever feel. My PCP reluctantly agreed to increasing my Lorazepam to 1mg. three times a day again, and in time the roller coaster ride from no titration plan from Trazidone to Prozac smoothed out....about five months I think...I don't remember a lot. I have a very good Psychiatrist these days and am on Wellbutrin 300XL, Alprazalolam.5, Quietepine 300mg. These seem to work well in that I have had no suicidal ideations in a very long time, nor extreme highs. My point in all this is that I assumed that an MD Psychiatrist would take every precaution and be educating of the patient, and knowing what risks could be associated with any change in medicine. And certainly, as many of you have noted, never more than one med at a time should be changed. Fortunately, finding out information about physicians is more easily achieved through the internet...and if you think something sounds wrong, get a second opinion - something may be wrong. Bless you.

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I also quit this drug cold turkey w/out and I'll effects either. It's only been a week, but I feel fine...I was taking 300 mg 3x a day. Do you think I'm clear by now?

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My Husband is doing better and less agitated and eating better the more I read about withdrawing from those meds especially gabapentin/neurontin alot of his behavior from even the early years on that drug till now are explained . The withdrawal from neurontin /gabapenton alone can cause nausea, severe headaches, insomnia, fatigue,extreme agitation,violent outburst,pain, and seizures even in controlled slow withdrawals under the guidance of a doctor.

He also told me he felt like at times he cannot breath properly if he takes pain meds so he has stopped taking it and switched to Tylenol only.So far we are lucky he suffered no permanent damage but will have to be on anticonvulsives for a period of time and followed by a neurologist until they determine if he can ever come off of them or ever drive again.

This unnerves me. He was taking gabapentin / neurontin for his back for years.He continued to complain to doctors about pain so they added lyrica, cimbalta vimova and celebrex over the years. Doctors and pharmacy gave no warning about cutting gabapentin/neurontin and other drugs. So when he had surgery He didn't restart thinking he could just get off it.

A Google search of gabapentin / neurontin withdrawal also reported nausea, somatic pain, respiratory infections in elderly and in other rare cases epilepsis in patients who didn't have a syndrome before , and I just now dredged up the reason why, along with the fact that He had 2 grand mal seizures after bypass surgery and we were not sure if he was throwing a clot or stroking from the surgery. He finally free of pain and calmer but still has periods of agitation but nothing like the last few weeks.

Just pored over pfizer's documentation. If you read the medication pamplets that are provided with the prescription, in the side effects that are listed with the prescription it lists that it is important to take as prescribed and not miss a dose. Additionally there is information regarding Sudden WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DRUG CAN CAUSE SEIZURES. This was never told to us. In warning (Never handle withdrawal on your own, but contact your doctor. )

Look up defective drugs and find the danger in this drug.

God willing we are over all the worst part and heading for normalcy.

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I took 600mg a day for at least four months, ran out, and had no issues whatsoever. Zero ill effects as a result of stopping the medication suddenly, but I guess I'm an unusual case? I was warned, but I couldn't afford to refill at the time...and nothing happened. Guess I'm lucky!

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I am currently waiting for a gabapentin compound in the mail and hope it gets me off the last 2 pills I take a day! At one point I was taking 1800mg a day and was only110lbs. Gained a lot of weight and now weigh 124lbs which another side effect of weight gain. I am 5ft short and am walking, doing some light weight workout, going to physical therapy(traction) and the chiropractor 2 times weekly.

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That med also has gabapentin in it! Be very careful of what you take and look it up on WebMD because there are several meds that contain gabapentin in them!

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HELLO, I take it for the same reason however I agree doesn't work but pregabilin does work but gp don't want to prescribe it as it costs them 3000 pounds

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Anyone having difficulties with withdrawal symptoms at 100mg taper reduction can ask their GP for liquid gabapentin thereby being able to reduce by 50mgs or less if needed. If your GP is reluctant to support your request it is because a 100 mils bottle of gabapentsolution liquid costs in excess of £100 ! Also listen very carefully to your gp regarding dosing With my liquid solution 2.5mils = 50mg capsule form (but as you know you can't get lower than 100 mg capsule form)

I had to resort to liquid because I just could't tolerate 100mg taper the withdrawal was unbearable awful anxiety & severe depression. Even 50mg drop is difficult compounded by the fact that I also get withdrawals between doses of Solpadol (codiene & paracetomol) at a prescribed level. Unfortunately those of us struggling with trying to manage chronic pain also build up a tolerance to the opiates/pain relief drugs and experience very unpleasant withdrawals ie depression, anxiety etc sorry for going on but hope info of use to those struggling with reducing gabapentin. Good luck

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