HEy how long did the balance issues last? Hope all is better
Rc
I think that many who are on it shorter time, still have the symptoms, but they fade in a ratio to time taken, I have read a lot of posts on this. That said the original complaint very could be masked by the gaba. So when you remove it. You feel it. If the original problem still exists you may have to try other meds or natural methods, this is common, many people have to try many meds, like me. I hope that helps, I sympathize with you. I am now down to 700mg gaba. I am off the Larazapam! The larz was very hard to get off.
I want to add for sleep I take melatoin 5mg and Nero sleep drink. It has helped me. In addition I listen to music for airports by Brian Eno that helps also.
Well, I am now eight days into going cold turkey off of 900 mg daily, down originally from 2700 mg daily for a year. I told you that I would check back in and let you know how I had progressed.
I’ve been on it only a year. I was barely able to walk before starting it. It helped me get around a lot, but it also came at a huge price to my nervous system.
I was losing my “feeling” for life, and all the things that made life fun and satisfying.
Over a month ago, I started an intensive self therapy of supplementation to help my body build up its brain chemicals, and to help my system flush itself out as I began weaning myself off of this drug.
Here’s the short list of what I dealt with over the last few weeks...and it significantly intensified when I went cold turkey.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Constant Crying.
Severe Insomnia.
Hypersensitive skin.
Fatigue.
All night Sweating.
Itching, tingling burning skin.
Feet on fire.
Dizziness.
Nausea.
Headaches.
Irritability.
Loss of appetite.
Restlessness.
Abdominal pain.
Pain EVERYWHERE.
Tremors.
Significant Muscle and bone pain.
Heart palpitations.
Incredible brain fog.
Inability to finish a thought Or even find the right words.
I almost gave up and went back in it.
But something shifted.
And even though I know some people are still experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms over a year later, and I was just starting, I was convinced, that if I kept taking my supplementation, drinking my water, resting, and taking really good care of myself, that I could get this out of my system and help re-build my brain’s and body’s ability to do its job without being on hyperdrive.
Somewhere after the first three or four days, something clicked in me. I stopped focusing on everything that I didn’t want to experience. I stopped focusing on the crazy growing list of symptoms, and how it felt like my body and brain was rebelling against me.
Something just clicked, and I began to relax, and accept what was, that this was a process I CHOSE, and that every day I stayed off that drug was bringing me closer to what it was that I wanted.
Every time I flipped back-and-forth, and considered going back on the drug to start the weaning process all over again, I every time I flipped back-and-forth, and considered going back on the drug to start the weaning process all over again, I asked myself a recurrent question:
Would going back on the medicine and weaning myself off the final 900 mg 100 mg at a time get me closer or farther from my goal?
I kept asking myself what it was what I wanted. I wanted to be off the drug. And even though my body was seemingly rebelling against everything around it by being off of the gabapentin cold turkey, I just couldn’t see that going back on it just to start over 100 mg at a time was going to get me closer than where I was currently finding myself.
So, I stopped thinking about what was so awful about where I was and what I was going through, and I really kept my focus on what I WANTED.
What did I want? I wanted to feel great. I wanted my energy back. I wanted my sex drive back. I wanted my digestive process back. I wanted to lose the 20 pounds that I had gained since being on it for one year. I wanted to be able to feel my emotions without them being processed through a fog.
I got my mind off of everything that was feeling “wrong” about going cold turkey, and kept my mind focused solely on what it was that I wanted.
I was an absolute agony for the first three or four days, but after that mental shift of focus took place, things began to improve, very quickly.
Within the last three days, my appetite has returned. I’m no longer nauseous. My headaches have ceased. Most of my pain is gone. My mind is clear. I’m able to speak passionately and clearly about a subject without going blank, or getting sidetracked midstream. The night sweating and hot flashes intermittent with crazy cold chills has stopped. I’m sleeping about 6-7 hours at a stretch at night. I stopped crying.
Holy s**t, I started giggling again!
Bottom line, I feel more like me than I have felt in a very long time.
I’m not saying that any of you need to go cold turkey. The reason that I’m telling you this, is that I see how discouraged so many of you are. And I was in that very spot for the month preceding deciding to wean off of that drug, and the month of weaning before I went cold turkey eight days ago...and 4-5 days into severe withdrawals and detox.
I’m now standing on the other side of something, only days after accepting that it could be several months to a year.
And I’m telling you, You can do this. You can get on the other side of it.
The human body is an amazing machine of creation. The human brain has phenomenal how are to heal itself and its body that lives in . The human spirit is unstoppable with the belief that something can be so.
And with your faith, NOTHING is impossible for you.
Keep reminding yourself what it is that you WANT for yourself. It’s bigger than wanting to be off of gabapentin. Let your mind and your imagination begin to paint a picture, like paint by numbers picture, of all the beautiful facets of life that you want for yourself.
As with anything else, your results may vary. But I can assure you, that it has been my experience through much of my life that what I focus on grows.
When I began to shift my focus away from what the drug, the detoxification, and the potential of staying on it or coming off of it was doing to me, and instead shifted it toward what I really wanted for myself, things began to change very quickly for me, miraculously so.
I am still in process. I will check in again.
I hope this helps someone.
Stay strong.
God bless...Dawn
you've done well.
I went through your list of side effects and yes I've had perhaps 75% of them too.
I took myself off them last November,and I now feel great these past few weeks. I had been prescribed it for excruciating back pain originally.
I feel great too now. The irony of it is,the vet has got my Belgium shepherd on them for his chronic arthritis.Hes doing ok,but is taking the 200+capsules I have left over from my old prescription. He's doing well.Stay positive,like me,and never take them again either.WELL DONE
AmazingDawn!!!
Yes you are amazing, and awesome, and Thank You for your well-spoken words, bringing positivity into this conversation, and giving us hope! You are an inspiration...
I'm the biggest proponent of staying positive and never would have imagined that tapering off Gabapentin would be the most difficult and spirit-crushing part of my 6-year journey surviving a life-changing accident resulting in too many surgeries. But having tapered from 3600->1000 mg in the past 7 months, though I feel like I'm looking at myself from outside my body wondering who I am, and though I don't see it yet, I know that light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel is getting closer.
The gloom I feel today is knowing that with a 10% taper/month I still have a year ahead of me. Speeding up the process scares me as the first month of my taper, not knowing better, I reduced 300 mg every 10 days throwing myself and my doctors for a loop, nobody knowing what was wrong with me.
I so want to find a way to speed up the process and be my happy old self again so will continue to listen to my body and take it day-by-day.
Please continue to keep us posted!
Great Testimony Dawn. Thanks for sharing. I am down to 700mg a day. I am heading off is my plan I have been on Gaba over a year. But I would like to remind everyone that the original symptoms or conditions may still exist the reason you started this med to begin with.. If they do that is not a withdrawal symptom for that person. In my case because I did not do well on other meds I was prescribed Gaba for anxiety. And not the I am worried kind, but flat on my back non-functional kind. So when I go low lets say 300mg I feel Anxiety symptoms, the Gaba is masking my Anxiety, so for me thats not withdrawl, though if my Anxiety was gone it would be. So its kind of a tricky thing.
You got this.
Funny, after I posted, I was nauseous and kind of weak the rest of the day. I think I took my supplements with not enough food in my stomach. I think I took my supplements with not enough food in my stomach.
But I slept through the night, Again; and I feel really good, again today.
And, I purchased a couple of small books that were recommended to me, and I have only been using the techniques a few days, and my neck and back that were severely injured from a car wreck nearly 5 years ago has felt better in the last two days than I have felt in probably two years.
This has been quite a chapter in my life. I see this part closing soon.
Hang in there! Keep weaning, keep believing, and keep loving yourself. Your conclusion is near too! ❤️
Oh, all the nerve pain from car wreck came back, plus all of the detox! What a mess! But, I am so glad that I really beefed up my supplementation and started taking good care of myself before the weaing process, and then really started leaning into finding out what I could do structurally for my spine to feel better at the source rather than masking the symptoms. I found a couple of books that have really helped, and I feel better in the last couple of days through my spine and I have felt in the last few years.
Everyone’s journey is so singular, and yet here we are all finding ourselves in this same place with so many of the same issues.
Everyone here inspired me to do what I did by writing.
I wanted to encourage you all.
❤️
I'm now at 17 months since I last took gabapentin. Life is pretty much back to normal. Looking back it came and went in waves and i was able to keep going to work but evenings were far and away the hardest times. I am now in the rebound phase where I have tons of energy and feel upbeat almost every day! I don't get the panic attacks or doom n gloom outlook at all anymore. I did a really fast taper so that might have made things worse but that's water under the bridge. Bottom line is that things get better in small steps but they do get better! I was terrified beyond belief to quit and was totally helpless but it was just the GP talking. Keep up the good fight, you got this!
Hello! I just stumbled spin this forum and I’m glad I did. I’ve been on Gabapentin since late December (2017) and I was first on 300mgx3day but about a month ago was prescribed 600mgx3day to help treat twitching in my legs that doctors believe is being cause by a nerve issue in my lower back. I recently start reducing my pills to one a day because I thought the gabapentin was cause the twitching to worsen. Well I’ve been feeling so weak and my stomach has this anxiety feeling. Could this be a withdrawal symptom? Im only talkin one pill a day and I don’t like this feeling.
Thank you so much for your advice truly appreciate it! I really thought I was going crazy until I came upon this forum with other people having similar symptoms of withdrawal from the gabapentin. Like you I have also had Brain fog, uncontrollable crying at times, feeling of sadness... almost like a depressed state. One other thing I failed to mention earlier is while I on the medicine at 600 MG three times a day I started to feel as though I had a UTI, so I went to the doctor to get that treated but they couldn’t diagnose me with a UTI but they went ahead and put me on anabiotic. But then I started reading the side effects of the Gabapentin and I found that it could also affect urination! That was another reason I stopped taking 3 pills a day. But now I have the weakness feeling, stomach anxiety, crying at a drop of a dime, really depressing thoughts and a foggy memory. I’m definitely going to call my doctor tomorrow morning and then I’m know that this medicine is causing me to many side effects. I’d rather deal with my leg twitching then have to deal with these EXTRA symptoms that I’m dealing with . Thanks again! #gladimnotalone
I was taking 400 mgs of gabapentin a day and when I was taken off of them I had terrible headaches,dizziness and body aches. I met a older lady and we were talking about it and she said it will sound crazy but if I would take one fish oil pill morning,noon and night it would help. Well I'm here to tell you I can't explain it but in two days my withdrawal was over.
This worked for me and I'm grateful to the elderly lady that gave me that advice.
I sincerely hope it helps others also.
Thank you so much! I've been taking them for a few days now and will continue to do so. I also read that sweet marjoram oil is helpful, and have been rubbing that on my chest too. I'll try anything. Today is day 21, and the withdrawals are still prevalent, but noticeably lessening, thank God. I really appreciate the fish oil tip. I hope you continue to do well. Remember, there may still be bad days where the withdrawals come back with a vengeance. I'm really impatient, so when I have a good day and then the next one is bad, I get discouraged. I just have to keep telling myself, "it will get better" . Blessings
Other than Paxil this has been the hardest medication to get off of.I pray that you feel better soon.
It's strange you'd mention that, as I had taken paxil years ago as well as just before the gaba, but never had any issues or withdrawals - my point is not to diminish your experience with paxil, but to outline that it's strange how we all have physiology that reacts so different from another with these drugs. I'm sure there are a large number of people who had/have minimal negative effects from gabapentin, but unfortunately that's not you or I or anyone on this forum. I'm so glad there are others here to share these experiences with. It definitely softens the blow and despair from the withdrawals, knowing we're not alone in this
I was given gabapentin two years ago for nerve pain for my neck. I ended up having cervical fusion surgery. I had reduced it to 300mg in the morning and 300mg at night. Then I stopped taking it. I had the same symptoms you had. Chest pain, anxiety, sweating at night, not sleeping. I honestly feel like I am going to die. I started taking it again and made an appointment with my Doctor. I can deal with a lot but chest pain is scary. I feel sorry for my boyfriend I have been a miserable person to live with lately.
Peggy, it's not your fault. You're not a miserable person. Your boyfriend needs to be a protector and understand that what you are going through is, inadvertent, and not by any means your choice. I had/have the same concerns with my wife. I feel like I've treated her completely sub standard throughout this, and feel a mixture of guilt for not being able to control myself and make all these symptoms go away, and resentment for those who forced the drug upon me in the first place. All that being neither here nor there, all you can do is press forward. I've always been an ultra tuff guy. Do my own stitches, splint my own breaks etc. - But even this is something that almost broke me, and I don't know if I could go through it alone. I've gathered a tremendous amount of strength from the testimonials in these forums, and it's helped me tremendously. I wrote in large black market on paper, and posted above my television "It's not you, it's just the gaba leaving your body" it's my mantra now. Have your boyfriend read testimonials and he will see that people have detoxed from heroin and opiods quicker and easier than this. You have choices here and you need to decide what is best for you. 1. Continue taking the gaba, as long as it's beneficial for pain and has minimal side effects. 2. Establish a weaning off period, and mentally and physically prepare for the withdrawals. I know exactly what a mental challenge that is. I will always be here to offer empathy and whatever I can to ease this burden for you and anyone else. Even after I get through this, I will continue to engage with anybody needing support. My best to you and tour boyfriend. I hope you two can weather this storm.
As hard as it is, try to exercise. It helps. I know it's hard when you you have no desire, but it helps. Another user here suggested 3 to 5 drops of sweet marjoram oil rubbed on the chest area. This is a natural oil, and the concept is that it will help calm adrenal function to help with agitated nerves. For many of us, odd sleeping patterns or insomnia. Sleep when you can, regardless of what time it is. Your body needs to repair the damage done. Some in these forums have suggested fish oil capsules. Create a mantra for yourself. Mine is "it's just the drug, it's not you". - which is exactly what my wife tells me when I feel like I'm losing it. Someone once mentioned that when you have a really bad withdrawal day, the next day is likely to be substantially better. I have found this to be true for me. Conversely, I've found that on a decent to good day, the next day is less pleasant. This is difficult psychologically, as you feel knocked back, just when you were feeling improved. Again, refer to a personal mantra. I hope during these past months you've had marked improvement
This is incredibly well articulated, and inspiring. This should serve as a baseline for all of us dealing with this. Thank you for your brilliant conveyance.