I lost the first part of my message. It’s the effects of the Gabapentin I think! But I wanted to remind people of what my father always told us. “THIS LIFE WAS NOT MEANT TO BE EASY.
I have learned so much from all of you explaining the effects caused by Gabapentin. I only found this site by accident about a week ago. I forget exactly how long ago (short term memory problem! But I thank God for finding it.
I take 2400 mg a day (two 400 mg tabs, three times a day) I have started a reduction by reducing the middle dose by 400 mg for about a week now. I haven’t noticed a difference yet, the same bad feelings continue.
Jackie,
I have been on 3600mg of Gabapentin for 3 years since developing neuropathy in my legs, hip to toe. I am currently reducing my dosage to 2400mg.
I have started to notice some of the withdrawl side effects listed on this sight but hope they subside as im going about the reduction slowly.
How are you doing now?
Sincerely, Halley
OMG oh dear, oh damn, i mean, oh darn, i just decided tonite to go off my 800mg x 3 a day habit and wondered if i should taper or not. i take it for nerve neuropathy is what they call the ulcers along my tongue....ten at a time!!!....that ive had for over 2 yrs and the whatever it is when my entire mouth catches on fire for a few day. after steriods didnt help, l......Lets try gabapentin...its the new hydrocodone, i guess. i prefer the hydrocodone........but...ive gained 32lbs and im 67 and ive never weighed this much in my life!!!! always tall and skinny. now, also, ive lost 3" off my height so now im old, im short, and im fat!!!! and i guess im mad! sorry to ramble. but after all those years and they only put you on 6 days weaning? hmmmm seems it should be longer. i ask google and it sent me here....which im already a member. i dont know what to do. well. G.Allyn , maybe you should take just a couple of hundred a day for awhile and then very, very slowly go off that. good luck. i know you are in a world of pain and im sorry. tcc
g. allyn my post is way down at the bottom. i dont know what happened. sorry
hi valerie, oh no, im taking 2400mg a day. 800 3x day. im getting a bit scared. one thing i havent seen is why people want to get off of it. ive gained 36 lbs and im 67 and ive never weighed this much in my life. i cant stand all this weight on me. i also live alone w/2 5yrs. cats and i cant go to rehab b/c i hurt too damned much and have copd. im wondering how much you began with if you are down to 100mg. someone else on here thinks it will take her a year to get off 600mg. i dont think thats getting off it; i think thats still taking it. ha ha ha well, good luck to you and the cat! meow
janis, i took klonopin for 15 years 3 a day i think 10mg....the green ones...anyway, i decided to go off of them and just take 1 a day then 1 day id take 2...did that for mayibe a couple of mths. then just quit and had no problems at all. you know, any of those benzos are highly addictive. but im really scared about going off 3200 mg of gabapentin from all ive been reading here. well good luck.
hi jim.....i like the airport music. if you like any particular sound , go to soundbible.com . they have any sound you can image and its all free. any way, i wanted to say i used to take klonopin which i think is the same family as lorazapam, for 15 yrs. 3 x a day 10mg i think. i just cut it down a pill every few days then just quit and was lucky and no problems at all. now, comes the gaba. im on 3200 a day and decided tonite to quit. im glad and not glad ive read all these horror stories. geesh, now im scared to death. lol well, i wish you well. ill think 'Jim" now every time i hear an airplane. tcc
you mean your total withdraw time was about 8 days? i could handle that but ive been reading people taking mths and years. im on 3200 a day and decdied today to go off it and was wandering how. wow, scary. good luck to you, dawn tcc
You took the exact words out of my mouth "internal nerve shaking" is exactly how I've described it to my family trying to help them understand why sometimes I may appear fine outwards but im being attacked inside with all kinds of excess activity in my nervous system...its a struggle and im still fighting it 5 months after my last dose. At one point in time I was so hopeless I honestly thought I might not ever make it off this dirty drug but there is hope and im so grateful I've made it this far . Hope all of you continue to make good progress
Hey Sushigirl I actually went from capsules to the liquid form to taper, I literally got down to a teeny tiny drop on my tongue...that really shows how potent that crap really is. Alot of doctors/nurses/facilities told me it did not come in liquid form but IT DOES, tasted like black licorice to me... not the best taste but easier to taper with.
I would like to know how you are doing today? I pray that you have had success,,im going thru it and am at 47 days since my last dose
Hi, i saw that your last dose was on 11,17,17,,may i ask how you are feeling today? I hope your doing very well, i stopped 48 days ago and still having a hard time, lots of sadness
consider the amount of profit made off of you over the course of 20 years. This is why you weren't warned. The intent of gabapentin is to be life long. They don't want people getting off of it
Lindsey - did you ever recover from the mental withdrawal symptoms from gabapentin? I have been off gabapentin for 5 weeks now and I still have terrible mental effects. As you say, feeling like my brain isn’t working right and totally out of it. Like I’m not myself. Also still have bad insomnia and anxiety. But I’m most worried about the mental issues. Scared they won’t go away... can anyone relate?
I came off gabapentin last November.i started to feel as if I was getting Back to some sort of normality mid February. It's now mid March,and finally all the insomnia,jelly legs headaches,depression etc are starting to be a thing of the past.
It just goes to show just how much of a hold this awful medication really is. Someone somewhere in the manufacturing of this awful drug is making a fortune out of others misery.
I wish you good luck. don't give up it'll be worth it to be free of it.
It's awful going through the withdrawal symptoms,but worth it in the end. Take care and think you'll soon be free.
Thank you. I'm on day 29 of withdrawals and it feels like it's been a year. Anyone getting thru this should appreciate what its like to feel "normal" when (and if) it passes. I pray to God it's only a few months, and not the year plus that others have described. I don't know if I have the mental fortitude to make it that long
Jackie, I can’t understand why Gabapentin / Neurontin isn’t scheduled as a controlled substance since many people are complaining about terrible withdrawal side effects.
I found under its rarer side effects that it can cause permanent uncontrollable movement disorders.
I have asked myself, “Why did it happen to me?” I’d never taken illegal drugs, never smoked, and rarely had a mixed drink. It only took two consecutive 300 mg doses to damage my nervous system ten years ago.
I’ve had 4 brain MRIs that shows a 5 mm x 6 mm lesion, or a non-enhancing cloudy area on my hypothalamus gland. One consistency in my medical records is, “Gabapentin sometimes causes jerking movements with chronic use, but it resolves with reduction of dosage.” That is true in some cases, but not with a hypothalamic lesion, but now they have decided to call it a cyst.
Recently they conducted an EEG and surface EMG. The neurologist gave me “Orthostatic tremors “ as a diagnosis that means I have trouble standing. My upper body jerking is a lot worse since I can still stand up without assistance.
I hope everyone has a safe recovery from this drug.
Now 22 days in. Almost all of my withdrawals are gone. I noticed if I get too stressed or overly exert myself, that there is some shaking and feeling of the onset of a hot flash. But, I am using these feelings as feedback to help me stay in a place of happiness and contentment and calm. I have remained focused on what I want rather than the discomfort, and I have continued my supplementation and water intake. My weight is down 11 pounds since I first began weaning off of the gabapentin about eight weeks ago and then going cold turkey from 900 mg 22 days ago.
I went back in the gym, exercising very lightly, and I currently am feeling so much less pain than I had from even before I started the gabapentin. I am doing a form of self physical therapy called the McKenzie Method, and I have had more completely PAIN FREE moments in the last TWO WEEKS than in the previous 4.5 YEARS COMBINED! It has worked for me when nothing else did.
I meditate. And I do night time meditating and hypnosis as well. Look up Michael Sealey on YouTube. He has a great night time meditation on Pain Management! I listened to it nightly for weeks. He has dozens of great visualization/meditations/hypnosis recordings for all sorts of scenarios.
Other than a regimen of supplements, I’m only now taking 200 mg Celebrex daily. I just refilled a 90 day supply. My goal is to be off of it ALSO before I run out!
I believe it is possible!
Listen. There is a light At the end of the tunnel for anyone choosing this path.
IT IS NOT A NIGHTMARE. It is a PATH. I am now better off for being on it and coming off of it than I would’ve been otherwise. I know so much more about myself, my creator, and my ability to manifest a different reality than I could have ever figured out without all that discomfort to push me to a profound internal change.
Keep the faith. Keep your eyes on the prize.
I will probably not come back here. I wanted to check in one more time to encourage you.
You can find me on Facebook as Dawn Read, if you’re interested in following my story. Shoot me a friend request. I am a writer who seeks to encourage and inspire. And we podcast, as well. Our most recent episode was on STRUGGLE. We talk about all sorts of subjects, all of which you can relate. You can find us on AmazingLiving.net.
Your amazing life is out there.
PLEASE, Don’t give up!!! ❤️
Hi guys,
Thanks for posting so I knew I wasn't alone. I was taking up to 45 600mg pills at the end for pain relief. I was definitely addicted. I have found that CBD works great for these awful withdrawal symptoms. I cut back from 30-45 pills to 10 a day for a week then switched to CBD and I feel OK. The suicidal ideation hasn't returned. I am also taking a supplement called Kratom with it but mostly for the horrible headache. It sounds like that might be more severe with me because I was taking such an obscene amount in the end.
There is a CBD brand called Hemp Bombs that makes a CBD capsule that also has the following:
L-Theanine, GABA, Magnolia Bark, Scutellaria, Passiflora
The GABA might help replace what is lost in the system that the Gabapentin acted on. The CBD is made from Hemp, not marijuana and is legal to order online. It doesn't contain THC- the mind altering substance in marijuana.
Anyway, give it a shot.
Kate