Neurontin(gabapentin) withdrawals are hell on earth.
 

I am taking this drug legitimately by my doctor. I am NOT abusing it. However, I want off because it is no longer helping me treating my pain. My doctor always has to increase the dose I'm sick of increasing. My body builds up an immunity to it and its faster then any opiate I've taken. Anyway, I was taking 600mg 4x a day. I stopped one of doses and now it's 600mg 3x a day.

Here is what I am experiencing:

-Difficulty breathing
-Abdominal pain
-Anxiety
-Nerve Pain
-Spine pain
-Racing Thoughts
-Severe Sweating(waking up at night with soaked sheets)
-Jumpy, agitated feeling

I feel like I am going crazy.

My doctor says it cannot be the Neurontin because it doesn't cause withdrawals and I can stop it completely with ease. But the Internet says different. My body say different.

Anyone on here have any experience with this drug? Any suggestions?

I was on it for a while. You may be right, it seems like docotors don't know the full impact this drug has.
I never had withdrawal symptoms and i got off it right away.
But I do know it can be abused to get a certain high, and I did use it for that a few times. I'm not sure my doctor was aware of that. So I'm thinking anything that has the potential to produce a high has the potential to have withdrawal effects.
I wouldn't know what to do about it though.

I was on a similar drug (Lyrica) for a bit and was made aware by my doctor from the get-go that there could be issues with withdrawal. I would discuss a proper taper with the doctor. They too often rely heavily on the pharmaceutical literature.

Dang it, I didn't know that about Lyrica, they had be on that for year for my RA. No wonder I went through so much hell in detox!

I used Neurontin to help overcome Suboxone withdrawal back in January. Soooo...I've been on it now for about 7 months.

Seems like it turned on me though like all drugs. I watched a documatary made by the History Channel yesterday on Youtube (Illegal Drugs & How They Got That Way - LSD and Ecstasy). A guy in the documatary said that all drugs are poisons. Perhaps he's right.

Dave, those symptoms sound absolutely horrible. If I were you, I think I'd print off the original post and take it with me to the ER and see what they can do for you. I know ER visits are about as much fun as setting your hair on fire, but if your doctor isn't listening to you and you feel as bad as you say, perhaps you should try the ER. I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

Neurontin made my gums reseed it cost a lot to fix my teeth

Hey Dave, I hope you are feeling better soon, or can get some help, that sounds scary. I am taking neurontin for pain (along with a narcotic which I abuse). My pain dr. suggested that he'd like to replace both with suboxone in a couple of months if the pain has not resolved. I have also been told that neurontin does not produce withdrawals per se but can causes seizures if stopped abruptly. This will certainly be a discussion point at my next appointment. I'm sorry you're feeling so bad, but am glad you posted this.

Cleansing, from my experience, too, you're right about neurontin producing a high. I get a fairly strong drunk feeling from it. I told my dr. about it and he keeps saying that feeling goes away as the body acclimates to the drug. It's never gone away for me.

Has anyone used suboxone for pain aside from getting off opiates?

dshea-yes, ive given suboxone a go-round as an alternative for pain mgmt, however i didnt have ANY reduction in pain and i was quite disappointed since many people i had spoken to, along with doctors believed sub would be good for pain. eventually, i went back to traditional therapies for my pain incl. the neurontin-i take a pretty heavy dose and have noticed that i have a massive amount of leg,ankle,foot swelling and now my doctor thinks i have a heart problem...i never thought it could be from the neuro...im def. going to look into this further...i take 1200mg twice a day-is that a lot or similar to what any of you are taking/have taken? thanks for your help and take care

hmmm ... I think I was taking 600mg twice a day. It's been a few years, so I can't remember too much.
It was given to me as a mood stabilizer, and we thought it would work better than Depakote because it has anti-anxiety effects as well. I think at one point I was taking Neurotin plus depakote.

But I just recently read reports that it's not that good for bipolar disorder. It's manly an anticonvulsant and pain regulator.

I don't really remember any bad side effects. But I was taking much less than you.

Like I said, I would abuse it now and then, but that didn't give me any negative side effects.

Doctors almost killed me with neurontin, lithium, zyprexa, and other junk at the nervous hospital. I kicked all that crap and was goofy for a week or two. Couldn't talk right, couldn't walk right, soaked the sheets multiple times most nights. Finally I came out of it. What a relief.

Krissy - thanks for responding with your experience with subs as a pain med. From what I've read so far it doesn't seem like its incredibly effective in that area. I'd really like to kill two birds with one stone.
I, too, take 1200mgs of neurontin a day (600am/600midpm/1200bedtime). I thought I was actually starting to get some relief from the increased dose, but it must have just been a good couple of days, hasn't helped any since. My pain guy said that the therapeutic dose is 1800mgs and he's know docs who have prescribed up to 5600mgs/day - he doesn't agree with that high a dose, but he has prescribed up to 3600mgs/day. I'd be wrecked if I took that amount, LOL. I read somewhere that swelling of the lower extremities can be a side effect as can weight gain. I consider myself lucky to not have experienced either, yet. I'd stop taking it if I started gaining weight. Maybe not if it was working, but I wouldn't put myself through that for nothing. I just lost ~70lbs in the past 8 months, granted not in a healthy way, but still I did need to lose it and I couldn't bear to put it back on. Sorry to run off-topic there. The other side effect I have (other than the drunkies) is my hands are stiff all the time and hurt like hell some days.

I hope the swelling isn't indicative of a heart-related issue. Is your doc ordering tests, I hope?

thank you for the message, yes, my PCP has referred me to a cardiologist @ the local heart hospital...next month and i sure am freaking out about it!! wish me luck!

I started Neurontin a few weeks ago and am still on a 'threshold' dose of 200mg twice a day. I guess my pdoc is waiting for me to ask for an increase. I notice 'mild' anxiety relief though i'm thinking i will go ahead with the dosage increase, but am wary of some of the side-effects, including withdrawal symptoms. I will look into this further.

Hey guy nice to hear from all of you sub guys & gaba guys, hey what do you think
if I'm took 10 pils of gabapentin each 800mg, and you know what, I had totaly diferent mood then I took few pils only (much better) :)

Hi Nice One

I'm not entirely sure what your point is but please remember - this is a recovery website, and it is inappropriate to promote the use of alcohol or drugs on our addiction recovery forums.

D

I was prescribed gab a couple of years ago. I took two in one day. It was like somebody had put cobwebs in my brain. I couldn't think straight and was disoriented. I was given this for the severe pain I was in. I was given Lyrica also. Same effects from it.

I personally! Am still waiting on the yo yo's that make medicine to find the one that will kill the pain, but won't effect our brains and turn us into addicts.

TOD

I don't blame the pharmaceutical companies, the inventors, the doctors or the drugs themselves actually.

Millions of people take them as prescribed.
I'm the addict - the way I'm wired, my brain can get me hooked on anything.

For me, anything that takes away pain needs to be treated with a lot of respect.

D

I was taking 800mg pills x2, 3 times a day, along with 20 mg of methadone x 3 a day. And the worst experience I have had with gabapentin withdrawals, was when my company had our annual xmas party in Savannah about 3 years back. I did not pack enough of them to get me through the weekend to it was not a pleasant one at all! The worst for me was that it felt like my skin was crawling severely and couldn't sleep at all.

I decided when I tapered off Methadone a few months ago, that I would taper off the gabapentin as well. By decreasing it slowly, it was never an issue.