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Adamo · 08-29-2013, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waves

Hi Adamo,

The effects you describe all sound like symptoms of anxiety to me. The good news is it does not sound as though you are seizing. If you should have symptoms like acute nausea, visual disturbances (things looking real big, real small, tilted), strong foul smells, or anything else you cannot explain, please call your doctor right away. It is clear that you are very sensitive to this medication.

Gabapentin and anticonvulsants in general are not considered addicitive in the usual sense. However, these and other "non-addictive" drugs do induce neurochemical changes that do not reverse spontaneously, so a slow suspension is required to avoid seizures. The rate of dose reduction depends on individual sensitivity. Anxiety and agitation are possible adverse effects during reduction.

However, I'd be very, very, leary of trying to "lessen" symptoms by introducing another drug. The only drugs I can think of that might help would be:

1. a different anticonvulsant, which might not help with the anxiety, however
2. a benzodiazepine like Klonopin -- VERY addictive, even in the "standard" sense

So basically, yes, I see a high risk of trading one "addiction" for another in your case. Your doctor might have other suggestions, however.

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Personally, I think your best bet is to go more slowly, just as Glenntaj described. Reducing every 3 days is apparently still too fast for you. You probably need a week, perhaps more, between decreases.

You might try this -- after each dosage decrease:

1. See how long it takes you to get comfortable at the new dosage
2. Once comfortable, wait the the same amount of time again, symptom free, before going down again.

The idea is to hold still at each new dose for twice the amount of time it took you to feel ok.

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That is super that the objective exams confirmed that the Valley Fever remitted!

Good luck with this discontinuation quest. I'll check back on you.

waves

p.s. You might want to see a different doctor. You said this guy prescribed gabapentin for your "mental state"? To my knowledge, it is not a first-line medication (or even approved!) for any "mental" state. Was there also a pain management situation involved?

Your advice is super helpful. It is very kind of you to take an interest in my perhaps, in the scheme of things, quite trifling situation. As you say this may be purely an anxiety issue. There was no pain issue except for Vally Fever (which is not a pain issue — its a fungal infection). I was prescribed Gabapentin because of anxiety that began over the serious nature of my Valley Fever. And again, the reduction of this may be aggravating the underlying (post-traumatic) anxiety with the GABAs already having been altered by the drug in the last month. When I take 800mg in the morning I feel sick and confused. Within an hour or two I am in a stoned haze and am incapable of working at my job — even if I drink coffee. By early afternoon I am exhausted and by latter afternoon I am agitated and anxious (when I have to take another dose). Are the Gabas permanently altered by this drug or does it take a long time to recover normal functioning after cessation? Won't any prolonged taper increase the difficulty of reinstating normal function?

I think you are right about reducing it more slowly but if I remain as dysfunctional as I have become I am afraid of losing my livelihood. It is dismaying to me to have lost my mental acuity and I want it back. In any case, everywhere I've turned I have been rejected for any medically supervised withdrawal of this. I even went to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and ended up asking the speaker about this drug. He told me its withdrawal is a common problem among addicts who are given it for other withdrawals. I have never been addicted to anything so I am scared and at a loss by such an experience. He said increased physical exercise is the only way to counteract the withdrawal symptoms. But really: When your are working how much can you possibly exercise?

Again, grateful for your help!