Hello Adamo,
Well congratulations on getting down to 1700mg of Gabapentin! Yeah!!!!!
You're more than 1/3 of the way!
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Originally Posted by Adamo
The thing that is most discouraging to me is that reducing Gaba seems so difficult to me whereas you say it should not be difficult like this.
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I only meant to point out that experiences with Gabapentin and with its discontinuation are extremely diverse.
Some people (like me) have zero difficulty, some (like you) have a great deal of difficulty, and many others are somewhere in between.
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I still hope trying to get off of it is the right thing to do. I would still like to get off of it before december but wonder what will happen....
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Honestly? Take it as it comes. Are you still feeling as groggy with it now? You are still on a fairly high dose, but much lower than before. Have you been cutting more than 100mg/5 days? I am still holding out hope that maybe things will get better for you all around as the dosage starts to come down.
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I was given 1mg pills and told to take 1-2mg for severe symptoms which sounds to me like a bit much!
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As far as dosing, I will say this, and most physicians would agree: always use the
smallest effective dose. Klonopin is very potent. In your shoes, I'd try taking a half pill (0.5mg) -- that could easily do the trick. If, after an hour, you are still uncomfortable, you take the other half, and the next time around you'd know, so no need to repeat the experiment. Also, take less if your symptoms get milder. I rather doubt you'll need 2mg -- that's something most people work up to. You don't want to shoot for an "Ahhh" feeling, you really just need to feel reasonably ok (which by itself can feel pretty awesome compared to somatic anxiety).
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So I guess what you mean in your post is that I should take it only at least 5 days apart from the last time I have taken it?
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No, I think that's too close in the case of Klonopin -- it has a longer half-life than your typical "rescue" meds like Ativan or Xanax. If I didn't want to risk dependence, I'd personally go
at least 7-8 days between each dose, or do something like take it twice and then not take it for 10 consecutive days. But I feel comfortable taking shots in the near-dark regarding the effective half-life of a drug on myself. In your case, I have to advise you to consult your doctor.
Even if there is residual accumulation, it might not cause problems upon suspension, but the risk of dependence increases with:
-- dosage
-- frequency of use
-- duration of treatment
It's really best to express your concerns about dependence to your prescribing physician, and request explicit instructions from that person as far as dosage and the timing of the Klonopin in view of the fact you'll be taking it every Nth day of a gabapentin reduction. The physician can advise you better, taking into account your personal characteristics and medical status.
I am really glad you've found a doctor who's willing to help. I think you can find a way to work with the Klonopin to ease this Gapapentin Hell you're going through, and still be ok when you come out the other end. Here's wishing you well!
waves