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08-28-2013, 09:44 PM | #11 | ||
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"Thanks for this!" says: | waves (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 12:06 AM | #12 | ||
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"Thanks for this!" says: | waves (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 12:35 AM | #13 | ||
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Thanks for your warm welcome. I need all the advice I can get. I have never been addicted to anything nor have I used any drugs. I also do not drink. I am at a total loss when it comes to this gabapentin drug. I even went to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting but the few people I talked to said this is not a narcotic nor an addiction. Is it just that I'm nuts or does anyone have problems with this stuff?!
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"Thanks for this!" says: | waves (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 06:07 AM | #14 | ||
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Magnate
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--seems to have that degree of difficulty coming off Gabapentin; you seem to be especially sensitive.
As with all anti-seizure drugs, one must come off Gabapentin very, very slowly, as the central nervous system upregulation that occurs while taking the drug will no longer be masked if the drug is titrated down too quickly, and then unsuppressed upregulation can certainly produce symptoms of agitation and possible susceptibility to seizures. I was on 2700mg of Gabapentin at my highest dose; when I began to taper I went down 100mg every WEEK. There were some some effects each time I did this; when the effects were bad I sometimes went a few weeks before going down again, to give my body time to adjust. It took me more than 8 months to completely come off the drug, though in my case I was trying to avoid bounceback neuropathic pain more than the effects you are describing. |
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"Thanks for this!" says: | waves (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 09:30 AM | #15 | ||
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Elder
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I am sorry you are suffering with withdrawl from gabapentin. It is known to have effects like that. Your doctor can do it slower if you are having terrible trouble. Any kind of seizure is a warning that it is too fast at 400mgs.
I do know about withdrawl. I got off Morphine after many years. It was awful even with the doctors help. If you can be prescribed Klonopin while you are doing this, you will have less jerky movements, and may be able to rest better. I remember just standing in the hall and yelling. I was miserable. Talk to your doctor about coming off this medication slower. Change doctors if you are not being listened to. This has a very huge impact on the quality of our lives. Go ahead and call, be a pest if you have to be, get the help. ginnie |
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"Thanks for this!" says: | Adamo (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 11:24 AM | #16 | |||
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Legendary
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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. ---------------------- 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. --------------------- 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? |
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"Thanks for this!" says: | ginnie (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 03:39 PM | #17 | ||
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Junior Member
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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! |
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08-29-2013, 04:19 PM | #18 | |||
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Senior Member (**Dr Smith is named after a character from Lost in Space, not a medical doctor)
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Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) and Medications & Treatments.
You posted to the PN forum once, but I don't know if you followed up. Many members here take/have taken gabapentin for neuropathic pain of PN, and the med has been discussed exhaustively on that forum, so I would check the archives (Search function) for threads that contain gabapentin or Neurontin in their titles. Quote:
lessening gabapentin withdrawal IMO it's important to understand the difference between addiction and physical dependence; they are not the same. Your are dependent on gabapentin, but not addicted to it. Doc
__________________
Dr. Zachary Smith Oh, the pain... THE PAIN... Dr. Smith is NOT a medical doctor. He was a character from LOST IN SPACE. All opinions expressed are my own. For medical advice/opinion, consult your doctor. |
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"Thanks for this!" says: | waves (08-29-2013) |
08-29-2013, 04:51 PM | #19 | ||
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Elder
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I agree with waves Klonopin can be a dangerous drug as well. However when you are withdrawing from medication, it is a good tool for a short duration under your doctors care. I took it only as long as it took to withdraw from my medications. I had no trouble stopping klonopin after that. ginnie
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08-29-2013, 04:55 PM | #20 | ||
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Junior Member
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I have some of the ReMag drops as well as those JNK and NeuroEdure tablets from The Road Back people. I'm not sure those things are working at all. If I take epsom salts baths I tend to feel MUCH MORE withdrawal symptoms rather than less which is kinda weird based upon what people say anecdotally.
I understand that I have a dependence rather than an addiction. I guess since I've never had an addiction I'm simply ignorant. Nevertheless, what I experience in between doses of Gabapentin is so intense it feels my body is craving the drug and I have to contain myself from taking it too soon. Of course, I do feel kind of high from taking it — but it is a nasty disorienting sensation that clouds my mind and certainly my judgment. The only thing I know is I am facing withdrawal symptoms by trying to reduce it and this is what some of my drug-addicted friends say is what is at issue anyway.... I appreciate your comment. |
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