I'm having panic attacks and struggling with anxiety.

I just noticed that my gabapentin refill mentions panic attacks as possible side effect.

Is this common?

I have had a lot of stress lately in addition to health problems. I'm trying to figure out if panic is due to med before I add another med to the list.

Thanks!

I'm sure this would be difficult to determine unless you lower the dose of the gabapentin. Do you have autonomic neuropathy? Anxiety can be a major aspect of this.

I take a low dose of nortripyline (10 mg) for pain and anxiety. It's helpful for both. Perhaps you can discuss this with your neuro, and I'm sure others will weigh in here!

S

Thanks for your reply.
I'm still in the process of dx. I know I have sensorimotor polyneuropathy. How is autonomic determined?

One thing: don't just stop gabapentin. you need to work with your doctor if you want to decrease the amount.

Another thing: Side effects are very comprehensive lists and most of us don't experience any/many of them/

I personally take 3600 mg gabapentin a day, and experience some sleepiness if I pay attention. I'm a pretty tightly wound person, so the slow down is good.

Hugs, ElaineD

There are so many autonomic symptoms. They involve a deregulation of a)the sympathetic nervous system...flight or fight is in high gear, and b) the parasympathetic nervous system. ..rest and digest....which sort of takes a hike. My first symptom was 4 pm anxiety everyday...something to do with cortisol levels, if I remember correctly. I had a very rapid onset last April, but the autonomic symptoms preceded sensory neuropathy.

Symptoms can include a rapid fall in blood pressure and a possible rise in heart rate from sitting to standing ("orthostatic intolerance,"(OI) best tested with a "tilt table"), heat and/or cold intolerance (sweating "appropriately" can be a problem, there are tests for this..."Q-SART). Also, there can be dry eyes, mouth and skin; excessive thirst; hair loss (!); insomnia and digestive issues like GERD, and a slowing of the digestive tract (or IBS ). Bladder problems are also common. My anxiety sometimes feels like "superanxiety," (but not panic). Big drag. Some of my symptoms are improving though....

You can Google "dysautonomia" or "autonomic neuropathy" for more info....and we also had a recent thread here. Neuros may or may not know what you are talking about. My cardiologist did my tilt table test, after two neuros failed to do so....turns out my OI is "severe." I'm about to have another at a "dysautonomia center" at NYU, where they analyze blood chemistry while they move you from prone to standing (not fun at all). Yet I think these measurements might lead to a treatment plan (none yet) and I'm horribly fatigued. Oh, unexplained fatigue is common with autonomic neuropathy.

However, you may just have plain old anxiety....which is the best possible DX in light of PN!

S

Gabapentin can also help relieve panic attacks as well. It is sometimes prescribed for that purpose. Its different for everyone. I found some of the actual good side effects of gabapentin were panic attack relief, migraine relief and reduced sensitivity to light.

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The problem is that our brains are the "most complicated things we know of in the universe, " as they say on PBS! Therefore, drugs designed to address neurological issues can have unexpected and sometimes antithetical effects. (For example, this med designed for seizures, was only later determined to be efficacious for neurological pain).

I'm glad you, Patrick, and so many people here, have a good response to gabapentin for pain... However, the makers of Neurontin were sued because of suicides that occurred among users who had never before been depressed. There is now a black box warning for this possible outcome.

My best guess is that my severe PN....whIch I noted, began with the acute onset of dysautonomic symptoms, followed a hypertensive and anaphylactic (!) crisis with antidepressant medication. I think it was a variant of serotonin syndrome. ...but I'll never know. I'm left hypersensitive to most medication....and I often have antithetical responses. It makes treatment really difficult.

So, as Elaine noted, gabapentin has an incredibly long list of side effects....most might be rare, but they are listed for a reason. I'm glad she warned Carrie not to abruptly terminate this med.....but it still might be the reason for her panic attacks.

We just unfortunately have a disease of our very poorly understood and highly complex organ...our brain...which is why treatment is often frustratingly indirect and dicey.

autonomic, as it implies, functions that is not voluntarily controlled: bowel movements, sweating, crying, nasal secretions, mouth dryness, bladder function, balance and possible eye distortions.