I was not aware of the risk of stopping. I've been off it for two days now. Should I stay off or take a lower dose for a while? My head feels foggy, sort of pressure behind the eyes.

if it were me i would titrate down slowly

I am not aware of long term issues with Neurontin/Gabapentin.
I was taking it for almost 7 years before I switched to Lyrica.
Regular monitoring of liver & kidney function would be advised
on any long tern application of any med.
If no negative side effects occur during use, long term, to my knowledge,
hasn't been formally studied, yet. At least there hasn't been anything written, yet.

I would call the doctor you had rx from or who you are working with. You should never go cold turkey off meds unless your doctor tells you. It is a shock to the body and can create problems.

I called the neuro but couldn't get through. I'm feeling a bit better today so maybe it's getting out of my system. Although, PN continues. I figured it would have been worse to go off for a week, then start back up, and then start to ratchet it down again. At this point, I guess I'll just stay off of it.

Thanks.

Regarding Lyrica, how is it different than Neurontin and are side effects different?

It is very similar, but it does work in a somewhat different way.
The side affects are also similar, (weight gain, edema, sex drive diminished, etc) but are different in individual cases. It is affected in relationship to GABA, but I don't think the mechanism is well known.
You'd have to 'google' it for a comparison and also
go to PubMed for write-ups.
It is stronger, less is used. The comparative ratio is 1 to 6, I believe
(300mgLyrica = 1800mg Neurontin)
It just works for me- when after 6+ yrs on Neurontin, I became
too tolerant and the Neurontin wasn't as effective any longer.
Switching to Lyrica helped, that's all I know.

It's pretty much the same for me other then with Neurontin I had really bad brain fog and with Lyrica I really, really sleepy all the time. Not tired, just sleepy. I was on Neurontin for 6 or 7 years and I don't think it case damage but really how can I judge that. LOL I like Lyrica much, much better. Why? It works for me! Neurontin did nothing really, just took the edge off. Probably because I of the brain fog. :eek:

Off of Neurontin
 

Well, it's been a week now since I'm off of Neurontin. I will never go on that stuff again. My neurologist never said anything about side effects which makes me angry. It sort of helped but I hated the brain fog. The worst part is when I went off since I wasn't told to slowly transition off. It was a rough week but I'm feeling much better now.

My PN seems to have improved somewhat so I'm hopeful it's just gluten sensitivity that was causing it. Saw the GI doc on Friday and was reminded just how clueless he is. He just said no Celiac because the endoscopy was negative and didn't know what to do next. Absolutely clueless. At this point, I'm going to try to stay gluten free for a while to see if the PN goes away completely. My head is still not fully clear. Feels a bit like a constant sinus headache or that groggy feeling when you get up from a nap. Does that ever go away?

These meds that mess with your brain are very disconcerting. Never again.