Would I know it if I had a partial seizure?
 

I'm still in my battle with the medication gabapentin and feel awful upon waking. I'm currently at 1200mg/day looking to titrate down.

can anyone explain how I would know a seizure from withdrawal symptoms from Overstimualtion and other pcs symptoms. This medication has been far from ideal. I had no seizure activity prior to going on this medication was at a low dose of 300 mg only a few months back.

I think you are asking the question backwards. It would be better to list the symptoms of the event that you think may be a partial seizure.

Please be careful. If you are researching on the internet, there is a common tendency to read about a diagnosis and then try to fit one's symptoms into that diagnosis. This can lead to and increase anxiety.

How is your taper down going ? I've cold turkeyed off gabapentin with no problem.

Still at 1200 mg. I tried to make the jump down to 900 but I felt awful. I am having some strange visual side effects as well as I have lowered down from 1500.

Still, I'm gonna try to take another step down soon.

DannyT,

Have you tried taking a magnesium supplement. It binds to the same receptors as gabapentin so it sort of mimics gabapentin. Magnesium Citrate or magnesium malate would be good considerations. Many report that they have no withdrawal symptoms if they take magnesium as they withdraw.

I have been at 900mg/day Gabapentin for a week now. Deciding when and how much to go down next. My concern is the possibility of causing more brain damage from tapering too quickly but I feel that the medication itself has been detrimental to my recovery. I have been so sad in between doses and still wake up in cold chills. So difficult to do this after my brother died and during PCS where I can't just distract myself with some TV or music. Sigh

The Mg Citrate was unsuccessful in making me feel any better. I think it might be useful once I take the jump to 0mg/day.

The point of the magnesium is to replace the gabapentin as it affixes to the receptors so they do not miss the gabapentin. You can easily take 500 mgs a day. If you are mag deficient, you could take more. Any change needs to be maintained for a reasonable time to allow the blood levels to establish.

I suggest you continue to take the mag 3 times a day even if you do not notice a difference. Your brain needs it anyway.

Your struggle to taper off gabapentin is unique. I wonder if there is something else at play.

Are you being treated for depression ?

Gabapentin is NOT an antidepressant. Please don't consider it a treatment for depression.

I'm not sure that Danny's difficulty coming off Gabapentin is unique, is it?

There are heaps of posts across the forums from people who experienced problems. I just did a search for Gabapentin taper and found quite a lot.

Those who report struggles to taper off gabapentin do not report the problems DannyT reports. Plus, they usually report success using magnesium as they taper. I should have been more specific with my comment.

This is interesting on Mg Cit. So no problems with going to the bathroom (#2)? I forgot to look at the dose of the Mag. They use Mag Cit to help prep before a colonoscopy. I worked rx for a very long time before my car crash. I was a CPhT. I like seeing these threads [emoji5] And btw, I'm on 3600mg of Gaba. Was titrated up. I suffer from seizures, very well controlled now. The seizure name I forget. Hence, my prob, lol.

I was on A LOT of diff types!! You name it, prob on it. I still suffer from migraines, but NOTHING like before. What works for person A, not for person B, but person C get side effects, while person D doesnt. Big Pharma is a jaded world to me now. Came out of rehab on 20 things. Now I just have 4 daily to live. I have my as needed things, but thats it.

So please tell me more.


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hi dah, im hammer and i am also epileptic.. So i think i understand what you are asking..

You are asking how you would know if you were having a seizure due to drug withdraw, correct?

Well, a petite mal usually effects a specific body part, where as a grand mal, of which i battle, from what i have been told, my body begins to shake and then tighten up in which i profusely sweat and become unconscious..

Additionally, other things happen during my sleep.


The neurontin (gabapentin) of which you either have or are taking, is an extremely low dose.. 3oo per day, or for that matter, 300 3x a day, is still very low. My neurologist has prescribed me 4800 mg of gabapentin a day which is one of three drugs that i take.

The above medicine may result in some minor body or more specifically, muscle jerking.. That is normal.

If you are detoxing from a narcotic, then from what i have researched, similiar muscle jerks could happen during detox along with other, horribly, described symptoms.

In my opinion, if the chemical reaction that occurs during detox of a drug results in drug seeking activities then please get to your doctor to discuss options on how to relieve your symptoms and possibly talk with a counselor :) best wishes dan and god bless

hammer

Im epileptic and suffer grand mals. If danny continues to ''step down'' from gabapentin, he could suffer a severe grand mal.. He really needs to go to a doctor. Stopping aed's is highly dangerous

gabapentin, of which i take at 4800 mg per day for epilepsy, is not a drug to taper off on ones one. It needs to be monitored by a doctor.

I've been on gabapentin for 15 years, at 1200 mgs then 900 mgs in a single dose for a good part of those 15 years. Been on 600 mgs every night for 8 years or so. I take it for twitches that happen when I sleep.

I can understand the risks when it is taken for a seizure disorder but that is not why DannyT takes it. He takes it for headaches at the original concussion site and perhaps to aid in his anxiety and OCD symptoms. So, it sounds like it was prescribed for neuropathic pain. He has only been taking it since June.

DannyT,

Would you be trying to taper off if you had not read the post about its reduction on synapse neurogenesis ?

As I said, that risk is in young children when their brains are growing. At 26, your brain has very little neurogenesis anymore. Plus, it only slows the rate of synapse neurogenesis. It does not stop it. It is also at the high doses used for serious seizure disorders. You have never taken more that 25% of the max dose.

As a chem eng major, you have the aptitude to understand these issues. Please don't let your OCS/anxiety prevent you from understanding the issues at hand.

I'm attempting to taper off because of visual side effects I have noticed from the drug. That study is not the main reason at all. I have just had a bad reaction to this medication.

Those that are concerned for my chance of seizure, I do appreciate it. I would be in contact with the prescribing physician but I don't trust him at this point. Like Mark said, I didn't start taking the medication for any type of seizure condition.

Unfortunately I have noticed a severe withdrawal symptom. My resting heart rate is 66 Bpm. Upon standing it jumps up to around 100 Bpm. If I exert any effort I'm looking at 120 BPM. In the end if I sit back down again my pulse will return to normal.

I'm not sure how long this has been going on but I've been feeling like crap from this med for a while. I recently purchased a pulse Oximeter to check this out and was shocked at how consistently this happens. Thankfully my lungs seem to be fine as my spo2 stats usually remain around 97/98 even when standing.

Currently on my 4th day at 750mg. Not sure what to do about this heart symptom. I wish I could trust my neuro but he is the one who needlessly got me on the medication in the first place and would suggest a quick taper.

The change from sitting to standing would normally cause an increase in pulse. I don't think you should be concerned. I doubt gabapentin has even the slightest thing to do with it. Don't let the pulse oximeter cause you undue anxiety.

The PCS brain can easily become over-reactive to changes in demands on the heart. This is part of the anxiety malfunction, not gabapentin. A term used is adrenal-cortical hyperfunction but for most, it is just a minor over-reaction.