Sudden Withdrawal From Neurontin (Page 2)
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I have been taking 600 mg of Neurontin 4x a day for about 2 years and recentlty ran out of this medication due to excrutiating slow service from mandatory mail order RX company.... I was extremely agitated during this time (approx. 5 days), nervous, stressed out, etc. Has anyone else had these symptons as a result of sudden withdrawal from Neurontin? I can't understand why this happened, I felt so scared and lousy for that time. Is this a known reaction for this med? I haven't been able to find an answer. I take it for relief from carpel tunnel syndrom. Thanks

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Sorry to hear that. I too stopped cold turkey. I have experienced the same three weeks today anxiety a tad better but I am still not myself. I took it 4 days and pain was reduced by 80 percent. Still better with the pain but now have mild headache, sleep interruption, feel like i am crawling inside my body, anxiety and worry, burning around my heart, light headed, general malaise. I too did epsom bath and magnesium and b vitamins. I also read that biotin may help... Drink a lot of water, dry skin, brushing before baths. Pray...It will pass. I am still in it but pray every day it will be done. I was called a hypochondriate by my acupuncturist!

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Can someone please help, or give some advice or maybe knowledge with Gapapentin? I was put on it for a very short while, a little over 3 weeks after a spinal tap. A very small dose of 300 mg a day max.

I stopped taking it cold turkey last Sunday, so almost one week ago, per the advice of my neurologist, and things are awful. I could no longer take it because it was making my spinal headaches worse!

Since I've been off, I have horrible anxiety, complete loss of appetite, panic attacks, feelings of desperation and loss, crying fits. I feel as if I will never be happy again. The worse thing is that I have two small children to care for and my husband is just sick about this!

The good news is that my headache and neck pain has lessened, but I cannot handle the thoughts and feelings I am having!

I know it's the meds, because last Sunday I came home after feeling so panicky, I took one pill, and after one hour my head started to kill again, but all the other horrible symptoms went away!

I decided at that point that this medicine is indeed the devil and I will be done with it! My neurologist agreed, but wanted me to take 100mg for 3 more days...I didn't. I just stopped. I threw all meds away. I didn't want anymore in my body!!! The withdrawl symptoms started on Monday eve. So this has been going on for 6 days now!!!

Can anyone tell me how long the anxiety will go one? I can't handle this! I've been taking extra magnesium, espsom salt baths, vitamin b to help. I also started to take Passion flower to help a bit with the panic attacks. I hope this info can help someone else in need. It seems to take the edge off!

Thank you so much!!!

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pain doctors went out of bussiness could not make a profit in ky. just up and closed the doors and medical records are in georiga and cant seem to get them ..i have not had a neurontin in 11 days took 600 mg 3 times a day for 2 years and then they say up yours ..its been really tough so whats next

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The only danger will be the current symptoms may continue for another several weeks possibly. They will of course improve slowly week by week. Good work and keep it up. You can get through it. If you've gone this long you can go all the way. Congratulations. It's not easy.

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I have been forced more than a few times to go cold turkey off gabapentin for a couple weeks or so. Each time is a living ****ing nightmare. I have chest pain like I'm going to have a heart attack and extreme sweats, anxiety, ect... I even have interdose withdrawals in between doses some days. 600mg 3* a day for going on 2 yrs now. It took me a few months to figure out what was going on with me. I like the way it makes me feel, calm, energetic at the same time, social anxiety lessons, and it gives me a warm, numb feeling, faintly, not like a high by any means. Just comforting is the best way to describe the way it affects me. I hate how I feel if I don't take it and what happens if I lose my insurance?! Do you know how expensive gabapentin is out of pocket? It's one of the more expensive medications out there, costing waaayyyy more than my Clonazapam or MMT. It is a great med, but coming off it scares me. I only take it as prescribed so I don't run out. Cold turkey neurontin withdrawal is dangerous and comparable to alcohol WD's or Xanax withdrawals. Unbelievably true, for most people. Stay on it or taper off it, but NEVER abruptly just stop taking it! Good evening.

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Hi! Have you ever consider acupuncture? When my back was not so bad I did acupuncture and it was great!!! You MUST find a GREAT acupuncturist. That is important. See if you can find an Asian Doctor that has been trained in this and also practices eastern medicine. That doctor should also know when you need to be treated with western medicine. Acupuncture and eastern herbal medicines helped me avoid a hysterectomy. The problem went away totally. If you lived in NJ I could recommend a great dr.

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You can die. I have had four migraines in 24 hours with vomiting. Three to four days of that. Can get seizures. Didn't know. Don't do it!!!

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Thank you for your reply. I feel reassured that this is the remnants of gabapentin still in my body and/or my body adjusting to it. I still have a slightly stiff neck in the morning and shoulder, upper back, and neck pain but the symptoms are very slightly less with escj passing day. I wish I had never taken this terrible drug!!

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I came off 3200 mgs of Gabby over a period of 3 weeks!! My rheumatologist said he had never heard of withdrawal from this drug??? My family Dr. wasn't aware I had done this for the first month..she was upset..said I should of been weaned down 100 mgs at a time over a period of months..to late now..I have been off Gabby since February 1st..I can finely say that I am feeling better..still having some stomach issues with appetite, bloating and small stomach aches now and then..every so often chest pain..but all in all its so much better than when I first stopped taking it..don't miss the sleeplessness, anxiety, headaches..was not fun..
Glad you are better..I have heard that the higher the dose which I was on 3200 mgs for about 4 months..the length of time taken which for me was over a year that it takes a long time to get it out of your system..I am 4 months out and still feeling some of the withdrawal..hopefully this to will pass in time..dealing with my osteo arthritis if better than the withdrawal..
Keep me posted..

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Hi cj1969,
Yes, I think some, if not all, of your symptoms are from the gabapentin. I took 2700 mg/day for two years before starting to come off it. I've been weaning myself down slowly over the past (almost) two years as my nerves are slowing regenerating after being damaged during back surgery. Recently, I went from 200mg a day to 100mg per day and my neck is stiff, hurts to turn right and my lymph nodes are swollen and painful. Reducing the gabapentin is the only change that was made so it's most likely the cause.
For others reading this, I was able to go down 300mg/day without terrible side effects until I reached 900mg. At that point, reducing in 100mg increments was necessary. I would wait weeks, sometimes months before making another reduction. I have read that as the dose increases, the efficacy decreases so maybe that's why it gets more difficult when I get to the lower doses. I have also noticed that my brain function is slowly returning to normal. I used to struggle to find the words I wanted to say on a regular basis every day. Sometimes it felt like I had had a partial labotomy. It still happens regularly, just to a lesser degree. It's really a shame that our doctors don't give us any clue of what we are getting into when they hand us the script. Then they tell you the medicine(s) you're taking couldn't possibly cause whatever symptoms you're having. My faith in doctors has been totally shattered!
For those that are still looking for pain relief, I've found that Bali kratom herb, when mixed with turmeric, ginger and cayenne, brings effective relief for mild to moderate pain. There is a product online that combines these four ingredients and that has kept me away from the pain clinic I used to visit monthly.

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Hello, I've had the same thing. I titrated up over a few weeks from 300 a day to 600 and then to 900. I titrated back down almost as quickly, and then last week I went from 300 extended release to nothing. That was exactly a week ago. I'm having severe stiff neck, back pain, shoulder pain, and also had some enlarged lymph nodes. I'm wondering if this is just from the withdrawal of the medication. What did you find out from your child's doctor? This medicine made me have extreme joint pain and inflammation, so I had to stop.

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I am on gabapentin I got off cold turkey it was the worst thing you can imagine I got off some hard core opiate's witch were easier I would advice u to do 100mg less a week

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I would get it checked now! Never heard of withdrawal doing this but who knows!
Good luck. Keep us posted

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My 9 year old daughter was prescribed neurotin for head aches and anxiety by her Nelurologist. Well her peds dr told me to stop it. She was on it 2 weeks, slowly up to 300 mg day. Yesterday she had me feel her neck. Tiny liphnode on neck swollen, wasnt worried. Tonight it is bigger and it hurts her. Is this a withdraw symptom? Should i go to er? Or wait for dr in morning?

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you are so so right opiate withdrawal is so much easier than neurontin withdrawal. its killinfg me.

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I was on Gabapentin for a year..built up to 3200 mgs a day..decided it was not helping with my pain so wanted to get off of it..my dr. told me to take 1600 for 5 days then drop to 800 for 5 days and I should be good..WRONG..I should of been brought down very slowly..was to quick..had flu like systems, upset stomach, tiredness, anxiety, sleeplessness, nervousness, was not fun at all..I have now been off of it for exactly 29 days..I am better but still have some anxiety and sleeping issues to deal with..I have been told that the longer you were on it and the higher the dose the longer it takes to get it out of your system..time will tell..just hope each day gets better..had a person tell me to start back up and come down slower but I don't want it back into me..good luck..

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Haven't talked to my psychiatrist yet. With my Fibro and chemical sensitivity withdrawal is always harsh for me.

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I had went without my gabapentin for several days, 3-4 times, I take 300 mg three times a day. I get sick the first day without them. Really sick to my stomach, nausea, the shakes, no energy, want to sleep a lot, sometimes the diarrhea, I suffer horribly, especially with the nausea. So I do have your same symptoms.along with weakness, mood swings, etc.

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-I am on 2400 mg for about 10 years and looking to go off it. From the research I was doing online those are very common symptoms. All articles said you wean yourself very slowly with advice of a doctor and can take about to a year for complete and total withdrawal. Now I am too anxious to start the process.

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I have veen in 2,700mg's a day fir a few years the only side effect i have is feeling like i drank 1 beer. I take it for nerve pain. I have a disc that is almost cuttibg off my nevre. I would say the pain is a 9 -9.5
Just had back surgery 2 days ago. So now i can get off it. I dropped to 1,800 and will stay here till the surgey pain gets lower. Tgen get off it all the way. Withdrawl can also be in your head. So just lower it and keep notes

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