Replies To: Sudden Withdrawal from Neurontin

Tilly says

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:36:19 -0800

I take Neurontin 800 mg 4 times a day. I was recently fasting for 2 weeks and had an episode where I didn't even remember things people said I did. I had also taken an Imitrex 100 mg. Is it possible that I would have gotten high from this and not remembered things?

Colleen says

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:43:53 -0800

I, too, wonder if my new symptoms are from neurontin. I was only on 500 mg per day and was falling asleep and could not drive anymore. The doctor has reduced my neurontin to 300 mg per night, but now in the middle of the night I wake up with feeling like I am going to jump out of my skin! My legs thrash, my spine feels jumpy. I have stopped taking Ultram ER due to the same problems with a required mail order pharmacy. I have been off of Ultram for almost 3 weeks, and the doctor reduced my dosage of neurontin 8 days ago. I am not sure which one or both are causing my problems, but I think I will wean myself off of neurontin slowly and try to get free of both of these meds. Good luck to all of you sufferers!

maggie says

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:42:14 -0800

can neuronin cause heart attacks?

paul says

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 18:58:26 -0800

I have been taking neurontin for about four years for Restless leg Syndrome. I have one of the worst cases of RLS and actually causes the same symptoms in my legs and abdomen. I tried many different types of medication and nothing worked. I literally spent years of my life with poor sleep and was physicall debilitated from sleep deprivation. Neuront is my miracle drug. It has changed my life as I am now rested and do not fear going to bed but rather enjoy sleeping. It truly changed my life and I cannot say enough good things about what this medication has done for me.

Teri says

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:11:43 -0800

Wow, hearing how others wake up edgy and feeling like you're on speed was great. I've been having all these tests thinking it was my heard, carbon monoxide, you name it, I was looking for anything that could be causing these early-heart-racing's. I didnt know at the time that I could be suffering withdrawals, but had started taking a Neuroton so that the heart racing wouldnt set off a seizure. I noticed that within 45 minutes, my heart would calm down. But what's so odd is that I've been on this drug over 10 yrs and could take it whenever I wanted to. Now, if I dont take it within 5 hrs, I'm doomed. The dr suspects I've become tolerant so need more. But what are the rest of you taking to replace the Neurontin?? (I take it as a secondary backup to Dilantin). Also, have you noticed your feet like they're stuck in clay?Thanks for any input....

Liz says

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 11:18:30 -0800

I weaned myself off of Gabapentin.I was taking 3600 Mgs a day for PHN. I stopped taking it in 3 days and am suffereing such withdrawal! I ended up in the hospital and couldn't make my les work. My brain knew it needed to make my legs move but I could't walk. The Dr. started me on 600 mgs for a week, then 400 mgs for another week then 300mgs and so on. It will take me 5 weeks to finally get off of Gabapentin. It's a bad drug!!!!It's scarry to be on it and absolutely hell to get off of. I sugest NOT taking it!

Ginny says

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 11:13:34 -0800

Sinda,
I too use Neurontion and six months ago was using 600-mg. per day. I decided I was fed up with all the strong pain pills I was on and began detoxing in January 09. Once I successfully got off Oxycontin, I began lowering the dosages of all my other drugs by about 25% each month. When I got my Neurontin down to 200-mg. per day without too much of an issue, I thought I would just quit it the following month. After a few days without it, I found my self going through much of what you have described. I went back to the 200-mg. and have remained there for three months now. I also found that it is very helpful for my pain level especially since I have discontinued the high dosages of Oxycontin I had been using and reduced my use of Norco, for breakthrough pain, by 25%. Today I will be reducing my Norco dosage another 25%, which will be 50% less of the dosage I had been using for many years up to January 09. Slow reduction of your medication's, watching your bodies response to the reductions,is the safest manner in which to get off of any drug. Even when a medication is not considered addictive, the body has become reliant upon it's regulation of certain areas of your bodies system and overnight discontinuance can stress the body to the point of causing heart attacks, blackouts, unstable gate and a host of unlisted side effects. If you want to get off it, reduce your daily milligrams each month by about 25% and in this manner you will discover if you want to go all the way off, or stay on a low dose because you realize that it does help your pain level. Anyway, that is what I've done. I decided to stay at 200-mg. a day because I found that anything less allowed my pain level to run amuck during my day. However, I feel great that I did reduce it by 400 MG.s in just a few months without an issue.

Paul says

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 14:02:18 -0800

I have been going through neurontin withdrawals, usually I do not experience side effects from meds but they were obviously resulting from the meds I have been taking for chronic pain. I was taking four 600 mg tablets of Neurontin a day, and I was wondering why I always felt so uninhibited and mentally clouded while taking the medicine, but I had always assumed it was the tramadol I have been taking as well. Well I stopped the med suddenly and have experienced extreme fatigue and muscle weakness, profuse sweating, shakes, racing thoughts and bad anxiety, and the worst part, definitely the worst part is the hypersensitivity and pain I have had, I would get an itch and it would be feel like someone just slashed me with a sharp object, so any minor stimulation feels excruciating. I am 7 days through the withdrawals, I just hope they end soon, I am tired of being so fatigued and weak, but my head is so much clearer that I don't want to sacrifice it and refill the script. Also my stomach has been extremely ill, meds that used to never bother me before now make me feel like I am about to vomit. Whoever withdraws from the medicine or begins it is going to be going on a wild ride, and by no means am I implying that its fun, but I read the FDA report on neurontin and it seemed to do well in its trials, and had demonstrated some efficacy compared to the placebo, but it wasn't that significant in my opinion. I lowered people's pain levels about 2 levels I think on the 1-10 scale at about 1200 and 2400 titrations. And plus I talked to a doctor at my clinic and he said that I should not have done that due to the seizure risks, but I already knew it was an anti-epileptic and that I am taking other medicines and stimulants that increase my risk of having a seizure on top of that, and he said I should restart it and reduce it slowly, but I don't think I am going to still.

elf says

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 11:43:31 -0800

i am weaning off 400 mgs of neurontion i was 1600, now i am just opening up the capsules and taking a little powder. i am anxious and shaky hopefully that won;t last to much longer

D-. Dan says

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 05:44:07 -0800

Looking for information discussed
on CNN (06-30-09) regarding the medication Diprovan Michael Jackson requested for sleep aid from his nurse/Dr. Information requested is for basic info., for
personal educational knowledge. Spelling of mentioned drug is likely
wrong. Thank you.