Posted by ed_uk on November 7, 2004, at 9:52:29
In reply to Re: Withdrawals from Pregabalin/Lyrica?, posted by jclint on November 7, 2004, at 9:01:44
Jclint makes a good point. EVERY time a new treatment for anxiety/depression comes on to the market we're told it doesn't cause dependence and that withdrawal won't be a problem. We have to learn from the experiences of people who have had difficulty withdrawing from drugs like barbiturates, benzos, SSRIs, effexor etc. Personally I was very lucky in getting only mild withdrawal symptoms when I stopped Effexor 'cold turkey'.
After all, withdrawal symptoms have been reported with gabapentin(Neurontin)- pregabalin's close relative....Gabapentin withdrawal presenting as status epilepticus (prolonged episode of convulsions).
Barrueto F Jr, Green J, Howland MA, Hoffman RS, Nelson LS.
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine and the New York City Poison Control Center, New York, New York 10016, USA. fbarrueto@hotmail.com
A 34-year-old male with lumbar disc disease and surgery was placed on gabapentin daily for chronic back pain. He remained on a steady dose of 8000 mg/day for 9 months, almost doubled what is considered therapeutic. He ran out of medication, was unable to refill his prescription for 2 days and presented to the emergency department in status epilepticus. There was no previous history of seizure disorder and he was on no other medications. A medical evaluation for an alternative etiology of his seizures was negative. Although gabapentin withdrawal has been previously reported and usually consists of anxiety, diaphoresis, and palpitations, this is the first reported patient with generalized seizures and status epilepticus secondary to gabapentin withdrawal.
Ed
poster:ed_uk
thread:412809
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041103/msgs/412843.html