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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Flipper on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:46
Headaches, combined with skin-crawling sensations plus excessive itching. Anybody else?
Posted by Nickengland on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:46
In reply to Neurontin Withdrawal Symptons, posted by Flipper on June 30, 2005, at 12:54:59
Hello there Flipper,
I ran out of Neurontin for a total of 1 week and previous to that I was taking 900mg a day - I was forced to stop cold turkey as I was waiting for more of the med to arrive.
Anyway..I had some not so nice withdrawal symtoms myself, albeit nothing "too extream" increased sweating, slight insomnia, increase in anxiety and a genreal feeling of discomfort.
All this was at it worst for the first 3 or 4 days and then slowly started to improve...then at day 7 I was back on Neurontin and withdrawal was no longer.
I would recommed just to slowly decrease the dosage as slowly possbile.
What dosage are/were you taking and how have you stopped..what was the process you decreased? You can even get the capsules in 100mg to make this process as easy possible but i think it can be done quite safely over a peroid of a week - or max 2 to when you can stop completely. also after stopping complately I would imagine any bad withdrawal symtoms should generally disapear after about a week or so.
Hope that made some sense...
Kind regards
Nick
Ps What is the reason your stopping Neurontin?
Posted by Flipper on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:46
In reply to Re: Neurontin Withdrawal Symptons » Flipper, posted by Nickengland on June 30, 2005, at 13:19:28
Nick,
Thanks for the reply. I was taking Neurontin to replace the Paxil I was taking after they pulled Paxil CR. It worked fine for a couple of weeks then it/I bottomed out. Honestly, I'm not sure what my dosage was other than 3 x's per day until my nurse practitioner upped my dosage to include an additional pill at night. That made it worse. So when I called her back I found out she was on vacation til July 5 so I dealt with another nurse who had me stop taking it during the day. She didn't tell me why until I demanded to be seen and she chided me for not waiting until next week because she was weaning me from it. I'm really disillusioned with the people I am dealing with. I found out she was discussing my case with a Psychiatrist who I had never seen. I was having a hard time taking something 3 x's per day so I wasn't very dilligent anyway. After I found out she was taking me off, without my knowledge and no means to alleviate the distress I was in, I said to hell with it and just stopped taking it. I am not a neophyte to depression or the various meds being used for it. On the contrary, I've been dealing with this for 20 years and have taken various tricyclics and SSRIs. I'm over all of this. Flip.
Posted by med_empowered on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:46
In reply to Re: Neurontin Withdrawal Symptons, posted by Flipper on June 30, 2005, at 18:56:01
hey man. Sorry about your experience--I've noticed that a lot of people in the mental health field, docs, nurses, what have you can be completely unprofessional, callous, and downright mean. Plus, neurontin sucks--it doesnt seem to work terribly well, especially when you look at the very few GOOD (read: independent, non-industry funded) studies on its efficacy in mental health. You might derive some benefit from Gabitril, but to me it seemed kind of neuronin-ish in terms of its effects. Did you doc explain to you why you could ONLY take Paxil CR? Generic Paxil is available, its cheap, and its effective. Everybody has known that some anti-depressants have short half-lives--paxil, celexa, etc.--for a while. When I did Paxil, I just broke the tab (it was scored) and dosed 2X daily. My shrink was impressed, and it worked nicely. Good luck!
Posted by Flipper on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:46
In reply to Neurontin sucks, posted by med_empowered on June 30, 2005, at 19:04:59
I was put on Paxil after I "did some time" in a facility due to an Effexor episode - THAT is some bad stuff! I was on Paxil for a about a month, was okay, but not great. Started getting in bad shape and was put on Paxil CR. After some adjustments, I was doing really well until I went to pick up my script and found out it had been pulled off the market. Went back on Paxil and was not doing well at all. Sooooo, I was put on Neurontin. Anyhoo, now I'm ready to chop my head off from they headaches but I can't concentrate on that 'cause I'm scratching all of my skin off! ; )
FYI...was Flipper a male dolphin?
Posted by willyee on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Neurontin sucks, posted by med_empowered on June 30, 2005, at 19:04:59
I think neurotnion is best used in very SMALL doses once a effective AD response from a main med is achieved.In a small dose it can add a nudge to it which can give a somewhat prosocial effect.
Problem is upon first taking it neurontion produces a sorta high,and people go wow this is gonna work,and start ramping the dose up.Nurontion and GABITRIL can quickly accumalte and go from a pleaseant sedation to down right sucideal ideation.
Unless bi-polar or done slowly,id suggest all gaba sedating meds be kept at a low dose,they are very potent and most times people think they are pooping out when in fact they are taking say close to 2 grams neurontion.Thats a brain numbing dose probuably meant for people with severe pain.Remember its not gaba from the health store,this stuff crosses right into the ole brain.
Its very easy and tempting to go high in dose with these meds but most times it unwise.I take very small tiny nibbles off a 600 mg tab and the smallest nibble has an effect.Last i certainly wouldent use one of these as monotherapy,although some do succesfully i see it as very risky at causing some major depression.
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Re: Neurontin sucks, posted by Flipper on June 30, 2005, at 19:15:19
Hi Flip,
>I "did some time" in a facility due to an Effexor episode - THAT is some bad stuff!
What happened?
~Ed
Posted by Nickengland on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Re: Neurontin sucks, posted by willyee on June 30, 2005, at 20:08:13
Hi Willyee :-)
Totally agree with what you say about Neurontin and keeping it at low doses ~ it seems at them its most effective.
When I took my first dose I had "buzz" from gabapentin that was similar (mildly) to that of ecstacy. However this only lasted 1 day and I have never had a repeat experience. The intial "buzz" does certainly where off over time but by keeping my dosage the same (900mg a day) I still reap the anti anxiety benefits from the drug, with very very limited side effects if none at all.
I read in the information leaflet something about the more you increase you med the less bioavailability there is of the drug in your system anyway....so it certainly makes sense to keep the dose low to me.
Neurontin is one weird drug, used in the correct way though can be very helpful with next to nothing side effects i'm finding...And always best used as an "add on" med just like really is made for in its use in epilepsy.
Just my thoughts anyway
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Flipper on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Re: Neurontin sucks » Flipper, posted by ed_uk on June 30, 2005, at 20:28:49
I had forgotten to take my Effexfor (it starts with E for EVIL) a couple of times before with some bad results: anxiety, suicidal thoughts as well as being dizzy and nauseous, plus freaking my family out with bizarre behavior. Coming off the stuff was worse. I asked for help so as to not totally scare the hell out of my small children. "Doing time" was my only option. A couple of days turned into five but it was worth it. Too bad they follow up care governed by my insurance company has been sub-par.
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Re: Neurontin sucks » ed_uk, posted by Flipper on July 1, 2005, at 7:43:03
Hi Flip,
I'm sorry to hear of your horrible experience :-(
~Ed
Posted by Phillipa on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Re: Neurontin sucks » Flipper, posted by ed_uk on July 1, 2005, at 10:58:50
I do know what you mean by a lot of folks in the mental health field being callous, etc. But as a Psych RN not working due to depression/anxiety, I didn't understand what people were going through until I experienced it myself. In my case my thyroid went and with it came the above. Walk in the shoes. Then I think those folks who are really compassionate would tell you they too are on meds. They don't do to the fact that it's a no no to discuss your personal life with pts. I know what it's like and if I can go back to work even if it's just a little parttime I promise I'll try my best to be the best pt advocate I can without getting fired. Lots of times the pdocs ask nurses "what do you think"? I'll be very vocal and hopefully the knowledge I gain here will help me to help them. From one who knows and walks the walk. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Jakeman on July 2, 2005, at 0:46:47
In reply to Can I Add Something?, posted by Phillipa on July 1, 2005, at 23:51:10
> I do know what you mean by a lot of folks in the mental health field being callous, etc. But as a Psych RN not working due to depression/anxiety, I didn't understand what people were going through until I experienced it myself. In my case my thyroid went and with it came the above. Walk in the shoes. Then I think those folks who are really compassionate would tell you they too are on meds. They don't do to the fact that it's a no no to discuss your personal life with pts. I know what it's like and if I can go back to work even if it's just a little parttime I promise I'll try my best to be the best pt advocate I can without getting fired. Lots of times the pdocs ask nurses "what do you think"? I'll be very vocal and hopefully the knowledge I gain here will help me to help them. From one who knows and walks the walk. Fondly, Phillipa,
I have to say that I've been helped more by nurses and/or physician assistants. The psychiatrists I've seen just seem to be like managers over-looking their staff, not really examining the in-depth problems of their patients. Maybe if I were Tom Cruise it would be different :-)
best regards ~ Jake
Posted by cockeyed on July 4, 2005, at 1:28:57
In reply to Re: Can I Add Something?, posted by Jakeman on July 2, 2005, at 0:38:18
I'm reading these post because I really flipped out this week end. The anniversary of my best friends death coincided with my decision to down a pint of canadian club plus numerous hits of cheap vodka. All the family crap, especially my wife-I'm a stepfather and a stepgrandfather-jumped up a bit me on the butt and I went nuts. Been downing tranxene and gabapentin. Seems to help but only for so long. Went to bed to mend my head with vinegar and brown paper, i.e. no meds. Well, I started getting angry. Family picnic, July 4, and I was practicing being surly. and I got worked up and came to this board.
I've found neurontin helps smooth the mood a bit for a short while--4hrs? Sposed to do 300mgs 3 times daily. But I'm also not sposed to drink. My wife kissed me and immediately recoiled...this in front of friends...and told me she wanted to talk. I'd taken several hits of listerine. Lots of alcohol. Scent wears off and you reek of, what else, booze. So I waited til nite told her I was gonna go out and get wrecked. She said something innocuous, and I just went off the tracks. I'm not nice when I'm enraged. But she earned this behavior-step-fathers can become the butt-boys of a family-I've had it. I mean I am seriously disturbed because they make lite of the fact that I'm disabled. "why don't you do something useful, like volunteer?" Wish they'd shut the hell up. When I take my heart meds, I fall asleep. Blah blah blah, la-di-da....so I'm a hypochondriac.
So I've decided to make an attempt to screw'em all. Just going to be as nasty as I can. Not available. I think my wife realized what she had done to me. I think she'll realize it even more at the picnic. I'll do my best to be a pain in the butt. Unless I can narcotize myuself into a state of numbness. But I am in a very bad place now. Think I'll load up on some spare meds and on 7/6 ask the PDoc for dome big boy crap. Anti-psychotic properties. I had to drop celexa, so now i'm on prozac which seems to work on the depression. But as for my family...I'm stuck. cockeyed.
Posted by SLS on July 4, 2005, at 9:50:30
In reply to Neurontin sucks, posted by med_empowered on June 30, 2005, at 19:04:59
> Plus, neurontin sucks--it doesnt seem to work terribly well, especially when you look at the very few GOOD (read: independent, non-industry funded) studies on its efficacy in mental health
I still don't know what to make of this drug. The NIH performed some studies investigating the utility of using Neurontin as monotherapy to treat bipolar disorder - depression in particular. It seemed to be no more effective than placebo. However, it did seem to increase moderately the effectiveness of Lamictal when combined.
For me, Neurontin had several pronounced effects. Initially it produced significantly antidepressant effects at dosages of 900mg and less. It also reduced anxiety. As I spent more time on it, I found that it produced profound cognitive changes that made things seem unreal. 1200mg seemed to be sufficient to have this happen. Perhaps most important, it destabilized my mood and made the depression worse. I was taking only Lamictal at the time. My mood varied greatly and changed paroxsysmally during the second week of treatment. I would say that I was much worse off for using this drug. I am scared to ever take it again.
Despite my negative experience with Neurontin, it demonstrated that it was a drug with the potential to change one's neurochemistry. Perhaps some find it significantly positive enough to remain on it. I think it is well recognized that it does produce anti-anxiety effects for a great many people. The drug is not just an expensive placebo. I know someone that has been on Neurontin for over 4 years, and is just now trying to remove it. She suffers from bipolar disorder with psychotic depression. So far, she doesn't feel quite as well at the lower dosages as she has continued to taper. She is now taking 900mg and had been taking 1800mg.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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