Gabapentin side effects / withdrawal

[Doxie]

It seems like I'm having a lot of side effects of taking Gabapentin.  I was on one 200mg pill a day for a week then moved up two a day, one in the morning. I knew I was starting to feel weird, then this past week I stared having a voracious appetite, gaining weight, and my face has been feeling really puffy.  I think it's making me feel funny, and just not well at all.

My joints are always hurting, so I can't tell if it's just my Sjs, arthritis, or flare-up with my joints though they seem more swollen.

Of course I realized on Friday night that it is the meds, so I can't or won't call my doc.   I'm trying to withdraw from Gabapentin. I took only one in Friday, and none yesterday.  I woke up with a bad migraine today, and am dreading taking a Gabapentin tonight. Could I really have bad withdrawal after taking it for a short time?

Anyone else with Gabapentin side effects or withdrawal experience?  I did call the pharmacist yesterday, but forgot to ell him I haven't taken I very long..

[anita]

You can't stop it Gabapentin that fast.  If you took two a day for a week then stopped within 2 days (one on Friday and none Sat.), then you may be having withdrawal syndrome.   You should contact your doctor first thing tomorrow morning and get his/her recommendation for a taper dose to get off.  Typically you follow the same schedule you did to increase your dose, just in reverse...at least this is what I was told to do when I took it.  I too could not tolerate the side-effects but I had taken it for almost a month and was up to 1800 mg a day, so my taper off took longer.

I would take it as scheduled until you call your doctor so he can advise you.  The label on the bottle should have said NOT to stop it without talking to your doctor first.

Keep us posted.

[Doxie]

Thanks Anita. I took my Gaba tonight and will call the doc in the morning.

It's amazing how, once I realized, or decided that it's causing problems, I just wanted to get rid of it, nothing to do with it anymore.

I will try to be patient with the withdrawal.

[Debbie48]

I too had problems with Gabapentin.  I started very gradually, realized my problems were the med (along with consult with neuro) and then went off gradually.  I had gotten up to 700 mg per day.  It's very frustrating when you want to quit the med but have to do it slowly. 

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Debbie

[BonusMom]

I noticed an increased appetite and weight gain, too.  I was only on it a month, had tapered to two 200mg tabs daily. I decreased to one and then none in a week, with no problems.

[Doxie]

Thanks for your insights Debbie and BonusMom. It helps to hear your experiences.  I never heard back from my doc (I had called on Monday). She's a neurologist.  But oh well, I'm just slowly going off. I noticed that my pills are really 300mg.   

Anyway, I have just been on 1 pill now, so maybe I'll try to skip one tonight and the. Every other day for several days. Then I'll hopefully be done with it!

I already lost 5 since Saturday, just by decreasing the Gabapentin. I must have had a lot of water weight with it too.

[soycoffee]

When you are down to 300 mg gabapentin per day, ask the doctor for a tapering prescription of 100 mg capsules, then play with that. I've gone from 3600 mg per day (divided doses) to 100 mg in the daytime, 200 mg at night.

The thing with gabapentin (Neurontin) is that it works by having a consistent level in your body all the time, so you want to reduce it evenly, or fairly evenly, before going off -- going from 300 mg capsule twice a day, to 100 mg capsules as two in the morning, two at night, and then to two + one a day, and then to 100 mg twice a day, then to 100 mg once a day. Assess, at each reduction.

I've always had neuropathy come back when I go below 100 mg am, and 200 mg  at night.

Good luck,
Soycoffee