Gabapentinoids Gabapentin withdrawal advice?

[Drifting_Away]

Hey guys, I have been a long time blue light lurker and have gained a lot of great info here over the years. If this post is in the wrong place, or a mod believes it will get more attention elsewhere please feel free to move it. I kicked a serious IV fent/dope habit two years ago and have been struggling with escalating my gabapentin dose and being dependent for the last six months. I started at 300mg three times a day about a year ago and am currently prescribed 600 x3. It’s almost embarrassing to admit that this drug has me by the balls. I have been ripping everything I can off the street and am consuming around 4 to 5 thousand mg a day at this point. Early on it worked wonders for me while I worked through some really difficult shit mentally. I feel as though I could do without it at this point but am terrified of withdrawing. It probably doesn’t help that all I read are horror stories. I do know that if I go a day without, as I sometimes am forced to do I have zero appetite/motivation/sleep. As I said, I have kicked some 2-3 gram a day dope habits multiple times in my life. And have abstained for periods up to 15 years from them. Is there is any advice anyone can give? Or any direction to point me in? I am amazed at how little is known about this substance. And how little information there is about dependence/withdrawal. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me. Thank you

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I'm sure you've tired the whole tapering thing?

It's your best bet.

Drugs like baclofen & phenibut can help cover some of the withdrawals, but have nasty withdrawals of their own, so I don't recommend it.

 

[Drifting_Away]

Yeah I’m good with switching dependences. I did try some f phenibut. Which is seemingly baclofen. Felt dirty to me. Of course as soon as I filled my script I was just back to chowing gabapentin. I’m finding it very hard to control my use. Crazy part is I haven’t even gotten any of the magic out of it in a long time. Although a day or two off seems to bring my tolerance down a shit load. It’s right back up within two days of use. Kind of makes me think that just pulling the fucking plug would be best. How long can withdrawal last if tolerance drops so quick? I’m just being a big pussy about it to be honest. There has to be someone on this forum who has dealt with this.

 

[Drifting_Away]

A very odd thing that I have noticed about going without is a massive drop in cognitive function. I am a Forman for a heavy civil contractor and can barley do my job without the shit. The fuck is with that?

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I hear you man.

I started off with gaba as just a recreational thing. I noticed it gave me energy, especially creative energy and it helped some of my muscle/nerve pain.

I took it for a month straight and then ran out. And the withdrawals were hellacious. Similar to opioid withdrawal but with it's own unique 'flavor'.

It was so bad that I ended up getting on it legally.

I've been on it almost a year now & I find without some kind of tolerance break, it doesn't do much besides make me more drowsy.

Strangely though, I find that I can forget to take it some days and haven't experienced withdrawal from it again since.

Other than tapering, I don't know what else I can suggest though.
If you feel like you can't go without it, perhaps just staying on it is best?
There's also the option of switching out dependencies, but you've already mentioned that.

I know having a few alcoholic beverages during benzo withdrawal can help. But I'm not sure if it would help with gabapentin withdrawal.


I find that once the 'magic' is gone, it doesn't matter what dose I take, it will not come back.
So I have to ask, why do you take such high doses? Is it just cause you can't control yourself? Or does it actually do anything in those doses?

Another option would be seeking rehab/professional help, but I know nobody wants to hear that & I don't blame them. lol

PS : You can still have withdrawal, even if your tolerance to the drug is gone or the drug is completely out of your system.
Some drugs even cause PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome) and you can have withdrawal symptoms months or even years after the fact.

But since so little is known about gabapentin, it's hard to say if it would cause PAWS, but I don't see why not.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

The obvious is to taper usage to 0 but then what are ya takin it for? Why did doc Rx it?
I couldnt take all that powder or pills and told doc it was fuckin with my stomach. He asked if I wanted to try pregabalin and I agreed. This was for nerve "pain" and it does little for my issues. Good for a buz once in a while, imo.
The drop in drive is probably the downswing of keeping the gaba system engaged and then neglecting it. It must return to a "base" state eventually.

 

[Drifting_Away]

I originally used it during an opioid detox. I remained on it for 2 weeks post detox and it did wonders. I let it go and forgot about it for a while. The sciatica which was the cause of me relapsing to opioids after 15 years clean from heroin returned. My gp suggested it to me. When I told my Psych about it he asked if it help with my mood which it did. Gp has been prescribing it with guidance from him. It got so out of hand from chasing the euphoria and having quite a legit and black market supply to be honest. I believe I am just being a baby about it and dealing with self control. I have been an opioid addict and have had a moderate drinking problem.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I originally used it during an opioid detox. I remained on it for 2 weeks post detox and it did wonders. I let it go and forgot about it for a while. The sciatica which was the cause of me relapsing to opioids after 15 years clean from heroin returned. My gp suggested it to me. When I told my Psych about it he asked if it help with my mood which it did. Gp has been prescribing it with guidance from him. It got so out of hand from chasing the euphoria and having quite a legit and black market supply to be honest. I believe I am just being a baby about it and dealing with self control. I have been an opioid addict and have had a moderate drinking problem.

Nah, gabapentin withdrawal is no joke. It's a mysterious one though, as some people can walk away from it unscathed and some people completely lose their will to live. And the people in the latter group can some times have an intense withdrawal and then other times have nothing (as is the case with my experience).

If it helped your pain though, it's absolutely worth trying to gain some control over your intake, so that you still have something to help you when the pain is severe. Just a thought.
I completely understand the chasing euphoria part though. But the only way to get it back and keep it going is to either rotate or struggle for a bit on some off days.
Wishing you the best friend!

 

[Drifting_Away]

I appreciate the replies. Don’t feel obligated to answer me if you don’t want to. But have you ever been dependent on benzos or any other gaba agonist? I’m only asking because it seems the majority of the horrible cases I read about seem to involve it. Tomorrow I am going to try to take the bare minimum to get by and see what that even is. I have considered asking my wife to hold my them and administer them. But it is not her job to take care of me. I’ve read all sorts of things about the absorption rates and remember reading something about it not being possible for your body to absorb more than 3-3500 msg a day provided you sleep for 8 hrs. Not sure how true that is. Unfortunate I find the gabapentin mega thread to be so long and chopped up it is hard to get through.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I appreciate the replies. Don’t feel obligated to answer me if you don’t want to. But have you ever been dependent on benzos or any other gaba agonist? I’m only asking because it seems the majority of the horrible cases I read about seem to involve it. Tomorrow I am going to try to take the bare minimum to get by and see what that even is. I have considered asking my wife to hold my them and administer them. But it is not her job to take care of me. I’ve read all sorts of things about the absorption rates and remember reading something about it not being possible for your body to absorb more than 3-3500 msg a day provided you sleep for 8 hrs. Not sure how true that is. Unfortunate I find the gabapentin mega thread to be so long and chopped up it is hard to get through.

No worries.

Yes I am also dependent on clonazepam. Though strangely, I am an anomaly with benzos because I don't find I have much withdrawal when I stop taking them.
Maybe some rebound panic/anxiety at times.

I was also taking baclofen at one point but had to stop because it was making me so nauseous the following days.

I've also used phenibut before. Luckily I've never gotten addicted to any gaba agonists. A little dependency maybe. But I always found them to make me nauseated (which is odd, since they administer benzos to people who are nauseous in the hospital). And all kinds of other side effects, that weren't really worth the tiny amount of euphoria or relaxation I got from them.


And yes, it's better to stack your doses of gabapentin (take 1 every half hour or so), because too much at one time will not be absorbed.
The higher you begin to dose, the less you will absorbed. So I assume you'd just piss a lot out that your body didn't absorbed once you hit a really high dose.

I've also read that high doses of this stuff is not good for your kidneys. Though I haven't looked into the medical literature about it myself yet.
I do find I have trouble urinating on the higher doses. Not sure if it's related though.

Only opioids really hooked me. Though I have nothing against them and still use them.



Do you use cannabis or anything else? I'd recommend trying to take 1-2 pills a day and maybe use some cannabis or something & see if you're able to 'maintain' at least & this will help you.
I've noticed on some days, I can get by with just 1 300mg pill, especially if my pain isn't too bad that day. And usually I take 1,200mg a day.

 

[Drifting_Away]

No worries.

Yes I am also dependent on clonazepam. Though strangely, I am an anomaly with benzos because I don't find I have much withdrawal when I stop taking them.
Maybe some rebound panic/anxiety at times.

I was also taking baclofen at one point but had to stop because it was making me so nauseous the following days.

I've also used phenibut before. Luckily I've never gotten addicted to any gaba agonists. A little dependency maybe. But I always found them to make me nauseated (which is odd, since they administer benzos to people who are nauseous in the hospital). And all kinds of other side effects, that weren't really worth the tiny amount of euphoria or relaxation I got from them.


And yes, it's better to stack your doses of gabapentin (take 1 every half hour or so), because too much at one time will not be absorbed.
The higher you begin to dose, the less you will absorbed. So I assume you'd just piss a lot out that your body didn't absorbed once you hit a really high dose.

I've also read that high doses of this stuff is not good for your kidneys. Though I haven't looked into the medical literature about it myself yet.
I do find I have trouble urinating on the higher doses. Not sure if it's related though.

Only opioids really hooked me. Though I have nothing against them and still use them.



Do you use cannabis or anything else? I'd recommend trying to take 1-2 pills a day and maybe use some cannabis or something & see if you're able to 'maintain' at least & this will help you.
I've noticed on some days, I can get by with just 1 300mg pill, especially if my pain isn't too bad that day. And usually I take 1,200mg a day.

Opioids are the bane of my existence. I have come very close to losing my life and everything I have accomplished because of them. I have had underlying trauma/mental health issues that up until recently have never been dealt with. Have been under the care of an amazing lcsw for a couple years and it has worked wonders. Cannabis bugs me the fucks out these days unfortunately. Can’t believe I couldn’t live without the shit for so many years in my teens and twenties. Thanks for all of your help. I know that I can control my use because I have before. It’s just about trying to get back to that.

 

[Drifting_Away]

I was dependent on Klonopin for 13 years. I tapered off of it over 19 month -hellish. No one ever offered me gabapentin. I crossed over to Valium and got off that way. Then I was clean for five years decided to try it again as a hangover remedy. And then it ( benzo) got out of hand.
I was given an RX for gabapentin for alcohol WD and anxiety - I was mainly using it to-ease off the benzo.
I am now off the benzo and the drink and I’m am at 300 mg gaba three times a day. My plan is to ease off slowly because I have plenty so I don’t have to go through withdrawal hopefully.

Thank you for the reply. Just knowing I’m not the only one struggling helps a ton. If anyone else wants to chime in I would appreciate it.

 

[Drifting_Away]

I’m trying to figure out what could possibly be the difference between someone who has horrid withdrawals and someone who doesn’t. Also how it could be possible that some have even had them at times and then not. Makes me really scratch my head. Someone has got to have some answers about this shit. And im sure there are some on this board Thant know a fuck ton more about pharmokonetics than i

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I’m trying to figure out what could possibly be the difference between someone who has horrid withdrawals and someone who doesn’t. Also how it could be possible that some have even had them at times and then not. Makes me really scratch my head. Someone has got to have some answers about this shit. And im sure there are some on this board Thant know a fuck ton more about pharmokonetics than i

Only idea that comes to mind is maybe since the absorption is so variable, that at times people absorb alot and get dependent & have withdrawal.
And maybe some aren't absorbing as much as they think and their dependence thus lowers & it becomes easier to get off of.

But it's most likely more complex than that.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

Drifting_Away,

I imagine the work thing is what's scary. You need to keep functioning at work, but work is a scary time to have withdrawals and/or experiment with replacement drugs.

Could you take a week or two off in the near future? I'd suggest that. Plan on withdrawaling/reducing in the comfort of your home. Plan out your daily reduction plan for the entire time you're off. Stick to it. And take it easy.

It might be difficult to take the time off, but staying on the track you're on is going to be more problematic.

I've been prescribed Gaba for almost 10 years, by the way. I do see the appeal in them but I take them sporadically and I can't say I have any experience withdrawing from them (in fact, they've helped me get through amphetamine withdrawals)

 

[Drifting_Away]

Drifting_Away,

I imagine the work thing is what's scary. You need to keep functioning at work, but work is a scary time to have withdrawals and/or experiment with replacement drugs.

Could you take a week or two off in the near future? I'd suggest that. Plan on withdrawaling/reducing in the comfort of your home. Plan out your daily reduction plan for the entire time you're off. Stick to it. And take it easy.

It might be difficult to take the time off, but staying on the track you're on is going to be more problematic.

I've been prescribed Gaba for almost 10 years, by the way. I do see the appeal in them but I take them sporadically and I can't say I have any experience withdrawing from them (in fact, they've helped me get through amphetamine withdrawals)

Thanks. I’ve been off from work for the past month due to the weather. I had planned to do something like that. Home is honestly more stressful than work. I have 2 little kids to contend with here. I am going to cut out as much as I can today and see what dose is tolerable for me. Without knowing that I’m just shooting in the dark. After I know that I’ll try to re evaluate. Anyone with any more advice or ideas please feel free. Thanks

 

[Drifting_Away]

I wonder if using phenibut for 2 weeks would cause dependency issues. Or are the two similar enough to just swap dependencies? I like the fact that phenibut has a long half life and would only need to be dosed once daily. Can anyone shed light on that?

 

[Xorkoth]

Moving this to OD at OP's request. I also changed the title to more accurately reflect what you're asking. People will be more likely to click into this thread if it says more than just "gabapentin".

I wonder if using phenibut for 2 weeks would cause dependency issues. Or are the two similar enough to just swap dependencies? I like the fact that phenibut has a long half life and would only need to be dosed once daily. Can anyone shed light on that?

Yeah you'd probably just switch if you used phenibut for 2 weeks. However using it every couple of days just through the worst of the gabapentin is something you could get away with, probably.

 

[Drifting_Away]

Moving this to OD at OP's request. I also changed the title to more accurately reflect what you're asking. People will be more likely to click into this thread if it says more than just "gabapentin".



Yeah you'd probably just switch if you used phenibut for 2 weeks. However using it every couple of days just through the worst of the gabapentin is something you could get away with, probably.

Thank you sir. I’m only going to dose what I need to feel ok today. I’m keeping track of my intake and will use it as a baseline.

 

[somnilicious]

If youve only ever taken one day off then you might be surprised at how insignificant your withdrawal is once you take the plunge. I've been going through long binge cycles with gaba mostly on days for 4-5yrs. I'll go for up to 3months at a time of daily use. Everytime I fear a bad withdrawal but I've found for me personally that yeah it kinda sucks for a week but it's not that difficult to taper down over a few weeks and stop with mostly just feeling on edge, little to no sleep and lack of energy and brainfog. For me personally it's not anywhere near opiate withdrawal and absolutely not on par with benzos. I guess what I'm saying is that you won't know till you try and it's best not to build it up in your head.

Alcohol does help the anxiety but I'm not sure that the rebound, cumulative effect I experience because I tend to binge drink helps very much. Maybe kava could help. I personally find kava to be a great substance.