Gabapentin Awful Withdrawal Symptoms

I have taken Gabapentin for over seven years for pain. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I recently read how Gabapentin can cause brain lapses and cause Alzheimer's symptoms. I have been experiencing forgetfulness. I want to be off of this drug and decided to quit. I was taking 1800 mgs daily and am down to taking 300 mgs daily. My withdrawal symptoms have been feeling like I am dying, terrible sweating, intense itching, nausea, stomach pain and diahrrea. I can't sleep, nightmares and headaches. I am not giving in.... I want off of this. When will these symptoms ease up (I pray they do) I will cut my pills in half and take only 150 mgs daily.... until gradually I have stopped. My doctor, also over seven years ago, put me on Cymbalta for pain. I gradually stopped taking it a year ago. I thought that was the worst until trying to get off of Gabapentin. Anyway, I have learned the hard way that you can not just trust your doctor and just start taking medication that they prescribe. I will just have to have the pain. The thing is - it didn't help that much with the pain. I'm left feeling angry that patients are encouraged to take medications that are so harmful. In summary, getting off of Gabapentin makes me feel like I am dying. I hope this eventually subsides. It has helped me to be able to read what others have been going through.... and that I am not alone.

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Those can be normal withdrawal effects of stopping this medication, according to FDA reports, and it may take 4 to 6 weeks for them to start tapering off.

You are always your own best advocate, no one should ever be afraid to question their doctor about any given medication, the side effects it could cause, and etc. The same with your pharmacist.

Not too long ago, a nurse practitioner prescribed a medication for my husband that could lower his seizure threshold..... HE HAS EPILEPSY!!! Thankfully, I double checked, before he started taking it. They called a few days later to tell him not to take it..... REALLY?!?

Then a few days after that, they called to have him come in for a follow up appointment to see if he'd had any problems with it. I really need an eye roll emoji that I can use here.

Anyway, my point is, just research everything yourself, be it you, your partner, some other family member, or etc., you have to do your own research.

There are even those of us on sites like this that are happy to help, if we can, so feel to search us out and ask.

How are you feeling, now? Has there been any change?

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This sounds crazy but works like magic. Just swish some Epsom Salt in your mouth for several seconds and spit it out. Do this two or three times a day. (It tastes really bad but you can rinse your mouth with plain water afterwards.) This replaces the magnesium that the gabapentin removed from your system. IMMEDIATE RELIEF!! After a few days the withdrawals should be completely gone forever!

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Re: Debbie (# 2)

Do you dilute the epson salt or put the salt in your mouth whole?

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Are you guys serious? Is Gabapentin an opiate? Wow. I was on opioids for 14 years. At first in 2002 after a car crash and permanent back and hip damage like the rest of the world..my dr started me on percocet then went to Oxycontin. By the end of the first year he had me on 8x oxy 80s and 3x oxy 40s a day...that went on for almost ten years and then he switched me to 6 hydromorphone 30mgs and 8x dilaudid 8mgs a day for breakthrough pain. Neededless to say i spent almost 14 years in a stupid high as a kite feeling. Then one day in 2017 i get a letter in the mailbox staying my dr had joined a coalition of doctors against prescribing opiates and benzodiazapines which i was also on for ten years (clonazapam 0. 5 mg 3x a day plus 2 x 2mg at night). So basically he had cut everyone in his practice off all at once with a letter. p.s, if we feel the need to get help dealing with any withdrawals we may have to go to the nearest methadone clinic. I never knew what wanting to die meant until 48hrs after the last pill i had. No doctors would take me on as a patient and help me. No emergency room would EVEN see me and i almost committed suicide five times. We went from being a normal middle aged couple with a house, 2 cars and a Harley, with 5 great kids and 5 little grand daughters to me being a broke widow whos kids wont help or speak to because of the moral judgement i get from everyone everywhere i go.

My wonderful husband of 31 years was also put on pain killers 8 yrs ago by the SAME dr after a major surgery and was cut off the SAME as me but he died of an overdose at age 51 right on my kitchen floor in my arms here in our tiny one bedroom apartment after taking a pill he thought was dilaudid but turned out to have car fentanyl in it. So i guess im telling you my story because of the withdrawals story you were telling and wanted to say just go through it. There's a good chance it wont kill you and you wont end up like us and lose everything you have. Oh yeah btw. During my first 5 days withdrawing i had heart failure and now have a heart problem as well. I miss my husband Len so much. I lost him on August 25th, 2017 and it all goes back to that first careless prescribing of percocet after my car accident. I had no clue about opiates or addiction. Addiction happens to other people (street people) who chose to be that way and it was illicit drugs that i read about in the paper. Never had i heard of something like this. I had no clue my doctors would end up being a drug dealer or should i say drug pusher that would destroy two good lives of two happy in love people but it happened. He literally killed my family, and our FUTURE. Judy in Ontario.

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I'm working with Homeopathic remedies for another issue. I too have been on Gabapentin since 2005. Started with 100mg.- 200 - 300 - 600. My Dr at that time brought me down to 300mg. Had no withdrawal symptoms. My Homeopathic gal in Canada wants to wean me off of several meds. I am taking Magnesium Aspartate 400mg along with Potassium 99mg 2x daily. As I mentioned I'm on these with several other remedies. My start with Gabapentin is for neck pain due to Spasmodic Torticollis.

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Re: Judy (# 4)

So sorry to have just read your post.
My thoughts are with you.
I am separated from my spouse who has been on methadone for 35 years. He refuses to reduce his (high) dose for his fear of withdrawal symptoms. His Drs can't believe he's on this crap for so long.
His life. His problem.

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