Hi I've recently came off gabapentin I just stopped it was taking around 3x300mg a day but they made me sick

[Kirstiet]

I stopped taking then but have been left with headache stomach pain horrid taste in mouth tingling in my face and mouth and left breast feels tender and heart palms, I was on them originally as it went undiscovered for maybe a year I had a b12 deficiency so now on 3 monthly shots and also I'm perimenopausal so in ellestte duet, latelymy bp has raised so on 20mg of pills I just feel rubbish aching muscles and bones not sure where or what to do next,,can the way I'm feeling be due to stopping the pills or a mixture of everything this has went on way to long I want to feel normal thanks xx

[cocoa]

When I was prescribed gabapentin for pain relief I was told that they are used for treating epilepsy. Withdrawal should be done slowly, therefore that could be the reason. If you have the leaflet that came with the tablets it might help.

p.s. I am not medically trained but a fellow sufferer. You may be interested to know that I didn't get on with them either.

[Kirstiet in reply to cocoa]

Hi thanks for replying I was just sick of taking so many pills I'm not quite sure what to do now whether to go with it or whether to start taking even 1at night xx

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi Kristie. Gabapentin is a drug that should be reduced slowly, before stopping. Stopping immediately without reducing the dose slowly can result in a resurgence of the symptoms the drug was originally taken for. In addition, the sudden withdrawal can also induce side-effects from that withdrawal.

The best thing that you could do is go along and discuss this with your GP. They will be able to advise a) suitable dose reduction timeframe that will lessen the possibility of re-bound symptoms, b) explore whether a different dose may be more appropriate or c) offer a different drug that may suit you better (all drugs have side-effects, the trick is to find one that best suits each individual).

Gabapentin can be used for the treatment of epilepsy, but it's also used for a number of other medical conditions too (i.e. restless leg syndrome, neuropathic pain etc.), and presumably this was first prescribed for the relief of neuralgic pain. If this was prescribed a while ago, having the prescription reviewed we would be a good idea anyway - so suggest you do visit your GP.

Stopping suddenly as you have done can be quite dangerous. And if the drugs have been stopped for a while, it would be equally dangerous to start them again at the original dose (dosage is usually built up slowly - titrated - to an appropriate level for the individual and medical condition concerned).

Prescribing guidelines (in the link below) make no mention of Gabapentin being usable as a one-off dose at bedtime, so I suggest you do not do this unless advised to do so by a qualified medical practitioner.

Here's some information about Gabapentin:

drugs.com/dosage/gabapentin...

Gabapentin is a powerful drug, so I suggest that you do not try to 'go-it-alone' to either stop, reduce, or re-introduce the drug.

Please do visit your GP as soon as possible (today) for advice on how to proceed.

If you can't access GP services today, suggest you visit and talk to a pharmacist (again, today) for advice on how to proceed, then see your GP early next week.

Good luck.

👍

[Kirstiet in reply to Foggyme]

Thank you I'll go to the dr on Monday and speak to her, I've been off them about a week so I can always start the process over 1tablet 3timea a day then speak to dr about safest way to get off them , also the reason I didn't want them was it says they raise bp mines is already out of control so this has scared me a bit I just want to feel normal as you say a lot of my symptoms are what was there when I originally went on them would that return so quickly xx

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to Kirstiet]

Yes, could do...especially if symptoms were relieved by drugs and have now returned.

Good point about raised BP - discuss with GP (they will assess potential risks / benefits of continuing with the Gabapentin - and should arrange for you to have regular BP checks). Also worth exploring the possibility of other treatments if this,one is not suiting you - although all have side-effects.

Good luck.

[Kirstiet in reply to Foggyme]

Thank you just tested my bp and it's 145/112 that's with 10mg amodipine and the same of ramipril this all started with peri menopausal and b12 xx

[deniseinmilden]

Sounds to me like you need more B12, folate and the other supporting supplements to make this work.

Without enough of these I'm crippled up as my nerves don't work properly; with enough I'm relatively fine.

[Kirstiet in reply to deniseinmilden]

Hi thanks for replying I've never been given folate and only receive b12 every 3 months I'm just sick of all the medication I ended up taking a gabapentin last night and this morning but now my head feels like it's ready to explode and my heart feels like it's bursting out my chest my bp was 145/95 first thing this morning after taking my meds I just don't know what to do I just think my dr doesn't either and just increases my gabapentin whenever I say anything, this is the first time I've tried to stop them I did it suddenly which I know now you shouldn't after nearly a week off them I feel exactly the way I did when this all started a year ago so got to take from that they are helping or masking the problem xx

[deniseinmilden]

It's ironic that they are happy to prescribe pills that mask the problems and have hideous side effects but won't give you the treatment you need to make your body well again.

Read through other posts and replies on this site and try to get the treatment you need. As well as other great contributors Sleepybunny, Gambit, Foggyme, Clivealive, Polaris and Wedgewood's posts will all cover the information you need.

If your Dr won't be helpful then consider self treatment. You don't have to suffer this much!

[Kirstiet in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you so much I've read through a few posts and such brilliant information I really am at my wits end with it all considering a year ago I was relatively healthy to this it's just been horrible I don't want any to be on so much medication I've now taken 3 gabapentin since last night and got the headache from hell and dizzy with a strange pressure behind my left eye and tingly face and lips the joys I suppose xx

[deniseinmilden]

So sorry you're suffering. When you're not quite so bad see what you can do about getting the B12 and supporting supplements that you need - I suspect that's the only thing that will really help.

[Kirstiet in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you so much for your reply at the minute I feel really dizzy and shaky my chest feels heavy my bp was 144/110 but came down on the third time to 135/95,,I hope after another couple of days it will settle down again once the gabapentin in my system I know now I was silly just stopping them I've now taken 4 tablets from yesterday xx

[Fine]

I stopped like you and the withdrawal was bad for around 3 weeks, then I was ok, stick with it. The worse medication I have ever been on, played havoc with my memory, to the point where I couldn't even remember if I'd taken it.