Coming down from drugs

[Ikeeptrying]

Hi, I'm having a horrible time. I've been taking gabapentin, Norco, and misc other drugs. Decided to come off all except the carbodopa. It's been 2 days and I have no appetite and feel lousy. Feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin. Does anybody have any ideas to make this withdrawal any easier?

[julienanhoo]

Hi Ikeeptrying

sorry you are having a horrible time. I can understand how you feel. I get restless leg syndrome. It can definitely prevent you from sleeping. Its not limited to the legs but the whole body.. I tend to just get out of bed .. some simple exercises, have a drink, some reading, do Sudoku, Take a Break puzzles until I feel sleepy again. At worse times I resort to a mild dose of valium. It works for me. I hope it helps you too

[Pippins2]

HI it sounds as though you have just stopped yourNorco (and it would be helpful if you could say what your miscellaneous drugs are ) abruptly v? Therefore you are going to feel lousy. You need to wean down slowly from strong painkillers and do it very slowly under medical supervision. X

[Ikeeptrying in reply to Pippins2]

I didn't take much Norco. Just now and then. Some other drugs were Lyrica, tylelnol w/codeine. But mostly gabapentin. Still taking sinement for RLS. I'm surprised I feel so bad, guess I've been taking a miscellany of drugs for too long. How long do you think this lousy feeling will last? I'm downright shaky. Thank you for your reply.

[Vrnzjwl in reply to Ikeeptrying]

Hi, I'm surprised you are taking Sinemet,and Carbolevadopa? Those are powerful drugs. My mother took those for Parkinson's disease.( which has been known to cause the deterioration of your brain and lead to Dementia in time) It seems to me to be over kill on treatment for RLS. I've done some research of my own on RLS because I too have it occasionally, less now that I found that 65 mg of iron has made a difference for me. I read where RLS is caused by the body's inability to absorb iron not necessarily that your iron levels are low, you may find that your iron levels are normal but your inability to absorb it is what's causing RLS. I've resolved to not take any drugs. I'm looking at the homeopathic way of getting better and so far so good. Just thought I'd share this with you good luck!

[Pippins2 in reply to Vrnzjwl]

Dopamine Agonists (Parkinson Desease meds ) are given for RLS but in much lower quantities x

[Nightingale-5 in reply to Pippins2]

Gabapentin has to be withdrawn gradually. It can take several weeks to come off safely.

[Hidden]

You should have never have just stopped any of your meds, I take it you didnt consult your doctor before doing this. ANY meds should always be weaned down off. You are getting withdrawals from stopping them all cold turkey. I dont know how long before all those withdrawal symptoms go. I have never known anyone just stop multiple meds. I would see your doctor, would be my advice. You dont say what ALL your meds were, just told us some of them.

[Madlegs1]

Check out Matt Finch site for detox hints. Ignore all the hard sell stuff. But he has good advice on geting off drugs that I found really helpful.

Keep strong- you will get over this .

[Hidden]

Hi,

When was the last time you saw your doctor? I'm assuming she/he doesn't know you quit your meds. If I understand you correctly you have already stopped all meds. except carbodopa? How long ago did you stop them? The reason I'm asking is because I'm wondering if they've entirely left your system. (Different drugs take different amounts of time to leave the body's system). If it is true that you've stopped these meds., there is no point in saying "you should have...". What's done is done. What I strongly encourage you to do now is tell your doctor that you've stopped so she/he can help you decide what the next course of action is. If you want to feel better, going 'cold turkey' is not the way to do it. You are feeling bad because of having abruptly come off multiple drugs.

I'm not trying to chastise or make you feel guilty here. I completely understand about wanting to take matters into your own hands because you're fed up. (A long time ago now) I did the same thing with one of my antidepressants -- I was fed up with being "controlled" by this med., so I decided to 'remedy' the problem by stopping it. So I empathize with your plight. BUT... it's really important to stick with it, even if you don't like it.

Please go to your doctor. They will help you get through this. If you are worried about disappointing them, don't be. I was very embarrassed and scared about telling my psychiatrist that I quit the antidepressant, but I felt better once I did. Not only was I scared to tell her this, but I was worried that she'd 'drop' me as a patient. It turns out I had nothing to be scared of. Not only did she keep me as a patient, but she helped me do what I needed to do to lessen the shock my body had suffered.

Take care,

[Nightingale-5 in reply to Hidden]

I agree with Jess my comments come from concern only, not criticism. Throwing more meds at a problem is not always answer.

[Hoffie]

Cannabis

[Bganim1947]

So sorry to know you are going through this. I went trough it this summer. According to my GP who helped me get off Ropinerole, it’s best to come off only one med at a time. But since you are doing it this way, I can imagine how hard it must be. She, my GP, gave me Clonidine—can’t remember the mgs dosage—2 pills a day. That helped me with the withdrawal symptoms.

There are other meds too a physician can prescribe for the withdrawal. What helped most at night before bed was Percocet, 5-325 mgs. I don’t know if Narco is Percocet or not, so please forgive my ignorance.

Do hang in there, once it’s over you will feel like a new person. Be sure to do this with a doctor’s help. And also be sure you have a replacement med to start if you have RLS once you’re clear of other meds. I’m on Lyrica and like it so far. You do have to titrate up your dosage on Lyrica though.

Best wishes and blessings.

Bganim

[Bganim1947 in reply to Bganim1947]

Opps, just read that you are still on Carbadopa, of course you have RLS.

[LotteM]

Sinemet = carbodopa + levodopa. A very strong and potent DA (dopamine agonist). Hardly prescribed for RLS any more, only for emergencies or demanding situations such as long flights. It is THE drug that entails augmentation. I don't know why you wanted to get rid of some of the drugs of your cocktail, but MY first target would be the Sinemet. Read up on augmentation and all the previous replies with warnings about getting help and reducing slowly etc.

[Ikeeptrying]

I want to thank everybody for their comments. Most of you thought I should tell my doctor what was going on with me, so I did! And I'm glad. I was expecting a dressing down but she was very nice and helpful. After talking to her I realized that the antibiotic I was taking for a skin infection could be the culprit since I'm allergic to another antibiotic. She also mentioned that I should go back on the gabapentin and come off it slowly. I stopped the antibiotic and restarted the gaba but at a smaller dose. I'm still taking sinemet because it works so well and my neurologist didn't see any danger in continuing it. But last night I slept for almost 7 hours compared to 1 - 3 hours. I was getting up about 3 am. My appetite's almost back. Digestive issues still unresolved but I'm going to give it more time before I tell my doc. Feeling optimistic right now. Thank goodness for this site and all of you who responded.

[Hidden in reply to Ikeeptrying]

Great news!!! Congrats!!!