Gabapentin

[Cobobay]

Hi everyone, I have beenmon gabapentin now for roughly a month now taking 300mg around 2 hours before bed also still taking 1mg of ropinerole. Last week I needed to reorder from Docs as I had run out, my usual.GP was on holiday so another one put a script out, for me to collect, on script was take 3 x 300 a day. Do I start taking this dosage straight away, or do I it up build up to 3 x a day immediately? I have last few days been having symptoms again and waking up in the morning with restless legs and again in evening so I have to admit I took one yesterday lunchtime, to see if it would make a difference and because of this I cut down to 0.75 ropinerole in evening, because of the extra 300 I took at lunch, I did still wake with symptoms this morning, do I take another this morning?? I have been feeling so positive since I started gabapentin, I'm upset this is happening again, please help thank-you

[SueJohnson]

You don't need to build up but I wouldn't take it 3 times a day since except having it in the morning and apparently early evening ? you don't have it during the day. Try taking 300 mg 1 to 2 hours before your symptoms in the evening and then 600 mg 1 to 2 hours before bed although make sure that is 2 hours after the 1st dose. Also go back up to 1 mg of ropinirole temporarily. What is the status on your tramodol. Did you reduce it? And when?

[Cobobay in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you Sue, I have stopped tramadol but am raking dyhydrocodiene when my.legs get bad over weekend so seenifnit helped it didn't really

[Cobobay in reply to Cobobay]

I had already taken 300mg when I got home as didn't see your reply till after what doesage should I start taking tonight please Sue all this is very confusing to me so sorry tombe a pain

[SueJohnson in reply to Cobobay]

You are not a pain. You're here for help and that is what I am here for. What time was it when you got home and took the 300 mg?

[Cobobay in reply to SueJohnson]

Around 12, I took another 300mg 2 hours before I start getting problems, and will take another 300 in about and hour before I settle down for bed

[Cobobay in reply to Cobobay]

2nd one was about 6ish

[SueJohnson in reply to Cobobay]

I would take 600 mg an hour before bed instead of 300 mg and then tomorrow try the schedule I mentioned above

[Cobobay in reply to SueJohnson]

I honestly can't thank you enough, I am seeing my doctor Friday so will tell her what I'm taking and hope she doesn't go mad. I will need her to agree otherwise I won't get the right amount of meds that I need. Should I take any in the morning when I wake and shouldn't carry on with dihyrocodiene or stop. Again Sue and Joel's thanknyou so much h for being here for us, you have already helped me so much and I know things will get better xx

[SueJohnson in reply to Cobobay]

Can you increase the dihydrocodeine? I wouldn't take it in the morning.

[Joolsg]

Sadly, the gabapentin will not help you much while you're still on Ropinirole.Augmentation worsens the RLS and causes it to spread to other parts. Gabapentin may help slightly, but for the overwhelming majority, it doesn't start to cover RLS symptoms until around 3 weeks after your last dose of Ropinirole. I would increase to 600mg at night, then 600mg and 300mg in separate doses at night when you drop the last dose of Ropinirole.

That's why withdrawal is hellish. I know of only a handful of people on this forum who have managed to withdraw without the constant, intense RLS everywhere.

I would suggest you keep going. 0.25mg drop every 2 weeks.

Cannabis and a low dose opioid like codeine or tramadol will help more than gabapentin at this stage.

If the withdrawals are really bad at each drop and don't settle, there is another school of thought. Johns Hopkins hospital in the USA believe withdrawal will be hellish whether you reduce slowly over 6 months or quickly over around 2 to 3 weeks. They choose the fast route for their patients. I would only advise that route if you're younger, very fit and healthy.

So, continue to drop by 0.25mg every 2 weeks and ask for codeine or tramadol to settle the withdrawals at each drop. Cannabis is available in the UK for medical reasons but I don't know if Guernsey has legalised it yet. It definitely helps settle some of the nighttime attacks.

[Cobobay in reply to Joolsg]

Yes canbibas is legalised her thru medical, but extremely extortionate to get around £ £250 weekly I've been told, I could never afford that. With this nightly dosage you have suggested I'm a little confused, sorry improbably thick lol, you 600mg nightly then 600mg and then 300mg separate dose when last ropinerole is this then 900mg each night? I sadly took 300mg tablet before I read this wishb8d waited for answer now, should I still take 600mg tonight and then take what dosage tomorrow morning and night

[Joolsg in reply to Cobobay]

Gabapentin is poorly absorbed above 600mg so you have to split the dose.So take 600mg for now.

Don't take the additional 300mg until after you drop the last dose of Ropinirole.

At that point, take 300mg around 8pm and 600mg 2 hour's later.

But it won't help until the withdrawal symptoms have settled. Usually around 3 weeks after the last dose of Ropinirole.

It's a long, slow process.

I understand about the cannabis. Ask your GP to consider a low dose opioid to help you through withdrawal.

[Bramble2000]

Does your surgery have econsult? I’d ask then. This script has been generically produced I think without paying attention to your previous scripts

[Cobobay in reply to Bramble2000]

No they aren't, it's the secretary that gets them ready and then the doctor checks before they sign, but I agree he didn't check good enough as I was only on 300mg at night and he signed one for 300mg 3 times a day, im seeing my doctor on Friday so will definitely have a word with her.

[Bramble2000 in reply to Cobobay]

Yes. Like I said, the script was generically produced without paying any attention to the actual patient.

[Simkin]

My doc put me up by 100mg a time every couple of weeks till I got to 1.800.Lower dose did not work for me.

[Simkin]

But to add I was not taking roprinole as well. Just gabapentin.