Medication holiday--gabapentin, etc.

[wantokporo]

Has anyone a success or failure story with going off of gabapentin/pregabalin/horizont for a while (how long?) and then being able to tolerate it and help therapeutically again?

[Bumble34]

Good question, I am 6 weeks into a Pregabalin holiday after a very very slow withdrawal from a high of 225mg which had stopped helping, it`s taken me a long time the last step down being 4 weeks at approx. 16mg. The last time I restarted I had5/6 Months respite from Rls/Plmd. I`m hoping to restart sometime in the Autumn with a view to it helping through the Winter.

[wantokporo in reply to Bumble34]

Thanks, Bumble 34, for sharing. So your total break is how long altogether?

[Bumble34 in reply to wantokporo]

Well the first break, from memory without going back to a Diary was about 4Months, but that was 18Months ago.

[wantokporo in reply to Bumble34]

Are you taking something in the meantime?

[Bumble34 in reply to wantokporo]

Absolutely, Codeine 60/90mg two or three times a week, Kratom once or twice a week, HHC Oil occasionally and when really desperate the Gold Standard( albeit tarnished) 15/25mg Ropinarole plus 1/2mg Diazepam. The latter being the only thing guaranteed to give me 2/3hours of consecutive sleep with no obvious consequences, used very sparingly and never more than once a Month.

[SueJohnson]

Don't forget if you do take a drug holiday to come off it very slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

[Greekstudent]

I've been on Gabapentin for only three months, after many years of Pramipexole, which I managed to come of pretty easily compared with the stories I hear from other RLS sufferers, I suspect my RLS is relatively mild - some days, if it doesn't remind me of its presence in the late afernoon I may forget to take my Gaba300 until just before bedtime (1000 to 1030.) At all events this dosage of Gaba works for me and keeps RLS under control. It may be relevant to add that I started on magnesium citrate at about the same time, to relieve muscle cramps mainly at night; this seems to have brought my PLMS under control, and for all I know may have impacted on my RLS as well - I suspect these things are interrelated.

[marigold60]

I came off gabapentin for a while. I wanted to see how I'd be without it. I still took ibuprofen and codemal but I was okay, mostly. I went back on it though as it helps me sleep

[Dexterruf]

Hi. I've been taking gabapentin for about a year or so. I've found it pretty effective. I don't have severe RLS . Since I've started taking it, my RLS has generally been quitened.

[jgb1231954]

It is horrible. Stay away from it!