Gabapentin

[Baz33]

Has anyone suffered from depression on gabapentin, I'm really struggling ,almost black .I'm having my bloods done again 4th December so thinking if my levels are up I can reduce the gabapentin and hopefully get off it, it's awful, I've only just made the correlation between the 2 after reading 1 of the side effects is depression, they're not kidding,I feel horrific!!

[BettyRae]

I never had depression with gabapentin, but I did have depression with Horizant. I am taking duloxetine dr 30 mg capsules. The depression is completely gone. I hope this helps.

[Joolsg]

I see from your posts that you were taking anti depressants until very recently.All anti depressants trigger/worsen RLS for most RLS patients.

Could it be withdrawal from the anti depressants that is causing this depression?

Safe options are trazodone and wellbutrin ( Bupropion) but only trazodone is currently available in the UK.

[Baz33 in reply to Joolsg]

The depression at the time was reactive, bereavement, so I took myself off them gradually, it takes about 12 weeks for the body to recalibrate , so I can only assume this is due to the gabapentin, but also my iron was really low so I'll have to wait to see if this has increased since my infusion...if so I'll ask gp to look at switching me over to pregabalin...God its a lottery isn't it

[Joolsg in reply to Baz33]

This disease really is a lottery. Trying to find the right drug, the right dose and then dealing with the side effects.I hope you manage to find a solution.

[Baz33 in reply to Joolsg]

Thankyou,it's reassuring to have the support from this group.

[Hope61 in reply to Baz33]

How are you now ?

[SueJohnson]

You might want to try switching to pregabalin. Although it is basically the same drug except you don't need to divide the doses, and the side effects are basically the same, some people find that the side effects that bother them on one don't bother them on the other. Divide the gabapentin amount by 6 to get the correct dose.

Yes gabapentin can cause depression but it shouldn't cause the horrible depression you are experiencing.

As Joolsg said it is likely due to your withdrawal from antidepressants so you might want to try trazodone as she suggested. In fact I would definitely suggest you try trazodone and if you are still weaning off the one you were taking, go back up a step and reduce more slowly as you also start trazodone.

[beady3 in reply to SueJohnson]

Sue I am speaking to the doc tomorrow , if I am coming off Pramipexole and propranolol what shall I ask for , thank you

[Amrob]

Gabapentin and pregabalin can both cause terrible depression for some people.

[Baz33 in reply to Amrob]

Thankyou for your reply.

[Simkin]

I have never had depression on gabapentin but of course certain drugs effect people differently.

[C82021 in reply to Simkin]

Same here, taking 1200mg with absolutely zero side affects for 4 years now.

[Jenkins1414]

I have suffered depression also on Gabapentin.

[Baz33 in reply to Jenkins1414]

Thankyou for your reply, I've kept a log of when it's at its worst and it tends to be early evening ,I'm hoping my iron levels are up so I can start to reduce the gabapentin and see if this makes a difference, hoping your symptoms are under control .

[Jenkins1414 in reply to Baz33]

Yes I take tramadol one at 7.30 and another around 11pm and it works fi e for me. I tried gabapentin before the tramadol but didn't work for me and I realised I was becoming depressed so I only take it occasionally now. ..

[Baz33 in reply to Jenkins1414]

Thankyou ,this is reassuring that it's medication .

[Tbone87 in reply to Jenkins1414]

How much tramadol are you taking?

[teakabeagle]

I developed severe depression on Gabapentin, I could not function. I was taken off zgabapentin and it improved dramatically. I didn’t get a lot of improvement of the RLS. Tried Oregabalin and the same thing happened. Horizant was suggested but I refused, and it turns out my insurance won’t cover it anyways.

I’d been on Pramipexol and stayed on it until I started to see signs of Augmentation-( 6 years) and moved on to Buproprenorphine and had a very easy withdrawal from Prami- just took one month without any increase in RLS. Buprenorphine has been found beneficial for depression through binding of the kappa receptors

[Baz33 in reply to teakabeagle]

Thankyou,this is really helpful .Pramiplexol was awful for me.

It's taken.me until now to make the connection with the depression to gabapentin but makes sense now .

I'll be taking my findings to my gp so fingers crossed .

Thankyou for your time .

[WideBody]

Absolutely yes, in the beginning I had some severe meltdown issues with gabapentin. I was almost afraid to be alone. It did go away, but I never liked Gabapentin, it seemed to help but it was inconsistent and the brain fog was high. I remember one time playing chess with my daughter and I could not remember whose turn it was.

I switched to pregabalin, it seemed more consistent and was helpful at the time, however pregabalin was a bear to withdraw from, it took me about 3 months.

I would focus on your iron levels. I hope you are supplementing at night, with some vitamin C. Also, I strongly suggest Vitamin D. It is certainly worth looking into Vitamin D levels and if low, supplement.

Since low brain iron causes a deficiency of adenosine in the brain, I take Dipyridamole and it totally takes away the RLS "urge to move" for me. I can assure the side effects of Dipyridamole are significantly less than Gabapentin. I can't believe how bad my RLS was at the time that I tolerated the effects of Gabapentin and Pregabalin. In hindsight it scares me.

BTW, I take Wellbutrin as an anti-depressant, I can't really say how much it does or doesn't help.

I hope you find something that works for you.

[Baz33 in reply to WideBody]

God thankyou, the irrational fear is crazy ! Memory loss !!!! I don't need an antidepressant but really need my iron levels to show an improvement since my infusion 4 weeks ago ,next bloods Dec 4th.I'm reducing the gabapentin and taking the iron during the day with vitc then 4 x bisglycinate before bed ... im a fitness instructor currently drowning in each class I teach my mood is so low ,so thankyou for sharing your experience, its really helpful.

[WideBody in reply to Baz33]

Anything that helps iron absorption, metabolism and homeostasis is worth me looking into. Iron bisglysinate, Vitamin D, and Taurine seem to be the most helpful for me.

I also take calcium (getting older) and magnesium.

Other things worth looking into.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Vitamin C plays a crucial role in enhancing iron absorption by forming a soluble complex with ferric iron (Fe3+), making it more readily available for uptake by intestinal cells (Cook & Lynch, 1994). It also reduces ferric iron to ferrous iron (Fe2+), the form that can be absorbed by the intestine.

Folic Acid: Folic acid is essential for erythropoiesis, the process of red blood cell production. It aids in the synthesis of DNA, which is crucial for the division and maturation of red blood cells. Folic acid deficiency can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, as it impairs the body's ability to produce enough red blood cells to utilize iron effectively (Bailey & Graham, 2009).

Vitamin A: Vitamin A plays a role in iron metabolism by regulating the expression of hepcidin, a regulatory peptide that controls iron release from macrophages (Huang, et al., 2012). Vitamin A deficiency can lead to increased hepcidin expression, reducing iron availability for erythropoiesis.

Copper: Copper is a cofactor for ceruloplasmin, a ferroxidase enzyme that converts ferrous iron to ferric iron, the form that can be transported in the blood (Turnlund, 2014). Copper deficiency can impair ceruloplasmin activity, leading to iron accumulation in the liver and reduced iron availability for other tissues.

Zinc: Zinc is involved in the synthesis of heme, a protein component of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Zinc deficiency can impair heme synthesis, leading to iron deficiency anemia (Prasad, 2008).

L-Carnitine: L-carnitine is an amino acid derivative that plays a role in iron transport and utilization. It helps transport iron into mitochondria, the cellular powerhouses where iron is used for energy production and oxygen transport (Koenders, et al., 2015).

Good luck

[Baz33 in reply to WideBody]

Thankyou , it's my 1st night off the gabapentin, they've only given me 50mg of pregabalin and my legs are raging !!!!!

[WideBody in reply to Baz33]

I went from 1500-1800mg of Gabapentin to 300mg? of pregabalin (or was it 150mg?) Sorry I don't remember. My point is that there is no need to ween off gabapentin, I just switched to Pregabalin and stopped Gabapentin.

I never changed my dosage of pregabalin

[Baz33 in reply to WideBody]

They've only given me 50mg my legs were awful last night so will double up , thankyou

[Nanpat]

I suffer same on opioids, terrible

Walk around in evenings crying some nights!?

[Baz33 in reply to Nanpat]

Oh no this is awful, I use GREEN VALARIEN NYTOL x 2 per night it's really helpful...NOT THE BLUE .X

[Nanpat in reply to Baz33]

Ok, thanks for that information, will try 🙂