Switching from Preg to Gabapentin update

[Nazgolapkhan]

Hi,I was on 150mg Preg for 2 months from November last year and then started feeling very depressed after increasing my dose to 225mg.

I stopped taking Preg on Monday and started taking 1200mg Gabapentin.

Depression went after only 2-3 days of stopping Preg!

The 1200mg covers my RLS at night.

However, my daytime RLS has returned since stopping Preg and I am finding hard to fall sleep at night.

I take 600mg at around 7pm and 600mg at around 9pm

Was wide awake at 1 am this morning.

I don't want to take any sleeping pills to avoid depression.

Could it be the side effect from stopping Preg which should pass?

Horizant not available where I live.

Thanks in advance.

[SueJohnson]

Your problem is you in effect decreased what you were taking and are suffering withdrawal effects. The proper conversion is 6 gabapentin to 1 pregabalin so you need to take 1350 gabapentin or since it doesn't come in 50 mg, 1400 mg. Take the extra 200 mg at 5 pm. I assume you go to bed between 10 and 11. If you go to bed later then adjust your timing accordingly.

[Nazgolapkhan in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks Sue.I've got the 300mg tablets. Doctor said they have 300 and 400 mg Capsules at my hospital.

I can take half of the 300 mg Capsules at 5.

Hiw do I take half the capsule?Do I just open it and take half of the powder mixed with juice?

[SueJohnson in reply to Nazgolapkhan]

They do come in 100 mg capsules. Ask for a prescription for those. If you can't get them then you can get an inexpensive jewelry scale on Amazon ($11 in the US) that measures down to .01 gram so you can divide it in half

[Nazgolapkhan in reply to SueJohnson]

Hi Sue. Started taking 1350mg Gabapentin. Helped me sleep but daytime RLS still here.

I increased dose to 1500 mg and started taking them a bit earlier 3 days ago hoping that it would help. I am taking 300 at 4pm, 600 at 6pm and 600 at 8pm. However, pain doesn't wein until around bedtime 10pm.

I was much better on Pregabalin and didn't experience daytime RLS. However, it made me feel depressed.

Is Gabapentin supposed to work straight away after switching from Preg or should I give it more time?

Or do you think I should increase the dose?

[SueJohnson in reply to Nazgolapkhan]

Yes it should work right away. That is strange that you are getting daytime RLS. There can be a difference in side effects - like the depression you experienced but the effect on your RLS should be the same. Have you changed anything else - taken or stopped a medicine or supplement - changed your diet - changed your exercise or when you do it - or anything else?

[Nazgolapkhan in reply to SueJohnson]

I didn't take any other medication along with pregabalin and not taking anything with Gabapentin. I fasted from for 5 weeks from dawn to dusk just before switching to Gabapentin about a week ago. I was also going to bed 2-3 hours later and waking up 2-3 hours later.

My RLS (arms, legs and head at times) starts earlier now at around 2-3 pm like pre-Pregabalin.

The first dose 300 mg Gabapentin I take at 4pm does not help at all. However, the second dose 600mg at 6pm releives the pain.

I take another 600mg at 8 pm n sleep through the night from 10 ish.

I am thinking that a 600mg dose instead of 300mg might help at 4pm too.

[SueJohnson in reply to Nazgolapkhan]

You might want to try adding a small dose of pregabalin around 1 pm to see if that stops the daytime symptoms. And it should also help the 4 pm gabapentin dose.

[SueJohnson in reply to Nazgolapkhan]

I may have told you this: If you take magnesium even in a multivitamin, don't take it within 3 hours of taking gabapentin as it will interfere with the absorption of gabapentin and don't take calcium nor antacids within 2 hours for the same reason.