Looking to know what the recommended dosage is for this med. I am currently going up to 900MG/day.
Dosage of Gabapentin for anxiety and bipolar?
Question posted by mhnatyshyn on 22 Jan 2014
Last updated on 20 March 2020
Added 23 Jan 2014:
I originally starting taking Gabapentin for chronic pain from an incomplete spinal cord injury and chronic pain syndrome. I was not diagnosed with Bipolar 1 disorder until 2012. In addition to the gabapention, I take alot of other meds for both conditions.
They are as follows:
Seroquel XR - 150MG (bipolar mania)
Lithium - 600MG (bipolar mania)
Lamictal - 150MG (bipolar depression)
Clonazepam - .5MG as needed (This is new this week)
Moving from 600MG Gabapention to 900MG (looks like it will be for both chronic pain and anxiety)
Cesamet - 6MG (for nerve pain)
Pariet - 40MG (for acid reflux)
Imovane - 7.5-15MG (for sleep if needed)
Nucynta IR - 50-400MG (for breakthrough pain)
My bipolar has been difficult to treat as I am mostly hypomanic or manic. We are still trying to make things right. This anxiety thing just reared its ugly head in November. I was taking ativan but it was hit and miss and was really not effective. That however is how I discovered that the gabapentin had a mild calming effect. My PDoc figures since I am already taking the gabapentin, it is a safe way to try to see if it will do a good job on the anxiety.
Thanks for all your feedback. It is appreciated.
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
7 Answers
mwjwriter
20 March 2018
I was on gab for over 10 years and decided to get off. If you ever decide to do that, you must do it slowly or you will have really bad withdrawals.
Ginaksm42
17 March 2018
gabapentin works quite well for anxiety. I have been taking it for almost a year. I am taking 900mg three times a day for it. It helps me sleep better also. I have bipolar 1 with psychotic features, GAD, ADD,OCD,PTSD, and Avoidant personality disorder.
So in short it works well. It does make you groggy the first two weeks, be careful while driving. Just be sure to take it everyday. If you don't you will feel it. If you still feel anxiety talk to you doctor they may need to adjust your dose.
Russellseth1313
5 Feb 2017
Gabapentin a.k.a. Neurontin changed my entire mental health paradigm. I started on 300mg T. I. D. for a massive herniation between the L4-L5 disks in my back. I quickly noticed a salient change in my mood. I am a bi polar 2 with egregious mood swings and am usually petulant and or saturnine. I am speaking empirically, but we titrated the dose to 2100mg per diem or 700 mg T. I. D. Only side effect I have experienced is a soporific feeling which aids this insomniac at bed time. There is no magic bullet but for a palliative approach it is very effective. Trust me. I have had NO LUCK WITH SSRI 's and this gabapentin was prescribed as aforementioned for painful radiculopathy and neuropathy and pain in the obdurator and superglutial nerves so the mood stabilization was a serendipity.
Elleraechic
20 March 2020
I was an English lit major, and I’ve never seen so many superfluous words used in one paragraph
WildcatVet
22 Jan 2014
Hi, mh! Since your gabapentin doesn't seem to be working anyway, why not sit down with your doctor and discuss ways of addressing each of your issues? Are you taking any meds specifically for anxiety and BP ~ and is it BP I or BP II?
kaismama
22 Jan 2014
I agree, I don't think gabapentin does allot for anxiety. Believe it or not you're on a relatively low dose. Max is 3600 mg a day.
Inactive
22 Jan 2014
I was on 3600 mg daily and it did nothing for me at all, didn't even help my neuropathy, but I guess some folks benefit from it like Laurie stated.
LaurieShay
22 Jan 2014
While using gabapentin to treat psychiatric conditions is an off label use it does work for some people. The recommended therapeutic dosage is from 900 to1800mgs in 3 divided doses daily. I took this medication years ago for similar treatment.
Inactive
22 Jan 2014
My thoughts: I am not a doctor, but I think it should have already worked for anxiety if its going to at all. There are better medications for anxiety than gabapentin and for bipolar I have never heard of using gabapentin for bipolar. Again I am not a doctor so please don't quote me. I am just going by my own experiences with gabapentin, anxiety and bipolar. Hopefully another member will give you a better answer. Good luck
Related topics
bipolar disorder, anxiety, gabapentin, dosage
Further information
- Gabapentin uses and safety info
- Gabapentin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Gabapentin (detailed)
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.