Gabapentin for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Kri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 12, 2017

"I have been taking this medication for a while. I have found that my body has been getting used to this medication the whole time. I have had bad side effects. However, now I don't seem to have any side effects. My doctor mentioned the max dose a day is 3600 mg. Taking lower doses helps, but it does not help the way 3600 mg helps. It is my first day on 3600 mg, and I feel good. The gabapentin is working well. Hopefully, this dose stays the same in terms of effect, and I can live the rest of my life on this dose because right now, I feel I can maintain relationships, go to school, and take care of what I need to take care of. Good luck with gabapentin."

• Gon...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 22, 2017

"Took this drug for 6 months. It did nothing for my mood, but it added inches to my waistline. Worse, it made me scatterbrained as hell, kind of in a sneaky way as I slowly titrated, so that I didn't realize how bad it had affected my brain till I was off it, and suddenly I wasn't a super ditz anymore."

• Ano...
• December 16, 2023

"I have Bipolar 1 anger, often, and extreme - making me throw things and hate everything and everybody. I'm very normal, know I have Bipolar 1 and can tell when anger is coming by great annoyance and ruminating, wanting to punish someone. Well, I gradually increased my dosage to 300mg/3 a day. Now, after around 8 hours, my Gabapentin wears off! I get grumpy, on the edge. I take 300mg of Gabapentin. In about half an hour, I'm normal again. It's exceedingly obvious! Other than that, it has no effect, but I guess I'm normal aside from this anger. Well, no, I never want to do anything, but nothing cures that mild, persistent depression that has lasted for decades, so I do things no matter what! No side effects."

• Jil...
• November 22, 2014

"I found it to be helpful, but at a pretty high dose, and I wouldn't call it a cure-all, but it really has helped me. I am someone that doesn't handle and respond to typical antipsychotics and certainly not good on antidepressants. I am mixed state right now because the doctor reduced my meds by 600 mg without a reason. It drove me to all kinds of emotions."

• csc...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 21, 2023

"Gabapentin is a great medication. I've had mainly positive effects from this drug. It helps with my moods, my overall feeling of well-being, helps me sleep soundly, and also helps my sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome. I take the 800 MG 3x day and am very pleased with the results from this particular drug."

• TET...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 5, 2022

"Gabapentin has made my life livable and manageable. When I first started taking it almost a year ago, the only side effect I had was that I was extremely tired, and I pushed through for 3 days. After those 3 days, I had no side effects at all. I no longer have symptoms of mania and depression that are unmanageable. Whenever I do feel some very mild depression come on, I can combat it and care for it with the appropriate coping skills, thanks to gabapentin (and therapy). Now I am functioning on a level I never thought possible for myself. Gabapentin has made me able to live life and not just feel like I am existing."

• Ano...
• November 9, 2023

"I've had crystal clear but moderate Bipolar I for 50 years, and I'm 84 now, so I've increased very slowly, both Lamictal and Gabapentin, because I read that they are synergistic and because both have good reviews for bipolar. Some patients nearly died. However, you know what? I think they either went too fast or would have died anyway. I'd bite off a bit and see if I was dying! If nothing happened, I'd take another. If I had the start of a side effect, I'd wait till that calmed down to increase. It's been a month today; no side effects are left, and who would know I'm bipolar anything! I'm on the minimum dosage for both! Happy, normal!"

• Kip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2020

"By far not everyone’s experience, but my brush with gabapentin was scary. I was only prescribed 300 mg per day. The first day I took it, I felt sedated. The second day is when I experienced my first intrusive suicidal thoughts. This scared me, but I continued to take it as prescribed, thinking that with all the positive reviews here, things would surely get better. The third day was spent daydreaming about my suicide. The fourth day had me thinking about death. By the fifth day, these effects subsided along with any anti-anxiety effects the medication had on me. This is a black box warning for this drug, by the way."

• elf...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 3, 2017

"A lot of people seem to really like Neurontin for bipolar disorder. My experience, unfortunately, was not that great. I took it as an add-on to Lamictal after I had a couple of manic outbursts from taking Lamictal alone. Gabapentin initially helped with anxiety symptoms (mental + physical) and really helped calm me down, helped me sleep, etc. However, it dragged me back down to severe depression. I couldn't feel good about anything on it. Even when my doctor and I experimented with different dosages for Lamictal and Gabapentin, I couldn't find a good balance. Mostly, I just experienced depression. I'm being taken off gabapentin soon. I really wanted this medication to work, but the benefits did not make up for the negatives."

• Mcd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 2, 2017

"I take two 300 mg capsules before sleep. So effective at helping uninterrupted, anxiety-free, and healthy sleep, I was able to stop taking my nighttime dose of lorazepam. 600 mg, 2 hours before bed, takes about 2 hours to make me adequately sleepy. 900 mg left me unable to get up in the morning for work, although this might change in time. Amazing drug!"

• kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2015

"Gabapentin, I take for my bipolar depression and anxiety. The med lifted my deep depression and my anxiety vanished. I could function at a normal level in society again, my concentration problems were helped greatly! However, despite the great results, the med caused horrific hot flashes and profuse sweating, and I had a full hysterectomy in 2004, which I had menopausal hot flashes and profuse sweating, then they vanished until I took Gabapentin! The med is great for bipolar symptoms and anxiety, clarity of the mind, but beware! It may cause debilitating and very miserable times of constant hot flashes and profuse sweating, day and night, followed by moments of freezing! Hot and cold from one minute to the next, all day and all night."

• HLC...
• June 26, 2015

"I just started 400 mg a day. It's only day two, but my first night sleep was amazing, the deepest sleep I've ever had. Woke up groggy and not feeling up to much, but I got better through the day, and now I've read comments saying other people felt loopy and groggy the first couple of weeks, so I hope it does even out."

• Boc...
• September 27, 2017

"I have taken 100 mg twice daily for a few years for bipolar, nerve pain, and fibromyalgia. I find I am still in great need of a mood stabilizer, but it does help with the pain. I don't do well with medications, and if I try to increase the gabapentin, I get too sleepy."

• jac...
• July 7, 2010

"Used since 1996 for bipolar disorder (available only as Neurontin then). Seemed immediately effective. Now taking minimal (300 mg) dosage daily. Not aware of any side effects, except it may help my sleep a bit."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2021

"Gabapentin is the best medication I’ve ever tried. I’m 48, bipolar, and a recovering opiate addict. My doctor put me on 300 mg - 3 times a day for acute withdrawal from the opiates that I had been taking for 17 years and an oxy addiction. It really did help instantly for me, I was sweating, vomiting, and having cramps for like 6 months. Working full-time was a nightmare, I seriously was close to living on the edge. I had lost 36 pounds, everyone was shocked when they saw me, and my dad cried so many times. Anywho, everyone has a story, right? Please do yourself a favor, get on Gabapentin. I’m on 600 mg 3 times a day now, off opiates, yay! One thing I must tell you in conclusion, once on Gabapentin, never ever miss a dose. I went on a trip and forgot to bring it, I ended up in the hospital with what I thought was a heart attack. Besides that, it’s freakin’ amazing, trust me. Try it. The feeling on it is so calming too."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2012

"I want to ask if gabapentin works in small doses. I take 300 mg 2 times, but I feel for 4 hours pushed down, but I can do my homework. I take also as a stabilizer, Depakote 2000 mg, but I'm not stable only with Depakote, so my doctor told me to try gabapentin."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2022

"Gabapentin has been a lifesaver for me, truly. I suffer from chronic lower back pain caused by degenerative disk disease, sciatica, and herniated disks. I couldn’t walk for a week because my back hurt so much, and nothing was working at all. I finally was able to get gabapentin, and within hours, I was a brand new person. Walking just fine now. I don’t want to live without it. It also has helped with my mood and anxiety! 10/10 recommend!"

• Rub...
• May 30, 2016

"I started the once-daily Gabapentin last week and am now on 1200 mg/day. I was taking it for back pain and later realized it is also used for bipolar and anxiety problems, which I also suffer from. I don't feel much of a difference mentally, but I feel drugged during the day. It feels like I took a sleeping pill and am walking around doing my work, trying to keep my eyes open. I am not sure whether this is connected to the drug or it just happened for another reason. In fact, this drugged feeling happened to me twice before I took the drug, but now it happens every day. Not sure what's going on."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 4, 2025

"I started this medication for neuropathy/fibro, and it does help my mood and anxiety as long as I don't have major triggers. I'll have to try stronger meds temporarily until I feel better, as those work better, but sadly those meds have horrible side effects. Gabapentin is one of the few meds I actually tolerate with minimal side effects. It's lifesaving for my issues, and I owe a debt of gratitude. I only had side effects for days into treatment and increasing dose, a little tired/foggy, but still functioning well. I've heard for select individuals it can mess with your mood the first weeks into treatment, but I never had an issue, and I get serious side effects from all psych meds outside the seizure/neuropathy category of meds, as they work best for me. This medication can work quickly but may take 4-6 weeks to actually work or for full effectiveness, but it does work well. I'm on a high dose and have gained a small amount of weight from it, but this can be offset by watching diet."

• All...
• July 11, 2022

"I have been experiencing debilitating anxiety as part of a bipolar 2 depressive episode. Nothing was cutting the anxiety in spite of increasing lithium, seroquel, and clonazepam. My psychiatrist recently prescribed gabapentin (300 mg at night). Within a few days, my anxiety completely disappeared. Unbelievable. So thankful that we tried this medication."

• Amy...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 14, 2021

"This medicine has helped me with my neuropathy. My alcohol cravings, my anxiety, mood swings, sleep. I had been on risperidone, Remeron, Zoloft, Prozac, Xanax, Valium, Klonopin wafers, and many more. This, combined with Cymbalta 30 mg 1 in the morning and 2 at night, Wellbutrin 300 mg 1 in the morning, and Gabapentin 600 mg 3 times daily with counseling and my psychiatrist, has changed my life. I am 39 and have been taking meds since I was 15. Finally, something works. I almost gave up, but I am glad I didn't. Grateful lady."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2023

"Gabapentin is marvelous for nerves, clear as a bell... but I guess not for everyone? I used to have nightmares, every night, all night. Now they start 8 hours after I took 300 mg. G. I could never drink coffee, and, being nervously exhausted for decades, I actually dreamed of coffee that someone didn't buy (so in the dream, I'd take over the grocery shopping)! Now I can drink more coffee than I'd ever want. Be careful though! If you take a bit too much you can get extremely constipated, fall, and I forget what else; but I'm at my limit with 300 mgs x 3 times a day."

• Tjm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 23, 2015

"Worked for the first 3 months I took it. Went up gradually to 400 mg 3x a day. After this time was up was when I was increased due to the mood swings becoming a lot worse. If only it worked for longer!!"

• Ano...
• October 22, 2023

"I had no side effects, but started slowly and never went past 300mg, 3 times a day. It's calming on me, but that's about all - no great, miraculous cure! Still, I've kept it, with a minimum of Lamictal and minimum of Klonopin, because it's a mood stabilizer. Name another one without side effects! It gives a good, sound sleep and I've had NO mania, but I've now got a terrible case of clear Bipolar 1. I am delicate due to old age though. Whoever you are, whatever your states, I advise you to take it easy - start with lower than the lowest, initial doses of everything. If everyone did that, there would be very few negative reviews on here. And if you're staring in a miserable cliche, don't blame what... Well, I'd rather not think about it!"

• sho...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 13, 2016

"Bipolar disorder successfully treated with gabapentin for 4 years - 900 mg daily. Then in December 2015, I had general anesthetic for a broken leg operation. Then, 6 weeks later, fell into deep depression with uncontrollable crying. Convinced this is the result of anesthetic. Can anything reverse this state?"