Gabapentin and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Hay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 24, 2021

For Anxiety "Trash. Might work for a month or so, then does nothing, even with increased dose. It makes anxiety worse and gives you a woozy effect, or literally does nothing. Never know which option it will be, but they're both trash options lol. This shouldn't even be an option to be prescribed to people, tbh."

• fog...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2021

For Neuropathic Pain "Worse medicine ever. Nine years ago, went to the ER with symmetrical, extreme burning pain going from both elbows to middle fingertips. MRI revealed a bulging disk between C5-C6. Doctor discharged me the next day with 30 days' worth of gabapentin. RUINED MY LIFE. It did nothing for the pain; I could only sleep 3-4 hours per night in 1-2 hour spurts; extreme confusion, forgetfulness, and 'brain fog' during all waking hours; and brought on extreme depression and anxiety. It was so bad I had to drop out of college my senior year because my mind was not functioning (I had a very demanding degree). Here it is 9 years later, and I am still dealing with issues and the fallout. Only 30 days on this 'medicine' 9 years ago... Stay away from this chemical. P.S. Lyrica is not much better."

• Gyp...
• June 9, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I have a love-hate relationship with this drug! I have been on and off this medicine multiple times in the past 5 years. At the beginning, I saw tremendous relief in my FM symptoms that only lasted about 3 years. It was up and down with changing the dosage because, for me, weight gain on this pill is ridiculous, so my doctor kept me on the lowest dose until I needed a little more. So my dosage was anywhere from 300 mg x 2 or x 3 daily. All this changed in year 4 when I went into a horrible flare-up during winter, and not even gabapentin could fix it. I noticed that it just stopped working for me. P.S. Withdrawals are horrible: anxiety, insomnia, hot/cold spells, stomach issues, fatigue, nausea, muscle cramps. Best wishes to all withdrawing, hang in there, it gets better!"

• dee...
• December 15, 2017

For Alcohol Withdrawal "The only medicine I've tried for my benzodiazepine withdrawal, out of countless psychiatric meds and supplements, to help at all versus benzo withdrawal. Helps me feel more like myself. Also calms my anxiety quite a bit. Hoping this doesn't backfire like benzos themselves did, but so far, a life-saver. Taking just 100 mg every 4-5 hours."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 30, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I took gabapentin for 1 month. My Dr started me at 100mg X 2 @ bedtime. I slept great but had excess daytime sleepiness. The first week I felt really calm but had no pain relief. The next week, my mood began to go downhill and still no pain relief. Week 3, my mood became depressed, I began having increased anxiety, increased blood pressure to the point of pre-hypertension, hot flashes, memory problems, and feeling disoriented, still with no pain relief. Week 4, I got hit hard with a flare. I couldn't tell the difference between whether things had happened yesterday or last week, I was getting unusually angry, and I started having horrid back-to-back panic attacks. I discontinued without tapering down, and interestingly, my flare reduced in intensity."

• blu...
• September 21, 2017

For Anxiety "I have been taking Ativan for 2 years, first 0.5 mg 3x/day for a year, then 0.5 mg 2x/day for a year, and now 0.5 mg 1/day since January 2017. I have anxiety and panic attacks due to health issues. To help me withdraw from Ativan, I was prescribed 100 mg of Gabapentin 2x/day. I was noticing no change in my anxiety. My doctor insisted 100 mg was a very low dose and I needed to experiment with taking more. Due to migraines and the use of Imitrex, I can't take anti-depressants, else you might get serotonin syndrome. Ativan is a nightmare drug to get off of ... don't start! Today I took 200 mg of Gabapentin and haven't taken any Ativan ... I actually felt better ... I have thoroughly enjoyed all the positive posts. My goal is to get off all meds ..."

• Ah1...
• March 13, 2014

For Anxiety "I was on gabapentin when I was younger, around age 16 to 18, and I remembered it must have worked pretty well because I stayed on it for a little while. So fast forward almost ten years, and I started seeing a doctor again due to social anxiety and asked if I could try gabapentin. I started low, 100 mg at night, which actually did help me sleep and felt a calming effect, but I did notice a little twitchiness. But all in all, it was okay, the problem was the next day my anxiety seemed a lot worse. I even tried a couple more nights, and the same thing always happened. I'd have the physical effects of anxiety, pounding heart, etc. I am also on methadone, so I don't know if this is why this medication made me have such bad anxiety the next day, but everyone is different."

• Kat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 2, 2013

For Anxiety "600 mg three times a day. I was taking Gabapentin for 3 years, but I stopped it because it has too many side effects, including numbness on my whole body, weight gain is a major fact, more headaches than usual, sleepy, tired, active but with a tingling sensation on my tongue, and so on, depression when I didn't take it, intolerable, anxiety, sweats, withdrawal symptoms, but it does help with pain and many things, but the consequences of it are horrible. Memory loss is another fact, definitely, it is a very dangerous medication."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 17, 2021

For Anxiety "I first began gabapentin 800 mg three times a day when I was 16 years old. I had horrible anxiety that was constant and caused me to have many issues in school. I would leave school due to panic attacks, and I began to feel suicidal because of how severe my anxiety was. When I began gabapentin, my anxiety was completely gone immediately. As a teenager, this was godsend, and I quickly raised the dose to see if I could feel even more amazing. It not only got rid of my anxiety but also made me feel kind of floaty and buzzing, like a mild high. Anyway, I took this medicine until I was 26 years old. It took me almost 2 years of weaning off it with horrible anxiety and some psychotic tendencies emerging as I cut down. Here I am at the age of 29, and I can say I am still recovering and have very little memory of ten years of my life. Today, I struggle with my cognition and short-term memory. I advise anyone not to use this medication unless necessary during the years when your brain is developing."

• Vin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2017

For Anxiety "Day 1, I am 27, type 1 diabetic diagnosed 2 years ago. I live on my own. I feel let down a lot with how the NHS prolongs people's misery, unknowingly of course. I'm not saying they are bad, they are angels. A lot of them have saved my life a few times, I owe a lot to them. I have had the most excruciating pain in my chest, body, back, arms, legs, toes, fingers, head. You name it. I have had pain in all forms, like stabbing, burning, aching, pounding for months on end, not thinking clear, having endless plans of how I'm going to turn everything around. But I would never be able to due to pain, anxiety attacks, and nerve pain. I felt hopeless until today. I got the point across to my doctor, and he gave me gabapentin. Omg, I've rebooted. I'm non-stop moving and achieving. Yay."

• Anonymous
• June 23, 2010

For Pain "I've only been taking gabapentin (300 mg x 3 per day) and tramadol (50 mg x 4 per day) for one week. I don't know which is working or if they are properly working in conjunction with each other, but I have felt some relief so far for pain (a vascular necrosis, osteoarthritis of the hips -- and lumbar L11). I, too, have noticed positive side effects, such as a sleep aid, less anxiety, hope for the future. I was able to walk a few blocks to the store while only needing to stop a few times."

• Cok...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2017

For Anxiety "I was taken off of Alprazolam, cold turkey, and given Gabapentin to help with possible withdrawal. This was a NIGHTMARE!!! I had taken Gabapentin for a short period of time before, for carpal tunnel, but it gave me what I call 'drunk body syndrome,' and I would be off balance, bump into things, etc. I didn't really have negative effects while taking Gabapentin this time around UNTIL I stopped taking it. No one told me to very, very gradually wean myself off. I almost immediately went back and forth between having the most severe hot flashes one could even imagine (I mean, I was sweating bullets like a mad woman), cold chills, terrible body aches, flushed face, severe anxiety. It felt like the flu. Called my doctor and went back on Alprazolam."

• KAy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 12, 2017

For Pain "I started taking gabapentin for severe lower back pain. I have scoliosis. At first, it worked. I was told I could increase the dosage up to 1200 mgs. I'm now up to 800 mgs. Not only did it stop working, I read in-depth side effects. I'm experiencing memory loss, anxiety, and depression, which I already suffer from. Personally, I don't recommend it for back pain. I personally know 4 people that are prescribed it for back pain, 2 stopped taking it because it stopped working. Myself and another person are having the same problem. My best advice: ask questions and tell your doctor if you have problems with it or it stops working. I have a call into my doctor. I'm very concerned about the side effects I wasn't told about, and I'm in constant pain."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 4, 2019

For Pruritus "Have suffered with constant itching of my palm by the thumb for over a year, went away briefly with cervical traction and stretching exercises, then came back even worse. Not sure if it's cervical radiculopathy C6-C7 or carpal tunnel syndrome, but it was driving me crazy and I was scratching my skin raw. First day on gabapentin, the itching stopped like an hour after I took it. It lasted 12 hours, then the itching came back, but the Neurontin took it away again. The most amazing thing is that I feel so calm, so peaceful. I've been so stressed out with work, even needing Xanax to cope, and I don't think I will need that anymore."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 25, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I have fibromyalgia, severe muscle pain from a twisted spine/congenitally deformed vertebrae. I was getting better with yoga, but hurt my back/rib muscles overdoing. I developed depression on gabapentin after a few weeks. At first, it dulled the pain and made me feel lightheaded, and I had memory problems. Then my anxiety increased and the pain continued, and I hit a real low. I spent two weeks in a psych ward until a brilliant psych nurse who believed in treating muscle pain. I am now recovering on a mix of robaxin, a muscle relaxer, a low dose of valium for rib spasms, and Prozac and Remeron (for sleep) and hope to get off all of them once I can exercise again. Similar reaction to Lyrica four years ago."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2021

For Anxiety "Normal! That's all I really want. And gabapentin has helped tremendously. I have been under pain management for DDD and arthritis in every joint. My last MRI, I was told my spinal above my fusion was 'mush.' Before my major deterioration of my spine, eight years ago, I took benzodiazepines (3 mg) and Tylenol 3. The pain clinic does not allow opiates and benzodiazepines together, so my anxiety has been through the roof. My latest episode of pain incurred with destroying my right arm playing with my 50# puppy. I got nerve pain (ulnar nerve entrapment). The doctor prescribed gabapentin (200 x 3), and my life has greatly improved. Not only did my nerve pain reduce, but my anxiety disappeared. After 8 years, I feel calm and less worried. I love my dog."

• Sad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2018

For Insomnia "I began taking 300 mg gabapentin a few weeks ago for severe insomnia and anxiety disorder. This was prescribed to me as an attempt to wean me off of Xanax, which I had built up a high tolerance to. My doctor suggested to me that I start taking 300 mg at first at night and begin taking it during the day as a way to aid my anxiety. I haven't taken it during the day because of the side effects I am experiencing at night (dizziness and anxiety). Instead of relaxing me, it makes me somewhat anxious and also foggy. I continued taking it only at night, but even hours after taking the drug, I still wouldn't become relaxed enough to fall asleep, and my ruminating thoughts had amplified. My doctor suggested upping my dose to 600 mg before bed, but I am wary of doing this since I had a couple of nights of sleep out of weeks of being on this med, and even on those nights, it took hours until I fell asleep. It leaves me feeling numb the next day, and I have a very hard time concentrating at work."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Gre...
• March 22, 2016

For Neuropathic Pain "I started on 100 mg at night for about 1 week. Then increased to 300, 600, and finally in about a month, I was up to 1200 mg a day in increments of three. For the first 6 weeks, you are tired, but it's worth it, as soon as it kicks in, your pain is gone! I feel a little loopy some days, and I forget a lot of things, but my arthritis and bulging discs are pain-free, and I can live a great life. I dread getting off of it, though. It's going to be hell. If I ever run out, it's bad diarrhea and anxiety. Don't run out or take more than you're prescribed. Gab is a great drug for nerve pain, and I have no anxiety."

• Fir...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 14, 2015

For Anxiety "Please don't take this medication. I have anxiety and fibromyalgia, and I am prescribed 800 mg three times a day. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I ran out of Neurontin 5 days ago. The withdrawal has been terrible. I know Neurontin 'doesn't cause withdrawal symptoms,' but it does, and I've read all over the internet that I am not alone. I have quit opiate painkillers cold turkey and overcame a severe cocaine addiction in my youth, these things are child's play compared to not having Neurontin. I was sweating, shivering, constipated, and the anxiety made me consider checking into a psych ward and asking them to throw away the key. I cried for hours, I can't express how horrific it was, and I read it can last a year!"

• Lou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2018

For Anxiety "I had great results with gabapentin. I am currently only on one drop a day. I am very sensitive to psychotropic drugs, so I asked for the liquid version. I am going to slowly increase my dose over time. It has lessened my anxiety and helped with insomnia. Improved mood also. I’m afraid that some start on a big dose, have a reaction, then disregard the drug. It can be a reaction that your body is getting accustomed to the drug, not that you cannot tolerate the drug. Obviously, this wouldn’t apply to allergic, anaphylactic reactions. This wouldn’t apply for epilepsy because you need a standard dose. My issue is anxiety, so I don’t absolutely have to have the drug. It helps for anxiety, though."

• Anh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2021

For Anxiety "I was put on Gabapentin 100 mg twice daily, and to go up to 200 mg in 3 days, and 300 mg in a week. My first dose, 100 mg, was so-so, with a bit of anxiety, but I was able to fight through it. My second dose (100 mg) brought a bit more anxiety, but I thought it’s not from the drug. It must be me. My third dose (100 mg) brought on so much anxiety that I could not stop shaking violently. It’s almost like I’m about to have a seizure! I had to call 9-1-1 and took a Clonazepam while waiting for the medics to arrive. I’m happy for those who found comfort in this drug, but it’s not for me. I wish it had worked for me because I can really use peace of mind."

• Gab...
• October 28, 2016

For Pain "Nerve pain, tingling, painful tension, numbness in face, headaches, shoulder and ear pain, 'zaps' in face due to really bad TMJ for 11 months. That caused a major depression and extreme anxiety & insomnia. After I was hospitalized for brain surgery (different story, not related), and the doctors heard about my story, the pain management department got involved & rx'd Gaba & Opipramol (Germany). Immediate relief of 95% of my symptoms with the first dose of 300 mg. I went up to 300 2x daily and was back to my old self within a week. After a horrific dentist app 8 months later, I was left with tons of more pain & had to go to 2400 mg to feel effects on pain, despite Gaba. Fell in deep depression, anxiety, etc. Just added nortriptyline & see...."

• Haz...
• June 25, 2018

For Pain "I was given this for pain during a bout of acute pancreatitis in the hospital. I also suffer from anxiety/depression and chronic pain. Within 4 hours, I felt no change in pain level, and my anxiety had kicked in really hard. After the second dose (within 8 hours of the initial starting dose), I experienced severe psychological effects. It gave me no pain assistance. Within 16 hours, I felt I was losing my mind between the anxiety, depression, and pain levels still running at 8 (for 3 days). It caused some somnolence but not enough to get over the pain level. They also had me on naloxone/oxycodone, which was not strong enough as it cancels itself out in larger doses. They seemed confused about the effective treatment difference between chronic and acute pain. I was in there for 5 days, four of them with pain levels above a 5. I was stopped on this drug within 48 hours due to obvious serious psychological side effects. I could not possibly recommend this drug."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2017

For Anxiety "When I first took this drug, it was amazing, it almost seemed as though I were tapping into the right side of my pain, crazy right? I love, love, love it, but it seems like it started wearing off, so I took a larger dose. It worked, but again it wore off. Don't know what the answer is. But it was an awesome drug, bless the day they started it for us anxiety people..."