Gabapentin and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2018

For Pain "A useless pain killer. I am on 1500 mg a day with no pain relief. I have had spine surgery and been on this drug before and after, with no relief. It has given me headaches, no appetite, thinking, and now also depressed. Also, I am tired all the time, my vision has really gotten bad. I am going to get off this rotten drug and try to stand the pain."

• Pat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 17, 2019

For Anxiety "I have been originally on only 300 mg to help me sleep about 3 years ago. It did help a bit. But since then, I've been on about 3200 mg per day the past couple of years. I usually end up taking most of that if I have to go somewhere, like a public place such as a house event, etc. Almost anything, really. It doesn't last nearly as long as it did in the beginning. Now, about 2 hours or slightly more, and it seems done. After that, I start feeling depression and anxiety creep in. I take the other remainder at night, but even that's not enough now to help me sleep. I get zero sleep. Probably an hour per WEEK past many years, actually. Sounds impossible, but it's true. I'm wide awake all night. I have always had that, though, but the anxiety caused by the temporary withdrawal of the Gabapentin doesn't help, I'm sure."

• Anonymous
• August 7, 2016

For Anxiety "I personally am a heavier person, I have a lot of anxiety and depression on a daily basis, and it's been this way since I was 14. I'm now 18, and I've been using many different prescriptions for my anxiety and depression, and I've found benzos work well. But recently I was prescribed gabapentin 300 mg 4 times a day, and I found that it does affect your coordination taking this much of a dose, but amazingly took away all my anxiety without any Xanax like I usually take, and it worked even better for my depression. I do feel a buzz, almost as many users report when they first start, which I don't mind as I work from home and enjoy it, but this could be a problem for addiction. Luckily, I'm only using it temporarily and not long term."

• con...
• November 30, 2016

For Neuropathic Pain "My husband has been taking 3600 mg of gabapentin for about 4 or 5 months now. He has been on a lower dose (1800 mg) in the past. It has helped lessen his nerve damage pain but still in pain. I have noticed severe behavior and mood changes. He has become very irritable, aggressive, moody, depressed (confused, numb, lost), lower back pain (as if his back doesn't decompress when he lays down), trouble sleeping, suspicious, and distrust. This medication may help nerve pain but is a huge relationship killer."

• dre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 30, 2015

For Fibromyalgia "UPDATE: It worked for about a month and a half and then stopped working. Fiddling with the dose didn't help. Then I tried to stop taking it and felt bad, so had to go back on and taper off very slowly. I had terrible withdrawal symptoms, including mental issues and increased pain. I started in April and now it's almost December. Most of that time I've been withdrawing. I've gained 70 pounds!!! Reducing the dose has not reduced the weight. This is the only drug I have ever had dependency issues with. I will never take it again."

• far...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2022

For Anxiety "I took gabapentin to stop drinking alcohol because pregabalin did nothing. It worked when I first took it, I went from a bottle of wine every day to not being able to finish a beer. It's a miracle, and I also stopped smoking. But it became less and less effective in just one week. At the end of the week, I still drink every day but only 1-2 beers, I suppose I have to readjust the dose. Along with the suppression of the cravings for alcohol and tobacco, I also noticed a lift in the mood. And the best of all, the anxiety that tormented me since 8 years ago disappeared. I was only on 300 mg bid, but I chose to add another 300 mg at noon to see how it works. I feel so confident, and all the difficulties and despair about the future do not bother me at all. I'm planning to stop my other medications because gabapentin fixes three problems. The only problem with this medication is when I stop taking it, I feel extremely depressed, and suicidal ideations reappear."

• Anonymous
• March 11, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I have Multiple Sclerosis and have suffered from atrocious nerve pain in my back and legs that severely impaired my functioning and quality of life. My neurologist prescribed Gabapentin for the pain. I was skeptical that anything could help. I am on 400 mg a day right now, taken in 100 mg 4x a day. I have been on it for about 2 weeks. I am already experiencing days of almost no pain. A godsend. Interestingly, I am also rapid cycling bipolar, for which I have been on Abilify. Though the Abilify has helped maintain my judgment, it has done nothing for my manic agitation and depression. I had no idea this was also used as a mood stabilizer or I would have tried it sooner. In just 2 weeks, I feel even-keeled and an inner serenity. Love this med!"

• AZC...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 15, 2022

For Insomnia "After years of insomnia, I thought this was a miracle drug, but then it stopped working. Now I take it because I’m dependent on it and am trying to wean off. Stopped working a few months into it, so I upped my dose from 400 mg to 800 mg. I’m now at 300 mg, my brain has completely adjusted to it, so it does nothing for me. Or does it? I’m suspicious that it’s giving me brain fog, bad, and depression. I find it difficult to string a sentence together when talking and embarrass myself often. I’ve also been depressed with suicidal thoughts almost daily. This is terrible! It’s been going on for months now, I’ve just put 2 and 2 together that it’s likely the drug. At the very least, it’s not helping anymore. Please be careful taking it. I have nerve pain, restless legs, PLMD, and insomnia, but I'd rather deal with it than these side effects."

• Goo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 2, 2018

For Anxiety "This drug changed my life. I have had terrible anxiety my whole life, which was followed by depression. SSRIs had little effect. I finished my degree and actually got a job. For anxiety, you need a higher dose, I started with 100 mg x 3 and worked up to 1800 mg a day, the sweet spot. Few things I will warn others: the withdrawal is pretty bad. I ran out 3 days before refill and begged the pharmacist to refill it 2 days early. As well, sometimes it's difficult to get a good erection. My psychiatrist gave me Wellbutrin to counter that effect. Generic brand warning - Auro Gabapentin is a terrible, low effectiveness. Apo is what I'm on."

• Lai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2022

For Pain "It took about 3 weeks to really kick in, but did help some with cervical pain radiating down my arm into my fingers. My fingers felt like I had stuck them in an electrical socket and were numb. The gabapentin did not help with this pain. I was taking 300 mg at bedtime. I noticed within days, I was really sad and would cry very easily. I continued to be very emotional and would sob a few times a day…really sad. After being on this medication for 2 months, I decided to stop taking it, and after 2 days off of it, I feel so much better emotionally. I guess I am one of the few it affects this way."

• Jor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2018

For Anxiety "I was put on gabapentin as a last resort to my anxiety. I have not been able to function in society. I am a disabled veteran. I am in my second week now, and I am getting worried. I am so tired, but I can't sleep. I am not joking, I haven't slept for days now. I have dipped into extreme depression, and now I have uncontrollable shaking and twitching. I guess this is my entry to this med, and it really hurts. I am in contact about this situation with my med profs. They said it will take time for my body to adjust. For now, though, I am very worried, this is not me."

• Her...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2021

For Spondylolisthesis "It was prescribed to me during an ER visit. I have discs that have moved sideways and are pressing on my spinal column. So they prescribed this medication: 300 mg x 3 daily. It is completely ineffective. I'm feeling depressed. I have chest pain and heart palpitations. My pain level has increased, if anything, and these side effects are no joke. Now I'm finding out that this stuff can be addictive and very dangerous if you stop taking it cold turkey. That's not a situation that I agreed to. I feel that this was a push by a healthcare facility or provider to get their gift from a pharmaceutical company. When I heal, I will certainly be addressing this with an attorney. I just read that this drug has not been proven effective for my condition. In fact, data shows the opposite."

• 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."

• che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I have been taking gabapentin 100mg, 6 pills a day, and my pain has gotten worse. I'm so sore and stiff, barely wanting to move because it hurts too bad and gaining weight like crazy. Please help, I have been so depressed. The pain, at times, is unbelievable. Can't handle much more."

• 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."

• Thi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I have taken this medicine several times for fibromyalgia and nerve pain. While I have found it helps my nerve pain a bit, that is offset by major brain fog. I feel paralyzed, unable to move, staring into space. It's really bad and makes me feel depressed. I already have brain fog and a poor memory with fibromyalgia, and this, even at low dosages, is unacceptable as it makes those problems much worse."

• 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."

• pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 18, 2019

For Anxiety "Been on 3600 mg past couple of years. I read notes of everyone's personal experience with it for anxiety, but I see it's so different for everyone. I have schizoaffective disorder. It helps with the anxiety part and the depressive part, but I can tell it must be noticeable to others if I'm on it because some acquaintances I've known through my wife really have dramatically different interactions with me now compared to before I was on this. Very distant to me now. On the other hand, it's more important for mySELF. But it has worn off a lot if I take it every day. I'm so depressed during those periods. It's a 'trough.' Would be even less depressed if I wasn't on it at all, but then I would not have the 'up swings' with it either. It's very difficult to manage it."

• Anonymous
• August 2, 2010

For Peripheral Neuropathy "This medication worked well to relieve my pain. However, the negative effects were bad. I could not think, I stumbled, had no energy, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I stopped taking it. I have neuropathic pain in both my feet and hands (at times worse than others). However, I need to be able to find my car keys and arrive at my destination without getting lost. I have to work, and while taking this medication, I am unable to function."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• eti...
• September 17, 2008

For Pain "I have had several doctors prescribe Neurontin for pain. I've got degenerative spinal disease with herniation. I also take Tramadol (pain) and Prozac for the depression (side effect). It's a shame that the FDA hasn't passed it for other ailments because it really helps."

• Anonymous
• September 13, 2021

For Pain "I was put on gabapentin for nerve pain caused by spinal stenosis. I was hoping to get relief from the severe pain and avoid epidurals. The gabapentin helped with the pain but caused my depression to spiral into suicidal thoughts, and I stayed in this deep, dark place till I finally realized it was the gabapentin. I am slowly decreasing my dosage, and I feel better already. My depression is better, I am not planning my suicide, and my mind feels clear. I am now on 900 mg a day. In two weeks, I will decrease again to 600 mg a day. I can't wait till this horrible drug is out of my system!"

• 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...."