Gabapentin; Used For Anxiety?

[hippieatheart]

Gabapentin was prescribed to me for restless leg syndrome. At 400 mg at night. I also googled the drug. And there is a website I found that discussed the effects of gabapentin at length. Actual users and abusers were the discussers. (I don't know if against the rules to discuss this so let me know) but the gist of gabapentin is that how it effects people is greatly varied. Some people find it useless and some people find it very helpful and very pleasant at higher doses.

For my own experience like I said it is prescribed to me at 400 mg at night for rls. I have found higher doses to be very pleasant to me. I feel energized yet very relaxed. Anxiety and depression is still there but it is like it's in the background and not as important right now. And I'm not going to lie it feels really Damn good.

I wish i could discuss it with my primary doctor. And tell him look this stuff works awesome for me at higher doses and I'm able to finally live my life instead after paralyzed by anxiety and fear. But I could just imagine how that conversation would go.

"Oh you like to abuse your gabapentin to relieve other symptoms. Yep I'm taking you off of it all together and here's another drug for you that won't work"

And btw I just want to say as a warning according to the discussion on the other website that I mentioned.....taking gabapentin at high doses for a long period of time if it is suddenly discontinued (quitting cold turkey) it can produce severe withdrawals

Hope all this makes sense

 

[abeeee]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

Hi! I was recently perscribed gabapentin. I have bipolar and ptsd. My doctor didn't tell me I was bipolar, I had to figure it out by the meds I was on (I was taking lamictal for at least a year and have been on a few different SSRIs). My therapist actually told me after I told her my meds. Next time I saw my doctor I asked her about it and she said she didn't put it on any papers (thus didn't tell me) because it can be harder to get health insurance if it says you're bipolar so

 

[JL Sequel]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

Yeah, as noted it is an anti-convulsant. I was on it for 3 or 4 months, also prescribed for anxiety because the hydroxazine makes me too tired to use during the day. I was taking between 100 and 300 daily. It not only made me very spacey, but I was also forgetting names of people I knew quite well. I would chalk it up was coincidence, and it still may be, but a., I don't feel that way since I stopped taking it, ,and b., a friend of mine who was taking Gabapentin said that this forgetting names thing was also his experience. Perhaps needless to say, but neither me nor my friend thought it was worth the so-called "side-effects." I think there are some people with anxiety that can benefit from anti-siezure medication, the idea behind it being that the brain is firing too much simultaneously. That's my two cents. Everyone is different, though, so I hope it works for you. I am curious to read about your experience on it, if you feel like writing it down for us.
Best,

 

[karinaRod]

It isn't about that at all. I told the doctor that I was having tremendous difficulty controlling my anger...

Have you tried haldol. It worked for my agitation but I had to stop due to a side effect. If you decide to take it then they must give you an anticoagulant pill so you can avoid the nasty side effects. Hopes this helps

 

[Denial-River]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

Same boat here... Was not really given a specific answer when asked what indicated for, but was told 'may help w/anxiety in the short-term', so I was curious/worried, too.

 

[Denial-River]

Being a nurse, the nerd label surprises me. I think everyone should, and would want to, be familiar wit...

YES!!! ☻ I cringe when I hear of anyone not knowing at least *something* relevant about the drugs they put in their body. I don't see that at all here(am usually the one most uninformed about a med and asking for perspective myself a great deal TBH), and find this makes me more comfortable coming back to the community. Everyone is serious about helping themselves AND each other-thanks all! ☻
Roxx

 

[Pirate]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

Hi Spek,

Here's my thoughts:

"wtf....shouldn't somebody tell me if I am bi-polar?"

I've felt this feeling before...That the docs have all the knowledge, and they know more about us than we do ourselves...I think its very important to remember that WE know ourselves best!

It's a tricky thing giving ourselves over to expert care. Take in all the positive help and advice from them, but never give up your identity, free will, and confidence in yourself!

Again, I don't know you and I may be misinterpreting your question, and I'm probably (quite likely) making this answer more about me than you....but I mean you no harm, and wish you well on this journey with your psychology.

-Pirate

PS I take 300x 3/day gabapentin and it has been amazing at reducing anxiety...but Also it causes some spacyness and possibly a touch of disconnect...like 1/2 a beer?

 

[8888]

I used to take it and it really helped me. I'm not bipolar.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I'm taking it for nerve pain, but it has not helped me with anxiety

Me too and it hasn't helped with anxiety either. I take 900 mg three times a day so 2,700 mg a day. It's a rather large dose in relation the nerve pain. I have femoral neuropathy or neuropathy in my outter thighs due to a disc that exploded and the surgeon hitting my sciatic and other nerves and perm damaging them.

It may not be a large dose in relation to anxiety, I don't know. It makes you tired at first when you just start taking it but for me that stopped after a week (lower doses being titrated up) and since I don't know I am taking it, other than the neuropathy getting better.

Today, I have 2 meds in my pain pump now too for neuropathy in addition to gabapentin taken orally. But, never has it helped anxiety.

 

[J'qel]

I had it for insomnia (we're working our way through stuff-since mine is caused by racing thoughts), it actually did help. I'm on a max dose of escitalopram, and usually it just makes me neutral with occasional mild lows, I was ending up mildly content and neutral with some mild lows. It didn't help my insomnia though, so I went back off.

So, not a big effect, but some.

 

[Buckley]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

Neurontin (Gabapentin) is used for seizures, nerve pain, anxiety, and some other symptoms. In the past it has been prescribed for bipolar treatment.

I'm bipolar. 8 yrs ago I was on Neurontin for a year. At that time Psychiatrists thought it might help bipolar symptoms. Personally I felt it helped me feel less worried, more confident. But my health insurance changed the rules and denied neurontin for bipolar treatment.

Present day - My new Psychiatrist is concerned with my anxiety issues. He added Neurontin to my lithium. I'm glad he did. I like Neurontin, I think it helps with anxiety, and sleep, too.

 

[Treva]

So I was just prescribed Gabapentin to treat my anxiety, but being the nerd that I am I looked this up and...

I take it too but for me I have nerve damage in my neck I've also researched it and I've never seen anything about bi polar,not that I'm saying you're wrong just I've never seen that..my Dr explained it numbs the nerve endings to help with pain