[MedicatedMe]

I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II. My psychiatrist prescribed me Lamictal and Horizant. I was doing my Google research and couldn't find anything on Horizant and helping individuals with BP. All I found was that it treats Restless Leg Syndrome.

So.. what the hell is it?

I'm confused because she said it supposedly helps with panic attacks, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, etc., but I doubt it's anything like good 'ol Xanax. Not to mention, she's going to provide me with free samples throughout my visits since it costs a whopping $300 if denied by my insurance.

So my question is.. has anyone heard of taking Horizant to cope with BP or the anxieties surrounding taking new medication?

[pirilin]

Not really. No idea.
Is not that we don't wanna help you. On the contrary. But we're ignorants sometimes.

[MedicatedMe]

Yeah, and there's basically no info on Google besides blogs or whatever. Apparently, it wasn't approved my the FDA to help with BP so that could be why... I dunno. :\

Horizant (Gabapentin Enacarbil Extended-Release Tablets) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions - Prescribing Information at RxList

It's a prodrug for gabapentin, and gabapentin helps with mood stabilization and bipolar-related anxiety.

Basically, Horizant gets metabolized into gabapentin

Not sure why your pdoc prescribed you Horizant. It seems much easier to just prescribe gabapentin.

I'm not a fan of gabapentin because it makes me more irritable, but everyone has different experiences with it. Hope it works out for you.

[Blaire]

I love gabapentin. I have real bad GAD and it has helped a lot. Never heard of horizant, I'm on neurontin.

[MedicatedMe]

Thanks for the info, bluebicycle! I appreciate you taking the time to look it up for me. Honestly, I'm not too confident in it myself. I'll still continue taking the thing just to see if it works. That and I have no other route, but I'm pretty sure my panic attacks will overpower this medication.

She said it was her "favorite drug," which was kind of strange to hear lol. It sounded like she was trying to sell me makeup or something. But hey, it's free so why not, ya know?

Glad to hear it's helping you out, Blaire!

You're welcome

Gabapentin isn't too great for handling anxiety. Most people take Buspar or propranolol for their anxiety, then have something like Xanax or Ativan to take "as needed".

Basically, Buspar and propranolol are non-addictive, so they can be taken everyday. Xanax and Ativan (which are "benzos") are much stronger, but you develop an addiction to them fairly quickly. (I've heard of some people developing an addiction to them within 3-5 days of using them daily.) The problem with their addictive nature is that you get bad mood swings when you stop taking them. The withdrawal is awful, and I'm sure many people on here can attest to that.

I'm not addicted to Ativan because I take it maybe once every few weeks when things get really bad.

[MedicatedMe]

Ugh, I would love some Xanax right now so I could finally sleep! Strangely enough, I took it every day, sometimes up to four a day, for three years. When my doctor left the hospital, I had no choice but to quit taking it. Surprisingly, I had no withdrawal symptoms that I know of.

I could be lying to myself since I quit in February, which is the absolute worst time for me. If anything the withdrawal symptoms were possibly overshadowed by other problems.

Yeah, it's possible you didn't have withdrawal symptoms. If so, you're very lucky!

I would definitely ask about Buspar or propranolol if gabapentin doesn't help your anxiety.

[MedicatedMe]

Will do!