[5150DirtDiva]

Hi all,

I have been on gabapentin for about a month. I have a Pdoc appointment tomorrow.

Should I give this med more time? I was prescribed it to address my agitation issues. But I am still pretty agro and blew through the 4 ativans I had that were prescribed as a "bandaid" to assist me with these symptoms.

I am still feeling the walking with my eyes closed in the hallway and yawning for about an hour, two hours after I take it. So as you know this is a x3 a day med, so that is 9 hours out of my day I feel like this.

I would not say I am tired, I can definitely go to sleep if I lay down though, but I have been able to do my normal activity. I am sort of just going through the motions though, like on my dirt bike, my concentration is difficult to maintain.

[Shazerac]

I am glad you're going to the Pdoc tomorrow it would help to know why you are taking gabapentin. Are you trying to get off benzos? I took gabapentin for a neck injury earlier this year. It made me sleepy and didn't put a dent in anxiety. I use Xanax for that.

[5150DirtDiva]

Thank you for your reply. I was prescribed this for agitation. And no, I am not trying to get off benzos, I have had 10 in my entire life.

Originally Posted by Shazerac

I am glad you're going to the Pdoc tomorrow it would help to know why you are taking gabapentin. Are you trying to get off benzos? I took gabapentin for a neck injury earlier this year. It made me sleepy and didn't put a dent in anxiety. I use Xanax for that.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Gabapentin never helped my
Anxiety but did make me sleepy and forgetful

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I take all my gabapentin at night and don't have side effects; unless I'm very agitated taking it during the day makes me kind of slow and stupid. I do have PRN doses and take that occasionally during the day but not very often at all. I started with it twice daily and once at night in the hospital but this is what works better for me.

[xRavenx]

I take Gabapentin 3x daily, so up to 900 mg per day. I've been on it since January of this year. All I notice is feeling a little groggy, so I take it in the afternoon, rather than first thing in the morning (which is the time when I feel most exhausted and have some driving to do). Then, I take the other 2 doses in the evening. It isn't enough to make me go to sleep, and it isn't enough to make such a huge difference with the anxiety. However, I find that I'm not taking as many benzos as I was, so maybe it's making more of a difference than I thought. I hate the grogginess though, especially since my current cocktail is kind of what you would give someone, if you want them to space out and act dopey all day.

I like the gabbies. I take just one during the day so I can work. I take the rest at night. That feeling I get when I suddenly remember I forgot to do something-I can no longer feel my stomach flip over. I still have anxiety-it just isn’t as bad.

I don’t remember how long it took to work, but it wasn’t long. Maybe it doesn’t work for you?

Also-there is a little buzz they give you. I like them better than pain pills.

[RomanJames2014]

I just started these a week ago. I take them to help me sleep so I take 900mg at night and I feel like I'm high right before I pass out and then when I wake up I feel high for like two hours. I kind of like them. They've also helped me with my chronic pain issues.

[boogiesmash]

I feel as it has helped with my anxiety. I take much larger dose though. I also haven’t had as many panic attacks p, which they don’t seem to help but have klonopin for that.

[5150DirtDiva]

You get a buzz?

I feel like I want to say that is cool, but idk, if I would *really* want that. LOL

Originally Posted by key tones

Also-there is a little buzz they give you. I like them better than pain pills.

[5150DirtDiva]

Maybe I need more. I do not really suffer from panic attacks.

That said, I was racing Sunday and got stuck on a hill. Men of huge motorcycles were also trying to get up this hill, I was having a ton of difficulty picking my bike up and getting it unstuck from a root and I just had a woman in my division pass me.

So a lot of stress both mentally and physically. I started getting that tightness and could not breath, so I think a mild-ish panic attack? It took me a good bit to calm myself down : /

I want to ask for more ativan to help me with my agitation. I am scared to ask him, I do not want him to think I am seeking drugs. I hate the stigma people that abuse drugs have caused. The ativan really seemed to help prn.

Originally Posted by boogiesmash

I feel as it has helped with my anxiety. I take much larger dose though. I also haven’t had as many panic attacks p, which they don’t seem to help but have klonopin for that.

[5150DirtDiva]

My Doc tripled my dose when I saw him last week.

At first I was dubious. But I am actually really feeling like they are helping me out.

There is one side effect I am both enjoying and disliking. My libido is crazy. It is all I can think about. All day....even after my husband and I do the deed. We usually do it maybe once a week, but I have been cajoling him to everyday, maybe not cajoling, he seems to enjoy it.

Is this a common side effect?

[raspberrytorte]

I was on 600mg of gabapentin four times a day, but inpatient he cut my dose in half, so now I'm just on 600mg twice a day.

I really like the gabbies. But I didn't realize how foggy they were making me until he cut my dose in half. They give me a little buzz too, but don't completely get rid of my anxiety.

I think it's a med that works right away in the beginning or it won't at all? I don't think it needs to build up in your system.

[NolaMae]

Gabapentin was a disaster for me. My psychiatrist prescribed it to help with sleep. I had an eye doctor appointment a few days after starting it, and literally could not find the parking lot, even though I had been there a dozen times before. Coming home, I couldn't remember if I got a free turn on the right red light or the left one. I was only driving 30 mph but felt like I was going 60. The next day I was so dizzy I could not walk. I couldn't step down off the curb to get into the car. I had to hang on tight to my husband to move. I quit taking it then and there, and told my psychiatrist my experience with it. She classified it as a drug allergy.

So maybe my experience is totally different from anyone else's. all I know is that I would never take it again.

[RomanJames2014]

I love this drug. At first I was scared because it wasn't working but I gave it some time and I actually think that this drug makes me feel at ease and helps me sleep. I have a lot of pain and this medication helped with the nerve pain.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

I was on 800mg 3x’s a day for anxiety. Didn’t do crap. It’s quite a weaker med really.

And yea I’ve heard of people getting high off them but I never did. I actually read an article about how abuse is on the rise.