[Rose76]

I recently got put on this. I was having severe anxiety. Also, I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder.

The main thing I think it is doing is making me have very increased appetite. I've gained 5 pounds in two weeks.

Has anyone found this med to be really helpful? I'ld appreciate hearing about others' experiences with Gabapentin.

Thank you.

[ECHOES]

Absolutely. I really loved it. I took it at night so it let me fall asleep so naturally, and it helped me stay asleep all night. That was a big deal for me. Getting enough and regular sleep is healing in itself. There was no 'hangover' effect at all in the morning. I definitely feel that it helped a lot with anxiety.

I was on Prozac at the same time. The combination worked well for me.

I wish you well.

[Rose76]

Echoes,

Thanks very much. That is so encouraging to hear. Falling asleep has always been hard for me. I do find it helps. My anxiety is less, and I was wondering if that was just a coincidence. The anxiety I had was nearly intolerable.

I'm glad to hear that this med seems to target what have been my tough issues, lately.

[Diversion]

I was also put on this a few years back for Restless Leg Syndrome. It was about the only thing that could help me get to sleep and stay asleep. I didn't notice a weight change but then again I wasn't on a really high dose.
It did make me very thirsty right before bed! So it's a good time to get those glasses of water in that most of us don't drink. lol

[dragonfly2]

My husband takes gabapentin for anxiety. He's also on other meds for depression and ADD (Wellbutrin, Pristiq) and has seen a huge difference with the anxiety since adding the gabapentin. I was also on it for a while a long time ago and when I stopped it, my anxiety went through the roof.

I can't really attest to the increased appetite, but my husband says his has actually gone down since he began taking the med. I know when I'm anxious I can't eat, so maybe this is just a normal reaction to not being anxious anymore? I hope it works for you.

[Rose76]

Thank you, Diversion and dragonfly2. It really helps me gain confidence to hear positive things from others. I think this med is helping me.

[noneedtoknow]

Rose76,
I never had anxiety before until almost two years ago-I had a major depressive episode and then had terrible anxiety.My psych doctor put me on Gabapentin and It really really helped. I had to get to 800mg but then it really helped. Interestingly enough, I haven't had much anxiety in this past year, occasional bouts but nothing like before.Good luck to you. I hope your care team are able to come up with something that works well for you and you find relief!

[Rose76]

After gaining 8 pounds, I stopped taking Gabapentin and was able to return to my former weight. It is often very difficult to know if one thing is the cause of another thing. I am slow to make those connections. Were I to go back on Gabapentin and find myself gaining weight again, then I would have more certainty. At present, I am not having the kind of intense anxiety that prompted my doctor to order this drug for me. So she and I are in agreement that I will not take anymore of it at this time.

My very strong sense was that Gabapentin greatly increased my appetite in the late evening. I was getting out of bed for something to eat night after night, which stopped when I went off it. Even after having had a good supper, I would find myself real hungry at bedtime. I take Ritalin 10 mg in the morning and sometimes at noon. My theory is that the Ritalin was blocking the appetite stimulating effect of the Gabapentin during the daytime. Then, late in the evening, when I guess the Ritalin had worn off, I was getting a really rev'd up appetite.

I just thought I'ld add this feedback for anyone else wondering about this drug. The feedback above is helpful and appreciated. If anxiety gets troublesome again, I might try taking the Gabapentin just before bed to promote relaxation and sleep.

While I was on Gabapentin, I was taking 300mg 3 times a day.

[~Christina]

I was put on Neurontin for Fibromyagia pain about 2 years ago .. FOr me it did nothing for the pain and just increased my weight .. the first week I took it It pretty much knocked me on my ***** ..I slept great the firse week .. then nothing but weight gain.. SO i stopped and the weight came right off with in a few weeks .

Now im taking all kinds of meds for bipolar and have put on 30 lbs and im literally ready to stop all the meds ..its making my batty to just pile on the lbs and still not be anywhere ner stable .

Sorry for the rant ,..Im just frustrated on side effects from meds

[Yoda]

I am bipolar/ADHD/PTSD with severe insomnia. I have been on neurontin for four years but it is difficult to assess the effect because I am on so many other meds also. I have gained weight but attribute that to eating fast food 95% of the time for over a year when I did not have a working refrigerator. Irregardless I would prefer to be fat and sane than slim and nutty.

[Rose76]

I am revisiting this old thread because I just went back on Neurontin (Gabapentin.)

Things got pretty bad for me, and I ended up in the psych hospital for 2 days. What they recommended was that I go back on the Gabapentin. I refused because my blood pressure has been climbing and I was afraid weight gain would make that worse.

Well, depression became so intolerable, I thought I had better do what they recommended. So I've taken it three times per day for a couple of days. Suddenly, I feel greatly improved. I'm just amazed at how different I feel, and I'm wondering if it really is from this medication. I think, well, maybe it is just a coincidence. Like I don't feel tranquilized. I just feel relaxed and much less fearful of lots of things. But, I kind of think it is the med. I was just getting worse and worse before starting it.

Where I get my care is a difficult place to deal with, and sometimes there are long gaps between seeing a doctor. I think I'll report that this med made a difference. If I stay on it and don't relapse for awhile, then I'll be more convinced that it is worth taking. No weight gain yet.

If anyone else has experience with this med, I'ld be very interested to hear it. There is a chance that I might be Bipolar, like maybe Bipolar Type 2. I have extreme changes in mood over fairly short intervals of time. Such conflicting things have been told to me over the years that I doubt they really have me diagnosed. So, another thing I wonder about is whether anyone with bipolar disorder has been helped by Neurontin.

[PleaseHelp]

I just started taking neurotin 4 days ago. The main purpose was to help stabilize my moods (borderline personality disorder), I also have anxiety and problems sleeping. I am not sure yet if its helping.

I hope that it continues to help you. I'll let you know how I'm doing on it. So far I'm taking 100mg at bedtime.