[JustMe2121]

Hey guys I'm new here.
im 26 years old and have been clean off of opiates for 10 months tomorrow.

I have very bad social anxiety to the point where I don't want to leave the house or speak to anyone but I was put on gabapentin to help with it and also for pain from neck surgery. it worked wonders for me and gave me my confidence back and allowed me to live my life normally.
The past few weeks I feel as if the medication is not working and I'm back to where I started--- not wanting to go out, always on edge, cannot even crack a smile and it is ruining my life again..

I did some reading about lyrica and people suggest switching over to that but I just wanted some input if anyone has gone through this and what I can do as far as non-narcotic that can help me with this anxiety and boost my confidence back up. if I don't get help I feel as if I will ruin everything with family and my girlfriend. I just want to be confident and be able to walk around with a smile on my face. I know medication isn't always the answer but I was on heavy opiates for a while .

thanks in advance.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Do you take a lot of gabapentin?

[Misssy2]

Just me...I have the worst ANXIETY in the WORLD...so much that the Federal Gov has declared me disabled.

I am on Ativan...and it of course works the best but Drs are very hesitant to giving it out. I am 53..and because I have discussed alcohol problems...they want to lessen the (benzo) and try other stuff like Gabapentin.

So that said...I didn't like depending on this ***** Dr. to beg him monthly for the Ativan...so I started trying to limit myself to 1 per day so I did and now i have extra which is good because my son is struggling with seizures and needs one once in a while.

Anyway...I had to tell you ALL that so you will believe me when I tell you - YES...all drugs work different for everyone...but Zoloft is meant for anxiety and panic disorders.

So I want to assume it works "similar" for everyone. This is the BEST drug to me...I noticed on Day 3 or so...that when I woke up in the morning I was less "anxious"...and wasn't smoking as many cigs...and many different "calm" feelings...there was a "calmness" about me.

Without Zoloft I couldn't have gone to 1 anxiety pill a day...

The Gabapentin I'm prescribed I only take at bedtime 400mgs...only makes me tired and makes me dream...I was taking 300 (three times a day) but they were making me fat...even thou they took away pain...not took away pain all at once...but gradually I noticed I had no pain in my usual places.

[JustMe2121]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Do you take a lot of gabapentin?

Yes at times I take 4000mg a day... 800mg per dose throughout the day . It's a lot but I've seen people on more. I try spreading it out but nothing works

Originally Posted by JustMe2121

Hey guys I'm new here.
im 26 years old and have been clean off of opiates for 10 months tomorrow.

I have very bad social anxiety to the point where I don't want to leave the house or speak to anyone but I was put on gabapentin to help with it and also for pain from neck surgery. it worked wonders for me and gave me my confidence back and allowed me to live my life normally.
The past few weeks I feel as if the medication is not working and I'm back to where I started--- not wanting to go out, always on edge, cannot even crack a smile and it is ruining my life again..

I did some reading about lyrica and people suggest switching over to that but I just wanted some input if anyone has gone through this and what I can do as far as non-narcotic that can help me with this anxiety and boost my confidence back up. if I don't get help I feel as if I will ruin everything with family and my girlfriend. I just want to be confident and be able to walk around with a smile on my face. I know medication isn't always the answer but I was on heavy opiates for a while .

thanks in advance.

I took gabapentin for a while and noticed that when taken daily--I would build up tolerance (was using it to help me sleep but it became less effective over time--increasing the dose may have helped but I don't like taking a drug that requires more and more to be effective). I have taken myself off everything I was using for anxiety/to help me sleep (xanax, diphenhydramine, gabapentin--due to the fact that they are addictive, I used to switch them around --never taking anything 2 days in a row--going without a couple days a week, etc). For a while (last year), I took the gabapentin every night (300 mg). It made me less anxious for 24 hours straight and helped me sleep but it also made my thinking foggier, I would be drowsier in the morning with a slight headache, it increased my appetite, etc. Then, as I built up tolerance, it became less effective. So I stopped. For about 3 days, my anxiety went through the roof and I slept 1 - 3 hours a night then I went back to my "baseline". I hope to never take xanax, diphenhydramine, gabapentin again--but if I do--it will only be for a short term emergency. Though I do understand that some people can't get by without something. And if it is helping with pain then it may be good to take while your neck is healing. I think lyrica is similiar to gabapentin (ask a doctor). A coworker of mine had a painful back issue after being in a car accident and said it "saved her life" (helped her function by the eleviating pain while she recovered) but caused her to gain weight.
Do you have a therapist? Make sure you understand what caused your anxiety in the first place (if you can--it takes time).