sadies mom
05-22-2005, 10:11 PM
I need some advice and also to know what others have done in my situation. I have been on Neurontin for several months now. And have got to get off it. I am feeling depressed, extreme fatique, memory loss, fog, punch drunk!! This is the second time I have been on it for CP ~it didn't work that great the first time for the pain and isn't now either~but, the side effects this time are awful!! I am on 800mg q hs , but have started taking 400mg one nite and 80omg the next until I see the doc this Tuesday. How have any of you that have been on Neurontin tapered off? How long did it take for the fog to lift? I have other meds I can take for the pain~I am better of without the N ~ it made me more of an invalid than the pain does! :angel:
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littlejmb
05-22-2005, 10:49 PM
I need some advice and also to know what others have done in my situation. I have been on Neurontin for several months now. And have got to get off it. I am feeling depressed, extreme fatique, memory loss, fog, punch drunk!! This is the second time I have been on it for CP ~it didn't work that great the first time for the pain and isn't now either~but, the side effects this time are awful!! I am on 800mg q hs , but have started taking 400mg one nite and 80omg the next until I see the doc this Tuesday. How have any of you that have been on Neurontin tapered off? How long did it take for the fog to lift? I have other meds I can take for the pain~I am better of without the N ~ it made me more of an invalid than the pain does! :angel:
Sadies mom, my husband was on 1600 mg in the am and pm, and was taking it as a mood elevator since he had become toxic to lithium. He went to a new psychiatrist and he wanted him to switch to something else, so he started cutting down on it. It was a nightmare! He was pretty much knocked out and couldn't function for two weeks, (slept all the time) and when he was awake, he was pretty much in a stupor. He had cut down to 800 mg in the am and 800 in the pm. When he cut down a bit more, he could hardly walk! It scared us to death, so he went back up to 800. He finally leveled off and is now only on 800 at night. It took quite a while to get down to that dose and be able to function. Now he is so much better at the low dose. His old psych had him at such a high dose, he was in a fog pretty much of the time. It is not at easy drug to wean off of. Just take it very slowly!
Sadies mom, my husband was on 1600 mg in the am and pm, and was taking it as a mood elevator since he had become toxic to lithium. He went to a new psychiatrist and he wanted him to switch to something else, so he started cutting down on it. It was a nightmare! He was pretty much knocked out and couldn't function for two weeks, (slept all the time) and when he was awake, he was pretty much in a stupor. He had cut down to 800 mg in the am and 800 in the pm. When he cut down a bit more, he could hardly walk! It scared us to death, so he went back up to 800. He finally leveled off and is now only on 800 at night. It took quite a while to get down to that dose and be able to function. Now he is so much better at the low dose. His old psych had him at such a high dose, he was in a fog pretty much of the time. It is not at easy drug to wean off of. Just take it very slowly!
shawley
05-24-2005, 10:00 AM
Hi, I am also on neurontin , But all I take is 300mg and it makes me feel like Im drunk, I can just imagine 800mg . It doesnt work for me, Just feel like an ole drunk in pain. :) I take skelaxin 800mg also with Tramadol. I dont want to become hooked on drugs,But it would be real nice to be normal again. :wave:
momofsix
05-25-2005, 10:52 AM
I weaned myself off Neurontin very quickly and suffered a lot. I had flu-like symptoms, trembling, sick stomache, extreme anxiety, burning feelings inside. It was truly terrible. I would suggest either a very slow taper or if you do it quickly, make sure you can set aside time to be "out of commission" for a couple of weeks. Hang in there. It can be done.
jbot
05-26-2005, 12:22 AM
I took it for about a month andi it did not help the pain at all. I was a zoomie for the whole time. I do wish some one would look into dr`s that prescribe this drug so readily. I believe it is used way to much and doesn`t do as much good except in the case of seizures that it was suppose to help to begin with. My advice if it helps take it but be careful when you drive or do anything that could be dangerous, I know I won`t ever take it again. Good luck.........jbot
shawley
05-27-2005, 09:41 AM
I agree the only thing I get out of it is dizzy and tired, Like a zombie in pain ? I only take it now before bed. It does help me sleep a tad.
sadies mom
05-28-2005, 02:34 AM
I saw the doc on Thursday and we agreed the Nuerontin has to go. He said now to stop the 800mg all together and just take 400mg for several days~then every other day and so on till I'm off it. I feel better allready as I had been tapering myself slowly down from the 800mg. My energy (or what's left of it) is slowly starting to come back. I know for some this drug has been a miracle. But, for me it was a nightmare and I would rather have pain that I treat with other meds and modalities than live with the effects of Neurontin on my system. :angel:
momofsix
05-28-2005, 09:05 AM
Well said! Pain is difficult enough to live with without adding all kinds of side effects. Drowsiness, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, etc.... are supposed to help us deal with pain?! It makes me mad when some doctors suggest with their words or attitudes that there's something wrong with you when you refuse to accept such side effects. The pain can't be that bad. I think they should all have to give anti-seizure meds a trial run themselves before prescribing them to others. Their only focus is on your pain, wherever it is, without regard for the rest of you. My husband likens it to "killing the fly on your nose with a shotgun".
Linda
Linda