Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Greg;1150509 wrote: This makes me wonder whether some of the other anticonvulsants would also be helpful as anxiolytics or craving reducers, considering that a few are also used as mood stabilisers and are said to help bipolar patients with anxiety and sleep difficulties. Whether that extends to non-bipolar patients is another thing but it seems plausible. Two that come to mind are carbamazepine (Tegretol) and valproate/valproic acid (Depakote, Epilim, etc), with another one being oxcarbazepine (Trileptal).

Isn't topiramate an anti-seizure medication as well as a migraine med?

[ignominious]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

It is Bruun. A lot of these other anti spasmodics could play a role with al treatment.

[Greg]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Bruunhilde;1153029 wrote: Isn't topiramate an anti-seizure medication as well as a migraine med?

Sorry for my somewhat misleading post about anticonvulsants, by not remembering to include topiramate.

[Murphyx]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Bruunhilde;1152943 wrote: That's a big dose Murph, did you get high? One time I took 600mg gabapentin I got high. I'm on low dose bac not HDB so I was wondering if you felt anything after taking the stuff.

Brun, with all the different dosages quoted for different people and for different purposes, I got confused and thought you'd taken 800 not 300. I therefore thought it would be quite alright to start on 600...D'oh!

Greg, I see what you mean about it's use for 'recreational' purposes; I was buzzing all day. It reminded me of snorting a big pile of coke, cheap coke cut with speed. I'm sure I would have welcomed that effect last year but now, probably thanks to bac, it was extremely unpleasant and I have zero desire to repeat it.

When I try it again, which won't be today because it's buzzy effect still lingers, I'll cut the pill in half.

As far as the desirable effects go (anti-depressant, anti-anxiety and reduction of alcohol cravings): well I was too freaked out to be depressed and therefore anxious (but probably only about the fact that I was very high), but I can confirm alcohol didn't cross my radar. In fact that's where the comparison to coke falls down. With coke, I always wanted to drink and drink and drink until the pub was dry. Oh yeah and the other difference is, I didn't have to kneel on the piss-sodden floor of a pub toilet while snorting it off the top of a loo seat.

[Murphyx]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Oh yeah and it gave me a huge attack of the munchies last night. Ben&Jerry's seemed awfully appealing.

[Cinders]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

I have been taking Gabapentin for years because of cluster headaches (allergic to Topa.)

I take between 1200 mgs/day and 2000 mgs/day (titrating not a jump) to control the cluster headaches.

I have never felt "buzzed" by it nor has it ever reduced my alcohol cravings.

Interesting.... So many different physiologies (sp?) and reactions.

Luckily, it does help control the cluster headaches.

Cindi

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

It IS interesting to see all the different reactions. Update on my own status re gabapentin/bac, I have been taking 600mg-900mg the last two days and drinking wine to the point of emptying the bottle and buying more. The previous two weeks I had wine once a week and that was fine, enough. This time it's not, tonight I'll be white-knuckling. I think it's because the tolerance for gabapentin happens so fast?

Ben & Jerrys, Murph, Baskin-Robbins even better. I do see a pattern between the gabapentin taking and the ice cream frenzy I've had. But it could just be the AF status, my blood sugar is rebounding and the ice cream (in great quantities) is the fix. Arg. L-glut, here I come!

[Murphyx]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Hi Cinders, long time no see. I hope you're OK.

It is strange the way it affects people differently. I wonder why.

Bruun, Baskin Robbins? Get thee behind me Satan!

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Yup, Baskin Robbins, there's no faster way to pork up except maybe beer.

[ignominious]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Hope the Baskins got the better of the wine last night, though not a fair fight.

Are you still taking 30mg of baclofen with indemnity? If so, maybe think about increasing that to 40mg. Physiologies vary with individuals but somehow its all tied with the gabba.

Hi Cinders

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Hi Ig,

Yes, good memory you have, I'm still taking between 25-40mg but usually 25mg unless I'm really anxious. I did not drink last night.

This AM I had a tough couple of hours before it was time to get up - probably most of you would be industrious and just get out of bed and stop the jitters, but I was determined to get another couple hours of sleep. But every little sound jangled me, like an electric shock. The dog growled, I jumped. Traffic got loud, I jumped. Dog barked in the distance, I jumped. I was getting those negative thoughts in my head and so I took gabapentin. I took too much, I took 600mg and now five hours later I'm still a little buzzy/fuzzy from it. But the jangling nervousness is gone gone gone and I'm so thankful.

I don't like taking bac for this because I find it makes me less effective at work in the AM. As does too much gabapentin. Next time I'll be taking the 300mg gabapentin. But yes, still taking bac steadily.

[ignominious]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

I presume you stopped your bac titration because of SEs. If you have none now, it might be worth increasing by 10mg is all I was thinking (unless that will cause you SEs). Consider it an ultra slow titration. Al these gaba acting drugs hit the target somewhere (there is more to it than gaba B and gaba A), it just seems that baclofen seems to be more spot on than others for most people. Just thinking aloud.

My combination of bac (80mg), gabapentin (300mg), oxytocin (5 i.u.) really got me buzzed. Do you think the 600mg got you close to the sensation you had the first time you took it? How many days rest have you had from gabapentin?

Sounds like my sleeping. Not very satisfying atm. I think its just a stage the mind is going through while it gets used to the new regime. Trouble is, I keep on adding different supplements or attempting to stop smoking or stop taking zyban or something.

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

I stopped bac due to zooming blood pressure, it got dangerously high at 80mg. I haven't tested it very often with the gabapentin, as I didn't at first with bac. I am overdue for testing. In fact will do right now, brb.

128/74 on my meds (toprol, cardura avapro). It's definitely down from my f'ed up drinking days but I still need meds.

The buzzing isn't the same as the high I got that one time. I took gabapentin a dozen times at 300mg without any high, but the one time I did 600mg I got really high in an alcohol-like way, but that hasn't happened again and I did take 600mg a couple of other times.

A benefit of the gabapentin is that my pain doesn't keep me awake (I have bad joints).

[RevoltingRich]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Gabapentin is a popular drug in prison, people swap them for tobacco and other drugs and (I believe although I've never had it myself) that it produces an effect similar to benzos/valium

[Bruunhilde]

Gabapentin for Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse

Good morning or afternoon or evening all!

Just wanted to share my new shipment of gabapentin is having a different effect on me, I definitely feel woozy on 400mg when on the other forumulation (tablets). Disclaimer: I also took 20mg of baclofen this AM with no impact (no high) but I did relax a bit. I was feeling depressed so I popped a new capsule formula of gabapentin, and I'm feeling much different. In fact, Lo0p, if you're here, I can now understand why you abused it. I'm not loving the feeling but if I popped a second, or had a couple drinks with it, I can see your point about its abuse. Rich, this is aimed towards your comments about it being highly desired in the pen. Or shithouse, or whatever the slang is for prison these days.