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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by donut on March 9, 2007, at 13:03:23
I've been taking benzos since 1998 and would like to get off of them. I've heard of people getting relief from anxiety with gabapentin. Would those of you who have tried both be willing to say what worked better for you? Thanks
Posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 14:43:00
In reply to Replacing benzos with gabapentin?, posted by donut on March 9, 2007, at 13:03:23
I was taking gabapentin for over a year at 3200 mg daily (800 mg four times per day). It has a very SUBTLE effect on anxiety....and I mean VERY subtle. There is no way to compare a benzo to gabapentin. The only med that I have ever found to help with anxiety is Ativan or Klonopin. I even found Xanax to be much too subtle to help much. I've never tried Valium, so I can't comment on that benzo.
I would think seriously about replacing your benzo with gabapentin. I didn't even find that the gaba made me feel sleepy, which many people report as a good sleep aid.
I'm sure you will hear from others, though, who will tell you that gabapentin works well for anxiety. My body chemistry just seems to be a little out of whack when it comes to meds! Lol. I wish you the best of luck. At least give it a try. It won't harm you, and is the easiest med to come off of.
God bless,
Sandy
Posted by Phillipa on March 9, 2007, at 15:18:04
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » donut, posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 14:43:00
Sandy seriously xanax doesn't help your anxiety? It even helps mine not to say it makes me functional like able to work and stuff but it does work for me quickly . At least I think it still does. What does it do for you? Love Phillipa
Posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 16:20:23
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » SandyWeb, posted by Phillipa on March 9, 2007, at 15:18:04
Hi Phillipa,
I'm a Crazy Canuck, what can I say? LOL. Maybe Xanax doesn't work well in the cold environment. Ha ha ha.
Seriously, Xanax was a huge disappointment. I had heard so much about it and thought I'd give it a try. It didn't do anything noticeable, even when I increased the dosage. It didn't help my anxiety, it didn't help my sleep, it didn't do anything.
Now, an interesting thing is that they have a relatively new med here called Zopiclone (it is supposed to work just like a benzo, but without the addictive properties). I was prescribed that a couple of times, and it worked the same as Xanax.....I felt like I was taking aspirin or a placebo. It did absolutely nothing. So I don't know what is in the other two benzos that aren't in Xanax or Zopiclone, but whatever it is, that is the ingredient that works for me.
I have to say that Ativan is much stronger than Klonopin (you can feel the calmness when it arrives in about an hour's time), but it only lasts for maybe about 4 hours. The Klonopin is NOT as strong (I can't tell when the calmness arrives because it comes on so subtly), but I can certainly tell that I'm not as tense as time passes....and it lasts a whole lot longer than Ativan does. I only need to use 1 mg three times per day, and so far, that is doing MOST of the trick. At least it helps me to function better without that horrible startle reflex, butterflies, body tenseness, massive insomnia (although I still have sleeping problems), etc, etc.
Isn't it funny how one med, such as Xanax, can be such a wonder drug to one person and a placebo to another? I have to laugh when I think that Xanax actually has street value. Boy, if I were a teenager out looking to party and...yippee...we were going to play with Xanax....I would think I had been royally ripped off! LOL.
But, like I said, I hear many wonderful life-changing stories from the use of Xanax. If it works for even one person, don't listen to my story! This might turn out to be the miracle drug that someone has been on the medication roller-coaster ride from *heck*, and what a relief it is to find something that finally works!
Be good!! God bless,
Sandy
Posted by Sandra62 on March 9, 2007, at 16:31:53
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » Phillipa, posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 16:20:23
Am I correct that gabapentin is also called Neurontin? If so that med did zilch for me. Talk about a placebo. I wouldn't trade my Rivotril (Clonazepam/Klonopin) for it ever.
Posted by FredPotter on March 9, 2007, at 16:38:01
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » Phillipa, posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 16:20:23
I found Xanax to be the most effective, and noticeable, benzo. I gave up Ativan as it didn't do anything at all.
Posted by Quintal on March 9, 2007, at 17:08:34
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » Phillipa, posted by SandyWeb on March 9, 2007, at 16:20:23
I had the same experience with Xanax, it was like a placebo - maybe because I was used to the more sedating benzos and Xanax isn't very sedating at all? I felt very exposed and 'raw' when I switched from Valium to Xanax and even started to have near panic attacks. I did manage to get a (brief 2 hour) response once from 6mg, but after that nothing. It's strange because Xanax is supposedly as potent as Klonopin.
Q
Posted by Phillipa on March 9, 2007, at 20:02:30
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » SandyWeb, posted by Quintal on March 9, 2007, at 17:08:34
Boy they are wierd in different body systems. I don't like a sedated feeling hence why I always have preferred xanax. Klonopin seriously first dose I looked at my husband and said you know what I feel suicidal but I'm not? So called the pdoc who talked out loud to himself in his car and said it's the klonopin stop it and go on the xanax only. I did and and later was fine. I have tried klonopin in the past year but it depresses me. And valium is too sedating during the day. Since my thyroid is messed up the new pdoc thinks that when it's regulated may only need xanax like in the past low dose and no thyroid med. Love Phillipa ps I agree who would want to party with this med? Alchohol in high doses was my party thing. ll years since last drink
Posted by yxibow on March 10, 2007, at 2:32:30
In reply to Replacing benzos with gabapentin?, posted by donut on March 9, 2007, at 13:03:23
> I've been taking benzos since 1998 and would like to get off of them. I've heard of people getting relief from anxiety with gabapentin. Would those of you who have tried both be willing to say what worked better for you? Thanks
This all will probably get redirected to the withdrawal board.
Is there a specific reason why you want to drop them? A fear of toxicity or just simply have always not felt great on them? I mean its your body, I'm not suggesting it one way or the other, I'm just noting that there have been people on benzodiazepines since they came out around 1960 and they still function.
As far as gabapentin, I still question the role in my treatment. I take 3600 a day. You can really only take about 900 at a time before it all pees out. From numerous patient-years of use thats basically seen as mostly harmless.
At first there was a dramatic difference, my speech was slurred, I was slowed down extremely. There was some anxiolytic relief, a little. But today, I think it only augments Valium.
You'd probably find higher relief from what I've heard here with Lyrica (very similar to Neurontin but schedule V controlled) provided you're not one (me) of the 10% or so who get blurred vision.
But over the longhaul, no, it is not intense enough to get off of benzodiazepines, if you have any significant dose, and it depends on the benzodiazepine too. If it was Xanax I would say that would be hard to come up against.
But no matter how you withdraw, if you want, from a benzodiazepine, do it with a doctor, and regardless, do it slowly, like 5-10% a week. Don't just dump it, trust me, you'll create a mess -- benzodiazepines are probably the least side effect ridden psychotropics but you can get seizures and other things if you drop them cold.-- tidings
Posted by valene on March 10, 2007, at 7:53:48
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » donut, posted by yxibow on March 10, 2007, at 2:32:30
I too have wanted to come off my xanax completely but after 25 years I think the receptors may never work properly?
I did reduce from 3mg. to 1.5-1.75mg. with difficulty. I know someone who was in bad tolerance withdrawal from Ativan and finally after a failed taper using valium to withdraw, then trying a direct ativan taper, she was put on both Tegretol and Neurontin and she swears they both helped her to get off the ativan. trouble is she will now have to taper both drugs. She switched to trileptal from the tegretol due to side effects. So, I wonder if it is worth it to try neurontin/trileptal? It sounds good in theory that they might help, God knows benzo w/d is no fun!!
I am probably going to be on a low dose xanax the rest of my life as much as I hate to admit. Do you think they can cause permanent damage to the receptors? They cause downregulation of the gaba receptors reducing the ability to attract gaba, so a gabergic drug, how would that help your receptors go back to normal? I think a slow taper with only natural things like magnesium glycinate and maybe taurine would help. Not willing to put up with the anxiety and depression I suffered horribly while tapering benzos before.
Val
Posted by Quintal on March 10, 2007, at 10:40:17
In reply to Re: Replacing benzos with gabapentin? » yxibow, posted by valene on March 10, 2007, at 7:53:48
There's no evidence that long-term benzo use causes brain damage in any way, but there may be lingering functional changes making the benzodiazepine receptors hypersensitive according to Ashton. It seems this can be corrected with Flumazenil if necessary:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20061010/msgs/706548.html.
I'm not sure substitution drugs are always necessary or helpful, since you then have to withdraw from that drug too. The advice seems to be to lower the benzo dose very slowly according to your preference, so even making tiny reductions and taking a few years to come off them if you need is still progress.
Q
Posted by Crazy Horse on March 10, 2007, at 11:47:13
In reply to Replacing benzos with gabapentin?, posted by donut on March 9, 2007, at 13:03:23
> I've been taking benzos since 1998 and would like to get off of them. I've heard of people getting relief from anxiety with gabapentin. Would those of you who have tried both be willing to say what worked better for you? Thanks
I have found Lyrica much more effective than gabapentin. Low dose lyrica like 50 mgs. tid, works GREAT for anxiety.
-Monte
Posted by okydoky on October 27, 2008, at 11:17:19
In reply to Replacing benzos with gabapentin?, posted by donut on March 9, 2007, at 13:03:23
I was searching for some posts and found yours her about gabapentin.
I take pregabalin sometimes for pain. Up to 30mg 3 times a day. I find it very relaxing. Much more so than valium, Xanax or Klonopin. Even perphenazine but this one is of course more numbing.
Anyway the Lyrica makes me feel almost high at first. It definitely relieves my anxiety. Even at a lower dose. I have taken 15mg at a time and it calms me.
For me unfortunately both pregabalin and gabapentin make me much more depressed. The pregabalin makes me feel more depressed, lethargic, most symptoms associated with depression while my trial with gabapentin made me FEEL, I could not stop crying. You might want to do a search on the site, people, including me have discussed this before.
Good luck,oky
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