Gabapentin it doesn’t relieve pain for me- can I stop cold turkey?

Posted by karynwendy @karynwendy, Aug 29, 2025

I have taken it for about 8 weeks for help to ease neuropathy in my feet. 300mg. initially did nothing so it was increased to 600mg. per day. Which I have taken for 3 1/2 weeks- No pain relief in fact the pain seems worse.
Severe heartburn,
Brainfog and balance issues,
Weight gain, irritability
and more difficulty sleeping are side effects. So I am stopping it- I am cutting down to 300mg. for 4 days then 200 for 3 days then 100 for 3 days. I took it for a short period so would prefer to go cold turkey as the heartburn is really bad. Input appreciated!

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | Mar 21 1:27pm

It's available in 100mg 300mg and 400mg capsules so plan ahead to make sure that you can get the required amounts to phase it out. If you have a compounding pharmacy near you , you could probably get 50mg size for better taper once you get down to the last 100mg.

aileenredding | @aileenredding | Mar 21 3:57pm

I have had some experiences since I wrote about taking gabapentin for pain. I am decreasing the gabapentin 100mg a week. I have used this drug several times and never had trouble with decreasing dosage. The reason I started it was for pain but then the pain came back. I am presently on 10mg prednisone daily to lessen inflammation and will be having an iron infusion during the next week. I am very anemic. I have also been diagnosed with polymyalgic rheumatica so maybe the muscle pains were that and not just aches and pains. I never got an M.D.🤣

johnnysneakers | @johnnysneakers | Mar 22 6:28am

I am on 150mg of Gabepentin and works quite well. However i have found I must avoid sweets in the late evening. Two nights ago i had a piece of chocolate cake and i had a painful evening in bed.

jum13 | @jum13 | Mar 23 7:52am

I am on 600 mg. I want to say it took a few months to really kick in. Yes of course there are side effects, you learn to cope, also write a lot of things down, ha ha. Also for me, more than anything , have to keep moving, walking, biking ….no pill alone works. On two occasions I was forced to quit for a week due to forgetting my pills, didn’t experience any issues.

Jake | @jakedduck1 | Mar 23 10:42pm

@jum13
You should never stop a seizure medication abruptly.
Jake

gfred40 | @gfred40 | Mar 25 7:24am

Doctors and pharmacists will highlight the need to taper off gabapentin or Lyrica. I take 300 mg gabapentin at dinner so that I can sleep. I don't take it in the daytime anymore, because it made me too groggy. I make all changes working with my doctor. By the way gabapentin is a very inexpensive generic drug.