Help!

Someone? Please?

Greetings. Taper depends upon your personal situation: age, dosage, etc. Generally speaking, it can be tapered relatively quickly, within a week, but is your doctor aware you are getting off the drug or are you trying to get off all drugs on your own?

Hello @wmbcat and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I read your posts and I'm wondering why you want to get off of Gabapentin? Is it a financial reason or a personal one?

You should never discontinue a medication without your doctors knowledge. Your doctor can provide you with a way to safely reduce the dosage.

Have you contacted your doctor about this yet?

I want to get off of it because I was only put in it for Benzo detox reasons. I was not supposed to stay on it. I was sent home from detox because I got covid and never got a plan to come off. My doctor at home retired and his replacement is clueless. I don’t know what to do or how to get off.

There are number of websites from people who specialize in addiction medicine that give information on tapering off of most drugs. Here's an example of one I found for Gabapentin.https://americanaddictioncenters.org/neurontin-abuse/gabapentin-cause-withdrawal-symptoms

I've been sober myself for a little over twenty-one years and frankly some of the medications they use in detox are bewildering to me.

There's more Information out there on this one. I'd highly suggest finding an addiction medicine specialist to help with the process, especially considering the fact that patients can develop a physical dependence on this in a matter of weeks.

Good luck,
Philip

Hello @wmbcat

I do recommend that you contact a physician. Perhaps an addiction specialist or perhaps your pharmacist could help you with tapering off of the Gabapentin. Pharamacists are a wealth of information when it comes to prescription drugs.

I'd like to hear from you again. Will you post after you talk to a physician or pharmacist?

Gabapentin isn't as hard to stop as the benzos were. You can usually drop the dose by 1 300-mg capsule a week. If you get uncomfortable, slow it down, and if craving for your drug of choice increases, consider taking the Gabapentin indefinitely. I take it for fibromyalgia, and for me it's the least consciousness-altering option.

@wmbcat
It sounds like you did right thing by detoxing and now feel abandoned due to leaving detox unexpectedly and not having a local provider with knowledge,

Have you reached out to your detox center about a post detox treatment plan. Detox is just the first step and they should not of sent you home without a plan going forward.

I agree with previous comments about not changing medications without provider advice.

I would ask detox provider the following questions?
1. How and when you should go off GABAPENTIN.?
2. Ask them to refer you to a addiction specialist in your area.
3. Ask them for a post treatment care plan, or something similar to help you going forward.

I hope you get support your need,

Laurie

Your link is a very good source of info. Thank you for sharing it.