Neurontin (Gabapentin)

Almost a billion dollars in fines and pleading guilty to criminal charges of lying about it’s benefits and hiding negative information about the drug make it sound like a scam to me. I didn’t make this stuff up.

While it may help for anxiety, it does not help for bipolar, for example.

Like all large pharma companies - they have thousands of employees - some of which have obviously stepped over the line and done unethical things. That issue needs to be separated from whether a given medication is helpful for some people in some conditions. Obviously - I don’t know about the use of it in bipolar.

I encourage skepticism with any claim by any company - but you also have to be a little open minded to things and open to trying things. Its a balance.

Gabapentin is either hit or miss - more miss when it comes to bipolar mood stabilization, it is sometimes used as an add on to other more established mood stabilizers for an added boost or augmentation - it is a better drug, more efficacy when it comes to anxiety, especially anxious bipolar patients

I’m on it for trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic pain but it helps a lot with my anxiety as a side note, whenever I try to decrease it my OCD comes with a vengeance. I may have to come off it, I’m seeing a neurologist in August as I’m getting bizarre symptoms that the gabapentin should control, I can’t really increase it as it makes me sedated but I’m a bit scared of coming off it, can’t predict the future so I suppose I’ll wait and see!

Good luck with it, hopefully it will help :blush:!

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I’m on Nuerontin, but I pretty much have nerve damage… Neurontin isn’t really for anxiety - in my opinion. It’s more for ‘nerve pain’… It’s prescribed to diabetics a lot. Like, when a lot of diabetics toes fall off, they have pains in the nerves besides the pain from the toe falling off. That’s more of what Nuerontin’s for, but it might help if you’re having any pain in your nerves & it helps some ppl sleep. :smile:

I am an anxious schizoaffective/bipolar person who is living with diabetes and has insomnia, so lets see what happens

I was prescibed Gabapentin for neuropathy in my ankles. I had to tritate up to the recommended dosage but only saw a mild improvement. I stopped because I was worried about long term effects, but after reading everyone’s comments, I think I’ll give it another try. If it helps with anxiety, it will be worth the risk.

Hi @Wave sorry if it’s in another thread but did you start taking it?

Hi Barbie - I decided to take it starting tomorrow, it seems that I am too anxious starting my antianxiety medication!
I see my therapist the same day that I start it, this might make me more at ease. I know that I have postponed taking it it for a couple of days - this is not really like me and it is not the way to go, but my anxiety is that bad.
I will start it tomorrow and keep all of you posted on how I am doing with it

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Rob,

You take Klonopin, don’t you? Are you going to be taking Neurontin in addition to Klonopin? That would be a real 1-2 punch to your anxiety!

Blessings,

Anthony

Hey Anthony, I cut down on the Klonopin a bit, now I am on a tiny dose, my pdoc advised me to do so.
I guess so that I am not so sedated- but she said that as long as the Klonopin dose is low, she is fine with it.
She really wants the Neurontin to replace the Klonopin at some point

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I’ve come down pretty hard on Neurontin in this thread and I do feel that it is an great example of greed and corruption in the pharmaceutical industry but I do hope that it works well for you.

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Ok, good plan. I was just concerned that you might be suddenly stopping the Klonopin. That’s a nightmare situation! I had to do that once after a hurricane shut down all the pharmacies, and the withdrawal was horrific. I didn’t sleep for 5 days.

I’m glad you’re doing the right thing and tapering down! Best of luck bud!

Blessings,

Anthony

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