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still_crazy
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Default Oct 15, 2019 at 09:32 PM
  #1
i put both names because its been around so long, some may only know it by the generic name. anyway...

i take 15/abilify and 20/Prozac. im also Rx'd up to 300mgs/gabapentin (tiny, tiny dose, really) and...

I do, now, find it somewhat helpful. Ringing endorsement, I know (LOL). I just cannot -do- much on it, it seems...I can drive, but I think somehow I'm more aware of my impairment than when I was on the benzodiazepines. Looking back...I was sometimes hard down -stupid- , on ativan and klonopin, but I wasn't aware of it, which is...a little bit frightening, actually.

but anyway...I kinda want to ask about some kind of er, sr, xr...whatever..instead of these little instant release pills however many times per day. maybe i'd be less impaired, that way?

so...what do all of you think of gabapentin? does it help with mood stability, at all?

thanks. :-)
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Default Oct 16, 2019 at 02:07 AM
  #2
I take 300 mg every evening. It helps me sleep and I would never take it before driving. Having experimented multiple times with discontinuing it--I have more anxiety without Gabapentin (even the next day) and do not sleep as long without it. I take 1/2 of a .5 mg Xanax as needed (don't need much if I take Zoloft) and have learned from experience that Xanax dulls my thinking (as teachers, we have to think on our feet sometimes) so I rarely take it prior to working. I have been pretty stable lately so I haven't had a Xanax for a few days. I am trying to avoid Xanax whenever I can because I have read it can damage your brain power. Though I will take Xanax if I have to see certain people or have gotten very little sleep for days and days. Perhaps more Gabapentin and no Xanax would be better? The thing is, I have driven OK with Xanax but have never tried after taking a Gabapentin....
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Default Oct 16, 2019 at 05:42 AM
  #3
I used to take 300mg three times a day for anxiety.

It worked really well on my anxiety and even made me more physically relaxed. I didn't have any problems driving but I did notice that I was a little dizzy for a couple of hours after taking it. Otherwise no side effects.

I was on it while I was also taking Lamictal.

I stopped because taking 9 of those pills each day became a difficult.

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Default Oct 16, 2019 at 09:41 AM
  #4
I used to take gabapentin 3 times a day. That was rather annoying. Then my pdoc reduced it to 2, which was much easier, then for other reasons switched it all to nighttime. I find that I have no bad effects from it if I take it all at nighttime (600mg) and my anxiety during the day is still lower.

I'm not sure if it does much for mood stability, but it works wonders for anxiety. The only bad effect I have from it is if I take 900mg or more, I have some concentration issues. Beyond that, the 600mg just makes me sleepy. Which is fine when I take it at bedtime. I just don't drive once I've taken it, and I'm fine by morning.

If you are worried about side effects, I think an xr would be worse, not better. It would probably make the effects last longer. Instead, I would suggest discussing with your pdoc if you can take it all at night so you sleep off the effects. They have a 300mg capsule so you could just take one pill.

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Default Oct 16, 2019 at 08:03 PM
  #5
Was on it for four years. I do think it helped a bit with my anxiety, though not like Klonopin (which I refuse to take due to SE). It did nothing for mood in my view.

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Default Oct 17, 2019 at 07:58 AM
  #6
I've never taken it but am unclear on what it is prescribed for. Do some people take it just for sleep? (I'm always looking for solutions to my sleep issues and keep trying to get off of Mirtazapine).
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Default Oct 17, 2019 at 12:24 PM
  #7
I'm *prescribed* to take it 3x/day (for a total of 1800 mg), but I actually only take it twice a day 600 mg in the am, same in the pm. I've found it mellows me out. I no longer get (overly)worked up about things (ie. far less pissy/ragey, I can take things more in stride). The nighttime dose I take with melatonin. It's part of my sleep aid strategy. I usually sleep pretty ok, sometimes even well, lol. I'm only moderately convinced of the efficacy of my plan, but it keeps me from using my xanax very often at all (which I am prescribed for both anxiety and sleep). The xanax is very effective for me, but I prefer to take it infrequently.

But back to gabapentin... I don't know that it stabilizes moods per se, but keeping that overly-irritable side at bay is golden. Makes me seem more like a normal person, lol. I haven't really noticed any impairment, but maybe if I skipped it for a day or two I might be able to assess that better. I don't drive because I take transit. But I do work, and I haven't really noticed a problem.

I am thinking like unicornlady that xr might be more problematic in the regard you are concerned about.

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Default Oct 17, 2019 at 11:59 PM
  #8
I was on Gabapentin for about 6 months, usually 900mg, all at night. It caused me to feel...not exactly dizzy...more off-balance. Sometimes I felt like it was easing agitation/anxiety, but ultimately not enough to make me want to stay on it.

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Heart Oct 18, 2019 at 10:35 PM
  #9
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy3boys View Post
I've never taken it but am unclear on what it is prescribed for. Do some people take it just for sleep? (I'm always looking for solutions to my sleep issues and keep trying to get off of Mirtazapine).
Hi Amy3boys,

In my experience, yes! Some people use it for sleep.

As you have read, many use it day and night. However, I have had it prescribed for sleep. In my case, it eventually stopped working.

Best wishes whether or not you decide to try it!!!

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Default Oct 18, 2019 at 11:06 PM
  #10
I love the stuff. I take 1200 mg at night and it really helps me calm down and sleep. It's helping me get through the transitions with going off klonopin but mostly I take it to help with sleep.

I don't like to take much in the daytime. It can make me kind of loopy and uncoordinated although that takes more than my prescribed PRN doses.

It's on of my favorite meds.

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Default Oct 19, 2019 at 12:14 AM
  #11
I love the stuff. I take 1200 mg at night and it really helps me calm down and sleep. It's helping me get through the transitions with going off klonopin but mostly I take it to help with sleep.

I don't like to take much in the daytime. It can make me kind of loopy and uncoordinated although that takes more than my prescribed PRN doses.

It's on of my favorite meds.

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Default Oct 20, 2019 at 08:15 AM
  #12
I took Neurontin with some other bipolar medication for such a short time that I'd rather not share my experience. I do recall taking over 1,000 mg per day. My husband, who does not have bipolar disorder, has taken the small dose of 200 mg per day (in the morning) for a couple years now. He takes it for a combo of anxiety and nerve pain. It is especially helpful for him for the nerve pain (peripheral neuropathy).
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