I have chills, vomiting, and anxiety after stopping Gabapentin. Please help.

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been taking Celexa 10 mg for two years. Recently, I was prescribed Gabapentin 100 mg twice daily, which I took for about a month, but started having stomach issues.

So, I titrated it down to 100 mg a day for a week by myself and then stopped it. It has been almost three weeks, and now all of a sudden I have withdrawal symptoms. I have chills, vomiting, insomnia, severe anxiety, and sweating. It seems to get worse after taking Celexa at night. Any help would be appreciated.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Withdrawal symptoms seem to be unlikely after three weeks of stopping Gabapentin. Check if you have a fever. If not, I would suggest you try taking PPI (proton pump inhibitor) for vomiting and Benzodiazepines for anxiety and insomnia.

Skip Celexa for a couple of days. Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her, and start the medication after their consent. Also, a physical examination should be done by your general physician.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

There are two ways to switch from Celexa to Zoloft (Sertraline). Consult your psychiatrist before changing the medicine. Decrease Celexa to 5 mg and then stop it after a week. After stopping Celexa, start Zoloft 25 mg per day. Stop Celexa all of a sudden and start Zoloft 25 mg per day.

I would recommend the second way as both are SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and therefore, there are fewer chances of discontinuation syndrome. You can then slowly up-titrate Zoloft.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.