HomeAnswersPsychiatrygabapentinI am having anxiety after stopping Gabapentin. Can this be Gabapentin withdrawal symptoms?

Why am I having anxiety after stopping Gabapentin?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Jeyan

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Divya Banu M

Published At November 2, 2019
Reviewed AtJanuary 18, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am a 34-year-old woman, otherwise in good health. I have a history of anxiety and panic attacks but I had not suffered any of these in a severe form in over 6 years. I was medication free for many years, up until 2 months ago when I went to see a psychiatrist for possible psychosomatic symptoms, I had chronic abdominal pains with no obvious source discovered after several medical tests. The psychiatrist gave me Gabapentin. She said to take 300 mg every night. I started the medication as she prescribed but after 3 to 4 days I found they were making me too groggy so I started taking 300 mg every three days. Then by the end of last month, went down to 300 mg every 6 to 7 days. I had no side effects except for a bit of nausea/dyspepsia, feeling drowsy and my mind was foggy. Around 2 weeks ago I stopped taking them altogether since my abdominal pain was getting better on its own.

But around 8 to 9 days after stopping Gabapentin, I started having these weird symptoms that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Anxiety which has increased to dramatic levels over the last few days, panic sensations on every tiny negative or sad thought, a burning feeling in my throat and nose, horrible heartburn, waves of weakness like an adrenaline rush flowing through my chest, arms and legs. I have strange thoughts, bizarre ideas like mind control and telepathy (which is so uncharacteristic of me), confusion - I cannot get my thoughts together well, cannot remember things. Insomnia, cannot sleep for more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. I feel horrible. There is a bit of stress in my life at the moment but nothing that I would not have normally handled decently well. I also checked my thyroid and my TSH and FT4 are completely normal. It all started suddenly five days ago and since then it has been hell. Things have not gotten any better over these days, at the contrary I am worse.

Can this be Gabapentin withdrawal symptoms? Because my doctor told me I can quit it cold turkey since it is not addictive but I am starting to believe it must be. No way I went crazy like this for no reason. I feel like I cannot fully control the way my brain is working and I am overreacting to any slight emotion and turning it into panic. Please help.

Answered by Dr. Jeyan

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have clearly described several psychosomatic symptoms. On the core of such symptoms is anxiety. Anxiety can take several forms and can manifest in different ways in different individuals. For some it may be palpitations and breathlessness, for some it might be butterflies in the stomach, frequent micturition, etc.

Gabapentin is a good anti-anxiety medication but it can cause day time sedation (which you had). The way you have tapered off Gabapentin suggests that the current symptoms you are experiencing cannot be a withdrawal state. Rather it is anxiety which is manifesting in such a manner. The normal stress you have mentioned may not be normal for you. For a vulnerable individual who has had an anxiety disorder in the past, even mild forms of stress can trigger an anxiety or panic episode. My suggestion would be to take a few medications for at least 6 to 9 months and also practice some breathing exercises and yoga.

My suggestion for you would be, tablet Desvenlafaxine 50 mg - 1 tablet at night after food and tablet Clonazepam 1 mg - 1 tablet at night after food. Additionally, you can take tablet Clonazepam 0.25 mg 1 tablet on a SOS basis (that is whenever you have an anxiety attack). The above medications will help with most of your symptoms as well as improve your sleep. The only issue is that Clonazepam should be tapered off in about 4 weeks. It can cause dependence. Take care.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Jeyan
Dr. Jeyan

Psychiatry

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