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View Full Version : Neurontin (Gabapentin) off-label for anxiety



willheal
04-20-2015, 03:10 AM
I'm exceptionally sensitive to medications. SSRIs, even Buspar--which everyone says is harmless--had really intense side-effects for me. Brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, you name it. I've been on a lot of different ones over the past 10 years. I am also extremely sensitive to benzos which make it hard for me to use them as needed. I get an abnormally large amount of rebound anxiety even on small dosages so I can't stop, so I have to either take them daily or not at all.

I've told the doctor often that I feel extremely overstimulated all the time. Like I'm my brain is going 900mph all the time. He thought I might just have OCD too, but my treatment continued to be ineffective.

Well, kinda as a last resort my psych ordered me on 100mg 3x a day of Neurontin. My mom takes this for bipolar disorder, but it can be prescribed off-label for anxiety. (It's for seizures and mood disorders, etc, but usually at much higher dosages). The idea was that it would somehow keep my brain activity from getting too crazy like it does in epileptics.

So far, a month and no side effects. No cloudiness, zombie-like feelings. There's a subtle impact but it's wonderful, and I might go up in dosage soon. It started working pretty quickly. I didn't have to wait forever like I did with Prozac or Zoloft or Luvox.

I dunno, if you're at the end of your rope and you seem to have some sort of unique physiology that makes you resistant to medication treatment, you might want to try it.

willheal
04-20-2015, 03:32 AM
Oh, I should mention this too: If you get those adrenaline rush feelings a lot (or really bad physical anxiety symptoms in general,) propranolol or metoprolol works so well and is pretty safe. You can usually get it prescribed as long as your resting heart rate isn't too low normally. It's evidently very common to prescribe. The combination of this, Ativan as needed, and the Neurontin is making my anxiety quite manageable at the moment. :)

panic30
09-06-2015, 04:07 PM
I am sooo happy to read this! This is close to what I am now starting, and am inspired hearing how well it has worked for you!

Dahila
09-06-2015, 08:27 PM
Guys I am on it for close to three years, zero side effect and it is helping. I can not take any SRRI meds. I am on 900 a day 300 in the morning and 600 at night, as a benefit to controlling anxiety, it helps for my back problem:))