what happens if you quit taking gabapentin
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication prescribed for seizures and nerve pain. People who develop a physical dependence on gabapentin may experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to get rid of it. Withdrawal symptoms can begin within 12 hours to 7 days after stopping the drug and last up to 10 days. Gabapentin withdrawal symptoms can include nausea, dizziness, headache, insomnia, and anxiety.
What Is Gabapentin?
Gabapentin (marketed under the trade names Neurontin, Gralise, and Horizant) is an anticonvulsant drug used to treat partial seizures, post-operative neuralgia, and other types of nerve pain. The extended-release formulation of Horizant is approved for the treatment of restless legs syndrome.1
Although abuse of gabapentin is relatively rare, its abuse has been documented in studies. Abuse of gabapentin most commonly occurs when combined with other drugs, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.
Does Gabapentin Have a Withdrawal Syndrome?
Even people who take gabapentin as prescribed can develop physical dependence; however, people who abuse or abuse it recreationally can experience significant levels of addiction and withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop or slow down its use. There are documented cases of withdrawal symptoms in individuals who have taken daily doses of 400 mg to 8000 mg for at least 3 weeks.3,4
Gabapentin withdrawal syndrome may resemble some of the withdrawal symptoms. alcoholism and benzodiazepines. This similarity may be because gabapentin and these other substances both act on gammaaminobutyric acid, or GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.
Major withdrawal symptoms associated with gabapentin use include: 3,4,5,6
Anxiety. Restlessness. Insomnia. Tired. Restlessness. Irritability. Dizzy. Headache. Sensitivity to light. Sweat. Irregular heartbeat. Nausea. Pain. In addition, people who take gabapentin for seizures and suddenly stop taking it may experience flare-ups or increased frequency of seizures, including intermittent and uncontrolled seizures (state epileptic).
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