Gabapentin - You've gotta try it!

I have been depressed, anxious, and unmotivated for 3 months. I have felt so miserable that I haven't wanted to watch TV or even eat. Everything felt like a burden.

I was prescribed a med called Gabapentin last week as an alternative to benzos. It is supposed to help with anxiety and boost your mood. It is also used for chronic pain relief among other things.

The first time I took it was right before a nap. I got drowsy and fell asleep and when I woke up, I felt like I was high -- and not in a good way. I got scared so I have been taking it at night to avoid the "trippy" feeling for the past week. My husband encouraged me to try it during the day to try to get rid of my constant anxiety, so I finally did this morning.

After 15 minutes I felt calm. After 30 minutes my anxiety vanished. After an hour, my mood improved significantly. I feel GOOD. It's a very weird feeling after being depressed and anxious for several months, to take one pill and instantly feel significantly better.

I would encourage any of you who are looking for anxiety relief (or a mood booster) to get a prescription and give it a try. It's non-habit-forming so it's easier to get than a benzo, and for me it works just as well as Xanax for general anxiety. My dosage is 300mg twice a day which is considered a "starter" dose.

This is my first day on this medication (not counting the times I was sleeping), so I am not an expert. If you want to read about it, here are some reviews and more info:
www.drugs.com/comments/gabapentin/for-anxiety.html

Now I will be able to enjoy my birthday on Sunday. Yipee!

-Cat

thats great news.

I take lyrica for fibro and just wanted to warn that while lyrica and gabapentin are generally considered not addictive (which I really find debatable and lyrica at least is a controlled med) you most definitely become dependent and as hibee said, have to wean off them slowly. If I run out of lyrica or take a dose too late I really feel it and the withdrawal is miserable. Just something to be aware of.

Hi BC

When I was taking Lyrica I had to keep increasing the dose as it seemed to stop working in hindsight I wish I hadn't done that as it made it much harder to stop. It was one of the harder medication to withdraw from and this is something which doctors don't seem to inform you of when you start it.

Hibee