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Neurontin addication
My doctor prescribed Neurontin for menapausal symptoms of night sweats, really bad inosomnia and restless leg syndrome. 200 mg nightly worked nicely for 2 weeks. Then it didn't do a thing so doctor increased it to 300-400 mg per night. I tried to stick to 300 mg but after 48 hours without sleep and feeling like I as losing my mind, I caved and took 400. That worked but now isn't. I take it, feel weak and exhuasted but can't sleep. Doctor said he didn't want to give me another med because most, for sleep aids, are addictive. Well, what the heck is this? If I need to take more and more of this stuff and can't sleep ...isn't that addiction? How do I get off this stuff and get back to sleeping normally? I tried weaning myself off but I can't sleep AT ALL no matter how exhausted I feel.
Neurontin-hell
Neurontin-hell
wow, we have even more in common than i originally thought :-) keep talking....i'm not sure if it's you writing or me! :-) anyway, yes, i was also taking lortabs (tylenol plus hydrocodone) along with the lorazepam (ativan) cuz it would help put me to sleep....but you have to be careful of those rebound headaches for sure....
it does start to make you feel like you're going crazy....my husband just doesn't even have a clue anymore about ANY of this....he just shakes his head and it almost seems as if he's blaming ME for all of this!!! amazing...totally amazing....
our bodies are finely tuned machines....and so often, when something goes awry, it goes awry BIG-TIME and makes other things go awry right along with it....drugs help and then hurt....it's frustrating and discouraging and disheartening and maddening and saddening and everything in between....
i just want to be able to relax like a normal person at night and SLEEP! i'm not looking to abuse a drug or for a "high" or a "low" or anything of the sort....just want to sleep like a normal person, like i did 20 years ago....but something's TERRIBLY screwed up with me and i just can't sleep on my own anymore....that's scary in and of itself, isn't it? to know that your body can't even do what is supposed to come naturally?
anyway, the psychiatrist i see isn't your "typical" psychiatrist....he's more of a doctor who works with people who are tapering off meds or trying to taper off meds or having sleep issues or stuff like that.....he uses a lot of blood tests and a LOT of vitamins, minerals, supplements, etc. in addition to medications....he actually spends more time trying to get more people OFF medications than he does trying to get people ON to medications, if that makes any sense....anyway, he's not your typical psychiatrist.....he said he kind of came into this by way of the backdoor, when most of the patients who were walking through his door were women suffering from postpartum or menopausal or post menopausal symptoms.....and sleep issues are a common feature of every one of those scenarios
anyway, don't know where you live.....feel free to pm me.....it would be awesome if you lived anywhere near my neck of the woods....i could refer you to this great psych guy!!! :-)
and you're right, every medication SHOULD scare us....well, maybe not scare us, but at least make us cautious and safe....that's the ticket
i just want to sleep!!!! i wish you a peaceful night.....
love,
kim
it does start to make you feel like you're going crazy....my husband just doesn't even have a clue anymore about ANY of this....he just shakes his head and it almost seems as if he's blaming ME for all of this!!! amazing...totally amazing....
our bodies are finely tuned machines....and so often, when something goes awry, it goes awry BIG-TIME and makes other things go awry right along with it....drugs help and then hurt....it's frustrating and discouraging and disheartening and maddening and saddening and everything in between....
i just want to be able to relax like a normal person at night and SLEEP! i'm not looking to abuse a drug or for a "high" or a "low" or anything of the sort....just want to sleep like a normal person, like i did 20 years ago....but something's TERRIBLY screwed up with me and i just can't sleep on my own anymore....that's scary in and of itself, isn't it? to know that your body can't even do what is supposed to come naturally?
anyway, the psychiatrist i see isn't your "typical" psychiatrist....he's more of a doctor who works with people who are tapering off meds or trying to taper off meds or having sleep issues or stuff like that.....he uses a lot of blood tests and a LOT of vitamins, minerals, supplements, etc. in addition to medications....he actually spends more time trying to get more people OFF medications than he does trying to get people ON to medications, if that makes any sense....anyway, he's not your typical psychiatrist.....he said he kind of came into this by way of the backdoor, when most of the patients who were walking through his door were women suffering from postpartum or menopausal or post menopausal symptoms.....and sleep issues are a common feature of every one of those scenarios
anyway, don't know where you live.....feel free to pm me.....it would be awesome if you lived anywhere near my neck of the woods....i could refer you to this great psych guy!!! :-)
and you're right, every medication SHOULD scare us....well, maybe not scare us, but at least make us cautious and safe....that's the ticket
i just want to sleep!!!! i wish you a peaceful night.....
love,
kim
Thanks a lot. It helps to finally find someone who can relate to this. You know, it starts to feel like I'm going crazy when I can't sleep yet people say this stuff isn't addictive. Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word, but it's being prescribed off label and when I did a long search, it looks like there's a law suit going re addiction to it, so I'm not alone!
No, I'm not seeing a psychiatrist but maybe I should. I thought this was just a sleep pattern I'd fallen into due to menapause and that I'd go back to normal after a few weeks of getting regular sleep. But, this really backfired. I take Tylenol 3 for migraine headaches and the codeine would help me fall asleep but it also gives residual headahces if you take too much of it, so I was always careful. The crazy thing is that I didn't want to become addicted to codeine LOL! Neurontin helps the migraines and I take way less of the 3s but this stuff is pretty scary all on its own! Thanks for writing back Kim. I'll talk to my doctor and see if I can get a referral to a psychiatrist in case there's some help available that isn't linked to this stuff. Never heard of clonadine, but honestly, every medication scares me now.
Neurontin-hell
No, I'm not seeing a psychiatrist but maybe I should. I thought this was just a sleep pattern I'd fallen into due to menapause and that I'd go back to normal after a few weeks of getting regular sleep. But, this really backfired. I take Tylenol 3 for migraine headaches and the codeine would help me fall asleep but it also gives residual headahces if you take too much of it, so I was always careful. The crazy thing is that I didn't want to become addicted to codeine LOL! Neurontin helps the migraines and I take way less of the 3s but this stuff is pretty scary all on its own! Thanks for writing back Kim. I'll talk to my doctor and see if I can get a referral to a psychiatrist in case there's some help available that isn't linked to this stuff. Never heard of clonadine, but honestly, every medication scares me now.
Neurontin-hell
i can relate big-time...i'm right there with ya, only i've tried just about every possible sleep remedy on the market and then some....with little success except for the benzos (ativan) but they are extremely addicting and your body eventually builds up a tolerance so you have to take more and more, etc.
however, i've never been prescribed neurontin for sleep (i was on it for just a BRIEF time years and years and years ago for headaches, but only took it briefly, for some reason, i was afraid of it at the time!)....anyway, just recently, my mom had some nerve issues and was prescribed neurontin....she's 71 and always has trouble sleeping....while she was on it (for a period of about a month or so), she said she slept like a baby, like she hadn't slept in YEARS! so, i guess it does help with sleep
you sound like me though....something works for awhile, then bam, it stops working or else takes massive amts. to keep working.....VERY frustrating and can almost make you lose your mind, i swear.....just try going on 3-4 hours of sleep for years and years and years and anyone would know what we're talking about....
i had a complete hysterectomy 15 months ago, so i entered menopause at an earlier age than normal and it was drastic and basically overnight....i KNOW hormones (or the lack of) play a huge, HUGE part in the sleeping process....
have you gone to a GOOD psychiatrist who is biologically oriented and knows about women's issues (menopause, sleep, etc.)? i'm seeing one right now, so he understands completely about the sleep thing....and has me trying something else for the first time.....clonidine (ever heard of it?)
anyway, i don't have many more answers for you in terms of the neurontin but wanted to let you know that i read your post and REALLY felt for you.....cuz i'm in the exact same boat and i can feel your agony and frustration....i just wanted to let you know you're not alone in all that, if that helps in any small way....
feel free to pm me if you have any further questions....
good luck and i sure hope you start getting the quality sleep that we all so desperately need!!!
God Bless....
kim
however, i've never been prescribed neurontin for sleep (i was on it for just a BRIEF time years and years and years ago for headaches, but only took it briefly, for some reason, i was afraid of it at the time!)....anyway, just recently, my mom had some nerve issues and was prescribed neurontin....she's 71 and always has trouble sleeping....while she was on it (for a period of about a month or so), she said she slept like a baby, like she hadn't slept in YEARS! so, i guess it does help with sleep
you sound like me though....something works for awhile, then bam, it stops working or else takes massive amts. to keep working.....VERY frustrating and can almost make you lose your mind, i swear.....just try going on 3-4 hours of sleep for years and years and years and anyone would know what we're talking about....
i had a complete hysterectomy 15 months ago, so i entered menopause at an earlier age than normal and it was drastic and basically overnight....i KNOW hormones (or the lack of) play a huge, HUGE part in the sleeping process....
have you gone to a GOOD psychiatrist who is biologically oriented and knows about women's issues (menopause, sleep, etc.)? i'm seeing one right now, so he understands completely about the sleep thing....and has me trying something else for the first time.....clonidine (ever heard of it?)
anyway, i don't have many more answers for you in terms of the neurontin but wanted to let you know that i read your post and REALLY felt for you.....cuz i'm in the exact same boat and i can feel your agony and frustration....i just wanted to let you know you're not alone in all that, if that helps in any small way....
feel free to pm me if you have any further questions....
good luck and i sure hope you start getting the quality sleep that we all so desperately need!!!
God Bless....
kim
I'm no expert but I think it must be mental. I don't think Neurontin is addictive. Maybe I'm wrong. I would think the insomnia is related to something else and the Neurontin has nothing to do with it. I took Seroquel for a short period of time for insomnia and it worked great and was easy to stop taking when I was done. Hope this helps.
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