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Gabapentin?????????

Could someone please tell me if they have ever heard of the use of gabapentin for anxiety? I am presently taking 1800mg per day and still have alot of breakthrough anxiety. I have talked to my physciatrist about this and his answer is to learn how to get a handle on this. It's very hard to get a handle on something you don't feel like you have control over. I have been on this medication since Feb. of this year and don't feel like I'm making as much progress as I should have by now. Thanks for any advice.
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I take escitalopram 10mg daily and 300 mg of gabapentin 5 times a day.  Works well for me and I got off alprazolam. Can take it during a rare breakout attack.
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I take neurontin for anxiety and bipolar.  I have been taking it for about 7 years.  In the past two years my dose has been pushed up to 3600 milligrams a day. I take 1200 milligrams three times a day. Way too much, but a this dose I have no anxiety or bipolar tendancies.  It helps me sleep and I don't feel restless throughout the day.  I know I have to ease off of them.  In the past year I have developed chronic urination and constipation.  My doctor said it's not the neurontin.  I went to the urologist, which concluded that I had a stricture in my urethra.  Ultimately, the urologist couldn't find the stricture.  I really feel like all the regulatory and urinary symptoms are  a result of the large doses of neurontin.  It's so hard to stop taking neurontin, or even getting on a lower dose causes me to be sick, sleepless, and anxious.  Any suggestions?
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Avatar universal
I have some more questions regaurding the Gabapentin. Hopefully you can be of some help to me. I have had ongoing stomach issues,nasuea and feeling too full after eating. I have been on the Gastro forum where I was told that I might have Gastroparesis. I will be going to a gastro md. in Jan. I have had an upper GI normal and a gallbladder ultrasound normal. When researching Gastroparesis ( not to say that I have it yet) one of the causes might be  an anticholingeric drug, which after further research I believe that Gabapentin might be. Would you know anything about this and would there maybe be a connection? I thought that was an odd finding?

Also, as far as other medications I have found myself to be very medicine sensative. I was on Elavil a year ago and got into a state of depression. Lexapro and Cymbalta raced my heart and sent me to the ER and urgent care. So I believe that is why my phsyatrist put me on the Gabapentin. I have done alot of research via the internet and books to try and figure my problems. I know that anxiety is my front runner problem and have some depression over not getting a handle on this darn anxiety. I believe I have in last year been treated for depression as the front runner. This is just not true. When I don't have any anxiety I then have no depression symptoms.

Why, when I told my phsyciatrist that I was still having alot of breakthroung anxiety was he just telling me to work harded to get past it? He only sees me about 15 minutes or so.,so when I ask him too many questions he just tells me to talk with my therapist that's what she's there for.not him.I 'm starting to feel that I'm nothing more than a number and he really doesn't care whether I improve or not.

Would Kolnapin then be a good choice for me? I need something with very little side effects. I was on Xanax for just a few days and did not have any serious side effects other than wanting to sleep all day, but no heart racing or added panic. I stop this medication cuz I did not want to spend the day sleeping.

If Kolnapin would be a good choice how would I go about starting it since I'm on the Gabapentin? Could I safely start on this while weaning off the Gabapentin? My phsyciatirst says that the Gabapentin is the best medication for my anxiety so I would probably have a hard time getting him to try me on something else. In fact he says that I am stable enough to only see him every other month. I on the other hand do not feel that way. Any help would be wonderful, as I would love to get my old self back.
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Arlington, VA
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