neurontin side effects

SSRIs » SSRIs » neurontin side effects

Question:

For the past 3 months I’ve been taking 300 mg of neurontin twice a day, to help with pain related to a compressed nerve. I haven’t taken the neurontin over the past 4 days- scrip ran out and I didn’t fill it until today. Over the weekend, I had some terrible crying jags, feelings of anxiety (I’m on elavil for depression), jitteriness. Could this be related to going off the neurontin? Michele

Response:

Heya, Michelle, Yeah, definitely. It’s not a good thing to do, at all. I understand you were kinda forced to, but you coulda had a major seizure. Not chewing you out, ‘cuz I went off prednisone all at once myself, due to non-stop bleeding. Another no-no. I knew I was risking having a psychotic episode, but I figured who could tell? I also risked having my adrenals fail. Shame on us both, huh? The neurontin’s working well for me and I’m aware it’s one of the ones to titer down from. Hope you’re aware of that now, too. Whoops! Hugs from Rosie — "If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself." – Meat Loaf, Bat Outta Hell II

Response:

>For the past 3 months I’ve been taking 300 mg of neurontin twice a >day, to help with pain related to a compressed nerve. I haven’t taken >the neurontin over the past 4 days- scrip ran out and I didn’t fill it >until today. Over the weekend, I had some terrible crying jags, >feelings of anxiety (I’m on elavil for depression), jitteriness. Could >this be related to going off the neurontin? >Michele

I had mood problems when I went off Neurontin (rage mostly), so my personal response is yes it "could" be related. I’ve seen others post of mood disturbances when coming off too, though most don’t seem to have the problem. – Jen

Response:

From what I’ve experienced (myself and with my kids), about all of the neurologic (including psychiatric) medications should not be discontinued suddenly. Interesting note. About a year ago, I had to take an antibiotic for a week or so that looked kind of like the Prozac that I take daily. For two days, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t taking my dose of prozac in the morning with my other meds. (I’d look in my hand, see the green and white pill and I figured that I was okay, still not awake enough to realize that it was the antibiotic, not the prozac.) I got pretty depressed after just two days, then at night after those days, as I was taking the antibiotic I realized that I’d missed the prozac. This wasn’t a placebo affect thing – I didn’t know that I wasn’t taking it – but I did notice that I was really down. I hurried and took my prozac and haven’t missed a day since. I talked to my psychiatrist and told him of the event. Researchers have noticed a change in mood with just one day being missed of the SSRIs like Prozac. Kind of wild – it takes 4-6 weeks to work, but the small change in blood level from just one day being missed. To me it was just more evidence of my body’s need for the medicine. Depression is a physical illness. Sorry for rambling. Be careful with the meds. We’ve all done what you have done. (I did it with blood pressure medicine when first married – wanted to wait until payday. My wife got pretty upset with me – I guess she wanted me to stick around.) Sorry to ramble. Martin

Response:

It certainly could have been the neurontin Michele. Neurontin is one of those medicines a person should not stop taking all at once. I know you couldn’t help it this time. Neurontin should be tapered slowly to withdraw from. I guess the worst thing it can cause is seizures. Seems rather odd since it is an anti-seizure medicine huh? I take 600mg of neurontin 2 x’s a day and then 900mg at bedtime. My doctor rx’d 900mg 3 times a day, but I couldn’t handle feeling sleepy without being able to sleep, so I talked with him and we changed it to the 600mg and 900 mg. Still get sleepy during the day, but with my weird sleeping habits any more, it doesn’t really matter. Sue We survive together or not at all.

Response:

I think that the big seizure risk for many of these medicines in ceasing them is because they are used by people with epilepsy to control seizures. Without the seizure control medication, there is nothing to control the epilepsy, therefore the risk of seizures becomes higher. Some medications (such as Klonopin – aka clonazepam – benzodiazapine used for anxiety but also for seizures) will cause anybody seizures if stopped suddenly after being used for awhile. Key is to not run out of the medicine and to not cease it without medical supervision. (I’m not being judgemental – I certainly have done that before!! In a perfect world the medical supervision would be available without judgement and the financial worries wouldn’t exist.) Same holds true for the long term pain meds – but how many of us have been left stranded by our docs – but that is a different subject. Martin

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->For the past 3 months I’ve been taking 300 mg of neurontin twice a >day, to help with pain related to a compressed nerve. I haven’t taken >the neurontin over the past 4 days- scrip ran out and I didn’t fill it >until today. Over the weekend, I had some terrible crying jags, >feelings of anxiety (I’m on elavil for depression), jitteriness. Could >this be related to going off the neurontin? >Michele > It certainly could have been the neurontin Michele. Neurontin is one of those > medicines a person should not stop taking all at once. I know you couldn’t > help it this time. > Neurontin should be tapered slowly to withdraw from. I guess the worst thing > it can cause is seizures. Seems rather odd since it is an anti-seizure > medicine huh? > I take 600mg of neurontin 2 x’s a day and then 900mg at bedtime. My doctor > rx’d 900mg 3 times a day, but I couldn’t handle feeling sleepy without being > able to sleep, so I talked with him and we changed it to the 600mg and 900 mg. > Still get sleepy during the day, but with my weird sleeping habits any more, it > doesn’t really matter. > Sue > We survive together or not at all.

Response:

>I think that the big seizure risk for many of these medicines in ceasing >them is because they are used by people with epilepsy to control seizures. >Without the seizure control

Actually it is simpler than that….these meds "lower the seizure threshold"…ie makes it "easier" for one to have a seizure …don’t ask me the mechanism..cuz I surely don’t understand it either!!! So once your brain gets "used to" these anti seizure meds (even if you were never prone to seizures)…if you stop abruptly…boom..you may well have a seizure!!! so the gradual taper is the way to avoid..hopefully the risk of having seizure!!! phew…talk about creating a problem where one never existed!! rb Hawki

Response:

I can not take prozac. It makes me paranoid. Man I thought my world was coming to an end. I thought I was faking my pain and everything. I thought I was going to jail. I was confessing I was faking everything. I was plain an simple not faking at all. I started throwing up come to find out my gallbladder needed to be removed. They put me in the hospital because I was dehydrated. I could not remember to ask the doc for my prozac. When I did the nurse’s would say they would call him. On the 3rd day my paranoia started to let up. Now they will not give me any AD drugs in fear it will bring it on again. To some it is a God sent drug to some it is a suicide drug. I truly can see why it got the bad publicity it did when it first came out. I used to think it was a great pill. If you ever start feeling paranoid talk to your doc immediately PLEASE. I mean drive as fast as u can to the doctor or ER. It is one bad drug for me. I took that drug for years and felt great. Then all of sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was not a pleasant experience. Bonner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> From what I’ve experienced (myself and with my kids), about all of the > neurologic (including psychiatric) medications should not be discontinued > suddenly. > Interesting note. About a year ago, I had to take an antibiotic for a week > or so that looked kind of like the Prozac that I take daily. For two days, > I didn’t realize that I wasn’t taking my dose of prozac in the morning with > my other meds. (I’d look in my hand, see the green and white pill and I > figured that I was okay, still not awake enough to realize that it was the > antibiotic, not the prozac.) I got pretty depressed after just two days, > then at night after those days, as I was taking the antibiotic I realized > that I’d missed the prozac. This wasn’t a placebo affect thing – I didn’t > know that I wasn’t taking it – but I did notice that I was really down. I > hurried and took my prozac and haven’t missed a day since. > I talked to my psychiatrist and told him of the event. Researchers have > noticed a change in mood with just one day being missed of the SSRIs like > Prozac. Kind of wild – it takes 4-6 weeks to work, but the small change in > blood level from just one day being missed. > To me it was just more evidence of my body’s need for the medicine. > Depression is a physical illness. > Sorry for rambling. Be careful with the meds. We’ve all done what you have > done. (I did it with blood pressure medicine when first married – wanted to > wait until payday. My wife got pretty upset with me – I guess she wanted me > to stick around.) > Sorry to ramble. > Martin > For the past 3 months I’ve been taking 300 mg of neurontin twice a > day, to help with pain related to a compressed nerve. I haven’t taken > the neurontin over the past 4 days- scrip ran out and I didn’t fill it > until today. Over the weekend, I had some terrible crying jags, > feelings of anxiety (I’m on elavil for depression), jitteriness. Could > this be related to going off the neurontin? > Michele

SSRIs