![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Maung on July 22, 2001, at 19:58:12
I take 225 mg of topomax and have recently been prescribed 300 mg gabapentin. I like the gaba but have started graduallly upping the dosage on my own, and now take 300 mg at bedtime, 300 mg in the morn, 200 to 300mg midday, 200 to 300 mg at dinner. This dose seems to work well for me, the variation from 200 to 300mg depends on whether I am feeling particularly stressed out...does anyone know if this casual approach to dosing seems dangerous? The literature I've read on gabapentin seems to indicate that it is okay to take gaba in this fashion...I see my pdoc this Friday....he may be slightly annoyed with my independent decision making but I was subjected to some stressful situations and I wanted to make the best of it and this dosing seemed to help immensely. But I worry that treating the gaba like candy, in the sense that I went ahead and increased my dosage w/o my pdoc's approval, (altho I researched the literature on the med before increasing the dose in such a fashion)may annoy my pdoc. I guess I'm asking for some reassurance from anyone who is out there that what I did was okay....MY pdoc is actually a nice guy, he knows me pretty well so I don't think he'll be surprised by what I did...but still, I'd like to hear from any of you that take gaba. Specifically, DO YOU FIND THAT YOU CAN ADJUST THE DOSE TO SUIT THE STRESS LEVEL YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF UNDER ON A DAILY BASIS? TX.
Posted by Neal on July 22, 2001, at 20:12:57
In reply to neurotin dosage, posted by Maung on July 22, 2001, at 19:58:12
I take Neurontin in a similar fashion, ie., 600 or 900mg throughout the day. People taking 4800mg/day is not uncommon.
Posted by Zo on July 22, 2001, at 20:19:58
In reply to Re: neurotin dosage, posted by Neal on July 22, 2001, at 20:12:57
Altho I take all my Neurontin at bed. .. I don't see why not. It's a fairly "loose" med, unlike most others, and I know people on Neurontin-L adjust their doses all the time for pain.
In fact, I think this is a wise approach to many meds - makes sense to me. If more stress or being ill, say, is eating up neurotransmitters, up the dose!
Zo
Posted by Maung on July 23, 2001, at 7:19:24
In reply to neurotin dosage, posted by Maung on July 22, 2001, at 19:58:12
Thanks Neal and Zo, for your responses....I appreciate this forum so much. (Maung is really Sue).
Posted by Cass on July 24, 2001, at 11:26:49
In reply to neurotin dosage, posted by Maung on July 22, 2001, at 19:58:12
It is dangerous to experiment with Neurontin levels. Your Gabapentin levels should be periodically checked with blood tests. The levels can become toxic, and it becomes dangerous. I found myself unsteady on my feet, and I actually fell and injured my knee badly. Stop experimenting.
Posted by Mitch on July 24, 2001, at 14:52:25
In reply to neurotin dosage, posted by Maung on July 22, 2001, at 19:58:12
Maung,
If you have that much Topamax on board, and your Neurontin is bouncing up and down a little with it-I doubt if you are going to have any problems. I am thinking in terms of seizure threshold. (Say, you took nothing but 30mg of Valium every day for six months, you wouldn't want to stop it suddenly, because you could have a seizure)
I have never heard of any Neurontin blood tests, and from what I have read the more you try to ingest the less bioavailable it is (the less you can absorb), which makes it virtually impossible to "overdose" with. I take a low dose of it myself right now, and I must say that if you suddenly stop a HIGH dose of it you WILL get a withdrawal from it, that I found quite unpleasant.
Your pdoc may be quite annoyed by your experimentation, however. I would just tell him you tried taking extra Neurontin and it seemed to help better, and oh-"what about taking a minimum of x amount every day and take a little more if I feel stressed?" and get his response. People take Klonopin and Xanax for panic on a PRN basis, and Neurontin shows definite anxiolytic activity.
Mitch
Posted by Maung on July 24, 2001, at 17:55:25
In reply to Re: neurotin dosage » Maung, posted by Mitch on July 24, 2001, at 14:52:25
> I have never heard of any Neurontin blood tests, and from what I have read the more you try to ingest the less bioavailable it is (the less you can absorb), which makes it virtually impossible to "overdose" with. I take a low dose of it myself right now, and I must say that if you suddenly stop a HIGH dose of it you WILL get a withdrawal from it, that I found quite unpleasant.> Your pdoc may be quite annoyed by your experimentation, however. I would just tell him you tried taking extra Neurontin and it seemed to help better, and oh-"what about taking a minimum of x amount every day and take a little more if I feel stressed?" and get his response. People take Klonopin and Xanax for panic on a PRN basis, and Neurontin shows definite anxiolytic activity.
>
Your research agrees with mine, and although I probably have ramped up to a higher dose than you have, I think 900-1200 mg a day is a good maintenance range for me.
I think you're right on about my pdoc's reaction to my experimentation and I appreciate your suggestion on how to approach it with him! I hope it will ameliorate the situation somewhat! Although I do not suffer from panic, I do take ativan prn for occasional agitation/anxiety so perhaps my pdoc will work with me on
gaba as well. Thanks Mitch....(Maung is really Sue)
> Mitch
Posted by Mitch on July 25, 2001, at 0:38:01
In reply to Re: neurotin dosage » Mitch, posted by Maung on July 24, 2001, at 17:55:25
>
> > I have never heard of any Neurontin blood tests, and from what I have read the more you try to ingest the less bioavailable it is (the less you can absorb), which makes it virtually impossible to "overdose" with. I take a low dose of it myself right now, and I must say that if you suddenly stop a HIGH dose of it you WILL get a withdrawal from it, that I found quite unpleasant.
>
> > Your pdoc may be quite annoyed by your experimentation, however. I would just tell him you tried taking extra Neurontin and it seemed to help better, and oh-"what about taking a minimum of x amount every day and take a little more if I feel stressed?" and get his response. People take Klonopin and Xanax for panic on a PRN basis, and Neurontin shows definite anxiolytic activity.
> >
> Your research agrees with mine, and although I probably have ramped up to a higher dose than you have, I think 900-1200 mg a day is a good maintenance range for me.
> I think you're right on about my pdoc's reaction to my experimentation and I appreciate your suggestion on how to approach it with him! I hope it will ameliorate the situation somewhat! Although I do not suffer from panic, I do take ativan prn for occasional agitation/anxiety so perhaps my pdoc will work with me on
> gaba as well. Thanks Mitch....(Maung is really Sue)
> > MitchSue,
No problem, let me know how he reacts.
Mitch
Posted by Maung on July 27, 2001, at 21:37:43
In reply to Re: neurotin dosage » Maung, posted by Mitch on July 25, 2001, at 0:38:01
> >
> > I think you're right on about my pdoc's reaction to my experimentation and I appreciate your suggestion on how to approach it with him! I hope it will ameliorate the situation somewhat! Although I do not suffer from panic, I do take ativan prn for occasional agitation/anxiety so perhaps my pdoc will work with me on
> > gaba as well. Thanks Mitch....(Maung is really Sue)
> > > Mitch
>
> Sue,
>
> No problem, let me know how he reacts.
>
> MitchI met with my pdoc today....he's a nice man, although I played it safe and took your suggestion on how to approach him with my self-prescribed dosage increase. He was supportive... he also suggested I go higher on my topomax as well, to 250 mg, which I had no problem doing. After reading the other messages on this board, I feel fortunate that I have a pdoc that I can work with.....
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.