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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pat c. on December 1, 2001, at 8:13:44
I hate Neurontin's short half-life of 6-8 hrs.Every morning I feel like I'm waking up with
a really bad hangover.I have to take this crap every six hours,
or I will feel depressed as hell.This pisses me off.
Any solutions out there?
Thanks.
Pat
Posted by Twain on December 1, 2001, at 8:57:33
In reply to I hate Neurontin's short half-life, posted by pat c. on December 1, 2001, at 8:13:44
Hi,
I have the same experience with neurotin. I wake up feeling hungover. My eyes are watering, throat dry, stomach and head a little queasy. I feel like a deconned rat.
Perhaps, neurotin does something to the body's sodium balance. Excessive thirst and watering eyes must mean something. Only happens with the neurotin.
I will ask my pharmacist and doc (see in January though).
I like the wellbutrin/neurotin combo but the morning hangovers and short half-life are a drag.
Sorry I couldn't be of any help. I'm in the same boat.
Posted by pat c. on December 1, 2001, at 9:50:38
In reply to Re: I hate Neurontin's short half-life » pat c., posted by Twain on December 1, 2001, at 8:57:33
Wow, so you're taking the Neurontin/Wellbutrin combo too. I take Klonopin, as well. I hate these f...n cocktails.
Do you suffer from atypical depression?
I've been suffering from that for years, and now I got "major" depression -- deep black hole of sadness and misery, no appetite, etc.
Please let me know if hear anything about a solution to the Neurontin issue.
I might give Celexa a try, although I've had no luck with SSRIs in the past.
My e-mail is patrickcom@hotmail.com
Thanks.
Pat
Posted by JohnDoenut on December 1, 2001, at 10:53:59
In reply to Re: I hate Neurontin's short half-life » Twain, posted by pat c. on December 1, 2001, at 9:50:38
Im taking Neurontin and I havent had this waking experience but then again I probably dont have what you all have issue wise. Apparently Neurontin (and Wellbutrin) from Ive heard and experienced makes you need more water. So I would suggest drinking not only more water but a glass about an hour or just at bedtime. If you dont mind waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom! :) You may also want to keep some water by your bedside and drink it periodically as you wake up (if you do) during the night. See if that helps and report back!
Have you also thought about taking a larger dose before bedtime? Regardless of the technical details of half lives etc, how it works on your individual body chemistry may be different. So I would say experiment with different dosages at different times and see what happens.
Another thing Ive been wondering about is if the withdrawel of Neurontin has a similer affect to stopping for example Xanax on large, regular doses. For example, if you take Xanax for anxienty, then the doses get larger and more regular and your body develops a dependancy, just the withdrawel of the Xanax produces more anxiety so you then have to keep taking it. Forget the tech details again, if this is the experience of it, then it cannot be denied. I have felt this myself when I stopped taking it one day. If I wanted to experiment I would just stop taking it for a week or two and see what happens. However at this point I cant do that and I also just dont want to cause I need it :) so thats that! Anyway just a thought.
JohnD.
> Wow, so you're taking the Neurontin/Wellbutrin combo too. I take Klonopin, as well. I hate these f...n cocktails.
>
Posted by Twain on December 1, 2001, at 19:17:12
In reply to Re: I hate Neurontin's short half-life, posted by JohnDoenut on December 1, 2001, at 10:53:59
It took me a week to finally "kick" neurotin. I was so dependent on it, I had to flush the rest of the Rx down the toilet for fear I would keep taking it.When I finally went cold turkey, the first few days were rough. My speech became more halting than usual and I had tension in my neck and face for days. I felt crappy and would have taken neurotin to feel better if I had the chance.
I went through ativan and librium withdrawal. Both were hell - minutes turned to hours kind of thing. I know when my body becomes dependent on a drug, and felt that way with neurotin. Fortunately, the withdrawal from neurotin is rather short-lived and not nearly as severe as kicking the benzos. 5 days to a week and I was back to my usual abnormal self.
Now I'm back on neurotin in conjunction with wellbutrin. I'm hoping to reduce the neurotin to 100mgs 4 times per day once the doc puts me on the time-release wellbutrin. This combo works like a dream most of the time.
On another note - If neurotin is an anti-convulsant won't one's risk for seizures go up once neurotin is removed? Another reason, I'm trying to keep the dose as low as possible.
Posted by JohnX2 on December 1, 2001, at 20:33:23
In reply to I hate Neurontin's short half-life, posted by pat c. on December 1, 2001, at 8:13:44
Pat,I hated it to. I found that I needed to dose
it *exactly* 3 times a day 8 hrs apart. I usually
sleep 10 hrs, but I would force myself to wake
up early to dose it at 8 hrs (then I would be
lazy and go back to sleep). Without the precise
dosing schdule I would get start-up and stop side effects
like stupor and dizziness.
Really annoying. It was so good for benzo withdrawal
though. Can't think of a way out on Neurontin,
it is quickly excreted through the kidneys.-john
>
> I hate Neurontin's short half-life of 6-8 hrs.
>
> Every morning I feel like I'm waking up with
> a really bad hangover.
>
> I have to take this crap every six hours,
> or I will feel depressed as hell.
>
> This pisses me off.
>
> Any solutions out there?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Pat
Posted by JohnDoenut on December 3, 2001, at 4:47:37
In reply to Re: I hate Neurontin's short half-life, posted by Twain on December 1, 2001, at 19:17:12
>When I finally went cold turkey, the first few
>days were rough.One thing I forgot to mention and this reminds me of it, is that for this and other drugs, its recommended to step down the dosage gradually rather than go cold turkey. Right?! Maybe its one reason the withdrawel occurs more severly and could be limited with slower removal from the system.
I think this is done with a lot of drugs like Prozac et all.JohnD
Posted by dove on December 7, 2001, at 10:13:45
In reply to Re: I hate Neurontin's short half-life » pat c., posted by JohnX2 on December 1, 2001, at 20:33:23
I too take Neurontin, and I use a x4-5 per day scheduling. I'm a fast metabolizer. Although the longer I'm on a med the more stable it seems to become in regard to its half-life.
I've been told that Neurontin has a one-time dosage roof of 300 mgs-600 mgs, and going over that amount in a single dosing has very little positive effects. I try to space all my meds around a 4 hour period, though the Prozac isn't included in that regimen.
My daily regimen includes Neurontin and the following: Klonopin, Serzone, Amitriptyline, Prozac, and Adderall (6 med total).
The TWO worst culprits for giving me withdrawal symptoms (like the *real* detox withdrawal sensations), are missing my Serzone by 1-2 hours, missing my Neurontin by 2-3 hours, and missing both meds at once within one (1) hour.
Short half-life's can be useful when cleaning up for a med change, but for maintenance therapy, it's a pain in the arse!
dove
This is the end of the thread.
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