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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MB on January 20, 2002, at 18:21:42
OK--
Neurontin is a wonderful drug. Of all the antiepileptics I've tried (Trileptal and Gabitril were the others) this one is the best. It's calming without bad side effects. Here's the only problem: I can't seem to keep my blood levels right. I'm dosing three times a day. After my dose, I don't start to feel better until three hours...then I only feel good for a few hours and then the irritibility/agitation/restless-leg problems come back.Do I need to be taking it more often? Any advice?
MB
Posted by TSA West on January 20, 2002, at 20:05:47
In reply to Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!!, posted by MB on January 20, 2002, at 18:21:42
How many mg are you taking?
Posted by MB on January 21, 2002, at 1:30:14
In reply to Re: Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!! » MB, posted by TSA West on January 20, 2002, at 20:05:47
> How many mg are you taking?
I'm taking about 1000mg a day. I've played around with different schedules. Can't find one that works really well. I have 100mg capsules and 300mg capsules to play around with.
MB
Posted by JohnX2 on January 21, 2002, at 22:52:12
In reply to Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!!, posted by MB on January 20, 2002, at 18:21:42
Hi,I just started taking Neurontin againg today
to help me deal with Klonopin withdrawl. It
works really well for me for this purpose, but
I don't prefer it for my mainline mood stabilizer
(I use lamictal with topamax and zyprex add ons).My experience the 1st time was frustrating, until
I figured out that my body wanted the medicine
*exactly* 8 hrs apart. That meant setting my alarm
clock to wake me up EXACTLY 8 hrs apart to take
the medicine. not 9, not 7, 8. If I didn't do a
3 times a day dosing at 8 hrs apart then I would
get start-up and stop side effects of double vision,
foggy thinking, trouble walking straight lines, etc.I think 3x a day dosing is generally the final
dose necessary for Neurontin to maintain a steady
level in the body. Its a toughy because it shoots
through really quickly via the kidneys.Good luck,
John> OK--
> Neurontin is a wonderful drug. Of all the antiepileptics I've tried (Trileptal and Gabitril were the others) this one is the best. It's calming without bad side effects. Here's the only problem: I can't seem to keep my blood levels right. I'm dosing three times a day. After my dose, I don't start to feel better until three hours...then I only feel good for a few hours and then the irritibility/agitation/restless-leg problems come back.
>
> Do I need to be taking it more often? Any advice?
>
> MB
Posted by JohnX2 on January 21, 2002, at 22:57:13
In reply to Re: Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!! » MB, posted by JohnX2 on January 21, 2002, at 22:52:12
Btw, I counted the number of hrs from when
I took the dose to when it wore off to get the
8 hrs#. I suggest you try to figure out approximately
how long the medicine is lasting in your body,
come up with a consistent dosing schedule. If
you are still having ups and downs, then you need
to increase the rate. If you are not having ups
and downs, then your rate of dosing is either
just right or errant towards too many (which is
fine).good luck,
john>
> Hi,
>
> I just started taking Neurontin againg today
> to help me deal with Klonopin withdrawl. It
> works really well for me for this purpose, but
> I don't prefer it for my mainline mood stabilizer
> (I use lamictal with topamax and zyprex add ons).
>
> My experience the 1st time was frustrating, until
> I figured out that my body wanted the medicine
> *exactly* 8 hrs apart. That meant setting my alarm
> clock to wake me up EXACTLY 8 hrs apart to take
> the medicine. not 9, not 7, 8. If I didn't do a
> 3 times a day dosing at 8 hrs apart then I would
> get start-up and stop side effects of double vision,
> foggy thinking, trouble walking straight lines, etc.
>
> I think 3x a day dosing is generally the final
> dose necessary for Neurontin to maintain a steady
> level in the body. Its a toughy because it shoots
> through really quickly via the kidneys.
>
> Good luck,
> John
>
>
>
> > OK--
> > Neurontin is a wonderful drug. Of all the antiepileptics I've tried (Trileptal and Gabitril were the others) this one is the best. It's calming without bad side effects. Here's the only problem: I can't seem to keep my blood levels right. I'm dosing three times a day. After my dose, I don't start to feel better until three hours...then I only feel good for a few hours and then the irritibility/agitation/restless-leg problems come back.
> >
> > Do I need to be taking it more often? Any advice?
> >
> > MB
Posted by MB on January 22, 2002, at 14:50:23
In reply to Re: Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!! » MB, posted by JohnX2 on January 21, 2002, at 22:52:12
Why have you decided to get off of Klonopin? I was actually thinking of trying to get some Klonopin. I was thinking that with that as a foundation, the cycling of the Neurontin in my system wouldn't jerk me around so much. Neurontin is hard for me to work with because it takes approximately three hours after dosing to feel it, and the relief is short lived: about 3 hours. I've been dosing no more than 8 hrs apart. If I take large enough doses to cover me for the whole eight hours, I feel way to drugged in a bad way...it reminds me of a dextromethorphan overdose (yes, I experimented years ago). I can cope with 300-400 at bedtime, but anything more than 200mg at a time during the day really screws me up. My mind shuts down, but it doesn't touch the anxiety very well. My doc mentioned adding Lamictal or Depakote if the Neurontin isn't showing enough "horse power," but it seems to me that Depakote and Lamictal are so harsh. Not only the minor start-up SEs seem harsh, but the liver failure, hair loss, weight gain (Depakote) and fatal rash (Lamictal) seem like such severe potentialities to play with in treating anxiety. A girlfriend of mine takes Klonopin once a day and she says it is really gentle. She said there weren't really any side effects and that she just kind of noticed her anxiety go away. I'm curious what your negative reactions were that made you want to get off of it.
MB
Posted by JohnX2 on January 24, 2002, at 17:28:38
In reply to Re: Need HELP with Neurontin schedule!!! » JohnX2, posted by MB on January 22, 2002, at 14:50:23
Hi MB,I first was prescribed Klonopin to help
with restlessness while sleeping on Effexor, I
found out by accident that it solved a myofacial
pain problem that had been nagging me for quite
some time.After being rediagnosed as bipolar, my doctors
thought that non habit forming anti-convulsants (other epilepsy meds)
were a better treatment course for the tension headaches
and other pains in my head/face than using Klonopin.
Klonopin is generally used for anxiety disorders, which
wasn't my problem. Over time I grew quite tolerant
to the analgesic effect of Klonopin, and the
physicians could not find a replacement med. Eventually
2 mg became 6 mg, and my sleep was completely
messed up. Last month I found out that the
anti-convulsant Topamax relieves my facial pain
COMPLETELY, so I have no use for Klonopin and its
sleep destroying properties (after tolerance builds),
hence I am trying to quit the medicine. Topamax works
on the calming brain gaba receptors in a manner not
to unlike Klonopin, but it is not habit forming, so it is
a better solution for me.I've been taking Klonopin for 2.5 yrs and the
tolerance issue really kicked in after about
6 months (that's when I needed to keep bumping
the dose). Klonopin is an anti-convulsant as
well as anti-anxiety and I think the anti-convulsant
may be more likely to "poop-out" than the
anxiety (it was studied for epilepsy but generally
would fall apart after 3+ months). A lot
of people have taken Klonopin for a long time
without developing tolerance, so maybe my experience
was bad.regards,
John> Why have you decided to get off of Klonopin? I was actually thinking of trying to get some Klonopin. I was thinking that with that as a foundation, the cycling of the Neurontin in my system wouldn't jerk me around so much. Neurontin is hard for me to work with because it takes approximately three hours after dosing to feel it, and the relief is short lived: about 3 hours. I've been dosing no more than 8 hrs apart. If I take large enough doses to cover me for the whole eight hours, I feel way to drugged in a bad way...it reminds me of a dextromethorphan overdose (yes, I experimented years ago). I can cope with 300-400 at bedtime, but anything more than 200mg at a time during the day really screws me up. My mind shuts down, but it doesn't touch the anxiety very well. My doc mentioned adding Lamictal or Depakote if the Neurontin isn't showing enough "horse power," but it seems to me that Depakote and Lamictal are so harsh. Not only the minor start-up SEs seem harsh, but the liver failure, hair loss, weight gain (Depakote) and fatal rash (Lamictal) seem like such severe potentialities to play with in treating anxiety. A girlfriend of mine takes Klonopin once a day and she says it is really gentle. She said there weren't really any side effects and that she just kind of noticed her anxiety go away. I'm curious what your negative reactions were that made you want to get off of it.
>
> MB
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