Good morning,
(TW)
Was up until 1:00 a.m. with heart palpitations. I think I just figured out that gabapentin is ruining my life. Sucks, ‘cause it addresses my chronic pain very well. Back to my psych on Friday.
All wisdom welcome.
Dx:
Mixed Bipolar
Ptsd
Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia
Endometriosis
Herniated discs
Etc.
That stuff really messed me up. Muscle spasms, memory loss, irratable, ect. Work ok at first then i went downhill. Thats just my experience, im sure it works for many people. Its hard to come off of, so make sure you taper if you do stop
Im sorry to hear you are having issues. People can react to medications differently. For the majority of people, gabapentin is more likely to cause a reduction of anxiety type issues, but they call what doctors do “practicing” for a reason. (Half joke) there are some sites the will show percentages of people who reported certain symptoms to their doctors which might be more informative. Sometimes it down to testing to see what works for you.
Those are some thoughts. I’m not sure if you have a definite question.
I took it for a short time (prescribed by my doctor); however, it made me agitated and feel squirrely, so I didn’t get far on it.
Hope you find what works well for you, I know the process can be frustrating.
Thank you. I didn’t have a question. Just looking for similar experiencers. Gabapentin is an anti-convulsant used to treat seizure disorders. The mental health “benefits” are still considered “off label use” which is why it’s highly imperfect. All the research I’ve done has shown that the reaction can be highly variable from none to life threatening. I’m bummed cause it worked well for a couple of years.
Fortunately, I took it as needed rather than as prescribed so hopefully the taper will be okay and buffered by my doctor. They always give me way too much medication.
Anyway, thanks for being here. I was beginning to get scared that things were getting bad again. Hopefully this will clear up a lot of my recent symptomology cause mental illness is no joke. 
I’ve been prescribed it off and on for about 7ish years after an accident. Right now I’m taking it and it kind of helps for my chronic pain and anxiety symptoms that are born out of the hyper-awareness aspect of my PTSD. It has been a so-so experience for me, but it didn’t increase anxiety in my case. I’ve gone through periods where I independently weened down (as my goal is always to get off all medications I’ve been prescribed), and found that the method of adding an extra hour between doses every week or so was useful in that area; though if you’ve taken it as needed, then you will probably be okay.
I don’t particularly like being on Gabapentin, or any medication, but my choices are very limited.
Hang in there.
Morning, Chiron!
Thank you for your reply. It was actually prescribed to me by my pain management doctor to treat my chronic pain. I’m so sorry to hear you have similar challenges, but glad to hear that you seem to have a firm grasp on it.
Medication was never a long term solution for me due to the dire side effects, but I may be changing my tune in my second phase of life. I have PTSD myself. I was hospitalized in my early 20s when my symptoms were at their worst so my heart goes out to you. Bipolar disorder in particular is a progressive illness meaning it grows worse over time, so it concerns me from a brain health stand point, as does gabapentin.
Sadly, my psych called yesterday to cancel my appointment for today and pushed it out another two weeks. May have to find another provider in the meantime.
Hey fellow bi polar here 
It can get worse with age, however if well managed on meds, therapy and self care (hopefully!) We will be ok 
Hello fellow! I feel better without the gabapentin already. I’m in pain now but at least I’m somewhere sane and my humor has returned. Cheese and rice!
Off and on prescribed gabapentin for nerve issues since 2014. It works well for the breakthrough pain, but I never took it daily… Outside of the several days at a time that i was having nerve issues.
Then id go months not taking it at all
I don’t recall it causing anxiety for me, but maybe the dose is too high? You of course process the medication differently than me (as we all do) so maybe a conversation with your doctor would be good. They may be able to change your dose or offer a different type of medication?
I hope you feel better soon 
I am feeling better, thank you. I discontinued 2-3 weeks ago and the side effects have disappeared, thankfully! I am relieved to know it was the medication and not me. My doctor prescribed new meds. 
