G@bapentin/preg@balin for anxiety?

[thegreaseman]

Thank you all for your input! It sounds like generally speaking people here aren't too keen on the old gabap3ntonoids. A quick updated, I wasn't either and my doctor switched me over to propranolol for anxiety and it has really, really helped. They don't want me on benz0s and for now I'm ok with that. Thanks again!

EDIT: Oops, forgot to mention my reasoning for switching. Pent barely did anything for my anxiety. In fact, it almost made it worse because it feels "dirty" in the system and it made me worry more. Only did anything for me at around 900 mgs and then I was literally nodding. No good for me.

well at least your doc seems has some sense, bnzs no joke to easy to get hooked impossible to get off, ive tried prop but since no heart conditions found it to harsh even at 20mgs my bp would plummet in minutes, nauseous feeling as well, but it does help with physical symptoms and no where close as bad as bnzos. if ever go down that route take smth like 2mg diaz at least safe play or clonz. kinda agree that gabapn is usually effective only at 900mgs but since its so strong its used usually to wean of benzos,,since you need tank meds to combat wds when cutting off from bnzos,to make one sane,then again long term leads to similar dependence.

Sorry to hear prop didn't help you and actually made things worse! Ofc prop doesn't work as well as a zan but oh well, it helps for now and it keeps me away from too many benz. I don't have any heart conditions either (just took an ekg a couple months back and have my blood pressure and bpm measured dozens and dozens of times within the past couple months and the 10 mg prop doesn't actually seem to have any side effects besides sometimes lowering my heart rate when I'm in the midst of an anxiety attack, or moreso it helps me to avoid that in the first place. I worry about my health almost all the time so it helps with physical symptoms. Social anxiety really isn't alleviated though. The only thing that really helps me with that is alcohol (I hate it, can't stand it, not designed for my pallet) and benz0s. Thanks for the info.

[barq2]

Lots of good info, and advice based on experiences, in this thread.

Gaba-p is certainly becoming a drug of abuse, although I believe the preference is for pregab as it is stronger per mg.

Anyway I was prescribed G for neuro pain. It worked, but at high doses (2700mg/day). It helped anxiety loads, the problem was my memory became so bad I was struggling at work. I was a zombie and life felt dull. As neural pain improved, and I coped with it better, I reduced the dose (300mg tid) and the fog lifted. That was ok for a while. My doctor suddenly decided to do a rapid taper - I have no idea why other than that it was originally prescribed for a neural issue (which was getting better) and I was now saying I wanted to keep it for anxiety. I saw a different doctor who was more relaxed. I slowly tapered to zero over three months and that was fine - honestly. So I'd consider low dose Gaba-p again for anxiety IF benzos weren't an option. That said, I tend to agree with people saying these are the new benzos. I have no doubt that in 10-15 years time we'll suddenly discover they were more addictive than Pfizer suggested. *rolls eyes*

To return to the issue of abuse, it isn't obviously "fun" so lacks that appeal, but I guess for those who just want to be numb... but that's very sad really. My awareness of abuse is also among homeless populations, so make of that what you will.

At a different point in life I was given beta blockers for anxiety. I found blocking a load of the physiological symptoms from the "fight or flight" instinct was helpful. They didn't nuke my brain, which is always a bonus. :-) Of course they don't directly touch the psychological side, so my 3am horrors were still there. Some say you are only treating the symptoms of anxiety, not the psychological cause, but conversely the brain does get feedback from the body on how you are feeling. Make a really angry face, clench your muscles, and stomp around the room for a couple of minutes and your mood will be more aggressive. So any psychological benefits are secondary in that they derive from the absence of physical sensations associated with anxiety (butterflies in stomach, sweaty palms, etc). But on balance they were positive for me and I found few side effects of note.