Gabapentin New Drug of Abuse?

[theSWPK]

I stand corrected.... I thought that Gaba was the generic version of Lyrica.

But I look at Wiki and its staring at me right dab between the eyes... So it must be true.

I love wiki

Neurontin - gabapentin
Lyrica - pregabalin
.

From what I have heard from people I've spoken to about it, and read in forums, it seems like a majority of opiate "enthusiasts" (addicts) prefer Lyrica for wd's over Neurontin. I feel like many folks trying out gabapentin, and not just for wd, just haven't tried a high enough dose. When you get to a good enough dose, gabapentin will blow your hair back. You can get really fucked up on the stuff, and it's got really long legs. The only downside is that the tolerance is steep and quick. Exponentially so.

[danny2.0]

Done pregabs with methadone... V similar reactions to snoops...first time gouch, next time sludgy and thick headed,like the hit you get from promethazine and methadone... Also tried it to help reduce, and it didn't do a lot there either, although I was only taking one 100mg cap on top...

[Morfy]

I had access to ~100 gabapentin tabs a few years ago,


I liked it, it was a weird kind of high even at low doses, tingly fingers, relaxed demeanor.


I distinctly remember that gaba altered my sense of touch:  I would be driving, and the steering wheel would feel like it was 3 inches thick & "PLUSH "--like it was made of the same material stuffed animals are made of, instead of 3/4 of an inch hard plastic.


If I could get my doctor to script this, I would be happy to use it daily.  And be quite chill doing it.


I don't think I ever combined it with an opiate, I was using it to get through the tail end of WDs.

[Narkotikon]

Ditto for the falling asleep standing up thing. I've been doing that for the past three nights. Really it's late at night  / early morning.  And overall at least a few nights every 10 days or so.

Not from gabapentin, although I believe it. Gabanergics tend to have that effect. Rather mine is from its cousin (distant?) Phenibut. I don't know why I do it. I don't get any pleasure from it anymore. Haven't in months. Oh, wait, I know.  I'm an addict!     I really do need too quit though. Or at least start lowering the dose to non-falling levels. I blame 500g containers.   

[Jega]

Well that's fantastic. And yes, Jega does hate this.

I've been in and out of hospitals over the last month and the students haven't been taught about the glory that is gabapentin yet thank God. They all say "really!?" when I tell them that this is the one medication I say works best for Panic Disorder. But yes, negative attention on this is not what I need right now.

I don't doubt that for some it just makes them dizzy. But for some of us this shit works better than xanax if you dose it right.

Also Gabapentin is not scheduled yet. Pregabalin is C V but Gabapentin is unscheduled. So far anyway...

[smalls (OP)]

Well that's fantastic. And yes, Jega does hate this.

I've been in and out of hospitals over the last month and the students haven't been taught about the glory that is gabapentin yet thank God. They all say "really!?" when I tell them that this is the one medication I say works best for Panic Disorder. But yes, negative attention on this is not what I need right now.

I don't doubt that for some it just makes them dizzy. But for some of us this shit works better than xanax if you dose it right.

Also Gabapentin is not scheduled yet. Pregabalin is C V but Gabapentin is unscheduled. So far anyway...

Glad to see you posting Jega. People have been wondering/worried about you. Sorry to hear you've been in the hospital (unless that's a good thing?). Hope you're doing better.

[skramamme]

Well that's fantastic. And yes, Jega does hate this.

I've been in and out of hospitals over the last month and the students haven't been taught about the glory that is gabapentin yet thank God. They all say "really!?" when I tell them that this is the one medication I say works best for Panic Disorder. But yes, negative attention on this is not what I need right now.

I don't doubt that for some it just makes them dizzy. But for some of us this shit works better than xanax if you dose it right.

Also Gabapentin is not scheduled yet. Pregabalin is C V but Gabapentin is unscheduled. So far anyway...

I'm on Lyrica (75mg as often as I want really) and only take 150 at a time once a week or so when my back and hips are really bad and it gets me a little wasted but I really try not to use it very much as I have heard that physical dependency can be a big issue for those on higher doses and that coming off it is really ugly.
One person posted that it was like benzo and opiate withdrawal rolled into one, which is something I don't need.
Of course they say it doesn't result in any withdrawal issues but tramadol was sold as a habit-free med too.

Jega; my GP prescribes it for pain but also says that it could help with my anxiety but I haven't found a sweet spot for that yet and I need to be alert enough to drive my kid around safely etc etc. I assume the dose would have to be much higher than 150mg. You find it good for anxiety? What dose range do you find helpful for your panic disorder?

Overall I do agree that it has abuse potential- the first time I took 25mg I was walking into walls and felt almost drunk and very silly, but tolerance builds up incredibly fast- like, within days I was able to take 75mg with no side effects at all (mind you, I must say it is nice in combination with a little wine, some methadone and valium- a good way to wind down if you don't have to go anywhere , although I'm on subs now so IDK if it's particularly good with that).

[Zoops]

Hey Jega, glad to see you're still on this side of the ground.  We were a bit worried about you, since you just went MIA/AWOL and didn't let anyone know your status.

Fill us in on what happened while you were away, please, please.

You wouldn't believe how much we (at least me, but I know it's more than just me) care about you.

[Serilia]

Ya know I got the 600mg ones the entire time I was in pm and for me when id WD or out and fucked I'd take huge amounts and it would knock me out and let me at least sleep. I haven't had any for a good six months but I think if it works for but ya it does make me sleep.

[SapphireBlue]

I'll never understand the appeal of gabap for a high either...I get it scripted for my pain too and that shit makes me foggy-headed as hell and my short term memory go bye-bye.  Back before I got in to my new PM doc, I HAD to take it religiously bc my pain was crazy out of control, but now that I'm back in PM, I've weaned myself down to just 100 mg at night. 

I could probably quit it altogether, but my PM doc would question it if I stopped it.  Can't have that...besides, it IS nice to have around for when I run out  of opies so I can sleep.

[Andi]

Sure if you want early onset Alzheimer and dementia, by all means keep taking this shit drug...

I'm Rx'd 3600 mgs I've weaned down to 1800 mgs and hope to be off it all together this year. When I was getting it in the beginning apparently I said a lot of shit I don't remember. Even now things come to me slower than I'd like. It's not as great of drug as one would think.

[Specter]

Gabapentin and Lyrica have both been a great tool to combat WD when you don't have your DoC.  Hell I would rather take either of those than Suboxone for WD...

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before there are tighter controls for both meds but right now Lyrica is Schedule V and Gabapentin is not scheduled at all.  Nevermind I see Snoop corrected himself on that....

The reason I say that-- I was looking at getting into a 3/4 house around here and both of them totally forbid both drugs... Prescribed or not it doesn't matter.  I've never been to a halfway or 3/4 house so I have no idea if this is normal or not but I was baffled that you couldn't use either drug while living there..... Especially gabapentin.

[Spore]

As Jega has mentioned high doses of GABA does help with panic. I never had panic attacks until I got bedbound a little over a year ago. I get fight or flight, impending doom, smothered/drowning and feeling like i'm going to die. Taking GABA helps that, as does benzos a bit but my tolerance to them is fucked ugh. It's pretty impossible to die or OD on GABA according to a doctor's lecture from stanford on nerve pain vs. say cymbalta.

[Chip]

My sister was a very experienced opiate user but in the months before she died she had several near-death ODs and strange fluctuations in her blood pressure requiring hospitalization. Although her death was ruled a heroin/fentanyl overdose my thinking was always that her ODs were because some other prescribed medication was complicating her reaction to opiates.  She was a CPP patient and doctors were giving her varying amounts of non-narcotic and narcotic drugs for it.  Gabapentin was among them.

both siblings die from an OD - how tragic.

his mother had also recently died.

it's hard to fathom just how doomed the family was and because they couldn't or wouldn't access medically supervised drug using facilities, they paid with their lives.

please people, buddy up or find a sitter, anybody that may care.

using alone can be DEADLY and watch your benzo intake ! ... using benzos and Heroin made me OD but was fortunately saved by 3 doses of Natcan.

[Thoms]

I think I’m confused or did you have a little slip boss? I’m sure if you did you know it happens. Knowing you though I think I might have missed something there? @Chipper#3

[Chip]

i was reflecting of Deadcat's recent death and just how fragile life can be for opiate users.