Posted by Snowie on June 18, 2001, at 22:31:57
In reply to Re: Gabitril » Snowie, posted by Mitch on June 17, 2001, at 11:54:34
Mitch,
Most anti-anxiety meds I've taken (Xanax, Klonopin, Tranxene) have had the opposite effect on me, that is, I lose weight. When I'm anxious I suppose food has a calming effect, so when I'm not anxious I don't overeat, I fill up quicker, and I'm less interested in food in general. When I went off Xanax a few years ago, I gained 20 lbs. in a little over a year (I eventually lost it). Neurontin may be the exception, but I was taking so little each day (600 mg. max) that I'm not certain Neurontin caused me to gain 10 lbs. I'm not certain that it didn't either. I do notice that I'm not as tired in general since going off Neurontin, so the weight gain may have been caused from being less active. I also fell and fractured a vertebrae in February, so that may have a lot to do with the recent weight gain.
So far Gabitril doesn't seem to be doing much of anything. How long before I should notice a reduction in anxiety? Even though I'm taking Xanax, I feel more nervous than usual. I think I made a mistake before - I'm taking 2 mg. in the morning and 2 mg. in the evening, for a total of 4 mg. of Gabitril a day.
Depending upon the dosage, Klonopin and Neurontin might also work well for me. As for adverse cognitive effects, although Klonopin didn't work as well the second and third time I took it, the first time I definitely recall having concentration problems, but that side effect diminished after several months. I have gotten worse concentration and brain fog effects from Neurontin after taking 300 mg. in the morning, which was the reason I usually only took it once a day. That brain fog effect was starting to abate if I took Xanax first in the morning. Neurontin almost always worked well at night, and I would rarely wake up anxious. As for adverse cognitive effects with Gabitril, it hasn't affected my thinking so far, but maybe that's because I'm taking such a low dose.
I'm not taking any med for depression, and I don't recall feeling any different on Neurontin other than being less anxious. So far, Gabitril doesn't appear to be having any effect on my mood, although I'm a little peppier, which might not be the medication. As for libido, neither med seems to have affected it one way or the other.
Snowie
> Hi Snowie,
>
> I think a lot of weight-gain associated with some meds *can* be from the beneficial effects they give-for instance if you are agitated, pacing around-you might not be very hungry either. You take a med that settles you down you will probably burn less calories and have a better appetite.
>
> I take Klonopin with Neurontin and they tend to have a little "synergistic" effect as well-which is good in my case. But too much Klonopin and my concentration suffers at work.
>
> Yes, Gabitril is definitely activating (initially with lower doses). For me it definitely had antidepressant properties. I also must admit I got some *increased* libido with it as well. But, that may be because it was alleviating some symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy (which I don't know for sure if I have yet-but I am suspected of possibly having it).
> The increased libido thing is probably the main reason I thought about adding it on to the Neurontin:) BTW-Trileptal(a med similar to Tegretol-used for rapid-cyclers) also increased libido for me, but it made so nauseous I couldn't stand it.
>
> The real downside of Gabitril(for most people anyway) is the cognitive adverse effects. Having ADHD makes me REAL sensitive to anything that fogs up my consciousness. Neurontin DEFINITELY improves ADHD symptoms for me, up to 900mg/day. If I took Gabitril as an add-on again, I would probably just take say 4mg at bedtime for several weeks before any dose increase.
>
> Just an afterthought: I wonder..if the cognitive adverse effects with the Gabitril would slowly fade due to GABA receptor downregulation. (your brain adjusting to it)...? In that case you would need to increase the dose a *little* and then stay there for several weeks before another increase to prevent the cognitive problems..who knows? Sorry, for going on so, now I got myself really wondering about this med!
>
> Thanks for sharing,
> Mitch
poster:Snowie
thread:66523
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67018.html