Posted by Mitch on June 18, 2001, at 23:18:42
In reply to Re: Gabitril » Mitch, posted by Snowie on June 18, 2001, at 22:31:57
Hi Snowie,
I hadn't thought of that possibility-getting uptight and eating to alleviate the anxiety (that is actually a common response). Usually, if I get uptight and I don't eat at all.
The trick to figuring out whether Gabitril is causing anxiety versus NOT taking Neurontin is when you get the most anxious. Ask your pdoc if you can take all of the Gabitril at bedtime (4mg). If you see an improvement in your daytime anxiety (NOT taking it in the morning as well), it is probably the Gabitril triggering it. This is just an intuition: If you had success with Neurontin before and could tolerate it (to some degree), then why not bring the Neurontin back in right now (Neurontin+Gabitril+Xanax) and see if the anxiety *resolves*. You said you didn't like taking 300mg Neurontin during the daytime. My suspicion is that you might see about taking the 4mg Gabitril (all at bedtime) AND adding back 300-400mg Neurontin at bedtime with it and just take the Xanax during the day and see how that goes. If it works and it seems better than Neurontin+Xanxax was previously, THEN increase the Gabitril from there carefully.
Hope this is not too convoluted a response!
Mitch
> 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
>
poster:Mitch
thread:66523
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67021.html