Posted by Ame Sans Vie on January 19, 2003, at 12:32:07
In reply to Is there difference between gabitril neurontin? , posted by hildi on January 19, 2003, at 11:49:03
I really can only speak from personal experience (as I've tried all three of these drugs), though there are some generalizations that can be made about these drugs-- effects that are pretty common, it seems, when one reviews the threads on this board.
For me, side effects for Neurontin were mild and transient. For the first few weeks on the drug, and with each increase in dose, I would find myself feeling very sleepy around mid-day... sometimes even dozing off for a few hours. I also had horrible dry mouth... but both of these adverse effects disappeared within three weeks' time. As an anxiolytic, it did absolutely nothing for me... but I was on a fairly low dose (1200mg). Studies have recently shown that Neurontin is a very poor mood stabilizer.
Lamictal I just discontinued a few weeks ago when I began feeling very strange "detached", "fuzzy" feelings in my head all the time. I actually found it to be overly sedating... not to mention that it made me constantly irritable. And of course, it did nothing for my anxiety. It can be wonderful for mood-stabilization though, especially in combination with lithium.
As for Gabitril, all I can really say is *proceed with caution*. First of all, the anxiolytic effects that most of us expected from Gabitril are all but nonexistant, as tiagabine is a reuptake inhibitor of GABA-B, not GABA-A. Even at a dose of 4mg twice a day (the maximum recommended daily dose is 64mg) I found urination to be practically impossible... but I was so desperate that I foolishly stuck with it. My dose was eventually raised to 8mg x2/day, and my first 8mg dose set me right off into a catatonic state, followed by a 3-hour episode of status epilepticus. None of the anticonvulsants administered to me in the E.R. brought me out of it; they say it's literally a miracle I'm alive. And apparently mine was not an exceptional case... I've read of similar instances involving this drug. Not sure of it's usefulness in bipolar disorders.
If you're considering one of these drugs for anxiety, I'd suggest Neurontin, based on anecdotal evidence more than anything. Hope this helps some-- good luck!
--Michael
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:136541
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030119/msgs/136550.html