Posted by Snowie on October 17, 2004, at 18:16:02
In reply to Re: NEURONTIN - sometimes, posted by Deesent on October 15, 2004, at 18:16:41
Hi,
Yes, I have taken Xanax (and Tranxene) and Neurontin together (I don't do well with A/D's either). Several years ago, my sister was taking Neurontin and she liked it, so I tried it at her suggestion because I felt Xanax wasn't working as well for me the 2nd time around as it had the 1st time (long story - I had been taking Xanax for years but because of a job I wanted that required a drug test, I developed a benzo dependency phobia, so I weaned off Xanax over 9 mos. and stopped taking it completely for over a year. I came to the conclusion during that time that my life on Xanax had been much better than it had been without it.). I broke open a 100 mg. capsule of Neurontin and added it to a soft drink or milk and was surprised that my anxiety went away the first time I tried it.
I got a pdoc to write me a script of Neurontin for 100 mg. 2 or 3 x a day, and it eventually allowed me to go from 3 mg. a day of Xanax to only 1 mg. I went on Tranxene a few months later (also a benzo but supposedly not as potent as Xanax and I take only 1 15 mg. pill in the morning), but Tranxene hasn't helped me much, although I feel if for some reason I had to quit it cold turkey I could, which is probably why I haven't gone back to regular Xanax, although I'm considering Xanax XR.
Unfortunately, although Neurontin works for me much of the time, it doesn't work all of the time to alleviate anxiety. Often it works better than benzos; other times it doesn't work at all. Go figure. Also, Neurontin by itself doesn't help me with social anxiety. In addition, I've gained weight since upping my dosage of Neurontin to 400 mg. 3 x a day, my libido has been non-existent, and I've had terrible tinnitis. Those side effects may or may not be caused by Neurontin, so I've started tapering it to see if the weight gain, libido, and tinnitis problems are side effects of the increased Neurontin (I feel my libido returning, so I'll see what happens). So far I haven't had any problems tapering from Neurontin (I've only been taking 1 400 mg. pill at night so I can sleep and I don't taper too quickly).
Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps. Don't forget we're all different and what works for me may or may not work for you, and whatever side effects I may experience may or may not affect you in the same way. You won't know until you try it. However, if Neurontin does help you and you notice any of the side effects I mention above, try lowering your dose back to 100 mg. 3 x a day and see if they go away because for me it has been a good med.
Snowie
> My doctor prescribed Neurontin after I had to withdraw from Serzone and could not tolerate Lexapro. After trying many different AD's Serzone unfortunately was the one that finally worked for me and then they withdrew it from the market.
>
> AD's and me don't get along very well. I have been hesitant to try the Neurontin, not wanting to go through side affects and all, but some of your posts are encouraging me to take it for my anxiety. I currently take Xanax .5 mg 3-4 times a day. Does anybody take Xanax with the Neurontin? He is starting me on a REAL low dose of 100 mg 3X day because he knows how sensitive I am to meds. Have been on Xanax for 15+ years and I don't see myself getting off of it anytime soon.
> Thanks for your insights and help:)
poster:Snowie
thread:365024
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041012/msgs/404225.html