gabapentin, anyone?

[eustacia]

i was wondering if the anti-seizure gabapentin (neurontin) had been used to treat alcohol cravings because i thought that it might have a lower side effect profile than topa. there was something about the way it worked that made me ask this question. anyway, i checked entrez pubmed and i found some anecdotal (case study type) info that it had been used successfully off-label for this purpose. this is interesting to me because i think that topa might be contraindicated for me and because i know that i can tolerate a low dosage of neurontin. i have occasionally taken neurontin to quiet painful spasms well enough that i can stay asleep at night.

i think that i am going to try a "case" (and i am a case, indeed study with myself using neurontin to quell my shyness in social situations that often precipitates my drinking. if it works, i'll not know whether it is due to the activity of the drug or whether it is a placebo effect and, for my own personal concerns, it won't really matter.

however, this leaves me wondering: has anyone else found neurontin helpful in managing cravings?

e

[Ivygoodluck]

gabapentin, anyone?

Hi E,

I will be interested in hearing how you do on neurontin. I, too, am concerned about the side effects of topa. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Ivy

[eustacia]

gabapentin, anyone?

Dear Ivy,

I am not having any alcohol cravings at all. Last week I did "lapse" a bit and had three drinks two days in a row. However, I was having a very frightening week--seriously ill relative, etc.--and so I allowed myself to lapse. My goal is to get my alcohol usage under better control and to stop using it to reduce social anxiety. For health reasons, I don't think that I should be drinking more than one glass of wine most days.

Eustacia

[eustacia]

gabapentin, anyone?

ivy--

re: my post earlier this morning (lower case always means i'm typing really really fast; hope this makes sense)

i forgot to note that several years ago when i tried a program called moderation management i did have some degree of cravings during my 30 day abstinence.

with myo, i don't know if it is the gabapentin or the kudzu root, or maybe something else entirely, which is responsible for the lack of cravings this go round.

bottom line: not sure at all that it is the gabapentin-- just haven't noticed any adverse effects from it and i'm not having cravings.

e

[happycamper68]

gabapentin, anyone?

Hey you may want to post this on general discussion because someone was asking about alternatives to Topa on there as this sounds very interesting- this could be a question for RJ and Dr. Garcia as well.

[Ivygoodluck]

gabapentin, anyone?

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like you are doing great!!!!

Ivy

[Ivygoodluck]

gabapentin, anyone?

Dr.Garcia,

Haooy, Is the doctor still around?

Where do we post for RJ.


Hope things are working out for you.

Love, Ivy

[Guest]

gabapentin, anyone?

I took Neurontin (gabapentin) for 2 years for neural pain. I did not notice a reduction in alcohol cravings but I did have a lot of other side affects, the word-loss, mispronunciation thing.

[imnewhere]

gabapentin, anyone?

All I am wondering how Neurontin became an option -- did a Dcotor recommend?

[eustacia]

gabapentin, anyone?

Hi Imnewhere,

If your question was addressed to me, I apologize for not responding sooner. My neurologist prescribed gabapentin for me because of nerve pain that is due to an old injury. I never bothered to look it up in the PDR until after I posted that it might be helpful in reducing cravings. In retrospect, I don't think that it would have much place in an alcohol treatment arsenal because its half life is too short. And like Unregistered noted, it does have side effects. I had to titrate my prescribed dosage significantly because it was interfering with my ability to speak.

Eustacia

[Paddy]

gabapentin, anyone?

I don't know about any alternative to Topa yet, either. Indeed, the side effects really frighten the living daylights out of me. That's why I haven't started taking Topa as yet. ...