Getting high from gabapentin

[leadinglady]

Can someone explain to me how this happens? I've been on Neurontin (a LOT of it) and never could imagine using it to get high. It doesn't have that affect. Why does it have street value? It doesn't seem like it would do anything! I just don't get it.

[melissaw72]

Getting high from gabapentin

10 hours ago, leadinglady said:

Can someone explain to me how this happens?

IMO you would probably get high on it if you took too much.

*Not advocating to do/try this.

Edited March 4, 2017 by melissaw72

[Steve223]

One could theoretically get "high" from it, but it actually isn't a drug that is very sought after.  From what I hear, the affects are simply a "drugged" sensation that relatively few people find desirable.  

[wookie]

12 minutes ago, San said:

In all honestly, people will take any substance they get their hands on that has any kind of effect and get "high" off it.

In Canada, the overdose rate of cough syrup goes really up in the winter months. Seroquel is abused in prisons, also.

Seroquel I guess is a party drug if you don't mind sleeping a lot? Gabapentin just made me depressed.

[Yuna]

14 hours ago, leadinglady said:

Can someone explain to me how this happens? I've been on Neurontin (a LOT of it) and never could imagine using it to get high. It doesn't have that affect. Why does it have street value? It doesn't seem like it would do anything! I just don't get it.

WATCH OUT! GABAPENTIN CAUSE BAD BAD WITHDRAWAL. I WAS ON 600mg for sleep for 2 years, you will get sick sick when you quit.

30 minutes ago, wookie said:

Seroquel I guess is a party drug if you don't mind sleeping a lot? Gabapentin just made me depressed.

I don't see how seroquel is a party drug. Unless you consider sleep walking to the fridge to eat all the brownies and ice cream a party- well then yes. 

[WinterRosie]

Just a reminder that a whole lot of folks looking to get "high" are actually looking to take the edge off their fear, their anxiety, or to feel comforted. And comfort is best acquired when sleepy, drowsy, and warm. CNS depressants are really good at that.

[jt07]

7 minutes ago, WinterRosie said:

And comfort is best acquired when sleepy, drowsy, and warm. CNS depressants are really good at that.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone so elegantly state that or even admit to that at all. I've always had a problem with psych drugs precisely because a lot of them are sedating and sedation is one side effect hat I cannot tolerate. I hate to feel sleepy all the time. To me that's misery. Now I understand that other people find it comforting or at least, that the psych community thinks it is comforting.

[wookie]

31 minutes ago, Yuna said:

I don't see how seroquel is a party drug. Unless you consider sleep walking to the fridge to eat all the brownies and ice cream a party- well then yes. 

Holy shit  ha ha. I remember devouring four cupcakes and a whole pile of food at a company party on Seroquel. I am lucky I only managed to gain 15 lbs on it.  

[CeruleanBlue]

@Yuna I don't see how seroquel is a party drug. Unless you consider sleep walking to the fridge to eat all the brownies and ice cream a party- well then yes. 

 

I don't need no stinkin' drugs to help me eat brownies and ice cream.  They're more entertaining than many parties I've been to!  LOL

[melissaw72]

1 hour ago, Yuna said:

WATCH OUT! GABAPENTIN CAUSE BAD BAD WITHDRAWAL. I WAS ON 600mg for sleep for 2 years, you will get sick sick when you quit.

I agree ... weaning off of neurontin is a bitch.  At the very end it is the worse.  I had to go so slow, and when it came to the end, I just had to endure withdrawals from it.  All I remember was that it was terrible, and I vowed to never take it again (had it in 1998), and I haven't taken it to this day.

YMMV though ... it is a good med for a lot of people.

 

1 hour ago, Yuna said:

I don't see how seroquel is a party drug. Unless you consider sleep walking to the fridge to eat all the brownies and ice cream a party- well then yes. 

Great point!

 

1 hour ago, jt07 said:

I've always had a problem with psych drugs precisely because a lot of them are sedating and sedation is one side effect hat I cannot tolerate. I hate to feel sleepy all the time. To me that's misery. Now I understand that other people find it comforting or at least, that the psych community thinks it is comforting.

I do not like the sedation at all either.  I like feeling tired as in ready to sleep, but not tired all day long and otherwise. 

 

54 minutes ago, CeruleanBlue said:

I don't need no stinkin' drugs to help me eat brownies and ice cream. 

I don't either LOL

[JoJoBBY924]

I take Neurontin, too, along with my Seroquel XR and Prozac. I can't imagine getting high off Neurontin either. I'm sure it COULD be done in high doses, but don't recommend trying!

[Flash]

18 hours ago, leadinglady said:

Can someone explain to me how this happens? I've been on Neurontin (a LOT of it) and never could imagine using it to get high. It doesn't have that affect. Why does it have street value? It doesn't seem like it would do anything! I just don't get it.

I've tried it twice, and it did zilch. The first two days I took Cymbalta, it made me quite high, but nothing after that. Stims like Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta don't exactly make me high, but they do lift my mood when taken in large quantities, and rather quickly.  Almost every Rx painkiller I've tried made high the first time I tried it, but nothing after that. Darvocet was an exception, but it eventually wore off too. And morphine never made me high, even the first time I took it. 

[Flash]

3 hours ago, jt07 said:

I don't think I've ever heard anyone so elegantly state that or even admit to that at all. I've always had a problem with psych drugs precisely because a lot of them are sedating and sedation is one side effect hat I cannot tolerate. I hate to feel sleepy all the time. To me that's misery. Now I understand that other people find it comforting or at least, that the psych community thinks it is comforting.

Sedation is my holy grail. And unfortunately there's only one med that delivers it anymore: doxepin. And even that only gets me 5 hours, if I'm lucky. I haven't tried amiltriptylene yet, though, and I hope that will do the trick, because that's the last ordinary one I haven't tried. Maybe haldol? Has anyone ever used that for sleep? 

[Yuna]

5 hours ago, wookie said:

Holy shit  ha ha. I remember devouring four cupcakes and a whole pile of food at a company party on Seroquel. I am lucky I only managed to gain 15 lbs on it.  

Yeah and that happened to me from only 25mg of seroquel for sleep. I also took 10mg of ambien at the same time. I don't remember much after... just having this weird dreams about eating everything and then my mom would yell at me in the morning when significant portions of food dissapeared during the night.

4 hours ago, melissaw72 said:

I agree ... weaning off of neurontin is a bitch.  At the very end it is the worse.  I had to go so slow, and when it came to the end, I just had to endure withdrawals from it.  All I remember was that it was terrible, and I vowed to never take it again (had it in 1998), and I haven't taken it to this day.

YMMV though ... it is a good med for a lot of people.

 

Great point!

 

I do not like the sedation at all either.  I like feeling tired as in ready to sleep, but not tired all day long and otherwise. 

 

I don't either LOL

The Neurontin withdrawal was as bad as any withdrawal I've been through. There was something just Irksome about it, just miserable that I couldn't put my finger on but it sucked.

 

Also Ambien withdrawal also sucked, funny how my doctor failed to mention this to me.. hmmm.. Big Pharma just wants our money.

[melissaw72]

1 hour ago, Yuna said:

I also took 10mg of ambien at the same time. I don't remember much after... just having this weird dreams about eating everything and then my mom would yell at me in the morning when significant portions of food dissapeared during the night.

Also Ambien withdrawal also sucked, funny how my doctor failed to mention this to me.. hmmm.. Big Pharma just wants our money.

Ambien causes problems with me too, but not with withdrawal ... when I took it, my memory was wiped when I woke up.  Didn't remember what I did beforehand, and I sleep-eat while on it (and not remembering doing it after waking up). All I see are the empty wrappers of food around.  I didn't have a hard time going off of it, probably because I was only on it a couple days.  I was eating way too much and I didn't like the not remembering.

 

[Yuna]

2 hours ago, melissaw72 said:

Ambien causes problems with me too, but not with withdrawal ... when I took it, my memory was wiped when I woke up.  Didn't remember what I did beforehand, and I sleep-eat while on it (and not remembering doing it after waking up). All I see are the empty wrappers of food around.  I didn't have a hard time going off of it, probably because I was only on it a couple days.  I was eating way too much and I didn't like the not remembering.

 

Mind if I send you a private message at some point? I gather you a regular here, so maybe you wouldn't mind if I ask you a few questions about this site? 

Now I am going to try and get some sleep... although the Trileptal is making sleep hard

[Wooster]

We encourage people to post openly on the boards instead of using the private message feature for personal support for several reasons.

First, people will get a broader variety of input and responses by posting on the boards. After all, we're a site by wingnuts for wingnuts.

Second, people may want a faster turn around time to questions or concerns than one individual can offer. The best way to make sure you get your needs met quickly is by posting on the main boards.

Finally, providing individual support to one person can sometimes set up a dynamic where the person receiving support wants more that the person providing support can provide. To be fair to everyone and to reduce the likelihood of any hard feelings, we encourage posting on the main boards.

[melissaw72]

2 hours ago, Yuna said:

Mind if I send you a private message at some point? I gather you a regular here, so maybe you wouldn't mind if I ask you a few questions about this site? 

Now I am going to try and get some sleep... although the Trileptal is making sleep hard

Sure, no problem.  I'll do my best.

Edited March 5, 2017 by melissaw72

[JustNuts]

On 3/4/2017 at 8:28 AM, Yuna said:

WATCH OUT! GABAPENTIN CAUSE BAD BAD WITHDRAWAL. I WAS ON 600mg for sleep for 2 years, you will get sick sick when you quit.

Interestingly enough I never noticed any signs of withdrawal when I quit gabapentin, although I suspect that was from also being on diazepam. I was on gabapentin + diazepam for quite a long time (having originally started the gabapentin over a month before the diazepam was added) because I was so concerned about possible withdrawal from the gabapentin and also thought the gabapentin may have been potentiating the diazepam, and my psych didn't really care either way so we left it like that... In hindsight I should have dumped it much sooner. Oh well.

[crtclms]

On 3/4/2017 at 7:28 AM, Yuna said:

WATCH OUT! GABAPENTIN CAUSE BAD BAD WITHDRAWAL. I WAS ON 600mg for sleep for 2 years, you will get sick sick when you quit.

I don't see how seroquel is a party drug. Unless you consider sleep walking to the fridge to eat all the brownies and ice cream a party- well then yes. 

I'm sorry that you were sick. I took 2600mg by the time it stopped working for my migraines, and I came off of it just like any other anti-convulsant. 

In other words, I did not get sick when I quit. It's fine to say *you* got sick, we want to hear about your personal experiences. But please don't extrapolate to others. Because, as with any medication, ymmv.

[StormBeforeCalm]

I take 2400 mg of gabapentin a day (800x3) and it took me several months to get to this dosage. All the doctors I spoke to about gabapentin said that I needed to slowly work my way up to that dosage, allowing my body at least a few weeks to get used to each increase and see how I felt. I can only assume that if I were to stop taking gabapentin, I would similarly have to reduce it gradually over time and not just go cold turkey.

[CrazyRedhead]

On 3/4/2017 at 1:56 PM, Flash said:

Sedation is my holy grail. And unfortunately there's only one med that delivers it anymore: doxepin. And even that only gets me 5 hours, if I'm lucky. I haven't tried amiltriptylene yet, though, and I hope that will do the trick, because that's the last ordinary one I haven't tried. Maybe haldol? Has anyone ever used that for sleep? 

Don't have any experience with haldol, but 100mg thorazine has helped my sleep.....I get 7-9 hours a night.

However, thorazine was a last line choice for me when everything else didn't work out......If I were you, I would try the amitriptyline first before trying an antipsychotic..

Just my 2 cents.

Edited March 7, 2017 by CrazyRedhead

[mjs190]

Gabapentin in really high doses causes a sense of euphoria and a paradoxical "activation" or feeling speedy. I used to work at an alcohol and drug detox, and many, maaany clients were on gabapentin (very common among the substance abuse population) for a slew of various disorders. They call them "johnnies" and they would literally take fistfuls to get absolutely stoned off their asses. Its a relatively common problem in the Boston area. Lyrica, because its structurally related, also attracts the same audience.

Edited March 8, 2017 by mjs190

[wookie]

On 3/8/2017 at 6:00 PM, mjs190 said:

Gabapentin in really high doses causes a sense of euphoria and a paradoxical "activation" or feeling speedy. I used to work at an alcohol and drug detox, and many, maaany clients were on gabapentin (very common among the substance abuse population) for a slew of various disorders. They call them "johnnies" and they would literally take fistfuls to get absolutely stoned off their asses. Its a relatively common problem in the Boston area. Lyrica, because its structurally related, also attracts the same audience.

I regard anticonvulsants as a class of meds you don't mess with because if you stop taking them suddenly you could have a seizure and die.  Could ingesting large quantities for kicks cause the same problem?

Edited March 14, 2017 by wookie

[mjs190]

3 hours ago, wookie said:

I regard anticonvulsants as a class of meds you don't mess with because if you stop taking them suddenly you could have a seizure and die.  Could ingesting large quantities for kicks cause the same problem?

I would say it absolutely could cause a problem, especially if there's an underlying seizure disorder and/or the person does this frequently. Effectively overdosing on any kind of medication is a bad idea, but to your point an antiepileptic drug could be especially dangerous for sure. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by mjs190

[PsiloDream]

Yeah mjs is correct, it's not just about feeling drugged or sedated or out of it... It's definitely recreational in high doses.  Doctors are becoming *slightly* more aware of this.  I'm a recovering alcoholic and had my struggles with heroin and crack which doctors knew so never gave me benzos but handed me gabapentin like candy.  I actually preferred gabapentin to benzos to be honest as it enhanced all my drugs of choice greatly and was very strong on its own.  I'd never go near it again, and anyone wiTh a hint of a drug problem shouldn't fool themselves into thinking this is a safe alternative to benzos 

[Alien Navel Cord]

On 3/4/2017 at 11:47 AM, Flash said:

 And morphine never made me high, even the first time I took it. 

When I was in hospital for gall stones, my pain was a 10. More like an 11 because I had a stone stuck in the billiary tube. Ouch! Morphine did *nothing* for the pain, nor did it make me goofy in the slightest. Know what they put me on that was stronger than morphine, and had only a slight impact on the pain? Sythentic heroin. Good greif! That freaked me out a bit, when they told me that was what was in my body.

[notloki]

1 hour ago, Alien Navel Cord said:

When I was in hospital for gall stones, my pain was a 10. More like an 11 because I had a stone stuck in the billiary tube. Ouch! Morphine did *nothing* for the pain, nor did it make me goofy in the slightest. Know what they put me on that was stronger than morphine, and had only a slight impact on the pain? Sythentic heroin. Good greif! That freaked me out a bit, when they told me that was what was in my body.

Most likely fentanyl, a standard synthetic opioid used quite often once morphine does not work.

[Iceberg]

Or dilaudid....which is another more potent than morphine one

[mcjimjam]

My mum took Lyrica once for a back problem and she was so out of it. Swaying and looking all dreamy. She said it was wonderful! I guess it affects some people like that. I found high doses to have a benzodiazepine like effect, made me feel relaxed, tipsy and sleep well.

[Alien Navel Cord]

Danger! Danger! Last thursday I took 300mg gabapentin and blacked out. I did stupid stuff, apparently, while blacked out and even drove. be careful!

[melissaw72]

7 hours ago, Alien Navel Cord said:

Danger! Danger! Last thursday I took 300mg gabapentin and blacked out. I did stupid stuff, apparently, while blacked out and even drove. be careful!

Did you take something else with the gabapentin that could have caused that reaction?

[Alien Navel Cord]

On 4/20/2017 at 5:23 PM, melissaw72 said:

Did you take something else with the gabapentin that could have caused that reaction?

Nope just my usual 600mg morning dose of gabapentin. My pdoc stopped me off of that. It was pretty bad. I don't know how it happened or why. I fell asleep at work and someone reported me and I got called into the office and I remember bits and peices of it. My friend tried to get some food into me and I spilled a milkshake in her car. I had her driving all over town for food. It was awful. I behaved like someone who is drunk when they black out. Not fun. 

 

YMMV but this happened to me and the only thing we could attribute it to was gabapentin. My pdoc said it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

[jeclear]

i have been on gabapentin for a long time.. i am 6ft 2 and weigh around 300lbs... the dose for me to get high on this stuff is stupid high... like around 24,000mg... thats 30 600mg pills at once.. i take a high dose daily at 1200mg twice a day... the effects at the 24,000mg dose is no different than taking around 1000mg of lyrica.  

[Cerberus]

6 hours ago, jeclear said:

i have been on gabapentin for a long time.. i am 6ft 2 and weigh around 300lbs... the dose for me to get high on this stuff is stupid high... like around 24,000mg... thats 30 600mg pills at once.. i take a high dose daily at 1200mg twice a day... the effects at the 24,000mg dose is no different than taking around 1000mg of lyrica.  

Erm... That must be that "new math" I've heard about. Using the "old math", 30 x 600mg = 18,000mg. And a twice-daily 1,200mg dose of gabapentin = 2,400mg, not 24,000mg. So, either a) your daily dose is equivalent to 100mg of lyrica instead of 1,000mg, b) you're taking way more than your daily dosage, c) you suck at math, d) you have no idea what you're saying at all, or e) all of the above.

[matthew beech]

On 3/4/2017 at 9:28 PM, Yuna said:

WATCH OUT! GABAPENTIN CAUSE BAD BAD WITHDRAWAL. I WAS ON 600mg for sleep for 2 years, you will get sick sick when you quit.

 

I've seen the other posts about gabapentin withdrawal. I'm using it to help give up clonazepam (10 years at 2mg per night and before that 40mg of diazepam per night also for 10 years and a few times before that).

I guess I am replacing one addiction with another? Could gabapentin withdrawal be as bad and hard as benzo withdrawal? I've cold turkeyed off Valium before. Really really really bad... The worst experience of my life and very dangerous, although I knew no better back then. Fool that I am I went back on it.

 I'm taking 300-400mg gabapentin per night and have for a few months now. I can't quit that as well as clonazepam.

Edited July 8, 2017 by matthew beech
Spelling error, added dosage

[StormBeforeCalm]

I was taking 2400 mg of gabapentin a day (800x3). I am currently in the process of going off gabapentin because we've finally identified and addressed the problem that was necessitating the gabapentin. My doctors recommended I drop my dosage gradually and wait at least two weeks before dropping dosage again to give my brain a chance to acclimate. I went from 800x3 to 600x3 with no adverse effects. Since then I've gone from 600x3 to 400x3 and then 300x3, which is my current dose. I haven't had any adverse effects at all.

Quitting gabapentin cold turkey is a really bad idea, for all the reasons mentioned earlier in this thread.

[wookie]

I tried Gabapentin 300mg once for about a week and at first it made me anxious and kind of depressed.  I would of enjoyed the chillaxed effect but never experienced it.

[Wooster]

Gabapentin, and essentially anything that works on GABA receptors, was the argument being put forth, has abuse potential.

But there is a substantial difference between tolerance and addiction, @matthew beech.

Tolerance is a physiological process whereby the body adapts to a substance such that in the absence of that substance physiological withdrawal symptoms occur. Addiction is a psychological process with physiological consequences when a substance is used to escape unpleasantness or gain an altered state of consciousness even so much that it causes problems in living.