Posted by Snowie on June 16, 2001, at 11:23:45
In reply to Re: Gabitril-Mitch and Anna » Snowie, posted by Mitch on June 15, 2001, at 23:47:18
Mitch,
Are you saying that you like Gabitril better than Neurontin? I'm not taking it for depression; I'm taking it for anxiety, and as a mood regulator to a lesser extent. (Sorry, Anna, I misunderstood that you meant Mitch is taking 24 mg. of Gabitril.) I've started taking 4 mg. in the morning and 4 mg. at night, and I have noticed that I'm edgier than usual. I want something that will take away the anxiety, not enhance it. I've also noticed that I'm urinating more (which is a plus), but that may or may not be caused by the Gabitril.
This new pdoc actually likes benzos, so I don't think he's trying to wean me off Xanax. If anything, I'm the one who's always trying to find new meds that will allow me to take less benzos, which is what Neurontin did for me. As to why he switched me from Neurontin to Gabitril, only he knows. This may sound sarcastic, but since this was my first visit, maybe he wanted to do something different than my last pdoc was doing, perhaps to justify me going to a pdoc outside of my insurance plan. My bipolar sister also sees him and he seems to think that because this disorder runs in families and Neurontin helps me with anxiety when it doesn't have that effect on most non-bipolar people, I may carry enough of the genes to where some bipolar meds may be helpful for me.
Snowie
> Snowie,
>
> I haven't written off the Gabitril for myself just yet(as an add-on at LOWER doses) despite my horror story at 24 mg/day. I did notice that it seemed to make me somewhat nervous-but it did clearly have antidepressant properties. The nervousness seemed to settle down after a couple of weeks though.
>
> Do you think your pdoc is trying to replace the Xanax with Gabitril (he might not be telling you that right now)? Gabitril is a GABA reuptake inhibitor, so that may be the angle he is pursuing-trying to get you adjusted to the Gabitril as an antipanic agent and then wean you away from the Xanax...just a guess. OR rather come to think of it you switched from Neurontin to Gabitril, right? He might be trying to get you onto Gabitril monotheraphy... I don't know if that would work. If you had a good response to Neurontin I don't understand-why the switch??
>
> Mitch
poster:Snowie
thread:66523
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010612/msgs/66724.html