Posted by Greg on October 12, 2001, at 17:58:02
In reply to What can I expect from Neurontin?, posted by madeleine on October 12, 2001, at 11:52:37
Hi Madeleine,
I took Neurontin as a mood stabilizer for about 6 months. I got up to a dose of 1200mgs (600am and 600pm), but had to stop because it was causing excessive fatigue in me. I started at 300 and 300 for the first two weeks and then went up to the 6 and 6. I didn't experience any side effects coming off the Neu and I stopped cold turkey (which is a bad thing BTW). I'm dx'd Bipolar II (rapid cycling) and the Neu helped with the moods pretty well but I've found Topamax to be a much better med for me as it doesn't leave me feeling at all fatigued. I also take Zyprexa 2.5mgs at night and Xanax .5mgs as needed for anxiety.
I've heard of some people here taking much higher doses with a lot better results, so hopefully you'll hear from some of them too. I'm with you, I hate taking new meds too, and it took a long time to find the right ones. I'm glad I stuck it out though.
I hope you have great luck with it!
Greg
> My psychiatrist has suggested that I try taking Neurontin as a 'mood stabilizer'--currently I am taking Remeron (30 mg) and Klonopin (1.5 mg), which covers the bases pretty well (for me) for depression/anxiety, but my moods do cycle up and down (small ups, big downs) and the crashes are exhausting. Will Neurontin help with this? How long will it take to see an effect? What about side-effects, going on and going off--can I go straight to a therapeutic dosage (which would be how much?), or will I need to ramp up slowly? Also, I am not terribly good at taking my doses on time--will this be a problem?
>
> I hate taking new meds.
>
> madeleine
poster:Greg
thread:81126
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011007/msgs/81150.html