Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 139244

Shown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Gabatril

Posted by Rainee on February 3, 2003, at 23:15:06

I am on lexapro going up too 20 mgs tomorrow from 10.
I have bouts of irritability and the doc wants me to try Gabatril.
anyone have good calming effects with it?

Thanks

 

Re: Gabatril » Rainee

Posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 3, 2003, at 23:51:07

In reply to Gabatril, posted by Rainee on February 3, 2003, at 23:15:06

Gabitril put me into status epilepticus and I nearly died... but YMMV.

FWIW, Gabitril doesn't act upon GABA-A, the subtype responsible for anxiolysis. It is a reuptake inhibitor of GABA-B, which is believed to be responsible for GABA's muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant effects.

--Michael

 

Are you saying that it gave you seizures?

Posted by Rainee on February 4, 2003, at 6:28:12

In reply to Re: Gabatril » Rainee, posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 3, 2003, at 23:51:07

That scared the heck out of me. I'm scared to try it.

 

Re: Gabatril » Rainee

Posted by Ritch on February 4, 2003, at 13:37:47

In reply to Gabatril, posted by Rainee on February 3, 2003, at 23:15:06

> I am on lexapro going up too 20 mgs tomorrow from 10.
> I have bouts of irritability and the doc wants me to try Gabatril.
> anyone have good calming effects with it?
>
> Thanks

I've tried it in the past for bipolar and it had a mild anxiolytic effect (probably secondary to mood-flattening effect), and a mild antidepressant effect at low doses (4-12mg/day), but beyond that I got some pretty bad depersonalization/derealization and facial numbness from it. It was pretty freaky, didn't like that at all. According to the mfg. you are supposed to titrate the dosage slowly, so if you take any don't start out higher than 4mg/day for a week, so you can see how you react to it. My pdoc has mentioned this med twice in the last few months so the pharm reps for whoever makes it (I think it is Abbott, but not sure), evidently are pushing it. Also, I believe there was a study done recently with it that showed some favorable response (to anxiety disorders-can't remember what nature).

 

Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Rainee

Posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 4, 2003, at 20:10:54

In reply to Are you saying that it gave you seizures?, posted by Rainee on February 4, 2003, at 6:28:12

Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you away from it (though I will always try my best to do that with Paxil :-)... it's just that I must have been hypersensitive to its effects. From what I was told, I drifted into a catatonic state for 15-20 minutes, and as the paramedics arrived, I began to seize.

They intubated me once we were in the E.R., but I unconsciously kept trying to pull the tubing from my throat. I don't know the details of what drugs they tried to arrest the seizure, but it lasted three full hours. They had already brought in a priest (though I'm not even Christian, oh well, thought that counts, lol)

Anyway, I started to come out of it at about 4PM, six hours after taking the Gabitril. I was still pretty out of it, though... my GP came in the room and asked if I knew who he was-- I didn't recognize him. But gradually I got better (had to spend the night there, ugh... by the way, apox be upon thee who invented the catheter!! lol). Of course the rest of the medication was flushed the moment I got home.

But this isn't to say I haven't heard some rather inspiring success stories concerning Gabitril; many on this board. Most of them involve primarily depression, though... my linear, scientific way of thinking just for some reason doesn't allow me to believe that this drug could *substantially* relieve anxiety.

Now when Pfizer gets pregabalin out on the market later this year or next year-- watch out!

--Michael

 

Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Ame Sans Vie

Posted by Ritch on February 4, 2003, at 23:09:11

In reply to Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Rainee, posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 4, 2003, at 20:10:54

> Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you away from it (though I will always try my best to do that with Paxil :-)... it's just that I must have been hypersensitive to its effects. From what I was told, I drifted into a catatonic state for 15-20 minutes, and as the paramedics arrived, I began to seize.
>
> They intubated me once we were in the E.R., but I unconsciously kept trying to pull the tubing from my throat. I don't know the details of what drugs they tried to arrest the seizure, but it lasted three full hours. They had already brought in a priest (though I'm not even Christian, oh well, thought that counts, lol)
>
> Anyway, I started to come out of it at about 4PM, six hours after taking the Gabitril. I was still pretty out of it, though... my GP came in the room and asked if I knew who he was-- I didn't recognize him. But gradually I got better (had to spend the night there, ugh... by the way, apox be upon thee who invented the catheter!! lol). Of course the rest of the medication was flushed the moment I got home.
>
> But this isn't to say I haven't heard some rather inspiring success stories concerning Gabitril; many on this board. Most of them involve primarily depression, though... my linear, scientific way of thinking just for some reason doesn't allow me to believe that this drug could *substantially* relieve anxiety.
>
> Now when Pfizer gets pregabalin out on the market later this year or next year-- watch out!
>
> --Michael

Could you relay what dosage of Gabitril you were on when that happened? Was it your first dosing of the med?

 

Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Ritch

Posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 5, 2003, at 5:09:37

In reply to Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Ame Sans Vie, posted by Ritch on February 4, 2003, at 23:09:11

Actually, I was started off on 4mg bid and instructed to take it this way for two weeks; then my dose would double. It was my very first 8mg dose that caused the seizures. Doctors seemed sort of baffled-- both in that I made it through alive, and 'what in the hell is behind all this?' Naturally they just assumed I'd OD'd (I'd done so in the past with clonazepam and phenobarbital), so I'm sure that's on my charts now. Nice, huh?

--Michael

 

Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Ame Sans Vie

Posted by Ritch on February 5, 2003, at 9:18:53

In reply to Re: Are you saying that it gave you seizures? » Ritch, posted by Ame Sans Vie on February 5, 2003, at 5:09:37

> Actually, I was started off on 4mg bid and instructed to take it this way for two weeks; then my dose would double. It was my very first 8mg dose that caused the seizures. Doctors seemed sort of baffled-- both in that I made it through alive, and 'what in the hell is behind all this?' Naturally they just assumed I'd OD'd (I'd done so in the past with clonazepam and phenobarbital), so I'm sure that's on my charts now. Nice, huh?
>
> --Michael

Neurologists are aware that specific AED's can cause *increased* seizure frequency rather than the intended opposite in individual patients. Polypharmacy can complicate these types of issues, too.


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