Generic Name: Gabapentin for Alcohol Withdrawal (gabapentin)
Gabapentin for Alcohol Withdrawal Reviews
"Been a cop for 25 years. Also worked for private contractors in Afghanistan. Needless to say, I retired with two gifts. PTSD and Alcohol abuse. Up to 1.75 (a handle, as we drunks call it) a day. Gabapentin came to the rescue (800 mg twice a day.) At first, there was dizziness, and I had to walk with a cane. On day 3, I normalized. No cravings. Shakes disappeared. Nausea gone. Went to AA, but that made me have cravings again after hearing the stories so, luckily, I stopped going. Miracle drug? It was for me. Did not stop the PTSD, though, but found that medical THC did the trick at night before bed. Sober for a month now. A first."
"Started off innocently enough by just having a few beers on the weekend with my underage pals in the basement playing pool. Four decades later, was jugging vodka all day and messed up my BP and heart rate. Was 170 over 110 and BPM of 120 while resting. Ambulance took me to the hospital twice for chest pain. Went to get help for my alcohol issues a few months back. Was put on gabapentin 300 mg per day with a schedule to increase to 1800mg over the day. Believe it or not, I felt better day one and quit booze by day three with no wicked withdrawal or the usual cravings. I had tried to quit a zillion times before. My mind feels like I am 25 again. Please see your doctor! You do not need to live recklessly and damage your health and relationships further. I was spending 6 to 7 hundred a month for vodka. Now, well after Covid, I am going to take 3 vacations a year with the money I will save. Good luck all! Also I almost forgot to add Once on gabapentin my BP and heart rate went from 170 over 110, 120 heart rate resting to 118 over 88 and 66 heart rate resting. No more chest pain and trips to the hospital. Call your doctor or a rehab facility. I went to a confidential regional clinic. I was on course for a heart attack."
"I have been drinking a bottle of alcohol every day from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, and that is for over 20 years. If I didn't have a drink by noon, I would go into withdrawal. My wife would have to go to the store for me right away because my shakes were so bad I couldn't even get the ATM card in the machine. Last year, I was shot in the neck and back, and this is one of the many medications I was prescribed. I put it to the side and I've never touched it, although they send it to me in the mail every month for a year. I just stuck to drinking. I decided to Google it and noticed it works for alcohol withdrawal. So I decided to give it a try. The first day I didn't even have a drink with no withdrawals. It's been a month now, and I haven't touched a drink. I highly recommend this for anybody that wants to get off alcohol."
"I am a sixty-year-old guy. I have been drinking since I was 15. AA gave me a couple of years of sobriety a few times. I could never describe the magnitude of my cravings (even to other alcoholics). Through the VA, I started taking Gabapentin about 6 months ago. I have returned to AA meetings because just reducing the cravings isn't all it's about for me. I have stated in meetings that there is finally a pill that cures alcoholism. They don't like hearing that stuff in AA. It is more true than they will ever think. Cravings were such a huge part of my inability to control my drinking. I have been able to do things that I never could before. Best of luck to you all."
"UPDATE. I am still on gabapentin. Dose is 600mg three times a day - total 1800mg in a 24-hour period. I had not had a drink 'craving' since August 11, 2014 when I quit. (I did this within one week of starting gabapentin). I did have a glass of wine at Christmas, one beer on my birthday, and one glass of wine at Easter. That's it. I used to have 10 beers a day, and three glasses of wine or gin for bad panic attacks and generalized anxiety. So for me (not everyone) I can have that occasional drink with friends, at a party or any social event - then come home and not touch the stuff and WITHOUT ANY CRAVINGS AT ALL - as I had during my 40-year binge. Still, this drug is amazing. AA never worked for me."
"For my entire adult life, I've quit drinking a 100 times. AA, rehab, sober partners: all the methods worked, and I quit. But not for good! Finally, 14 years ago, I was prescribed Neurontin for my brand new menopause-sponsored hot flashes. I took it for 2 years and quit drinking completely, I just didn't want drinks anymore. At all. When I went off the drug, it was obvious to me within a week: Neurontin stops me from drinking and helped keep me sober, I can't believe how well it works. I've been taking it ever since. I'm sober, and THIN! Opinions are of no value to me because this is how my Neurontin took away my obsession."
"I have been on Gabapentin for 15 months. My dose is two 600mg tablets a day for a total of 1200mg in a 24-hour period. I was prescribed Gabapentin for alcoholism first, anxiety second. This medication is a godsend. After drinking 10-15 alcohol drinks a day for 40 years, within a week I quit and had no side effects from withdrawal - plus the anxiety went away. I do not crave alcohol at all. It is so weird. I thought it wouldn't work until I tried it - and it does work! It was that quick. I suggest everyone with an alcohol problem that wants to quit but is deathly afraid to do so, ask your doctor for Gabapentin. It is non-addictive like benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax). AA never worked for me. Gabapentin, in my opinion, replaces AA."
"I'm not exactly sure why I have had little to no alcohol cravings. Spent 2 days in the hospital to deal with the shakes and initial horrible alcohol withdrawal. Was prescribed Librium and 100 mg of Gabapentin x 3 times a day. I'm off the Librium and down to Gabapentin once per day after 8 days out from being in the hospital. However, I've had little to no withdrawal symptoms. I don't crave alcohol at all, and it seems that the combination of Librium and Gabapentin have staved off the worst. I'm forever grateful for this second shot at life. It's miserable being a barely functioning alcoholic destroying your own life..."
"I am now coming up to 6 months alcohol-free after taking this drug. I am 54, and I was a very heavy drinker. Spirits were my drink of choice, and I started early in the morning and easily polished off a liter bottle. I went to see a specialist, and she prescribed me Gabapentin/Neurontin. I took my first pill (300mg) in the evening before going to bed and actually slept all night without waking early. No night sweats and grabbing for the bottle to get my first drink of the day. I was a bit fuzzy-headed for a few days, but that faded, however, my alcohol cravings had gone. I still have problems being in groups of people socializing when it's booze-related, so I tend to leave early. I am now the official taxi driver! I am going back to see my specialist next month so I can cut down slowly on the pills if needed. Currently, I am on 300mg x 3 a day. Good luck to you all, and I hope this helps and gives some encouragement and hope."
"I have tried and failed so many times trying to quit drinking, and they always failed. Finally, I ended up in a locked rehab ward. I was prescribed Gabapentin (300mg 3x a day). I cannot explain the change in me, it was like overnight my desire/need for alcohol was gone. I am now into my 5th month alcohol-free life. I am very happy with the fact that my automatic reaction to the need for alcohol is gone. I would encourage someone who has failed to stop drinking to give this a try, it beats dying."
"I was prescribed Gabapentin for acute alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, and anxiety. Currently taking 300mg x 3 a day, it has been working great. The withdrawals were bearable, and now I’m finding the anxiety, which once crippled me, is completely gone. I can finally live in peace."
"I’m not sure how gabapentin works, but when it comes to keeping me sober from booze, it is a magic pill. I endured 22 years of heavy drinking with a few weeks of sobriety sprinkled in (usually after a hospitalization for detox) but could never keep it going. Started gabapentin 2 years ago and the cravings just disappeared. I would advise any heavy alcoholic who wants to change to give it a shot."
"Wrote a review in 2020. Still on gabapentin and still sober. Going to AA, and gabapentin worked for me and still works. If you can't calm down and have to drink or feel sick even physically not drinking, give this a try. It's not an opioid, and it sure is fun to have money in your pocket and not spend it all on booze and drugs. It helped me stop both."
"This drug was a lifesaver for me. I strongly recommend it. I'm 25 years old and went through a 4-year binge drinking every day. I suffered from withdrawals, I had panic attacks, and my anxiety was through the roof. Alcohol was destroying my health and relationships. This medication even lifts your mood and calms you down. I have been alcohol-free and no cravings whatsoever. It worked the first day. I'm so thankful for this. More doctors should prescribe it. It is great. God bless everyone - you got this."
"I'm a 53-year-old punk rocker. I drank for forty years and have been sober for 7 months. I take Gabapentin 300mg, 3 times a day, and I no longer have alcohol cravings with the help of this medicine and staying positive. Good luck everyone. Peace."
"I was prescribed gabapentin while I was in the hospital after an alcohol-related accident. They started me on this while I was in a Xanax-induced coma to help with seizures; I had been an alcoholic for 15 years. That was 10/20/13. So many people in the recovery community praise this as a wonder drug, and I agree. I take 600mg 3 times daily, which is double where I started. The only time I notice the drug is when I'm not on it and my anxiety rises and temper gets short. This drug in combination with a recovery plan is a godsend. Haven't had a drink since."
"I was prescribed gabapentin for tingling and numbness several months ago. I had been trying to stop drinking for years. With the reduction of cravings, which was a side effect of the gabapentin, plus AA, I have been sober for 9 months."
"Binge drank for 37 years, stopped 1000 times. I took gabapentin 100mg 3 times a day. No more nausea than in the past, only booze took it away. It helped with my antisocial behavior and severe anxiety. I can finally stop and talk to people and feel calm doing it. I am so happy I can finally stop drinking and live a bit of a normal life."
Neurontin (gabapentin) "This medication is awesome. I have been an alcoholic for 12 years. It has been 2 weeks since my last drink. It helps with mood swings, depression, and cravings. The best thing about it is it is not addictive (non-narcotic)."
"I have been an alcoholic for years. Decided to quit. I was prescribed Gabapentin 300mg x 3 times a day, with the ability to up the dosage. Gabapentin is metabolized through the kidneys, not the liver. Yay! It's only been 10 days but I'm drink and craving free!! I get a little anxious at night but otherwise a happy camper so far! Good luck!!"
"I agree with what is written on this site. I was drinking about a bottle of wine each evening. Why? I would just feel anxious in the evenings. Wine calmed that. Since I started taking Neurontin 5 days ago, I have not even looked at a bottle of wine. For me, it's just like an 'off' switch. Really amazing. Good luck, everyone!"
"Ok so I have had drinking problems my whole life. I went to rehab and then I was on Vivitrol and had 4 years clean. Then I relapsed and started drinking again really bad. Everything went down hill for the last few years. I had two babies, I'm a single mother, and I just couldn't stop drinking. My last day drinking, I laid on my dining room floor and begged God to please help me. I couldn't take Vivitrol because I had a really bad allergic reaction to it, so I just had no hope at all. I went to the doctors and begged them in tears to help me, and they gave me gabapentin. I got clean on July 4th, 2023, and I literally have no cravings. I drive past the same beer distributor every day and I don't even think about it. I'm really grateful for this. I'm finally getting my life back. I thought I could never get back to recovery. I definitely thought my life was ending as a drunk, depressed mess. But yes, thank God for God and the doctors who saved my life."
"Last year I was hospitalized due to my alcohol consumption. After this, I have needed to completely stop. I have been experiencing extreme anxiety. I was recently prescribed Gabapentin 600mg, three times a day. This has helped a ton! I can finally relax and focus on getting my life together! It is definitely helping me through this rough time along with AA and other support groups."
"I have been a sporadic alcoholic for years now. This and my bipolar do not help. I was prescribed gabapentin 600mg 3 times a day for my frequent and very painful headaches and I have never felt better. I have no cravings for alcohol and haven't drank for 2 weeks now. I sleep better. I feel positive. I'm happy for the first time in years. More research should be done as it is not a recommended medicine for alcohol withdrawal."
"I've been taking Gabapentin for exactly 16 months as of today for AUD (alcohol use disorder). I no longer have alcohol cravings at all after being a very heavy drinker for 25 years. My doctor increased my dose gradually up to 400 mg 3 times a day. He's had to back me off to 200 mg as I was too 'foggy-headed' and dizzy at that dosage. But I have not touched any alcohol since day one, and abstinence has been relatively easy. I cannot recommend this treatment enough -- it's been awesome! Finally sober after 25 years!!!"
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