Are we anxiety sufferers more sensitive to medication changes?

[DustingMyselfOff]

For decades I've suspected that I am VERY sensitive to even the slightest change in any type of medication, but of course the doctors say "No, you couldn't possibly be experiencing side effects from such a tiny change." But we know our bodies better than they do and I am convinced that I am either chemically more sensitive or perhaps I am much more in tune and aware of the tiniest changes in my body (thanks, anxiety). I have been on a low dose of Gabapentin for about 18 months (for anxiety) and since my stress levels have come way down in the past 6 months and I've been feeling great, I decided to wean off. I read all kinds of information about how slowly to do it (and also tons of horror stories about how awful it is to wean off of) but I am on such a low dose (100 mg. 2x a day) I can't believe I have been feeling anxiety (physical and mental symptoms) since I tried weaning off. No, it's not a placebo affect from reading about it because I actually forgot that I had started weaning off. When I was telling my husband today about my "unexplained" anxiety the past few days, he reminded me that he's seen me trying to shake out a small amount of Gabapentin from the capsule each night.

Some people go cold turkey at the dosage I'm currently on, so how come I can't come off slowly without noticing? Anyway, I'm rambling.... I just have to wonder if us anxiety sufferers all have this intense sensitivity to any chemical change we make in our bodies.
Sue

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sue, I agree.

Before my anxiety I could take anything. I used a lot of supplements in my weight training, many were stimulants and I was fine. Then came anxiety and taking some of these (legal) supplements ended in an adrenaline rush that scared the life out of me and I spiralled even more from there.

Next came Citalipram, my first med, and within 2 days I was crying my eyes out with depression. I had never experienced depression with the anxiety that had started 6 months prior to this. The second med, Duloxetine, had me bouncing off the walls and affected me for years.

With anxiety you are automatically more sensitive to potentially anything your senses experience. At my worst I could eat and find myself edging into very high levels of anxiety simply because my body felt different because of the food. A couple of years on and this is no problem and caffeine is no bother either.

Meds ramp up anxiety. They mess around with the levels of Serotonin and as panic_dpwn_under will tell you, and he knows his stuff on meds, Serotonin isn't the "fel good" neurotransmitter it was sold as. These meds also play about with other neurotransmitters that work on adrenaline levels, histamine too and higher levels of that will have your thoughts bouncing like mad, etc.

This is why it's hard to understand whether it you, the drug or both. Doctors can easily pigeonhole you as someone anxious. I remember my GP telling me it was not the med, it was my anxiety and to sit it out, when a little checking revealed it was in the listed side effects and it didn't stop for a very long time (I should have been switched but my GP didn't understand the meds clearly as I was far worse after the meds, the first year was utter hell, and I would have suffered less unmedicated with my breakdown relapse).

GP's know little about these meds. If you are lucky to get one who does, and mental health, consider them gold dust.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Thanks for the affirmation and reassurance, Terry. I tried to rough it out but I was getting pretty physically unwell as well as wanting to crawl into a hole or just go to sleep for a few years, but I had an event to attend so I broke down and took a tranq. About an hour later, all the physical and mental symptoms disappeared so it's not my imagination. I'm going to have to try to come off this stuff VERY slowly, but I definitely want off.
Sue

[Carnation]

Hi Sue,
I couldn't read and leave, especially as you have been so supportive of my woes.
As you know I don't take meds, but my other half does and my mum lived through a mountain of meds.
And they both have weaned off meds many times.
But instead of reducing the size of the meds, for instance, half of your normal intake, because that would be basically almost as good as nothing. They would miss one every few days, then after a week, every couple of days, then the following week, every other day and if along the way the ride gets tough, they would increase until there is a comfortable balance.
It also depends on what is going on in your life at the time.
But the rule of thumb is the meds will be active inside of you for at least a month and weaning off is more like three.
The other thing about meds is they seem to make you worse before you get better. This was very apparent when my dad started on his meds for Parkinsons and when my other half started taking sertraline.
I personally believe too there is the psychological affect that when you take something you will think you are much calmer. What you have to do is find the right meds that suit you and take the dosage that sits well.
So as far as changes and your question, I would have to say yes. It's not just meds, it's meal times, sleep and even change of routine to some extent.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Mrs. C!!!!!!! I am SO THRILLED that you posted - I've been thinking about you often and, I must admit, worrying a little, in addition to just plain old missing you!

Thank you for the great information and sharing the experiences of hubby and Mom. Gabapentin has a short half-life so I'm not sure which method of coming off is better: spilling some out of the capsule (which is difficult) or skipping one every couple of days. My first attempt at weaning off was to skip my dose one night, and the next day I was very anxious so I thought perhaps lowering the dose of the capsule would work better. Apparently it didn't, so I guess any decrease is going to be felt by me. Having said that, maybe I will try again to skip the nightly dose every few days and take this more slowly (Yeah, right: me who has no patience and wants everything NOW!).

Thanks for posting, and of course I hope you're doing well and look forward to hear all about your experiences during your hiatus from us.
Sue

[Fishmanpa]

I was on Gabapentin for years for nerve related issues due to chemo. It helped but after 6 years I wanted to give it a go without it. I spoke with my doctor and weaned myself off over the course of the last two months. I was taking 300mg 3x a day (much more during treatment). I went to 2x a day for a couple weeks, then 1x a day for a couple of weeks down to 1x every other day for a couple of weeks to skipping two days until I was off of them. I noticed an uptake in edginess and pain when I started but I've been off of it for over a month now and I'm fine. I still get the same amount of pain from neuropathy in my feet so it really wasn't helping that much anyway and it's one less pill I need to take.

My daughter is a sufferer and has been through several med changes, ramp ups, cross tapers etc. I do believe, based on her experience and what I've seen on the boards, anxiety sufferers are much more sensitive to physical sensations and the side effects of meds do cause them so it only follows that the answer is yes.

Positive thoughts

[DustingMyselfOff]

Thanks, Fishman.... appreciate you sharing you (and your daughter's) experiences. It is comforting to know that this isn't just my imagination and that the side effects do disappear eventually.

What's a little confusing is that when I was taking 3 a day and then suddenly dropped to two a day, I don't recall suffering any side effects from the dosage change. But then again, at that point in my life I was in a constant state of anxiety, so maybe it just blended in and I figured the anxiety was from other sources. Now that my stress and anxiety is way down, any change is going to be more apparent.

I'm debating between a slow, gradual taper or just biting the bullet and doing it quickly (since I'm only on 100 mg. twice a day). Wondering if the negative effects of withdrawal would last longer if I did it suddenly or if it's the same. I'm almost tempted to go through a few days of hell to get it over with (and the fact that opening and re-closing the capsules to take out a small amount is a real challenge!)

I've read that Gabapentin has a short half life so I'm not sure what the best way to get off is.
Sue

[Carnation]

I'm still around Sue, thanks for caring x