Symptoms: Akathisia, brain zaps, emotional blunting, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, insomnia, suicidal ideation, tinnitus, severe anxiety/panic, anhedonia, GI disturbances
In 2024, at 34 years old, I admitted myself into treatment for alcohol use disorder. I am, thankfully, still sober. However, when I was in treatment, they prescribed me 300mg of gabapentin three times a day—they said it would help anxiety. I had never taken medications before, and in treatment you don’t have access to the internet, so I couldn’t research anything about the medication. I just trusted them and took it.
I enjoyed the relaxation it gave me; however, something told me it was too good to be true. I took gabapentin for about six to seven months and decided to taper off of it.
Following that taper, I developed severe insomnia where I couldn’t even go to work because I would be awake for seemingly weeks on end. The nights consisted of pacing, sweating, waves of doom, every sound causing flinches in my body. I experienced akathisia for over a year, severe depression, massive GI issues, and panic attacks that got so bad I had to wear a heart monitor. I had no desire to be sexual—still current. I had newfound paranoias, such as being in public or when flying. I always used to enjoy travel, but all of a sudden I would have intense panic attacks on planes and in cars, feeling like I needed to escape the claustrophobia and that I was going to die. I developed severe tinnitus that I still have. I had brain zaps throughout the day, especially at nightfall when attempting to fall asleep.
Debilitating fatigue that still exists to this day. In fact, I am writing this from my bed at two in the afternoon because, even though I slept for eight hours last night, I cannot make it through one day without needing to lie down.
No one would believe me that gabapentin would do this, and they still don’t. I would get the classic Google answer of, “The symptoms last 7–10 days after stopping, but gabapentin is very safe.” I am still not back to normal.
I am so grateful to be sober from any altering substances, other than caffeine; however, I know my brain is different now. Glory be to God for helping me through this, though my free will of taking that medication has gotten me into trouble. Many of the symptoms I listed lasted for over a year after stopping gabapentin, which, again, I was only on for six to seven months, though some have subsided, some still linger. The amount of people who are prescribed it for off-label uses terrifies me.