If we could be done in a year that would be amazing. So glad you know how to take it slow and have minimal symptoms. 🌷

Wombat

6 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

Was just reading this on the internet in regard to my Gabapentin taper:

 If the medication is reduced too quickly, it can trigger rebound hyperexcitability—essentially a flood of nerve electrical activity.Uncontrollable spasms, twitching, severe shaking (tremors), and spikes in anxiety are classic, well-documented symptoms of gabapentin withdrawal syndrome. It means your nervous system is reacting to the removal of a long-standing chemical support. Crucial Next Steps. Because you have been on this medication for a decade, your nervous system is highly sensitive to changes. Pause the taper, A decade of use often requires an incredibly gradual micro-taper (sometimes reducing by tiny fractions over many months or a year) to give your nerves time to safely recalibrate without misfiring.

I know the above and I'm doing ok with this taper. I am getting some random spasms, twitching in the middle of the night but it is minor. Also I had to laugh when it said reducing for a year. Ha, I will be reducing for many years. But if I can do it with no or minimal symptoms then that is what I will do. I have no desire to white knuckle it all the way down.

The slower you go the better and so much safer than getting into awful wd symptoms like those you mention.

You have done zoloft, so you can do gabapentin. A year would be very ambitious.

Did you start gabapentin to help the wd of zoloft @RachelSusan ?

20 hours ago, Wombat said:

If we could be done in a year that would be amazing.

@Wombat Wouldn't that be amazing! Like I said, that part made me laugh. It's good to see your name and hear from you. Thank you for saying hello and your support.

13 hours ago, Tracey said:

A year would be very ambitious.

@Tracey Yes, that part of the google answer made me laugh. I think I am looking at around 4 to 5 years.

13 hours ago, Tracey said:

Did you start gabapentin to help the wd of zoloft

Yes I did. The doctor suggested it. He never mentioned me becoming physically depended on it. SURPRISE!!!

As I finally got around to pop in, I see that your reduction is effecting you with minor symptoms. That is so good to hear.

Do you have any anxiety / How does the taper affect you at the moment. Is your sympatric nervous system in alert. / anxiety, restless, uptight i.e as in fight flight mode? Or are you tired, as you wrote earlier?

That is for me the worse symptoms.

The physical I manage, as can I manage being tired. Rater that than the over activated nervous system in fight fligt mode, where I am now starting 21. September.

I’ll pop back to my tread and make an update there.

Perhaps my questions are too much. Please remember to do what is best for you.

Xxx 🤗

@Haa Thank you so much for stopping by my thread. I really appreciate you taking the time to check in with me, and your questions are never too much. I always appreciate hearing from you.

The tiredness has actually passed, which I'm very happy about. I have noticed one small thing, though: sometimes in the early morning I'm getting very slight internal tremors. They are minimal and not really interfering with anything, but I notice them. For me though, that's one of those little signals from my body that makes me think I should pay attention. It may mean I need to give myself a few extra days before my next reduction rather than sticking rigidly to the calendar. I'd rather listen to those little signs than push ahead just because it's time for the next cut.

I hope you're doing OK with the fight-or-flight feeling. Thank you again for stopping by. xx

21 minutes ago, RachelSusan said:

For me though, that's one of those little signals from my body that makes me think I should pay attention. It may mean I need to give myself a few extra days before my next reduction rather than sticking rigidly to the calendar. I'd rather listen to those little signs than push ahead just because it's time for the next cut.

This can be a hard lesson to learn. Those little signals are sometimes difficult to notice, especially in the “routine“ of waiting to take the next step. But it is a very important lesson to learn!

Your posts are very informative and helpful to me as I plan to start my Gabapentin journey!

💞

@Golden Thank you for stopping by my thread. And thank you for what you said about my posts. It means a lot to me to know that they’re helpful as you try to taper off Gabapentin. This is my second time attempting to taper Gabapentin, the first time was disaster. This time as you know, is much slower, thus easier. I hope to avoid the h*ll that I put myself through the first time.

I’ve been wondering how you’re doing with the scale situation. I know you have @Go2zero and @LostinCanada helping you, and you really couldn’t have two better people in your corner for this kind of thing.

I actually tried using a scale myself and was never able to master it. It seemed like I could be standing in a tiny little room with absolutely no air movement, and just my breathing would somehow throw the scale off! So I was really disappointed for you when the liquid didn’t work out, especially since it seemed like it might have made things so much easier.

And I have to tell you, I read your post about cleaning out your closet and it made me smile. You actually got me motivated enough to start going through one of my own closets on Saturday! It's my clothing closet. I’ve been looking at things a little differently now and asking myself what I really need to keep and what I could finally let go of. Some things I haven't worn in over 20 years!!!! So thank you for the unexpected motivation.

3 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

I have noticed one small thing, though: sometimes in the early morning I'm getting very slight internal tremors

I am so pleased to hear this. That you are able to keep the WD to a minimum, and that you aren't crippled by it.

So absolutely no anxiety or restlessness? I am happy for you. And as you say, you keep an eye on what your body tells you.

I wasn’t that fortunate. But you saw that in my tread. I pray for peace for all of us. 🙏💕

@RachelSusan Your post makes me want to give you a really warm hug! 🤗 I can’t tell you how much your sweet comments mean to me! 💞

4 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

I’ve been wondering how you’re doing with the scale situation. I know you have @Go2zero and @LostinCanada helping you, and you really couldn’t have two better people in your corner for this kind of thing.

Yes, they are the best! I ordered the scale Go2Zero recommended. It is coming from Western Europe so it hasn’t arrived yet, but according to tracking, it should be here in a couple of days. 🤷‍♀️ It isn’t far away but USPS sometimes takes strange routes.

4 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

I actually tried using a scale myself and was never able to master it. It seemed like I could be standing in a tiny little room with absolutely no air movement, and just my breathing would somehow throw the scale off!

I know exactly what you mean! I’ve wondered if I’m going to have to wear a mask. 😂 Gotta just laugh at the craziness we have to go through to get these drugs out of our systems. It’s better than getting angry or crying.

I did manage to weigh pills okay when I began my Bupropion taper. I was relieved to finally get to all liquid, although I have to mix it myself. I’m stuck on hold with that one until I can get the sedative drugs out of my system.

4 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

So I was really disappointed for you when the liquid didn’t work out, especially since it seemed like it might have made things so much easier.

I know. I was really counting on using the RX liquid for a change. I’m just going to have to become friends with my new scales. (Big sigh!)

4 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

I read your post about cleaning out your closet and it made me smile. You actually got me motivated enough to start going through one of my own closets on Saturday! It's my clothing closet. I’ve been looking at things a little differently now and asking myself what I really need to keep and what I could finally let go of. Some things I haven't worn in over 20 years!!!! So thank you for the unexpected motivation.

Thank you for sharing this. I thought maybe it was a silly thing to post but was happy that something actually made me feel good! Most feelings are still pretty numb most of the time.

I’m glad that you found it motivating. I understand how difficult it can be to be motivated to do anything out of the ordinary (and sometimes even the ordinary…must do stuff).

4 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

So thank you for the unexpected motivation.

😊 You are very welcome! I’m trying to keep some momentum going for a bigger clean out project before I start tapering again.

On 10/14/2026 at 5:39 PM, RachelSusan said:

@Saar8srl I'm so sorry you're in this much pain. I can hear how desperate you are for relief, and I understand why you felt you had to do something when you were struggling so badly and wanted to be there for your daughter.

I wanted to tell you something that I hope might give you a little hope. As you know, I went through Zoloft withdrawal myself, and I know how terrifying it can be when you start wondering whether you'll ever feel normal again. I did eventually recover, even though there were times when I couldn't imagine that happening.

One thing my own experience taught me is that, after so many medication changes, giving the body time to adjust and stabilize can be important. I understand how hard it is to live with the suffering when you're desperate for relief, but more medication changes don't necessarily mean you'll feel better sooner. What I'm suggesting isn't that you go back down to 3 mg, because that would be another change. Rather, I hope you'll consider discussing with your prescriber the possibility of staying at 4 mg for a while without making further changes, and giving your body time to adjust. If you and your prescriber decide that going back down to 3 mg is the best course, I hope you can make that your last change for a good long while and give your body time to adjust rather than continuing to make further changes in the hope of finding relief.

I'm sharing this because I've been in a place where I was frightened by what was happening to me, too. I also kept making changes, thinking I was doing the right thing by pushing through all the discomfort that each change brought.

I'm particularly concerned by what you've said about wanting to die. Please reach out to someone you trust and let them know how much you're struggling. I am hoping that you have someone who can support you through this.

.

Hey @RachelSusan! It's great to hear you've recovered from PAWS. How long did it take for you?

12 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Hey @RachelSusan! It's great to hear you've recovered from PAWS. How long did it take for you?

Ive moved this here to @RachelSusan s thread. x

@Wildgoose It's a tricky question because my journey took years, partly because I kept moving my doses up and down, sometimes on my own and sometimes on my doctors' advice. All because I kept looking for a fast fix with the pain. Additionally, I was so desperate to get off the medication that I repeatedly tried to rush my taper, putting myself back into withdrawal.

From my initial cold turkey to my final dose after a slow taper took five to six years, as best I can remember. I think it took around 12 to 18 months after my cold turkey and reinstatement to become somewhat stable, but subsequent updosing set me back.

The last two years were the best because I finally slowed down and tapered gradually. It worked well, and the taper became something that happened in the background of my life rather than causing me major problems.

So, although the whole process took about five or six years, it wasn't years of continuous suffering. Things became much more manageable once I found the right approach for me.

How are you doing now? Are you still struggling with PAWS, and if so, what symptoms are you experiencing? I hope things are getting better for you.

@Chippy

.

Edited Saturday at 01:38 PM1 day by RachelSusan
added chippy

@Chippy Thanks Chippy!