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I’ve engaged in drug abuse almost my entire life, but nothing got me hooked the way that gabapentin did. Not many people may be aware of this drug and its potential for addiction, but it is a brutal substance to be addicted to. When I finally made the decision to seek help via Rehabs Of Armerica, gabapentin ruined my life. My gabapentin abuse quickly overtook every aspect of my life.
Taking gabapentin recreationally is a form of substance abuse that is quickly becoming more and more common. It can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms and severe mood changes. Gabapentin addiction treatment is still in its infancy, but it is possible to find treatment for gabapentin abuse with an outlet like Rehabs Of Armerica
For more information on gabapentin use, its side effects, and the way that it is prescribed, read more to find out. I will lead you through my personal addiction story with gabapentin and lay out all of the reasons why it is such a dangerous drug to get addicted to. Because gabapentin ruined my life, I’ve made it my mission to help prevent others from gabapentin ruining theirs as well!
Gabapentin is a medication commonly prescribed to those suffering from nerve pain and seizures. Gabapentin treatment is common and helps many people with neuropathic pain, partial seizures, restless leg syndrome, and shingles. Despite its use in medicine, like many other substances, it can be abused and is considered a controlled substance.
Using gabapentin recreationally is common among many drug addicts, specifically in combination with drugs such as opiates. Gabapentin can enhance the effects of other drugs, though it can also be abused on its own. I’ve heard a lot of gabapentin addiction stories throughout my time in recovery, many just as harsh sounding as the next.
Gabapentin is typically prescribed under the brand name Neurontin. It has a number of side effects, ranging from sleepiness to memory or concentration difficulties. The mental health effects of gabapentin use can also be severe. Gabapentin withdrawal is very uncomfortable and something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
While a major car accident had left me on strong painkillers in the past, I’ve never had the sort of whole-body symptoms when quitting a drug as I did with Gabapentin. Displaying severe withdrawal symptoms is apparently a hallmark of heavy use of this nerve drug, but I hadn’t even had such agony when I quit using fentanyl patches for goodness’ sake!
For me, the primary withdrawal symptoms were a return to restless legs syndrome, a feeling almost as if my limbs were not under my control, and an overall feeling of intense discomfort across every inch of my body.
Gabapentin is often prescribed to those suffering from nerve damage. Prescribed gabapentin helps a lot of individuals through nerve issues. Nerve pain that occurs due to nerve damage is especially uncomfortable and very difficult to live with day in and day out. The reason I began abusing gabapentin is because it was prescribed to my mother.
My mother was responsible for her medication management and only used it when she was in severe pain. She had no idea that I had begun to skim her pill bottles and take a little bit here and there for myself. My gabapentin misuse began slowly, but it gradually turned into a full-blown addiction and I couldn’t hide it any longer.
When she began noticing her pill bottles being tampered with, she was extremely angry with me and considered calling the police on me. Who could blame her? This was a drug that she needed just to get by, and she was not abusing it at all. I still feel guilty to this day for taking her drugs, even though she has long forgiven me.
I don’t say it lightly. Gabapentin ruined my life. I’ve struggled with substance abuse for as long as I can remember, but when you feel the effects of gabapentin, you can’t imagine your life without it. My daily dose started out small, but I quickly needed more and more of it. Even though I knew my mother was in chronic pain and needed it way more than me, I saw past that.
Beyond the physical dependence, there is a psychological dependence that comes with substance abuse as well. This is true for many drugs, but even more so for a drug like gabapentin. Gabapentin will produce feelings of intense euphoria and relaxation. How long the effects last depend on how much you take and how high your tolerance is.
When abused for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to cognitive impairment and confusion. Once I developed a physical dependence to Gabapentin, I knew I was in trouble. There were plenty of times I had adverse reactions from mixing gabapentin with other drugs, particularly opiates.
Often addicts have a particular drug of choice. I’ve met addicts who only ever used one substance and never had any interest in using anything else. For me, gabapentin started out as an enhancer for my opiate use. It is much easier to overdose on a drug if you are using it in combination with other drugs.
I also found certain dealers would trade Gabapentin with me, and that certain addicts on the street love the high that ‘Johnnys‘ provide.
Among the effects Gabapentin provides is a high similar to a tranquilizer, that ‘paired’ well with opiates for me and a lot of other people out there, apparently.
Gabapentin withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable and one of the reasons that my addiction lasted for so long. As soon as I tried to get off of it, I would get right back on it because of how brutal the adverse withdrawal effects were. These horrible symptoms include tremors, high blood pressure, weight gain, unusual eye movements, and insomnia. For gabapentin to produce adverse withdrawal effects like this, you have to be pretty far in.
Taking gradually smaller doses may help with the gabapentin withdrawal symptoms, but you will still feel unpleasant side effects. Because I was taking gabapentin for as long as I was, I wasn’t immune to the withdrawal symptoms. When I was displaying intense withdrawal symptoms, my mother told me she would call the police if I didn’t seek recovery.
To experience withdrawal symptoms like this, can really put things into perspective. As I was laying on the ground writhing in pain from the gabapentin withdrawal symptoms, it made me realize how far into my substance abuse I was. It scared me to think that I could die like this, or live the rest of my life depending on this drug.
Due to the severity and extended nature of my symptoms, the staff when I did finally make it to detox would call what I was suffering a form of gabapentin withdrawal syndrome, but all I knew at the time was that it seemed to go on forever!
Working through my withdrawal was very uncomfortable, but I was able to find a recovery center through Rehabs Of Armerica that did a great job of coming up with the right treatment plan for me. Because my addiction was so bad by this point, my detox lasted over a week. It was also necessary for me to go through medication-assisted treatment in order to combat the withdrawal.
Throughout my detox, I suffered from panic attacks and extremely low mood. The physical symptoms were bad as well. Despite how awful my time was in detox, I knew that I had to stick with it. Not just for myself, but for my family who I had led down throughout my gabapentin abuse.
One of the things I didn’t take into consideration while trying to get clean was all of the underlying issues that led me here. More often than not, people become addicts because of something that happened in their past, or some type of mental and/or emotional issues.
I finally began to address my mental illness once I began the recovery process. I never paid any attention to my mental health before, and when I finally began to address some of my issues, the reasons for my drug abuse became a little more clear. I always had a hard time adjusting to regular life and social situations. Little did I know, I had been suffering from anxiety disorders my whole life.
Through my personalized treatment plan, I was able to finally get a little bit of control over some of these issues. Behavioral therapy helped me a lot to understand some of the things that made me tick. When I got out of rehab, I had a much better understanding of my mental health and I was able to continue to work on my problems while also working on my sobriety at the same time.
There is something profound about realizing that you need help in multiple areas. It was an overwhelming feeling to know that I had all these issues that I couldn’t solve on my own. Once I finally acknowledged that I was going through some things that needed to be worked out, I was able to settle into my recovery and begin working through what was going on with me.
A lot of drugs can easily be abused. Every recreational drug you can think of is one that has the potential for abuse. People talk about marijuana not being addictive, but anything that gets you high can be addicting, and it often is. A drug like gabapentin has a huge potential to be abused. Any medication that is prescribed for something like nerve damage can be easily abused.
One of the things I learned in rehab is that anyone can be an addict. People from the lower class, middle class, and upper class all have the same potential to be addicts. As a matter of fact, it’s probably easier for people in the upper class to become addicts because they can afford whatever drug they want, and in higher doses.
I’ve met all kinds of different people in recovery. When I am in a meeting, there are blue-collar people and white-collar people. It’s inspiring to see people from all walks of life come together to help each other. You won’t see this very often in life. I’ve been more inspired by people in recovery than anybody else I’ve ever met.
The biggest struggle in recovery is keeping it going. There is an art to remaining sober, and it can take a lot out of you sometimes. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been clean. Having years between your addiction and sobriety might help, but there are plenty of people who relapse following long periods of recovery.
I’ve met people through recovery who seemed like they were doing great, and all it took was one major life event for them to fall back into drug use. I lost a pet about a year into my sobriety, and the urge to use came up strongly. I fought it hard and somehow was able to prevent myself from falling off of the wagon. My peers in recovery are a big reason why I didn’t slip up.
Sobriety is definitely something that takes a lot of individual effort, but you can’t do it all by yourself. Having peer support as well as family support is huge. When I feel weak or not up to the challenge of sobriety, I lean on the people who have supported me in the past. There is a huge sense of community in the world of recovery.
A lot of addicts never find sobriety, but I truly feel that anybody can get sober and live a full, healthy life without drugs and alcohol. It takes a total life turnaround, but I think anybody can make it work. I’ve seen people at their absolute worst turn it around and become productive, sober individuals. There is no secret or manual to being sober, but all it takes is the right mindset.
One of the best things you can do to remain sober is to stick to a routine. Idle hands are the devil’s playground. Making plans and having goals to work toward can help keep you focused. It’s also important to recognize any potential triggers that you may have. If you can avoid places where alcohol is served excessively, that will help as well. Avoid old routines and old ways of thinking. These will not serve you at all in your path to staying sober.
Meditation has helped me tremendously. I have a wandering mind, and sometimes I can ruminate too much on things. Breathwork and meditation have been proven to increase mood and patience. Having patience is key in most areas of life, and this is especially true when it comes to recovery. If you have the right head on your shoulders, there’s nothing that you can’t do.
I didn’t know where to start when I was looking for a recovery center. With all of the other things you are dealing with as an addict, finding the right treatment center can be overwhelming. You have a lot of things to worry about, and this is just another one of the hurdles that you must overcome. Although overwhelming, I found Rehabs Of Armerica to be easily navigable. It gave me a lot of options.
It made me feel better to know that there are so many addiction recovery centers out there that are ready to help those in need. When you are struggling with drug addiction, you feel all alone. You feel like no one cares. It’s you against everyone. Everybody is out to get you, and people don’t want to see you succeed. When I finally entered recovery, I learned that that was a completely false narrative to have in my head.
One of the great lessons I learned in drug rehab is that there are a lot of kind people out there willing to lend a helping hand. When you have an active addiction, the people you associate with greatly influence you. This is also true in recovery. If you are around positive people, it is infectious. When you are around negativity all the time, you will have a more negative outlook.
As you follow the oath of sobriety, keep in mind that it is a process. You don’t have to be defined by your past or fall victim to your negative thoughts. Follow your heart and do what makes you feel alive. Engage with people and embrace the life that you have. Living in the moment is the most important thing you can do for yourself.
If you want a firm footing in recovery from Gabapentin or any other substances, reach out to get options for detox treatment centers and residential programs today. Calling Rehabs Of Armerica made all the difference for me, and I know it can for you too!
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