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Is Gabapentin a Controlled Substance?

thumper79

689d

Can somebody please tell me where in the world it says that gabapentin is a controlled substance? I'm really running into roadblocks when it comes to this particular medication. everyone that I have talked to online says that it's a controlled substance however my husband is a pharmacy tech and says it is not considered a controlled substance. there are five states that have ruled it as a controlled substance but the one that I live in is not one of them and it is not federally recognized as one. I feel like I have been battling bipolar disorder longer than some of my providers have been practicing. I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. if there is an alternative that works I am so open to it but I'm getting tired of being told that they can't prescribe gabapentin because it's a controlled substance. can someone help me find the information where it says this cuz I'm getting so frustrated.

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Top reply
    • 100Percent_K

      279d

      @Parageiss I’m sorry that you personally experienced that, however it’s not that way for everyone. Every medication has pros and cons and not every medication is for everyone.

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    • 100Percent_K

      286d

      It is in some states, it isn’t in others, and some are moving to make it controlled. I see my provider out of MA, where it isn’t controlled but the providers are kept under really close watch, so they actually send their med decision up to my PCP here in ME and she scripts out based on what my specialist tells her to do from MA. Requires a lot of communication, but they bend over backwards because it helps me and they are comfortable with that. If the provider isn’t comfortable with your situation and prescribing it, then nothing you say is going to change their mind about it

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    • Rosannabg

      286d

      It's a controlled drug in the UK

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    • SecondChance

      307d

      Ohio is full of drugs. You should use weed, it's good for us

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    • JadinTB

      308d

      its not a controlled substance, but it does have street value. so sometimes insurance companies and doctors are weird about it.

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    • ErmaMay

      309d

      I have to show my ID every time I pick it up. It's controlled here.

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    • MaryC

      679d

      While at the nursing center after surgery they told me that gabapentin & pregabalin are treated as a controlled substance. It makes the affects of opiods more powerful so I imagine it was being abused to make the high higher.

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    • StormiBella

      679d

      Living in Missouri. It's not controlled. Been taking very to many years.

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    • Lucy1124

      679d

      I take gabapentin for anxiety.. I just read an article that said there are people who abuse it...? I'm confused why anyone would do that? I take 300 mg at bedtime and do not feel any type of high or anything at all. Why would anyone abuse it?

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    • Lucy1124

      679d

      It's not controlled in Pennsylvania..

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    • matchew

      686d

      Gabapentin is awesome

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    • Lucylou54321

      687d

      Gabapentin is not a controlled substance. Maybe your doctor just doesn't want to prescribe it for some reason.

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    • Schatzi

      687d

      I take one pill a day. I don't think it's controlled. It helps with my nerve pain in my lower back. No side effects thank God

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    • Dad.of.Many

      687d

      I'm on the max dose age of Gabapentin a d have been on it for several years. I believe gabapentin was labeled a controlled substance because it was overprescribed. This I found on google: Often prescribed to treat pain, opioids are a controlled substance. Gabapentin is known as an opioid potentiate because it can increase the high felt with opioids such as fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and even the street drug heroin. As a result, gabapentin has potential for misuse or abuse. Feb 2, 2021 So I get that people take gabapentin with opoids to get more high. My psychiatrist prescribes it for me but my doctor is hesitant. It's just something drug users have abused and we who need it are punished.

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    • CoffeeAndDogs

      687d

      I believe it is controlled substance in some states and not others. Not controlled in CA, but I know in some other states it is.

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    • lilmomma782

      688d

      I live in Ohio. My best friend takes gabapentin and was sent to a pain clinic so that she could stay on it.

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    • cardeg

      688d

      Been on it for 27 years...800mg 3x a day..haven't had any problems getting it...I live in pa

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    • saksgirl02

      688d

      They do ask for an ID in Boston. It has a high abuse rate so that is why it is being treated as a controlled substance

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    • Elladolores

      688d

      It depend the state here: Gabapentin controlled status and monitoring in select states as of November 20, 2020 States where gabapentin is classified as a controlled substance (AL, KY, MI, ND, TN, VA, and WV). States with mandated gabapentin reporting (CT, DC, IN, KS, MA, MN, NE, NJ, OH, OR, UT, and WY).

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      • thumper79

        687d

        @Elladolores I don't live in any of those states. I live in Washington so that is where I'm getting so frustrated. I know that it's off label for bipolar disorder, mood swings and as a way to control cravings. It was given to me originally to keep my moods on track and to help me stay away from alcohol. It has worked so brilliantly over the last 3 years and I'm so ticked off that nobody will prescribe it to me unless I pay a couple hundred dollars for face-to-face psychiatry and they want therapy on top of that. Most of the mental health clinics around here require that you do at least two counseling sessions per month in order to keep your meds. I don't need the therapy that often. My previous care team and I decided that I was doing really good without it and that I was more of a medication management patient. Getting really hard to manage medications I can't get. I have evidence to base all of this on. I had the gene site cheek swab done to prove that I don't metabolize medications correctly and that most of mine will be off label. Grr. It's hard enough having problems with your mental health but then you have to fight with people who haven't even been in practice as long as you've had your disease. Just running into roadblocks is all. Thanks for letting me vent

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    • LilG

      688d

      It's a controlled substance because it can become addictive in a way. People will start on a lower dose, find that it stops helping eventually, and without talking to their doctor start taking copious amounts of it. I've talked to many people who have done this. It's really scary and horrible for your body.

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      • Elladolores

        688d

        @LilG wow that’s the first time I heard this. And I work with a pain management doctor. 😵‍💫

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    • Tinee

      688d

      https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/969829#:~:text=Cite%20this%3A%20FDA%2C%20DEA%20Pushed,Medscape%20%2D%20Mar%2007%2C%202022. Read this article or explains the push to monitor its use

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      • thumper79

        688d

        @Tinee excellent article. Very informative. If it was originally prescribed for pain, nerve pain in particular, prescribing it for mood swings, cravings and such would be off label. Now I understand the difficulty a little bit more.

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    • Tinee

      688d

      My suggestion if not already done. Go to a neurologist that specializes in neuropathy. May I ask what state you live in? I'm a tech as well and tx doesn't consider it a control but as previously mentioned some states are watching the prescribing so they have moved it into the control category for that purpose only. Lyrica is the only viable alternative in my personal experience.

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      • Bonjo

        628d

        @Tinee in Mo Lyrica is a controlled substance

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      • thumper79

        688d

        @Tinee I live in Washington state. It was originally prescribed as a mood stabilizer for my bipolar disorder however I am finding out that perhaps I have neuropathy. Now that I don't have access to it I am in constant pain. I did not realize it was treating both things. Going to have to find a teladoc that might be able to diagnose such a thing. I know face-to-face is probably better but it's also a lot more expensive because I do not have insurance at this time. Thank you for all of your research and comments.

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    • 100Percent_K

      689d

      I get my gabapentin prescribed for neuropathy in the state of MA and they have never told me it’s a controlled substance

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      • Parageiss

        310d

        @100Percent_K gabapentin is a very nasty drug and the doc the neuropsychiatry thought I had onset dementia but after tests it was the drug and 6 weeks off it I was back to normal.

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        • 100Percent_K

          279d

          @Parageiss I’m sorry that you personally experienced that, however it’s not that way for everyone. Every medication has pros and cons and not every medication is for everyone.

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    • codyrhodesfan

      689d

      Yes, OH is closely monitoring it as a class v controlled substance. There are either 5 or 7 states that actually consider it a narcotic/controlled substance. Ohio is not one of them however there are 12 states closely monitoring it & OH is one of them. That's why ur having problems

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    • codyrhodesfan

      689d

      Let me if I can find out more

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    • codyrhodesfan

      689d

      I just looked it up & in some states it is a controlled substance. The federal government doesn't see it as a narcotic/controlled substance but some states treat it it as if it is. These states legislation envokes it as being a narcotic/controlled substance

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    • AzabethSiege

      689d

      I was told by my doctor that it IS a controlled substance. I'm in Ohio if that helps.

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    • codyrhodesfan

      689d

      Gabapentin is not a controlled substance. I have been taking it for years for neuropathy

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      • Bonjo

        628d

        @codyrhodesfan me to I'm a med tech in Mo and its not controlled substance. I also take it for neuropathy

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☝ This content is generated by our users and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision

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