Gabapentin for Anxiety: Anyone Tried It?

I have been taking it almost a year and a half and it’s helped so much! I take 600mg 3X a day and it’s helped sm with both pain and anxiety but especially anxiety. I take it alongside buspar for anxiety

Yes!!! I take it for my anxiety too!!! It helped me to lessen my anxiety so much I went from 8mgs of Xanax a day years ago to now 2-3mgs a day!!!! It is a total game changer, I really, REALLY hope it does as much for you as it does for me everyday!!! 💚

I’ve been on gabapentin for about 8 months now specifically for anxiety. I’ve tried ssris in the past and didn’t have luck (bad reactions). I started 300mg/day, didn’t notice much, was bumped to 600mg/day, I noticed some changes but I would say I felt “less anxious” or like I had some sort of relief from my daily anxiety. My doctor bumped me to 900mg/day, I felt awful. Irritable, not like myself, on edge, highly sensitive (more than normal too which is a lot) and so I called the doc and decided to go back to 600mg/day where I felt not much of anything. I’m currently weening off (by choice) and down to 300/day for the last few months and I haven’t noticed a difference between the 600 and the 300 at all. I’m not sure how it works long term, but I personally don’t want to be on a daily medication for the rest of my life. We will see how it goes. I’ve also had a lot of negative reactions from other doctors when I tell them why my psychiatrist has me taking it. He told me to ignored them. I’m indifferent.

I don't take it for anxiety, but it does help me with my anxiety anyway. It is a bit of a CNS depressant, so be aware of any side effects. A starter dose for pain is usually 900mg. I don't know what the anxiety dose is. Check with your doc if it feels too strong or not strong enough.

I take it for pain in my head for severe nerve damage from a jet ski accident. It helps for that didn't even know it was used for anxiety

It helps my restless leg and chronic pain more than my anxiety, but it still does have some effect on my anxiety, it’s lower than it was and now that they’ve adjusted it to be three times a day and not two, I have noticed it improving more

I take it for nerve pain ... and I'm still anxious af

Yes! I started gabapentin in October 2021. I noticed effects immediately; it took about two or three weeks for those effects to stabilize and become consistent. I don't feel "drugged" the way I did with other anxiety medications; I guess I just feel more balanced overall, much less overwhelmed in general. I will say I've had to be a bit careful with the side effect of drowsiness; gabapentin does make me pretty drowsy, so I plan around that (i.e., take a cat nap for half an hour after my midday dose, or go for a walk to try to counter the drowsiness with some fresh air). I hope that helps! Good luck! 💕