GABAergic substances have no effect on me.

[Jason7784]

I posted this in the General health section but I'm going to re-post here as this seems a more appropriate forum for this:

So about 6 months ago I was stricken by anxiety and severe panic attacks after my psych doc decided to cold turkey stop my Vyvanse because my resting heart rate was getting too high. I dealt with what felt like a constant panic attack 24 hours a day for nearly 2 months. To give you an idea how bad it was, I lost nearly 40 lbs in the short span of time. Went to the ER once and when the ambulance showed up my blood pressure was 200/110 and heart rate was 180. Anywho, during my panic time frame I was prescribe numerous benzodiazepines (Lorazepam, Diazepam, Temazepam and Alprazolam). Now, despite being in a constant state of panic I sparingly used the benzos (2-3 times a week at prescribed dose, usually only ever used Alprazolam). Finally I was started on Paroxetine, Gabapentin and Atenolol. My panic attack finally got less and less and finally stopped. Anxiety took a bit longer but now I am pretty much back to normal. Over the past 3 months or so I have tried taking Diazepam and Lorazepam for sleep issues but nothing happens. No effect whatsoever. One night, with my doctor's permission, I took 20mg of Diazepam. This would be a lot for someone not used to taking benzo's. Considering it had been weeks since I last took them I doubt my body was used to them. 20mg of Diazepam had no effect on me. No relaxation. No sleepiness. Nothing. It was almost like taking a sugar pill. I know this brand of pill works because they worked quite well when I was having panic. Well, a couple weeks ago my doc prescribed SOMA for my chronic back pain, same thing, SOMA has no effect. With her permission I took 2 350mg pills. Considering I never have had SOMA before and how everyone talks about how potent they are I figured I would feel some relief. Absolutely nothing. Not even a hint at something. After doing some research I found out SOMA works on the Gaba system in the brain, similar to Benzodiazepines. A few days ago my doc prescribed Ambien for my recent bout of insomnia. Same thing, absolutely no effect. With my doc's permission I doubled up on the Ambien and still no effect. Ambien is yet another GABAergic medication. The GABAergic medications seemed to stop working around the time I started taking the Gabapentin. I've done extensive searches and can't find anyone experiencing the same thing (except in those who have become tolerant). Does anyone know what is going on or have some helpful insight? I'm a bit desperate here. I'm really struggling to sleep at night and it would be great if my Ambien would actually work.

[Paxiled]

First, why didn't your doctor put you back on vyvanse if withdrawal was the problem and taper you off slowly and save you all this pain?  I had a shrink do the same to me with Paxil, and I've never recovered.  Alas, too late for that now.  Don't let them take you off cold turkey again, and don't let them stop the taper until you're safely avoiding a protracted withdrawal.  As to the problem you're having, it could be because of the gabapentin, which is GABA shot directly to your brain, bypassing the digestive system.  They do this because taking GABA as a supplement usually doesn't work because it usually doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier.  Trying to figure out why probably won't get you anywhere, because brains are complicated and individuals don't use these drugs the same.  I'm saddened by the fact you're saddled with taking three drugs as it is when your problem was withdrawal, which these drugs aren't dealing with.  But you're better of not using still another drug for sleep.  Paxil can be very sedating, and gabapentin is a better sleep aid than a benzo.  Using benzos for sleep isn't a good idea -- using any drug for a prolonged period of time for sleep isn't a good idea -- as you will just become used to it and run the risk of getting what's called rebound insomnia, which is even worse than what your problem is now.  I also think taking still another downer, given you're on three of them now, makes little health sense particularly since one of them directly slows down the heart.  I think that, since according to what you say here you have no problem organically that requires any of these meds but it was induced by a problem with a medication for a different problem that should have been solved by putting you back on it and tapering off slowly, that your better move is to get into therapy to see if you can't find some relaxation modality, be it lifestyle changes, increased exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, whatever, that can allow you to start getting your thinking back to normal so you can start cutting down on the meds.  In the meantime, if the gabapentin is working and the benzos aren't, why not increase the gabapentin dose for now and see if that works?  This is generally a very sedating drug.  Or, try some natural remedies, such as melatonin or homeopathic formulations such as Calm's Forte and see if you can't find a way to sleep better without drugs, as it seems your brain is pretty full of drugs right now as it is.

[Paxiled]

I mentioned the two remedies above because they don't also affect GABA, which most herbal relaxants do.  But if you want to try that, which is what you want to do with benzos anyway, there are a host of plants that target GABA -- hops, valerian, kava, California poppy, passionflower to just a few.

[Jason7784]

I did fight the Vyvanse drop but, well there are some doctors who think they know best. Technically she wasn't a doctor, she was a nurse practitioner but she was the only prescriber the place I was going to for mental health had. Suffice it to say I do not see that person anymore. The meds I'm currently on don't make me sleepy or anything like that. Unfortunately I can't increase my Gabapentin beyond 600mg 3x a day because I get bad side effects. I am actually tapering off the Gabapentin right now. I've gone down to 300mg 3x a day and soon will stop it. Right now I believe I am suffering from rebound insomnia from stopping Quetiapine. I was placed on that, by the same prescriber who stopped the Vyvanse, to deal with anxiety. I gained a lot of weight (225 to 260lbs) in a very short amount of time and I was tired all day. My new doc helped me get off of it. I do take melatonin though, it doesn't help much. I do know of the dangers of prolonged benzo use, benzo withdrawal is a great fear of mine but I never used and will never use them often enough for that to be an issue. The more frustrating issue is my SOMA doesn't work. This is bad because I have a herniated disc at L4-L5 and a degenerated disc at L5-S1. I am in a great deal of pain 24 hours a day, sometimes excruciating. It has made my life difficult. I have a 16 month old daughter and I struggle to keep up with her due to my pain. I have been trying to get in to see a pain specialist for 15 years now. I can't get in either because they are too full or they won't accept my insurance. I finally found a doc willing to try and help. I've been prescribed Hydrocodone 5-325mg twice a day. It doesn't help a lot but it is better than nothing. The SOMA was supposed to supplement the Hydro for pain relief but it doesn't work. I think the doc is gonna switch my muscle relaxer at my next appointment. I can't find any mention online anywhere of Gabapentin making GABAergic substances simply not work. I have actually seen mention of Gabapentin making those substances work better. Everyone is different though. I'm guessing my situation is a bit unique. It will be a good thing getting off Gabapentin, it makes my anxiety a bit worse and makes my resting heart rate pretty high which also makes my anxiety worse. I wanted to post my question to see if anyone on here had experienced this issue or heard of this. Thank you for your response, it is much appreciated. I guess I will just have to suffer until I'm off the Gabapentin. Oh before I forget. I have done a lot of therapy, I've been in therapy on and off for the last 20 years. I failed CBT and DBT and breathing techniques sadly don't do much for me. I am a tough case so medication is pretty much my only option to deal with my many mental health issues.