I just started taking Gabapentin on the regular. I was originally prescribed back in April due to a foot injury, but it didn't do anything as it turned out my foot was fractured (my doctor originally thought I had nerve damage in my foot).
Anyway, for whatever reason he gave me a ridiculous supply of it, but I just left it aside for months. Recently, due to personal circumstances, my anxiety and depression has increased astoundingly. Desperate, and waiting to be seen by the doctor, I decided to try the gabas for my anxiety.
Wow, it has helped tremendously. It really helps my social anxiety. It makes me super chatty and more at ease in day-to-day conversations that are otherwise sometimes impossible to accomplish with my crippling anxiety.
I was really perplexed to read other people say that Gabapentin gives them great fatigue and even were prescribed it to help with sleep. It is the absolute opposite for me. I take it first thing in the morning with my coffee, and boy does it get me going for the day. It makes me incredibly alert for the entire day. My first day of taking it, it was almost overwhelming and my thoughts were all over the place and I felt a little too flighty. That was just with one 300 mg pill. After day one, it got a lot better and I think that my brain was just adjusting to the new drug in my system.
I can actually understand others reporting that it gives them anxiety. I realize that if I have any down time, then I feel kind of panicky and restless. Like it's hard to sit still. It makes me feel like I need to be doing something. I think it works best for me on busy work days because it keeps me in "power mode" like I can tackle the whole day without feeling that normal slump of exhaustion halfway through the day.
Another great thing is that it really helps me with exercise. Due to the feeling of "needing to do something", it makes me just want to physically move around. Yesterday I took a 6 mile walk/hike through the snow without feeling any fatigue or exhaustion. I also have asthma, so I have to be careful with cardiovascular activities. Recovering from a fractured foot also makes it difficult to walk for too long as well.
Overall, I'm so happy I had an extra amount of this stuff to help me with my anxiety/depression right now until my doctor's appointment.