How quickly does Gabapentin work for anxiety?

What actually is anxiety?

Is anxiety only a fear? You heard about the war going on; you will feel scared. This is human nature. What if your thoughts go beyond your control and you start thinking if and but, then your day-to-day life is gone for a toss.

It is absolutely OK to feel unsafe at some point in time. But your mind can trap you and start playing with your thoughts. You feel that things will go too far.

Anxiety needs the proper line of treatment, as if ignored, it can have dire consequences like losing interest in day-to-day activities, poor performance in studies and at work, and over time, it can lead to substance abuse disorder. 

Symptoms of anxiety

Restlessness

Racing heartbeat

Dizziness

Excessive negative thoughts

Insominia

Losing interest in daily activities

Gabapentin and Anxiety

Now, the very first question that may arise in your mind is What is Gabapentin? Well, this medicine, though approved by the FDA, is used to treat several illnesses like nerve pain, alcohol withdrawal, seizures, epilepsy, and restless leg syndrome. But it is not meant to treat anxiety.

The medicine was prescribed to some individuals, and it has been observed to have a calming effect on them. The main question – How quickly does Gabapentin work for anxiety is still in the picture. 

Unlike other anxiety medicine, it may not provide quick relief. It must be administered in conjunction with other lines of treatment, such as therapies, for optimal results. 

Your psychiatrist will evaluate your overall health before prescribing, as it may have better results when compared to other anxiety medications. But keep in mind it is an off-level drug, that is, it has no scientific proven result to treat anxiety.

How does Gabapentin work for anxiety?

Unlike other anxiety medications, it does not help to release dopamine in the brain. Yet it modifies the GABA receptors in the brain that are responsible for stopping certain signals in the brain. 

It helps in creating the overexcitement in the brain that, in turn, helps to ease the symptoms of anxiety like panic, insomnia, restlessness, and overthinking. 

It may work better for one patient as many factors contribute to the efficacy of the drug, but for many, it may not provide better results. There is a study wherein the medicine was prescribed to young females for three to four weeks.

After some time, the woman had good results, and her anxiety symptoms were relaxed to a good extent, but after completely stopping the medicine, her anxiety issues started to return. 

Medicine can work differently for everyone. The healthcare provider is the right one to guide you on what is best, depending on the whole condition. 

How quickly does the Gabapentin work for anxiety?

The very generic answer to the question is three to four weeks. The medicine is very gradual. It does not work like any other anxiety medication, and the reason is simple – it is an off-label medicine for anxiety and not meant particularly for it. 

However, various factors contribute to it:

• Level of anxiety – how severe are the anxiety issues, and for how long has the person been battling with the problem? The more severe the problem, the more likely it is that one has to take the medicine for longer to get better results.
• Environmental Factors – if the patient continues to live in a toxic environment that triggers the anxiety, the possibility is that one has to take it for a longer duration.
• Other medications – if the patient has other medical issues and is on other medications, then the results may be delayed. Also, gabapentin may interact with other medicines; in that case, the psychiatrist will evaluate the problem.
• Lifestyle – many habits can exaggerate anxiety, for example, if one has the habit of substance abuse or alcohol use disorder, then the gabapentin may not be a good option to consider.

Track your health when on Gabapentin.

You may have got an answer to how quickly gabapentin works for anxiety? Now the next step is to monitor the changes in symptoms. How can you know if the medicine has a positive or negative effect?

Positive changes

• You will feel calm and relaxed. Are you feeling relaxed after taking the medicine? If yes, you are on the right track to treatment.
• Stress management – You can handle stress more calmly; that is, a little stress will not land you in fight mode.
• Less insomnia – the negative thoughts have stopped rushing in your mind, and your mind is not working the whole night, thinking irrational things. You now have better sleep.
• Look for other symptoms – less racing heart, feeling more energetic, resuming activities in which you may have lost interest, getting relief from headaches are some of the other positive effects you may note. 

Negative effects

• Drug dependency – Are you getting restless while withdrawing from medicine, or do you have a strong urge to take the medicine, then you need to connect with a healthcare specialist, as it signals that you are getting addicted to that. 
• Side effects – You should look for these side effects: drowsiness, mood swings, sudden jerky movements, insomnia, double vision, leg swelling, and chest pain.
• Drug tolerance – if you are taking a small dose and that dose is not working for you. Now you have to increase the dose to get the same effect. Consider it a red flag. You are developing tolerance towards it.

Conclusion

Your healthcare provider will give you better insights on which anxiety medication will suit you better. Always be in touch with the professionals, as they will prescribe after evaluating your physical and mental health.