All the research available tells us that opioids themselves are dangerous. You might be surprised to learn that 1 in every 550 chronic opioid users will die from an overdose within the first three years of being prescribed this type of medication by a doctor. You may also be shocked to know that approximately 33,000 people die from opioid overdoses every year. Taking opioids like hydrocodone, Percocet, or fentanyl without mixing them with anything else is risky. But, when you combine them with gabapentin, you significantly increase the likelihood that you will experience an overdose that will land you in the hospital. Or, scarier still, if you mix Neurontin with opioids, you are running the risk that you will die unexpectedly.
Opioids and Gabapentin: A Potentially Dangerous Mixture
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One of the reasons why gabapentin has been making the news is because it has become a popular drug of choice for people looking to get high. People who take gabbies say the drug makes them feel slightly intoxicated or that it produces a low-grade buzz like that of marijuana. This is not surprising because Neurontin functions as a calming agent that sedates the body. The buzz gabbies generate is not as powerful as opioids like fentanyl, and the drug is a lot safer than benzodiazepines like Xanax. Gabapentin does not pose the threat of overdose like hardcore painkillers or tranquilizers. Plus, Neurontin is cheap, which is why many drug users opt for this inexpensive drug. One gabapentin sells on the streets for as little as a dollar. For all these reasons, people underestimate the dangers of Neurontin. If you take gabbies for fun or mix them with opioids, you are abusing gabapentin. Although addiction experts report that gabapentin does not contain addictive properties like those found in opioids or benzodiazepines, it is still a potent, habit-forming drug that can cause withdrawal if you stop taking it. Withdrawal, also known as detox, happens when your body has become used to processing a powerful substance, and you take that substance away. It is a very uncomfortable and painful process. Here are some of the withdrawal symptoms you should expect if you stop taking gabapentin:
Conclusions: For heroin users, the combination of opioids with gabapentin or pregabalin potentially increases the risk of acute overdose death through either reversal of tolerance or an additive effect of the drugs to depress respiration.
Gabapentin is often used in conjunction with opioids to treat chronic pain. Both of these drugs suppress breathing, which can be fatal, the authors note. In addition, the use of gabapentin concomitantly with opioids can increase the amount of opioid absorbed by the body, potentially leading to higher risk.
Gabapentin is also commonly misused by ingesting it in combination with other substances, such as benzodiazepines, opioids, marijuana, stimulants, or alcohol.1,2 Someone may use these substances together in an attempt to enhance a subjective high, self-medicate, or manage the withdrawal symptoms associated with other substances.1,2 However, combining gabapentin with other depressants, such as alcohol or opioids, can be dangerous and lead to an increased risk of side effects, one of the most dangerous being suppressed breathing.7
Polydrug abuse is dangerous for anyone. No one is immune to the potentially disastrous effects of combining medications or illicit drugs with alcohol, but it does present a greater risk for some people than for others.
The mixing of alcohol with opioids is responsible for more polydrug overdoses than any other combination of drugs. To say that combining these two classes of substances is dangerous is a vast understatement. The combination is often lethal.
The reason why is because alcohol and opioids both work as depressants of the central nervous system (CNS). Both substances cause the body's major functions to slow down, like heart rate and breathing. One or the other substance might not slow these systems to dangerously low rates, but when they are combined, the body may not be able to control their depressing effects. With a little too much of either substance, the CNS may slow to the point of stopping; in other words, the heart may forget to beat or the lungs may forget to expand and then, it's all over.
Like opioids, sleep aids are one of the most dangerous substances you can mix with alcohol. Most sleeping pills work by slowing down the CNS and causing a deep state of relaxation. The most popular brands of sleep aids are:
Some users have reported that the high from snorted Gabapentin can be similar to taking a stimulant. It can also enhance the euphoric effects of other drugs, like opiates, and is likely to increase the risks when taken in this way. This is where it can become dangerous, especially when mixed with things like heroin or fentanyl. In fact, mixing Gabapentin with opioids does increase the risk of a fatal overdose.
Although gabapentin is generally considered safe and is infrequently associated with overdose on its own, when used with other central nervous system depressants such as opioids, there is risk for respiratory depression, potentially resulting in death.
Mixing gabapentin and opioids can be very dangerous, especially if you take opioids that have not been prescribed to you. Gabapentin and opioids have an additive effect that slows down the central nervous system, so taking them together can increase your risk of overdose. Sometimes, gabapentin can even make the opioid less effective, as is the case with hydrocodone.
On its own, gabapentin has a lower risk for abuse than similar benzodiazepines and opioids; but like any drug, gabapentin causes side effects, the nature and severity of which depend on how much of the medication is consumed, and for how long. At the shorter end of the spectrum, the effects are mostly tolerable and will pass after the body becomes accustomed to the effects of the gabapentin. Mayo Clinic lists some of the milder and short-term effects of gabapentin:
A further effect of long-term gabapentin use arises when a person who has been taking the medication for a long period of time tries to abruptly discontinue use. This places a lot of stress on the brain because it has gotten used to relying on the augmented GABA neurotransmitter production for improved functioning in the central nervous system. Taking the gabapentin away without proper care can lead to the development of distressing and potentially dangerous withdrawal systems, as the brain and body struggle to adapt to the sudden lack of gabapentin. For those with epilepsy, this is of special concern; without gabapentin, they are at risk for experiencing seizures, which can be very hazardous if they happen with other withdrawal symptoms.
The use and misuse of prescription drugs in the United States is common, with over 16 million people aged 12 or over reporting misuse of prescription psychotherapeutic drugs in 2019.7 However, mixing certain prescription drugs with alcohol can lead to potentially fatal side effects, in addition to other adverse short-term or long-term health problems.8 Prescription drugs commonly used in conjunction with alcohol include prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants.1
Nearly 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness in the U.S. Mental illness may be managed with medications like antidepressants, including Cymbalta, Lexapro, or Zoloft, and antipsychotics, such as Risperdal, Seroquel, or Zyprexa.9 While these medications are important for many individuals, combining them with alcohol is not advisable because of the chance for potentially dangerous interactions.1
Detox is generally the first step on the treatment journey, offering a safe, monitored environment to ease physical dependence from substances being used.12 Medical detox provides care and supervision by medical staff, which is especially important when someone is experiencing withdrawal, since there can be potentially dangerous side effects that come with cessation of certain substances.12,14 2ff7e9595c
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