What is Gabapentin?
Gabapentin is a prescription medication. The brand name is Neurontin. This medication is used to treat nerve pain. This type of nerve pain is called neuropathic pain. It can be also used as an anti-seizure medication to prevent & control seizures. It can also be used off label to treat restless legs syndrome and social anxiety disorder. It can also be used off label to treat Alcohol use disorder & Alcohol withdrawal.
Here are other off label uses: vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, fibromyalgia, chronic pruritus, chronic, refractory cough & hiccups
How does Gabapentin work?
Gabapentin is structurally related to GABA.GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter in your brain. The way Gabapentin works is by changing the way in which your nerves send messages to your brain. Gabapentin can in this way reduce your pain.
How can Gabapentin be taken?
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Gabapentin prescription
You can take this medication with or w/o food.
- Neurontin comes in the form of tablets, capsules or solution.
- If you have the capsule, don’t break it up, but do swallow the capsule whole with water.
- If you take tablets, and they are scored, then you can split the tablet as directed by your Doctor. Take the split portion of the tablet at the next scheduled dose.
- A scored tablet has a groove, dividing the pill into equal parts. This is where the tablet can be split.
How long does it take before it starts to work?
It takes about 1-2 weeks for this medication to reach its full effect, especially if you are using it to treat nerve pain. For seizures it takes a couple of weeks.
17 Must Know tips:
1) If you are taking this pill three times a day to treat your nerve pain, do not skip or forget taking a dose as it won’t be as effective after 12 hours as it has a shorter half-life of 5-7 hours. This is because you want steady doses of this medication to be effective. If doses are skipped at least half the medication within 5-7 hours would be out of your body.
2) Do not take this medication at the same time as a stomach medication like Maalox or Tums as these medications can interfere with Neurontin. Take the stomach medication 2 hours before or after taking in Neurontin.
stomach pain
3)Do NOT suddenly stop taking Neurontin as this can cause withdrawal symptoms such as confusion, agitation, increased nervousness, disorientation & insomnia. Neurontin must be tapered off especially if you have been on this medication for some time.
4)If you are older, that is over the age of 65, your Doctor will start you at the lowest dose and gradually titrate the dose up to manage symptoms.
5) The side effects of Gabapentin include dizziness and sedation. Be careful when you are getting up from a sleeping or sitting position. There is also the increased risk of falling so be especially careful when going up and down stairs.
6) A small number of individuals might experience changes in their mood or thoughts, if this is the case do not hesitate to call your Doctor.
7) All drugs may cause side effects. The goal of this article is to educate you, if you are on drug ,how it works and what you might expect in terms of common side effects. There will be always be some people who have no or only mild side effects. If you do have side effects, call your Doctor ASAP to get advice accordingly.
8)There have been rarer cases of an allergic reaction. However, if you do have shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, hives, itching or unusual skin reactions call your Doctor ASAP or go to the nearest ER.
9)In some individuals it can cause suicidal tendencies or thought. If you do feel this way, call your Doctor as soon as possible.
edema
10) In 2-8% of cases you might experience a swelling in your lower extremities or ankles. Elevate your legs, continuing activating your muscle pump by walking.
11) If you have kidney problems the dose of the medication will have to be reduced and appropriately dose adjusted according to your kidney function.
Myasthenia gravis
12) This medication can be used after a Zoster virus infection to treat the nerve pain associated with this disease. This type of pain is also referred to as post herpetic neuralgia.
13)If you have disease called Myasthenia gravis, you have to be cautious with this medication as it can exacerbate the disease.
14) This medication can suppress your breathing especially when used with opioid pain medications such as Morphine or Benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Valium. Patients with a history of COPD have to be cautious as well. Your Doctor will need to dose adjust the medication according to your side effects.(New warning by FDA, 2019)
15) If you drink Alcohol with this medication, it can increase the side effects to this medication. If this is too bothersome it would be a good idea to avoid alcohol.
16) There are several medications which can interact with this medication. This list is not exhaustive. Here I am highlighting a few of them: Ambien, Gingko, Morphine, Orlistat, Oxycodone.
17) Here are some of the more side effects which I did not mention earlier in the video:
- GI side effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Blurry vision, unusual eye movements
- Concentration problems
- Shallow breathing
- Tremor
Think your health and have a good day. See entire Youtube video here.
Sources:
1)https://www.uptodate.com/contents/gabapentin-drug-information?search=gabapentin
