The drug calms down the nerve activity to relieve different kinds of pain. Here are some facts about the drug that you may want to know before you or a loved one starts the prescription:.
As well as learning the risks, you should know the symptoms of Gabapentin before beginning to use the drug. Below are the most common side effects.
One of the main symptoms of Gabapentin is dizziness. This can lead to adjoining effects, like incoordination and trouble walking. Drowsiness, while one of the most common side effects, is most likely to occur when you first start taking Gabapentin. People who are pregnant and those who intend to become pregnant should tell a doctor before taking gabapentin.
Research from suggests that taking this drug during pregnancy may be associated with a higher risk of cardiac malformations in the fetus, a condition called small for gestational age, and preterm birth. However, it is also essential to control seizures during pregnancy, so pregnant people should only take the drug if it is absolutely necessary. People should never start or stop taking gabapentin for seizure control before talking with a doctor. They will assess the potential risks and benefits.
After childbirth, gabapentin passes into breast milk. At low levels, it may not affect the infant. However, it is best to discuss this issue with a doctor before breastfeeding. People with gabapentin allergies should not take this drug. Also, the medication may contain other ingredients that can trigger allergy symptoms in some people.
For this reason, people should discuss all drug and food allergies with a doctor before taking gabapentin. It is important to seek emergency medical treatment if symptoms of a severe allergic reaction occur. These may include :. Because gabapentin can cause drowsiness, anyone taking this drug should exercise caution while driving or using machinery. People should also avoid alcohol or limit their intake of alcohol while taking gabapentin, as there is a risk of adverse reactions.
The number of daily doses, the hours that pass between those doses, and how long a person takes gabapentin will vary among individuals. A person should take some forms of gabapentin with food, but for other forms, this is not necessary. Anyone who receives a prescription for the Horizant brand of gabapentin for RLS should take it only during the evening or at night.
Some brands and dosages require a person to break the tablets in half. Always use the other half with the next dose or as soon as possible. Never break or chew extended-release gabapentin tablets. People should always swallow these whole.
It is vital to take only the recommended dosage of gabapentin and not to continue using it for longer than a doctor prescribes. Unfortunately, every patient will respond differently to gabapentin, and there is no one straightforward answer. Peak concentrations of the drug will occur within a couple of hours of taking it, and some effects may be felt within a week. However, for many patients, it takes up to two weeks for relief from pain and frequent seizures to occurs.
Typically, in adult patients, the half-life of gabapentin is between 5 and 7 hours. This means that after that time, the concentration of gabapentin in the body will be reduced by half. It can take several half-lives for gabapentin to leave the body entirely. In general, after 1 to 2 days, there will be no gabapentin left in your system.
Gabapentin can potentially cause side effects ranging from mild to severe. The list below includes some of the most common side effects but is not a complete list. Mild side effects may go away after a few days or weeks of consistent medication-taking, but if they persist or worsen you should speak with your doctor.
Download now. If you experience any of these serious side effects, you should speak with your doctor or seek immediate medical attention if it is an emergency. Tricyclic antidepressants TCAs are known for their anticholinergic side effects; however,weight gain can be an unfortunate side effect as well.
TCAsblock histamine and serotonin receptors and peripheralalpha receptors. The blocking of these 3 receptors leads toincreased carbohydrate cravings, decreased physical activity,and increased appetite.
TCAs also cause decreased basalmetabolic rates. Mirtazapine Remeron , an alpha-2 antagonist antidepressant,joins TCAs on the list of medications commonly causingweight gain.
Of the several classes of antidepressants,selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs , including fluoxetine,citalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, andescitalopram, 7 have a low association with weight gainbecause they do not have the receptor blockade like TCAs;therefore, if weight becomes an issue, switching a patient toan SSRI for depression treatment maybe a good choice. Anticonvulsants, such as carbamazepine,gabapentin, lamotrigine,lithium, and valproic acid, can produceweight gain.
This could be due to fluidretention or decreased metabolic ratefrom hypothyroidism, both commonwith lithium. Among the other most common pharmacotherapiesassociated with weightgain are diabetic medications, such asinsulin and thiazolidinediones. Weight gain is predominantly from increasedtruncal fat and tends to be relatedto daily dose and plasma insulin levels. Less weight gain, when comparedwith more traditional insulin strategies,is achieved when patientsare converted to insulin byusing a bedtime injection ofan intermediate- or long-actinginsulin and using oralagents primarily for controlduring the day.
Thiazolidinediones rosiglitazoneand pioglitazone can cause weight gainthrough both fluid retention and fataccumulation. A weight gain of 3. Appropriate medical nutrition therapyand healthy lifestyle education arecritical to minimize weight gain associatedwith insulin therapy. Weight gain during smoking cessationhas been a deterrent to patientswishing to quit or being successful intheir attempts. Women taking oral contraceptives OCs have thought that these productscan be the cause of weight gain.
Manyof the newer OCs advertise their abilityto prevent weight gain.
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