How to take and store Gabapentin?
Swallow the capsules or tablets whole.
It’s OK to take gabapentin either with food or without food, but it’s best to be consistent day after day.
Don’t take an antacid (like Maalox) within 2 hours of taking gabapentin. Antacids can prevent your body from absorbing all the gabapentin.
As the doctor increases the amount of gabapentin that you take, you may be given a different kind of pill than the ones you’ve been taking. Be careful! For example, if you’ve been using 300-mg capsules and the new prescription is for 600-mg tablets, be sure to take the right number. Don’t automatically continue to take the same number of pills as before.
Don’t take more than the doctor prescribes. If you think you’ve used an extra pill call your doctor for advice. For a larger overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency room right away, unless you have special instructions from the doctor.
Don’t stop taking gabapentin or change the amount you use without talking to the doctor first. Stopping any seizure medicine all at once can cause serious problems.
Store the capsules or tablets at room temperature, away from dampness and direct light. (Don’t keep them in the bathroom if it’s damp there.) Of course, keep all gabapentin out of the reach of children.
What if I forget?
In general, if you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, delay that dose for a few hours, instead of taking two doses very close together. Then go back to the regular schedule. If you’re not sure about what to do, call the doctor’s office for more advice.
Do your best to follow the doctor’s directions. The more often a medicine must be taken, the greater the chance of forgetting, and most people need to take gabapentin 3 times every day. This can be difficult. If you forget doses often, it may be a good idea to get a special pillbox or watch with an alarm to remind you.
Taking the right amount of seizure medicine on time every single day is the most important step in preventing seizures!
How does Gabapentin affect the brain?
Brain cells need to work (fire) at a certain rate to function normally. During a seizure, brain cells are forced to work much more rapidly than normal. Gabapentin helps prevent brain cells from working as fast as a seizure requires them to. In this way, seizures can be stopped when they are just beginning.
We don’t completely understand how gabapentin works in the brain to stop seizures. It probably causes brain cells to make more of a chemical (called GABA) that stops brain cells from firing.
How does the body digest Gabapentin?
After medicine is swallowed, it must be absorbed into the blood so it can move throughout the body. The process of absorbing a medicine or food, digesting it, and eliminating it from the body is called metabolism. The way the body metabolizes a particular medicine affects how often it must be taken. It also determines whether it will interact with other medicines or be affected by conditions such as disease of the liver or kidneys.
Many other medicines are metabolized by the liver, but Gabapentin is not. This is why it does not affect the way other medicines work, and they do not affect gabapentin. People with liver disease should be able to use it without trouble.
The body removes gabapentin through the kidneys, so people with kidney disorders need to be careful. To prevent too much gabapentin from building up in the body, they usually need to take less gabapentin and take it less often.
How well does the Gabapentin work?
Doctors have studied large numbers of people with epilepsy to find out how well gabapentin controls seizures. When it was used as an add-on with another seizure medicine, a number of adults had large reductions in their seizures, and side effects were not much trouble.
A similar study in children aged 3 to 12 years had similar results. The children with complex partial seizures and secondarily generalized seizures showed the greatest improvement.
Gabapentin is not the best add-on seizure medicine for everyone. Sometimes, a series of combinations must be tried before finding what is best for the individual. Gabapentin does have an advantage over some other medicines used for add-on therapy, because the doctor won’t have to change how much of the first medicine is prescribed. The lack of interactions also makes gabapentin a good choice for people who need to take medicines for other disorders.
Some research also has looked at how well gabapentin works to control seizures when it is used alone. In one study, people with newly diagnosed partial seizures were treated with either gabapentin or another commonly used seizure medicine, carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol). The two medicines had just about the same effect on the seizures, but fewer people taking gabapentin had very troublesome side effects.
What are the most common side effects of Gabapentin ?
Most people who take gabapentin don’t have too much trouble with side effects. The most common complaints (usually not too severe) are:
- tiredness
- sleepiness
- dizziness
- weight gain
- ankle swelling
If you notice any of these problems, call the doctor. Sometimes the doctor can help by changing the amount of gabapentin prescribed or when you take it. Don’t stop taking gabapentin or change the amount you take without your doctor’s guidance.
Some people who take gabapentin actually feel that their mood and sense of well-being is improved. Doctors are exploring whether it can be used to treat disorders like depression and anxiety.
People who have just started taking gabapentin (or who have just started taking a larger amount) should be careful during activities that might be dangerous, until they know whether they are having any side effects.