Before taking gabapentin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to gabapentin enacarbil; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.
Before using Gabapentin (buy neurontin® online), tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: kidney disease, mental/mood problems (such as depression, thoughts of suicide), use/abuse of drugs/alcohol.
This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy or cause blurred vision. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness or clear vision until you are sure you can perform such activities safely. Limit alcoholic beverages.
Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).
Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially swelling of the hands/ankles/feet, dizziness, or loss of coordination. Dizziness and loss of coordination can increase the risk of falling.
Children may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially mental/mood/behavior changes (such as hostility, problems concentrating, restlessness).
During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
Gabapentin passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
Gabapentin OVERDOSE
A lethal dose of gabapentin was not identified in mice and rats receiving single oral doses as high as 8000 mg/kg. Signs of acute toxicity in animals included ataxia, labored breathing, ptosis, sedation, hypoactivity, or excitation.
Acute oral overdoses of NEURONTIN up to 49 grams have been reported. In these cases, double vision, slurred speech, drowsiness, lethargy, and diarrhea were observed. All patients recovered with supportive care. Coma, resolving with dialysis, has been reported in patients with chronic renal failure who were treated with NEURONTIN.
Gabapentin can be removed by hemodialysis. Although hemodialysis has not been performed in the few overdose cases reported, it may be indicated by the patient’s clinical state or in patients with significant renal impairment.
If overexposure occurs, call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
Suicide prevention
- If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or hurting another person:
- • Call 911 or your local emergency number.
- • Stay with the person until help arrives.
- • Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that may cause harm.
- • Listen, but don’t judge, argue, threaten, or yell.
- If you or someone you know is considering suicide, get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline. Try the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Take as directed
Gabapentin oral capsule is used for short-term or long-term treatment. The length of treatment depends on what condition it’s being used to treat. It comes with serious risks if you don’t take it as prescribed.
If you stop taking it suddenly or don’t take it at all:
- For seizures: This can increase your risk of status epilepticus, which is a medical emergency. With this condition, short or long seizures occur for 30 minutes or more. If your doctor decides to reduce your dose or have you stop taking gabapentin, they will do this slowly. Your dose will be reduced or your treatment stopped over the course of at least one week.
- For postherpetic neuralgia: Your symptoms won’t improve.
If you miss doses or don’t take it on schedule: Your medication may not work as well or may stop working completely. In order for this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times.
If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms of an overdose of this drug can include:
- double vision
- slurred speech
- tiredness
- loose stools
If you think you’ve taken too much of this drug, call your doctor or local poison control center. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
What to do if you miss a dose: If you forget to take your dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you remember just a few hours before the time for your next dose, then only take one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two capsules at once. This could result in dangerous side effects.
How to tell if the drug is working: You should have fewer seizures. Or you should have less nerve pain.
Keep these considerations in mind if your doctor prescribes gabapentin oral capsule for you.
General
Gabapentin oral capsules can be taken with or without food. Taking them with food can help to reduce upset stomach.
Storage
- Store gabapentin at room temperature between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C).
- Don’t store this medication in moist or damp areas, such as bathrooms.
Refills
A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription.
Travel
When traveling with your medication:
- Always carry your medication with you, such as in your carry-on bag.
- Don’t worry about airport X-ray machines. They can’t hurt your medication.
- You may need to show airport staff the pharmacy label for your medication. Be sure to carry with you the prescription-labeled box that your medication came in.
- Do not put this medication in your car’s glove compartment or leave it in the car. Be sure to avoid doing this when the weather is very hot or very cold.
Clinical monitoring
Your doctor will monitor your kidney function.
Insurance
Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for gabapentin. This means your doctor will need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription.
Gabapentin Use and Abuse
One of the first reports on gabapentin abuse came out in 2004. It was on a study that surveyed patients in a Florida correctional facility, which found that less than 20 percent of the gabapentin prescriptions given out were in the hands of people who had actually been prescribed the drug. Five of the inmates surveyed reported crushing the pills to snort them, with four of the five reporting a high similar to that of cocaine, and they all had histories of cocaine abuse. After that, gabapentin was removed from a number of correctional facilities as an acceptable medication to dispense to inmates.
Prescription drug abuse is defined as any use above and beyond that approved by the doctor. This includes taking the medication without a prescription or lying about symptoms in order to obtain a prescription. Of course, taking more than instructed is also abuse, and likely to lead to withdrawal symptoms when intake is stopped. There have been multiple cases of middle-age and elderly patients who were prescribed gabapentin for pain or mood disorders who also had histories of alcohol abuse. Due to the tolerance of a substance similar to gabapentin, they ended up taking much higher doses than prescribed and experienced considerable withdrawal symptoms after they were taken off the medication.
More commonly, people attending substance abuse clinics report abusing gabapentin without a prescription.
One study found that 22 percent of surveyed patients abused this medication for intoxication purposes, especially for increasing the opioid effects of methadone.
A police report from 2011 also found that gabapentin is increasingly being used as a cutting agent in heroin. The fact that this medication is unrestricted, and that it’s common for the dosage to be increased over time, means that it’s easy to obtain via legal prescriptions and then sold on the black market. If gabapentin goes the way of many other intoxicating prescription drugs, recreational use will likely increase until government agencies recognize the danger and begin placing restrictions on it.