Can You Overdose on Gabapentin? Risk for Overdose & Symptoms

Also known by brand names like Neurontin and Horizant, gabapentin is an anticonvulsant that comes in capsules, tablets, or oral solutions. It’s used to treat people with seizure disorders, a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia (lasting nerve and skin pain after shingles), and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Gabapentin is generally safe when used by itself but can be risky when combined with other drugs, especially opioids, where it can potentiate respiratory depression. Taking gabapentin with other drugs that make you drowsy or slow your breathing can cause dangerous side effects or death. Ask your doctor before taking opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.

What is this medication?

A review published last year found that gabapentin is ineffective for treating back pain. This study “is one more reason to think twice before starting a patient on this drug,” Juurlink told me. Chronic pain afflicts about a fifth of American adults, and for years, doctors thought it could be treated with prescription painkillers like Oxycontin. But as the drugs began killing the equivalent of three planeloads of Americans every week, opioid prescriptions fell off precipitously.

Gabapentin Dosage

1. Be prepared to disclose any additional drugs or substances the person may have used, as this information is important for evaluating the whole issue.
2. Treating a gabapentin overdose requires immediate medical intervention, as there is no specific antidote for gabapentin toxicity.
3. Despite research in this area, it is not always clear whether suicidal behaviors in people who take gabapentin are a result of the drug itself or related to an existing mental health condition.
4. Gabapentin is generally safe when used by itself but can be risky when combined with other drugs, especially opioids, where it can potentiate respiratory depression.
5. Gabapentin can interact with other prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

It is often prescribed for managing postherpetic neuralgia in adults, which is pain following a shingles infection. In general, gabapentin is well tolerated over a wide range of doses. However, it is possible to overdose on gabapentin, especially when taken in combination with other substances. A growing body of literature shows that gabapentin overdoses can cause potentially serious physical and psychological effects.

PACKAGE LABEL.PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL

This may involve the administration of oxygen, intravenous fluids, and monitoring vital signs to stabilize the patient’s condition. For pets, accidental ingestion can occur when medications are dropped or not stored securely. The effects of Gabapentin on animals can be similar to those in humans, and prompt veterinary care is essential to manage any toxic effects.

Deaths hit a peak in the second quarter of 2020, but remained high through the rest of the study period. About 90% of deaths co-involved an opioid, either illicit (approximately https://sober-home.org/focus-on-alcohol-and-the-immune-system-pmc/ 70%) or prescription (approximately 35%). Involvement of illicitly manufactured fentanyls rose from about 50% at the start of the study period to almost 70% by the end of it.

ADVERSE REACTIONS SECTION

Neurontin (gabapentin) is used to treat pain you may have from shingles (postherpetic nerve pain). It is also used with other seizure medicines for partial onset seizures in patients 3 years and older. Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, https://sober-house.org/contingency-plan-examples-a-step-by-step-guide-to/ Horizant) is a medicine used to treat partial seizures, nerve pain from shingles and restless leg syndrome. It works on the chemical messengers in your brain and nerves. Gabapentin is from a group of medicines called anticonvulsants.

Your donation can make a difference in the future of healthcare. Only use the brand of this medicine that your doctor prescribed. We’ll redirect you to MyDocBill.com, the website of Quest’s billing services provider. Here, Quest patients have secure access to pay their bill, update insurance, edit their profile and view their account history. If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry to track the effects of gabapentin on the baby.

Seek medical treatment if you have a serious drug reaction that can affect many parts of your body. Symptoms may include skin rash, fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, severe weakness, unusual bruising, or yellowing of your skin or eyes. Gabapentin can cause life-threatening breathing problems, especially if you already have a breathing disorder or if you use other medicines that can make you drowsy or slow your breathing.

The right dosage will vary depending on the condition a person has and several other factors. A doctor can best advise about drug interactions and other safety considerations. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, a prevention hotline can help. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 988. During a crisis, people who are hard of hearing can use their preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988. Gabapentin can also help reduce post-herpetic neuralgia, which refers to a burning or stabbing nerve pain that is a common complication of shingles.

Reynolds’s study and others suggest that doctors’ long struggle to find a safe, reliable treatment for chronic pain is far from over. Just as opioids were used to get recreationally high and potentially cause overdose, it appears that their replacements sometimes are as well. Gabapentin is a medication that treats nerve pain by calming overactive nerves in your body. It may also prevent and control seizures in people with epilepsy. Talk to your provider about medications you currently take to avoid drug interaction. It’s difficult to overdose on gabapentin, and it’s highly unlikely that you would die if you overdose.

But that still leaves unresolved the devilish problem of lower-back and neck pain, a major cause of disability in Western nations. Now that narcotics, non-narcotics, and so many other treatments have been tried and failed, many doctors are left scratching their head. In the old days, he prescribed his pain patients https://rehabliving.net/6-signs-alcohol-is-hurting-your-relationship/ opioids, but he has cut back on them after seeing how deadly and addictive they can be. Cannabinoids, the compounds derived from marijuana, can work for some people, but not everyone. People should never start or stop taking gabapentin for seizure control before talking with a healthcare professional.