Advise patients that NEURONTIN may cause dizziness, somnolence, and other symptoms and signs of CNS depression. Accordingly, advise them neither to drive a car nor to operate other complex machinery until they have gained sufficient experience on NEURONTIN to gauge whether or not it affects their mental and/or motor performance adversely. Read the Medication Guide before you start taking NEURONTIN and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. Suicidal Thoughts. Like other antiepileptic drugs, NEURONTIN may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500.
DAVID L. KULLING, m.d., is assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He graduated from the Munich University of Technology and completed a residency in family practice at the Allegheny Family Physicians Residency Program of the Altoona (Pa.) Hospital. He also completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. He holds certificates of added qualification in geriatric medicine and sports medicine.
Much of the information on Neurontin's effects on alcoholism and drug addiction comes from clinical research studies performed on rats as well as human clinical research trials. Like many clinical research studies, researchers compare results between a control group and the group they actually test the drug on. These methods allow researchers to pinpoint the actual effects of the drug being tested.
Gabapentin is chemically related to a naturally occurring neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid). The actual mechanism of action by which gabapentin acts in the brain to control seizures and treat pain is not known, although it appears to alter the action of nerve cells. Gabapentin is available in 100-, 300-, and 400-mg capsules; in 600- and 800-mg tablets; and 600 mg gabapentin in a liquid solution containing 250 mg per 5 ml. People over the age of 12 should be started on 300 mg gabapentin taken three times a day. The dose can be increased up to a total of 1,800 mg per day. In some instances, doses of up to 3,600 mg per day have been tolerated.
Low energy: Those experiencing reductions in energy while taking Gabapentin are not alone. Energy reductions commonly occur when individuals take drugs that act on GABA; Gabapentin regulates two enzymes involved in GABA synthesis. The altered synthesis may result in drowsiness, fatigue, and ultimately low neurophysiological energy. This low energy may translate directly to packing on some unwanted baggage.
DAVID L. KULLING, m.d., is assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He graduated from the Munich University of Technology and completed a residency in family practice at the Allegheny Family Physicians Residency Program of the Altoona (Pa.) Hospital. He also completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. He holds certificates of added qualification in geriatric medicine and sports medicine.
Much of the information on Neurontin's effects on alcoholism and drug addiction comes from clinical research studies performed on rats as well as human clinical research trials. Like many clinical research studies, researchers compare results between a control group and the group they actually test the drug on. These methods allow researchers to pinpoint the actual effects of the drug being tested.
Gabapentin is chemically related to a naturally occurring neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid). The actual mechanism of action by which gabapentin acts in the brain to control seizures and treat pain is not known, although it appears to alter the action of nerve cells. Gabapentin is available in 100-, 300-, and 400-mg capsules; in 600- and 800-mg tablets; and 600 mg gabapentin in a liquid solution containing 250 mg per 5 ml. People over the age of 12 should be started on 300 mg gabapentin taken three times a day. The dose can be increased up to a total of 1,800 mg per day. In some instances, doses of up to 3,600 mg per day have been tolerated.
Low energy: Those experiencing reductions in energy while taking Gabapentin are not alone. Energy reductions commonly occur when individuals take drugs that act on GABA; Gabapentin regulates two enzymes involved in GABA synthesis. The altered synthesis may result in drowsiness, fatigue, and ultimately low neurophysiological energy. This low energy may translate directly to packing on some unwanted baggage.