Gabapentin Recreational Use
Gabapentin is the kind of medication prescribed for Epilepsy. Epilepsy is a kind of brain disorder and this medicine is one of the new antiepileptic drugs being launched recently in the medicine world
This medication with brand names such as Fabatrex, Gabarose, Gralise, Neurontin and Nupentin is a pharmaceutical drug for patients only for neuropathic pain.
To some people exploit and turn their usage of drug such as Gabapentin recreation use. This should not be the case. For they do not comprehend what this may lead them to because this act usually leads one to more serious problems and suffers, rather than remedies them from their illness. People who are taking this drug in tablet, capsules and oral solution start at sub therapeutic doses. Gradually there is a need to increase their daily dose to avoid common effect to this medication. The typical side effects to this drug are dizziness, vertigo and what is described by many who are prescribed to use this drug is what they call as a drunken or drugged feeling.
Gabapentin recreation use mostly to those who become then addicted to this drug should be in the first place aims as to remedy their illness. Otherwise usage of the drug, like deliberately take a mild overdose of this kind of drug just to bring on those sensations is heading to much more and deeper trouble than what they have presently. With this medication they thought that at the beginning it would be all right and they can enjoy the feeling brought by such sensations. This drug should not be taken to more of what should have prescribed by their physician to cure them to their illness. And this drug should not be abused by anyone and took it as a recreational use. Any other drugs with unexpected abuse potential are considered dangerous to anyone’s health. Any abusers who would intentionally take more of this medication just to heighten the feeling of being “in the clouds” or to some to help them more become dizzy for them to be able to sleep for more hours. Any individual should be responsible enough to face the consequences of their actions. And making Gabapentin recreation use is one should take into consideration and not exploit this kind of medicine.
The benefits of new anti epileptic drugs like this medicine includes mode of actions, broad spectrum antiseizure side effects, decrease in the drug interactions and minimal side effects. This drug which is a known GABA analogue is proven to be effective in several neurological disorders and psychiatric conditions. This drug is usually used in the treatment of several epilepsies. Gabapentin aims sometimes for patients to use as to reduce pains brought by diabetic neuropathy. The condition is described as the numbness or tingling sensation secondary to nerve damage to people with known diabetes mellitus. It is also used for the treatment and prevention of hot flashes in women who are receiving breast cancer medication or those who are at their menopausal stage. It is a complex medication that can be used to wide array of condition.
Gabapentin Dosage
The primary issue with gabapentin dosage is that in order to get to optimal therapeutic gabapentin dosage of patient needs to start at a lower gabapentin dosage than is likely to help with the symptoms and gradually taper the gabapentin dosage up to an effective gabapentin dosage.
Gabapentin side effects are very common, especially with the initiation of therapy. For this reason many physicians recommend an even slower start in gabapentin dosage than is on the FDA approved gabapentin dosage regimen. In the package insert for gabapentin the recommended dosage for neuropathic pain is to take 3 mg daily for the first day, 300 mg twice on the second day and then three to milligrams three times daily. The dosage can then be gradually increased up to a maximum of 1200 mg three times a day for neuropathic pain. In many physicians experience the chances of significant gabapentin side effects including sedation, uncoordinated movements and dizziness when dosing is increased this quickly is very high. Sometimes patients need to begin as low as 100 mg bedtime as an initial gabapentin dosage and then taper up by increasing as little as 100 mg every few days using their symptoms as team a guide to the rate at which they increase the gabapentin dosage. Although obviously initiating therapy this slowly will take longer to get to therapeutic gabapentin dosage and may delay pain relief it can alleviate discontinuation of gabapentin prior to getting to therapeutic gabapentin dosage.
The typical gabapentin dosage for both postherpetic neuralgia and other neuropathic pain like diabetic peripheral neuropathy is 600 mg three times a day. Some patients will get adequate relief with as little as three to milligrams at bedtime but usually patients benefit from increasing the gabapentin dosage to at least 18 your hundred milligrams daily.
The available gabapentin dosage options that are easily commercially available include 100 mg, 300 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg and 800 mg tablets or capsules as well as a 50 mg per ML liquid preparation and a 250 mg per ML liquid preparation. As with most medications using the highest milligram of gabapentin dosage per pill or capsule that meets patients dosage regimen needs usually makes taking the needed gabapentin dosage simplest and least expensive.
Tapering of gabapentin dosage is very important in patients using gabapentin for seizure disorder. Abrupt discontinuation of gabapentin dosage in patients with seizures can greatly increase the risk of having seizures. Even in patients taking their gabapentin dosage for neuropathic pain or other indications should discontinue their gabapentin dosage over at least seven days.
Some gabapentin side effects are directly related to the gabapentin dosage used. These gabapentin side effects dizziness, sleepiness, loss of balance and ataxia, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, blurry vision, and abnormal thinking. Other gabapentin side effects are about is likely to happen at one gabapentin dosage is another and include leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and fever. This is not intended to be a complete list of gabapentin side effects the reader should consult the manufacturers prescribing guidelines for complete list of gabapentin side effects.
Gabapentin is pregnancy category C drug and so animal studies do show adverse fetal effects there are no controlled human studies and the safety of gabapentin pregnancy has not been studied at various gabapentin dosage levels. Gabapentin is felt be probably safe during lactation but again there is no data available on how gabapentin dosage relates to the potential safety concerns in breast-feeding women.
Gabapentin is not metabolized in the liver, does not use the CYP 450 enzyme system, and is essentially 100% excreted in the urine unchanged. Gabapentin dosage does not affect the renal excretion of gabapentin and its server concentrations are felt to be linear, meaning that the increase in certain levels of gabapentin is directly related to the gabapentin dosage ingested.
An alternative to gabapentin is Lyrica which has the advantage of not requiring the slow tapering that is necessary with gabapentin dosage. The initial dose of Lyrica can be as high as 75 mg twice a day which is often a therapeutic dosage. The big disadvantage Lyrica is that is not available as a generic product and has a much higher co-pay on most commercial insurance plans then gabapentin. Even though gabapentin is available as a generic product is still not an inexpensive medication. The typical cost of a 600 mg three times a day gabapentin dosage through discount pharmacies is approximately $90-$100 a month.
The trade name drug originally marketed for gabapentin was Neurontin. Neurontin was and remains available in the same dosage forms as gabapentin although use of generic gabapentin is come so widespread that few patients use the brand name product Neurontin.
There are a number of cautions and contraindications to the use of gabapentin in these include concurrent use of alcohol, use of other central nervous system depressant drugs, significant renal impairment and use in patients with major depression. Of course in patients with hypersensitivity to gabapentin the use of any gabapentin dosage is contraindicated.
In summary the most commonly used effective gabapentin dosage for neuropathic pain is 600 mg three times a day. It’s very important to slowly increase gabapentin dosage from as little as 100 to 300 mg on the first day in order to avoid the anticipated side effects of a more accelerated institution of gabapentin dosage.
Gabapentin Abuse
Gabapentin is the drug used for the treatment of epilepsy or seizure disorders. Gabapentin is the generic name of the brand name Neurontin. This drug can be a lot helpful to patient who suffers epileptic disorder. All drugs can be beneficial and therapeutic if given in proper doses and dosages. Any deviation from the norms can result to serious condition called addiction. Gabapentin has addictive effect. It stimulates the brain and the body to crave for more. There is an increased incidence of gabapentin abuse. This is very common to people receiving gabapentin therapy.
Gabapentin abuse can be life-threatening in the long run. There are symptoms that can help you in determining addiction. If your mood is being altered because of the drug, then most probably you are an addict. If you are taking the drug for a long period of time, most probably your brain has been altered with the continuous use of the medication. Most of the time people with neurontin addiction experienced restless leg syndrome particularly in the evening. It will cause sleep disturbance. If you have addiction, you are unable to stop the drug even with a short period of time. The patient tends to develop withdrawal symptoms once the drug is stopped abruptly. The patient takes the drug at inappropriate timing. Normally, an addict takes more than the required amount of drugs.
Gabapentin abuse just like other drugs can be treated accordingly. The best way to treat drug abuse and addiction is through seeking professional help. Each patient requires a personalized safe withdrawal plan. It would be best if you bring the patient to the health facility that deals with addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Addiction specialists are the best doctors to help the patient suffering from addiction. The patient will require a detoxification process. It will take two to three months for the entire treatment and detoxification process.
Gabapentin Withdrawal
How to deal with gabapentin withdrawal symptoms?
A lot of patient who have undergone gabapentin treatment experienced gabapentin withdrawal. Gabapentin is a medication used for the treatment of epileptic seizure disorder. If the patient suddenly stops the medication, the patient will experience withdrawal symptoms. It is not advisable to stop the drug abruptly without the advice of the medical health provider. The patient is discouraged to stop the drug without the go signal of the health care provider. There are a lot of problems caused by abrupt stopping of medication. Health care providers recommend gradual decrease in the dosage and doses of the medication.
The common symptoms of gabapentin withdrawal are seizures, insomnia, and anxiety. If the patient stops the drug abruptly, he or she will experience voluntary movement of the body, also called as seizure like activities. The seizure is worse than you can imagine. The patient may feel anxious and unable to sleep at night. There will also be an episode of nausea with or without vomiting and excessive sweating. Gabapentin withdrawal can be treated and controlled. The primary care physician will recommend to gradually decrease the level of the drug to avoid any untoward effects. If the patient is about to change from one epileptic medication to another, the gabapentin drug should not be abruptly stopped. The dosage should gradually decrease. The primary care physician will slowly adjust the dosage of the medication. There are several factors that you need to consider in adjusting the dosage.
Gabapentin withdrawal is not a serious problem. In fact, it is a common problem occurring to epileptic patients who are taking neurontin drugs. So, you do not have to be afraid. It is curable. It is not a serious disease. The withdrawal symptom is part of the process. Although sometimes the withdrawal effects differ from one client to another, you need to note that the condition can be prevented. You will be able to lessen the withdrawal symptoms if you will just follow the prescription of the physician. It is not advisable to abruptly stop the medication as this can worsen the withdrawal symptoms. The physician will still receive gabapentin but in a lower dosage. This will not totally remove the withdrawal symptoms, but at least would lessen its effect. It would be best if the patient would seek medical help and attention especially in the event that the symptoms become worse. Palliative treatment can be of help in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms.
