What is gabapentin used for – If there are thousands of different diseases in the world, we also have medicine for most of the diseases. If scientists do not have treatment for the disease directly, then they can also prescribe medication for the symptoms.
A similar situation is with the medicine gabapentin. The medicine does not directly treat any of the critical conditions, but it can lower the chances of serious symptoms of major physical disease. Let’s take a look at what gabapentin is used for and what are the major uses of different doses of the medicine.
Forms and Strengths of Gabapentin
Before we move ahead, Let’s first address the forms and strengths of gabapentin. Learning about both of these will give you more clarity about the things we are going to talk about in the blog.
Gabapentin medicine is one of the few medicines which are available in generic and brand name forms. Like any other setup, brand medicine is going to be expensive, and generic form is going to be much cheaper. Both types are available in three different strengths.
- 100 Mg,
- 300 Mg
- 400 Mg.
Don’t worry. You won’t have to select the form and strength on your own. Your doctor will prescribe you strength as per your symptoms.
Uses of Gabapentin
Most people in the world are not familiar with the benefits or side effects of the medicine they are taking. Even though we don’t have to have quality knowledge of every medicine, sometimes it gets very important if we are not around any health specialists.
Kindly remember there is no special usage of different strengths of gabapentin drugs. Your doctor will suggest you the dosage after taking a look at all of your symptoms. Kindly don’t increase or decrease the prescribed dosage as it can cause several health problems.
Save from seizures
Doctors prescribe gabapentin drugs to people who are suffering from epilepsy. In epilepsy, it is common to get seizures, and gabapentin is the medicine that can prevent anyone suffering from epilepsy from getting a seizure.
As soon as you take Gabapentin medicine, it calms all the nerve activity and reduces the intensity of seizures. The medicine is only prescribed to anyone above the age of three. Doctors do not prescribe gabapentin to take alone. It is always a part of other medicines for the same condition.
Lower neuropathic pain
At the same time, the doctor might prescribe you to take gabapentin to lower any neuropathic pain. Due to several conditions, people experience burning or stabbing nerve pain. Gabapentin is known to lower those symptoms.
There is a very high probability that your doctor might recommend you to take gabapentin during shingles pain. If you are already taking any medicine for neuropathy, kindly take a look at the name of the medicine. It could be gabapentin, as it is one of the most popular and effective medicines.
In a few studies, it has already been proven that gabapentin can also lower pain in people suffering from severe physical diseases such as cancer. Gabapentin is known to lower the pain of people suffering from cancer and increase the quality of life.
Warnings
Gabapentin drug comes with several boxed warnings. You should consult with your doctor if you are suffering from any health condition.
The medicine is known to cause life-threatening breathing problems in people suffering from any breathing disorder. A huge number of people have reported back that their breathing disorder has gotten worse since they start taking medicine.
Gabapentin is also known to increase the symptoms of depression. At the same time, it can also increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in people who are already suffering from mild or severe cases of depression.
The medicine is not allergy-free. It may cause allergic reactions in people who are already suffering from some sort of allergies. If you start having symptoms like breathing difficulties, swelling of your throat, rash and hives, it clearly means you are suffering from an allergic reaction. You should call 911 as soon as possible and seek medical assistance.
As part of the warning, you are advised not to drink alcohol along with gabapentin. The drug is known to cause sleepiness, and along with the alcohol, it can increase the intensity, and you may feel dizzy after that. It is also possible that you might have trouble concentrating after taking gabapentin and alcohol together.
If you are a woman, then let your doctor know about the status of your pregnancy. Even though the effects of gabapentin drug on humans have not been tested on animals, the results were not good, and it can affect the fetus.
Takeaways
Gabapentin is a very important drug for people who are suffering from neuropathic pain and epilepsy. People who are suffering from epilepsy are always at high risk of getting seizures. Gabapentin is known to cause the possibility of those seizures.
At the same time, it can also lower neuropathic pain. Usually, doctors recommend gabapentin for people suffering from shingles when they start having neurological pain also.
There are two different types of medicine available in the market. The first one is the brand name, and the Second is the generic form. Both forms have three different types of strength 100 mg, 200 mg, and 300 mg. Your doctor will recommend the dosage and frequency Depending on the severity of the symptoms.
Can I buy gabapentin drug for my neuropathic pain?
Kindly remember that gabapentin is a prescription drug. You cannot buy this drug as a counter medicine. You will have to present the prescription to your doctor, and after that, you will be able to buy gabapentin drugs for your neuropathic pain.
How should I take the gabapentin drug? With my food or without.
Officially there is no recommendation provided by the manufacturer of the medicine. You can take the truck with or without food as you like. In some cases, doctors might recommend you to take the drug with your food as it lowers the possibility of any side effects related to the stomach.