Anyone have any thoughts on vitamin D deficiency bought on by anti epileptic drugs. I am on Gabapentin and just learned that it can deplete the body of magnesium. I was just reading this article which says if on these drugs you should take at least 7,000 vit D per day. I do wonder whether the reason some of us feel quite bad on these drugs is because of the depletion of various vitamins and minerals which needs addressing. I take my its 4 hours before I take the Gabapentin which so far is side effect free but I am only taking 200mg at night. I don't get complete relief but enough to get a good nights sleep.
Prophylaxis with vitamin D is recommended for all subjects using AEDs.7,15 Due to increased catabolism of vitamin D, higher than normally recommended doses (up to 7,000 IU per day) of vitamin D are required for optimal effect, particularly for those with low vitamin D levels, high risk of bone disease and/or with documented low bone mineral density (BMD). In general, in patients undergoing antiepileptic treatment, vitamin D status should be monitored once to twice annually, based on the serum 25(OH)D level (target: 30–60 ng/mL [75–150 nmol/L]). Any deficiency should be treated as required with targeted supplementation in order to prevent osteopathy. For those with documented vitamin D deficiency, treatment with 50,000 IU vitamin D/week for 8 weeks is recommended, followed by 50,000 IU of vitamin D every 2 to 4 weeks thereafter.3
I take gabapentin. I supplement with vitamin D, Iron (I'm anemic), chelated magnesium glycinate.
Vit D is a very important vitamin that can leave us depressed among other things of deficient. People living in grey sunless areas like Ireland should be supplementing whether or not they are on drugs, (unless they have a good diet and access to the sun).
Totally agree Raffs - in fact my doctor here in the Blue Mountains which is a cooler part of Australia said that 80% of her patients are deficient. I imagine in Europe, England, Ireland etc it would be difficult to get enough from sunlight alone. I heard a doctor say that as we get older our skin dries out and it is the oily moist young skin that absorbs vitamin D the best and as we get older the less dry parts are our bellies, backs and backsides. Therefore unless you have somewhere you can sunbaked discreetly, it is not easy. Levels are best over 80.
This paper appears to have very thorough research behind it. I am motivated to have my vitamin D levels checked, and to get my serum 25(OH)D levels above 30. I've been taking 2000 mg of D daily, but that may not be enough to counteract the effects of the 300 mg pregabalin I'm taking.
Why don't our doctors know this and advise us. This is the first I have heard of it from you. I was prescribed Gabapentin by my doctor and took 200mg for a month. It helped me sleep which was good but decided the risk of side effects from these drugs is not worth it. I am just coping without any drugs with hot baths and walks barefoot on the grass at night. This seems to soothe my legs. I am grateful for this information thank you.
Hi Goldy, I have been taking Gabapentin 600mg at night for RLS for nearly 2 months now. I had a blood test completed last week and my Vit D levels are really, really low and my magnesium levels borderline high. I have a consultation on Thursday to discuss. I have a good diet and supplement with around 5 micrograms of Vit daily along with others. I also get plenty of sun living right in the South coast. I can only put the sudden drop ( I had a blood test completed around 8 months ago and Vit D normal) of Vit D down to medication.
Hi Jay48 There is also a strong link between low vitamin D depression and other mental health disorders. If Gabapentin makes you deficient -what comes first the chicken or the egg? Can you take Gabapentin safety if you have high levels of D? The answer is not clear. Whatever I think very important to get vitamin D levels high if you take a gabapentinoid.
Gabapentinoids linked to serious hazards, including suicide
The study,7,8 published online in April 2019 in the journal BMJ, examined data on 191,973 Swedish residents who filled gabapentinoid prescriptions in the years between 2006 and 2013.
In that time, 5.2% of them either received treatment for suicidal inclinations or died from suicide; 8.9% unintentionally overdosed, 6.3% were involved in a traffic accident or traffic-related offense; 36.7% were treated for a head or body injury due to an accident, and 4.1% were arrested for a violent crime. The researchers concluded gabapentinoids treatment was associated with:
A 26% increased risk for suicidal behavior and death from suicide
24% increased risk for unintentional overdose
22% increased risk for head or body injury due to an accident
13% increased risk for traffic violations or accidents
4% increased risk for violent crime offenses
Of the two gabapentinoids, pregabalin — which is the newer of the two9 — was clearly the worst, accounting for most of these adverse effects, while gabapentin — an older drug — showed “no statistically significant hazards.”
I searched through Athens which has access to research papers around the world and from many years ago - I could only find one article (the one you quoted) which loosely indicates a casual link between Gabapentin and low Vit D. I asked my teams community pharmacist and she did some research and couldn’t find anything, I then called Pfizer the manufacturer of Gabapentin. They searched their database and initial finding are no link between reduced Vit D and Gabapentin but they are going to complete a more thorough research and contact me.......
I can’t open this link but I think it has been quoted before. If I remember rightly there was an element of illicit rather than prescribed use. Also, as it is in a reply to a query regarding Gabapentin, it seems irrelevant as you say Gabapentin showed “no statistically significant hazards”
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GABApentin/ pregabalin? Same ?? 
Pregabalin and Gabapentin 
Ever wonder why Vitamin D helps some of us and why the incidence of RLS is much lower in the tropics and higher in cloudy England?
Swapping Gabapentin for Pregabalin
