Side effects

[Greekstudent]

As I've only recently started on Gabapentin and may need to increase my dosage from the current 300, and noticing that other sufferers from RLS, much worse than me, go up to 900 or even 1290 - I'm prompted to ask whether there are any significant side effects from G.

[SueJohnson]

The most common ones are unsteadiness or dizziness when you get up and an increase of appetite resulting in gaining a couple of pounds. There are many other possibilities but most are mild and go away in a few weeks. I am sure others will pop in here and tell you of horrible ones but they are uncommon. And if you do have ones you can't live with you can reduce slowly and won't have any withdrawal effects.

[Munroist]

I took pregabalin which is very similar at 300mg a day which is equivalent to 900mg gabapentin and when I asked about taking it with alcohol I was advised to go carefully as it has quite a similar effect. It was a bit like the effects of a couple of drinks, slightly impaired reaction times, nice and relaxed, occasionally said something I shouldn’t through being a little disinhibited.l and not quite as sharp mentally. I did put on a small amount of weight but that could have been just not watching what I was eating. As Sue says you can try it and see and if the effects outweigh the benefits it’s not difficult to drop the dosage although probably best to do slowly over a few weeks so you get used to the changes. If you get good sleep then it may well be worth it overall.

[Goldy700]

While necessary for some - I am avoiding until I absolutely have to take it

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.”

Stratified by age, the risks associated with these drugs were the highest among those aged 15 through 24, and the risks were dose-dependent, so the higher the dose, the greater the risk. According to the authors:10

“This study suggests that gabapentinoids are associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior, unintentional overdoses, head/body injuries, and road traffic incidents and offences. Pregabalin was associated with higher hazards of these outcomes than gabapentin.”

As is often the case, the risks associated with these drugs have only become apparent as their usage has increased. Dr. Derek K. Tracy of Queen Mary’s Hospital told Reuters that:11

“While it’s not clear why prescribing of gabapentinoids has grown so rapidly … anecdotally it appears that many doctors regarded them as relatively effective and with a low side effect profile.

As we accumulated more information over time, it has become clear that this is not the case, and most recently there has been a countering drive to try reduce their usage as their harm profile came more to the fore.

nexusnewsfeed.com/article/c...

[Trooper2017]

I have had no side effects at all but I am taking Horizant which is a slow release. I take 1200 mg at dinner. Then I take 5 milligram of Methadone at the same time. I had severe RLS for over forty years with very little sleep. With the added methadone, I have been RLS free for three months.