GabapentinNursing considerations
Known brand names include Neurontin.
An anticonvulsant taken by mouth. It eases nerve pain after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia) and is added to other seizure medicines for partial onset seizures.
Known brand names include Neurontin.
An anticonvulsant taken by mouth. It eases nerve pain after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia) and is added to other seizure medicines for partial onset seizures.
The label does not describe a narrow therapeutic index or direct dosing by measured blood levels of the drug.
Sources: [1]
None on the current Neurontin label. Respiratory depression with opioids and other CNS depressants is a labeled warning.
Sources: [1]
No specific antidote. Overdose causes double vision, slurred speech, drowsiness, lethargy, and diarrhea; fatal respiratory depression has occurred, especially with other CNS depressants. Give supportive care. Hemodialysis removes gabapentin.
Sources: [1]
Doses come from the FDA label. Study tool, not for clinical decisions.
Required. By creatinine clearance (mL/min): 60 or more, 900 to 3600 mg/day in three doses; above 30 to 59, 400 to 1400 mg/day in two doses; above 15 to 29, 200 to 700 mg/day once daily; 15, 100 to 300 mg/day once daily, and below 15 reduce in proportion. On hemodialysis, add a supplemental dose of 125 to 350 mg after each 4 hours of dialysis.
None needed. Gabapentin is not metabolized, so it was not studied in hepatic impairment.
Sources: [1]
The exact mechanism is unknown. Gabapentin is structurally related to GABA but does not act on GABA binding, uptake, or breakdown. It binds tightly to the alpha-2-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels. It is not metabolized and is cleared unchanged by the kidneys, with a half-life of 5 to 7 hours.