Neurontin(gabapentin) For Neuropathy: Drug Interactions

Today's post from neurontin-gabapentin.com (see link below) concerns one of the most commonly prescribed drugs to treat neuropathic symptoms and that is neurontin (gabapentin). What many people fail to realise is that side effects from neurontin mostly don't come from the drug itself but from the interactions it has with other medications. Many people use combinations of drugs to treat various concurrent ailments but it's important to check their interactions and not underestimate the damage they can do. Strictly speaking, your doctor should be keeping a careful eye on all your meds but that requires careful record-keeping and honesty on the part of the patient. If you're concerned that neurontin is producing strange results, please consult your doctor or specialist. Drugs.com is an excellent site for checking your medication interactions.
 

Neurontin interaction with other medication
 
Neurontin has the potential to interact with other drugs. It is found to react with alcohol. It also interacts with antacids, hydrocodone, naproxen and morphine. Neurontin when used in combination with the above mentioned drugs has negative influences. There are many other drugs that Neurontin has interactions. They include the herbal medicines, vitamins and other drugs that your doctor prescribes. So it is very essential that you keep your doctor prescribing Neurontin informed about the other medications you are currently under.

It is known there are nearly about 420 drugs that interact with Neurontin. However, the prime interacting drugs boil down to 5. The number of drugs with minor interaction number to 27. Let us discuss about the prime interacting drugs in brief. The chemical names that could be listed are propoxyphene, caffeine with aspirin and propoxyphene, levomethadyl acetate, sodium oxybate and acetaminophen with propoxyphene.

Neurontin influences the Central Nervous System to perform its desired purpose of anti-depressant or anti-convulsant. This drug when used in combination with propoxyphene influences the respiratory system of the consumer. When propoxyphene is misused, either alone or in combination with other CNS related drugs, it can prove to be fatal as it enhances suicidal thoughts or emotional disturbances. In a study conducted in Canada, the use of propoxyphene along with drugs like Neurontin led to risk of hip fracture in the elderly people. It also increased the risk of extended usage of sedatives and anti-depressants, possibly due to the impairment of the psychomotor functions. These drugs when used in combination could be very dangerous. In the kinetics of the medicine, propoxyphene increases the plasma concentrations of psychotropic agents which is not preferred. Therefore, usage of this Neurontin with propoxyphene based drug has to be restricted or reduced, especially in the elderly class and people with existing emotional disturbances.

Simultaneous use of levomethadyl acetate (Orlaam - drug for opiate addiction Ed.) and Neurontin can have very serious consequences in the Central Nervous System. This combination results in the respiratory depression and reduced heart rates. It can also lead to coma and sedation. Also, consumption of alcohol while taking Neurontin needs to be strictly restricted to prevent any damage to the Central Nervous System. Consumption of alcohol may tend to increase the symptoms like dizziness, co-ordination problems and confusion. The side effects of Neurontin are increased when alcohol is taken concurrently. It may not be possible for you to consume as much alcohol as you were used to. Alcohol and Neurontin in elderly people makes a bad combination. The side effects are much pronounced in them. If you are still persistent in taking alcohol, make sure that your body is not experiencing any side effects. It is also suggested that the usage of sodium oxybate needs to be avoided while consuming Neurontin for the same purpose as mentioned above. Naproxen is a medicine used to combat pain related to bone, inflammation, tendon injury etc. As with any pain killer, Naproxen also works by controlling the pain signals to and from the brain. So, this also needs to be carefully used with Neurontin.

Antacids influence the functioning of the Neurontin. They reduce the availability of Neurontin almost by twenty percent. This can be very dangerous as it reduces the protection offered by Neurontin to people suffering from epilepsy. For this reason, it is advised that Neurontin must be consumed at least two hours before taking any antacids. If morphine is administered along with Neurontin, it increases the serum levels of Neurontin. It is recommended to avoid herbal medicines during Neurontin usage. Primerose, an herbal component has the ability to keep away the threshold of seizure. Hence it is advised to avoid any herbal medicine that includes this component. Also it is recommended to avoid intake of herbal drugs that contain valerian or gotu kola. These components increase the depression of the Central Nervous System. So, it is advised that all the drugs influencing Central Nervous System must be used carefully with Neurontin.

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