Gabapentin is prescription medication used in the treatment of epilepsy, nerve pain, restless leg syndrome, and nerve-related conditions. Originally developed to treat seizures, it is today used for a host of neuropathic pain and conditions.

There are different kinds of gabapentin, with each used to treat a different condition. Neurontin gabapentin is used to treat shingles pain and partial seizures. Gralise gabapentin is solely used for postherpetic nerve pain, while horizant gabapentin treats restless leg syndrome and postherpetic nerve pain. Generic gabapentin medicine is used to treat postherpetic nerve pain and partial seizures.

It works on conditions in different ways. When used to treat epilepsy, it’s believed that gabapentin limits the abnormal activity in the brain. When used to treat nerve pain, it’s believed that it reduces or blocks pain signals being sent from the brain to the spine.

What is gabapentin Prescribed For?

Gabapentin is an FDA-approved prescription medicine used to prevent or control seizures, reduce pain after shingles, and to combat high levels of restless leg syndrome.

It is typically given to both adults and children (over the age of three), and has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of seizures, restless leg syndrome, and shingles. Not all gabapentin products are suitable for each of these conditions. There are different branded versions of the same drug available. Neurontin and Gralise have been approved for treatment of partial seizures and postherpetic neuralgia (post-Shingles nerve pain), whie Horizant is approved for treatment of restless leg syndrome and postherpetic neuralgia.

How Does gabapentin Work?

Though gabapentin has been shown to be effective, no one is entirely sure why it works. It was commonly thought that the drug worked to control seizures by reducing abnormal activity in the brain. For post-shingles pain, it was thought that gabapentin influenced the pain messages sent from the brain to the back.

However, those commonly held views have been challenged recently. However, though doctors aren’t fully united in a belief of how the drug works, they are in agreement that it does work.

What Are The Side Effects of gabapentin?

Some side effects have been noted in people that take gabapentin. However, side effects are rare, affecting only around one in a hundred people that take the drug. The side effects are also generally mild, and tend to go away by themselves within a few days. There have been rare instances where people have experienced suicidal ideation, swollen glands, and hallucinations.

Common side effects include:

• Nausea
• Drowsiness
• Mood changes
• Blurred vision
• Fever
• Headaches