Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take gabapentin as follows:
- Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your doctor. Take the medication dose for the duration prescribed without fail.
- Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
- Gabapentin can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Gabapentin intake can induce some dizziness and results in sleep. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication. If the dizziness becomes bothersome, report it to your physician and other health care personnel, for any change in plan of care to be considered.
- When taking gabapentin as an oral liquid/suspension, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing.
- If you are prescribed gabapentin capsule, swallow the capsule as a whole and do not cut or crush the capsule. Cutting or crushing the capsule can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and compromised therapeutic effects.
- Take the tablet as a whole. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. If you are prescribed an extended-release tablet, do not cut or crush the tablet. Cutting or crushing the extended-release tablet can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and compromised therapeutic effects.
- Notify your doctor of any continuing episodes of seizures, worsening nerve pain and discomfort, or continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- Gabapentin can take some time to fairly adjust to your body, before any relief with nerve pain and discomfort is experienced. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Your physician could change the dose of gabapentin, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of frequent dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Gabapentin only prevents the seizures from happening and controls the neuropathy, by reducing the rapid firing of the nerves. But, gabapentin does not fix the actual condition causing the seizures or the neuropathy. Continue taking gabapentin as ordered, even if you experience relief from the symptoms. Abrupt discontinuation on gabapentin intake can result in recurrence of symptoms. Discontinuing the medication should only be on your physician’s recommendation.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
