What should you do if you notice side effects?
The good news is that gabapentin’s side effects are generally mild. Also, they often subside within a few days as your dog adjusts to the medication. But it’s understandable to be concerned if you see your dog wobbling around the house or acting sedate or drowsy.
Please let your veterinarian know if you’re seeing side effects that worry you. That way he or she can make adjustments to help manage those side effects. This may involve temporarily decreasing the dose or frequency of administration until your dog becomes accustomed to the gabapentin.
What are some ways to decrease the side effects?
Sometimes your vet will suggest giving the gabapentin only at bedtime for a few days to give your dog time to adjust to it. That way the side effects are happening when your dog is already sleeping. A bit of extra sedation isn’t a problem when your dog is sleeping anyway. Also, since he or she isn’t normally walking around at night, ataxia is less of a concern. As your dog adjusts, your vet may recommend increasing to the typical dosing frequency of every 8 to 12 hours.
Another way to limit side effects is starting at the low end of the dose range or temporarily decreasing the dose of gabapentin. The downside to this is a lower dose may not be as effective at controlling your dog’s pain. However, as your dog adjusts, your vet can increase the dose over time to (ideally) reach the desired level of pain control.
Occasionally there are situations where severity of side effects may prompt your vet to switch your dog to a different medication. Thankfully, this is fairly uncommon. Most of the time, the strategies we talked about will be enough to get your dog through the initial ataxia, sedation, or drowsiness.
What are side effects of gabapentin?
Gabapentin in Dogs – Safety and Side Effects – Dog Health Vet Advice
If your pet is showing signs of being in pain, then you should take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. The pain could be being caused by a wide variety of factors, some of which may be considered more serious than others.
Depending on your pet’s diagnosis, gabapentin may be one of the drugs your veterinarian chooses to prescribe to help treat her pain.
Gabapentin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. The exact mechanism of how it works is currently unknown, but it is believed to affect the calcium channels in the nervous system, which ultimately reduces a dog’s ability to perceive pain.