Like all medicines, gabapentin can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Often side effects improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine.
Problems with dizziness and drowsiness
This is quite common when you start taking gabapentin. Up to 1 in 3 people experience dizziness or drowsiness.
- Be careful when driving or using tools until you know how this medicine affects you.
- Also be careful when getting up from either lying down or sitting. The loss of balance and dizziness can put you at risk of falls and injuries, especially if you are elderly.
- Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking gabapentin. This can make dizziness and drowsiness worse.
Tell your doctor if these side effects are causing difficulties. You may need a lower dose.
Risk of dependence
Gabapentin can cause feelings of excitement and exaggerated happiness (often described as a high or euphoria). For some people, it can become habit forming. The risk of dependence may be higher if you have a history of misuse of alcohol and recreational drugs and if you are taking gabapentin in combination with certain other medicines.
To avoid gabapentin dependence, do not take higher doses, more frequent doses or for longer than you were prescribed by a doctor. Let your doctor know if you have any history of drug abuse or start to feel any sense of high or desire for your next dose or if you start taking any new medicines for pain relief.
Always keep gabapentin in a safe place away from children, and do not share this medicine with others.
Other side effects
Side effects |
What should I do? |
- Stomach upset, feeling sick (nausea)
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- Try taking gabapentin with food.
- Tell your doctor if troublesome.
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- This is quite common in the first few months of starting gabapentin.
- Most people gain less than 2 kilograms, but up to 15% of people, depending on dose, gain more than 5 kilograms.
- Follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
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- Headache
- Dry mouth and throat
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- This may go away with time.
- Tell your doctor if troublesome.
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- This is more common in elderly people or if you are taking higher doses.
- Tell your doctor.
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- Frequent mood changes, anxiety, depression or worsening depression, aggressive tendencies, thoughts of suicide, abnormal behaviours
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- Tell your doctor immediately or phone Healthline 0800 611 116.
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- Signs of an allergy such as skin rash, fever, flu-like symptoms, breathing difficulties.
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- Tell your doctor immediately or phone Healthline 0800 611 116.
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Did you know that you can report a side effect to a medicine to CARM (Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring)? Report a side effect to a product(external link) |