If you stop this medication without tapering off, you may experience seizures.
How much you reduce each day is based on your health, how much you’re taking, and how long your doctor wants you to continue tapering. For instance, if you’re on 600 milligrams of gabapentin, your doctor might suggest taking 500 milligrams for 2 days, 400 milligrams for the next 2 days, 300 milligrams of the next 2 days, and so on until you’ve tapered off the medication and started a new one.
You can take medications to treat the withdrawal symptoms, such as a pain medication for headaches and an anti-nausea medication. Talk to your doctor about what’s appropriate to take.
Include the frequency and severity of the symptom. For instance, if you’re getting headaches, write down how often you have them, how painful they are, and how long they last.
Don’t stop taking this medication without consulting with your doctor first. All seizure medications will have side effects.
Also look for swelling in your lips, tongue, throat, and mouth, as well as the rest of your face. If you experience seizures within the first few doses of gabapentin, visit the emergency room.
Other indications of severe reactions include abnormal bruising or bleeding, as well as signs of jaundice, such as skin with a yellow tinge or yellow eyes. Have blood tests performed on your liver if you have any jaundice symptoms within 1-8 weeks. [5] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
It can also cause anxiety, irritability, panic attacks, insomnia, mania, and depression. Talk to a skilled professional to determine if these side effects stem from taking gabapentin.
Side effects can include balance issues, tiredness, headaches, dizziness, memory problems, stomach problems, joint pain, runny nose, red, itchy eyes, and ear pain. It can also cause increased appetite and weight gain. You may also notice blurred vision, vertigo, impotence, susceptibility to viral infections, and pneumonia. Some of the symptoms may also be signs of silent seizure activity. Many of these side effects will go away on their own.
