Monday, August 18, 2008

Neurontin (Gabapentin)for Chronic Back Pain

By Jackson Beartoes


For most people, Neurontin (Gabapentin) will work for chronic back pain.

Neurontin is not excreted through the liver like most things, by excreted through the kidneys. It has been used for treatment of partial seizures in patients from the ages 3-12.

Neurontin was originally approved for sale in the mid 1990's as a treatment for epileptic seizures. The FDA has approved this to treat epilepsy when it is used with another drug for pain related shingles. Neurontin is usually taken in 3 equal doses each day.

Gabapentin is indicated for the management of postherpetic neuralgia in adults. Gabapentin does not interact with other medicines used for seizures and is safe to use as an add on. It has not beet yet approved to treat severe RLS (restless leg syndrome).

Neurontin is expensive for the treatment of chronic pain. This is one of the best selling drugs. The average cost is approximately $400 a month for 3200mg a day. The effects are very good even though it is an expensive drug to treat pain.

You can find Neurontin in breast milk which is the first oral medication approved by the FDA. The medicine has been used for off label uses and was prescribed for the medical condition epilepsy. One of the biggest selling points is that it has few side effects.

One thing is that neurontin is not metabolized by the body, that is it does not produce any active or inactive metabolites. It is given orally and you can take it with or without food. Neurontin is not a good medicine for pain management, but it is good for nerve damage that can happen with chronic back pain.

The manufacturer of Neurontin is Pfizer. It is so popular it is one of the 50 most prescribed drugs in the United States since 2003.

Neurontin is often better tolerated than some other drugs, so that it is often tried first. Neurontin is very well tolerated when used with most patients. Neurontin for chronic back pain has relatively mild side effects profile. It also passes through the body unmetabolized.

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