Gabapentin in Treating Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms, which are common among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), may be emotionally and physically draining, adding to the difficulty of navigating the long and winding road to recovery. One possible form of help in decreasing alcohol withdrawal symptoms is gabapentin, a medicine mostly used to control seizures and neuropathic pain. Here, we explore the function of gabapentin in relation to alcohol withdrawal: how it works, the many conditions it treats, and the important things to keep in mind when thinking about taking it with alcohol.
What Is Gabapentin?
As an anticonvulsant drug, gabapentin influences nerve impulse transmission to the brain. Despite its main uses, doctors have been looking into its possible benefits for various issues, such as alcohol withdrawal.
What Are the Different Conditions That Doctors Prescribe Gabapentin For?
People who suffer from epilepsy often take gabapentin to control their seizures. Another condition that the medicine helps with is neuropathic pain, which stems from nerve damage. For some people, gabapentin is the answer to the chronic pain that follows a shingles outbreak (postherpetic neuralgia). If you have restless leg syndrome, your doctor may recommend gabapentin to help with pain and the need to move your legs. Those with bipolar disorder sometimes use the medicine to help stabilize their moods. Doctors also use gabapentin to treat migraines and fibromyalgia.
How Does Alcohol Affect Gabapentin?
It is essential for anyone thinking about taking gabapentin and alcohol together to know how the two medications interact with each other. Certain drugs, such as gabapentin, amplify their depressive impact on the central nervous system when taken with alcohol. Both gabapentin and alcohol have sedative effects, so taking them together can make you even more sleepy, lightheaded, and clumsy.
How Does Gabapentin Affect Alcohol?
It is important to note that gabapentin does not tackle the underlying reasons for alcohol addiction. However, it can help with some alcohol withdrawal symptoms, making detoxification easier to handle. The exact mechanism of how gabapentin interacts with alcohol withdrawal is not fully understood, but medical professionals believe it influences neurotransmitter activity in the brain.
Why You Shouldn’t Mix Alcohol With Gabapentin
There are numerous reasons not to mix alcohol and gabapentin. The possible outcomes can be detrimental to your overall health and well-being.
Central Nervous System Depression
As depressants of the central nervous system, gabapentin and alcohol both reduce neural activity in the brain and spinal cord. These medications may increase the level of sedation when taken simultaneously. Too much depression of the central nervous system may lead to excessive sleepiness, poor motor abilities, and an increased likelihood of accidents or injury. Some people may have trouble focusing, and others may have slowed response times.
Increased Risk of Respiratory Depression
Slowed or shallow breathing — a condition known as respiratory depression — may be more likely to occur if you take gabapentin and alcohol together. Respiratory failure, which requires prompt medical intervention, may develop in extreme instances. It is important to proceed with great care when dealing with any combination of drugs that reduce breathing ability.
Impaired Cognitive Function
When taken separately, gabapentin and alcohol both have the potential to negatively impact cognitive abilities, including memory, focus and decision-making. Taking both substances at once amplifies their effects on decision making and dexterity. Accidents are more likely to occur due to this worsened cognitive impairment, especially while doing activities like driving that require full mental attention. If you already suffer from a mental health disorder, this combination might make it worse or even bring on mood swings.
Does Gabapentin Make Alcoholism Worse?
Gabapentin and alcoholism have a complicated interaction. It is important to use caution while using gabapentin, even if it is sometimes given to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms. There is an increased risk of sleepiness, decreased coordination, and accidents when using gabapentin and alcohol together since they increase each other’s sedative effects. It’s also important to closely observe patients using gabapentin because of the risk of dependency and misuse.
Why Would a Doctor Prescribe Gabapentin for Alcohol Withdrawal?
As part of an all-encompassing therapy approach, doctors may prescribe gabapentin to those going through alcohol withdrawal. Anxiety, tremors, sleeplessness, and seizures are among the symptoms that may arise from alcohol withdrawal. The anticonvulsant gabapentin may help with some of these withdrawal symptoms because of its effect on brain neurotransmitter activity.
Reduction of Seizure Risk
Medical professionals sometimes prescribe gabapentin to help with alcohol withdrawal because of its anticonvulsant effects. To lessen the probability of seizures, gabapentin regulates electrical activity in the brain, which is especially helpful during withdrawal from chronic alcohol consumption.
Anxiolytic Effects
People whose anxiety levels are very high during alcohol withdrawal may get relief from their symptoms by taking gabapentin, which has minor anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties. This medicine can work very well at boosting emotional regulation by affecting brain neurotransmitters.
Improved Sleep
Because of its calming effects, gabapentin may help with insomnia, a frequent symptom of alcohol withdrawal. The medicine helps people have better sleep by regulating neurotransmitters involved in sleep regulation.
Alleviation of Neuropathic Pain
Gabapentin can help relieve neuropathic pain when alcohol-related nerve damage is the cause. Reducing discomfort is vital to the entire recovery process.
Is Gabapentin Addictive?
Given gabapentin’s potential use in addressing disorders like alcohol withdrawal, the issue of whether it is addictive is an important one. Not only is gabapentin not addictive like opioids or benzodiazepines, but it is also not a prohibited drug in and of itself. However, before using the medicine, there are several crucial factors to consider.
Potential for Dependence
Gabapentin is not addictive per se, but long-term use increases the risk of physical dependency. Since abruptly stopping gabapentin may cause severe withdrawal symptoms, it is very important to reduce dosages under medical supervision gradually.
Abuse Potential
Some people abuse gabapentin for euphoric effects or to make other narcotics work better. While the risk of misuse is lower with gabapentin than with other restricted medications, it is still something that doctors think about when they prescribe the drug.
Individual Variances
Dependency and abuse risks differ from person to person. A person’s reaction to gabapentin could vary depending on their current health, mental health history, and history of drug and alcohol misuse.
Are There Alternatives to Gabapentin?
Although gabapentin is helpful for many diseases, people may look for other therapies if gabapentin doesn’t work for them, if they have unwanted side effects, or if their medical needs are different. People with AUD and their healthcare professionals can customize treatment regimens efficiently since each alternative has its own distinct action mechanism and possible advantages.
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
A medicine that is structurally similar to gabapentin is pregabalin, commonly known by the brand name Lyrica. Consistent with its usage in treating neuropathic pain and seizures, it is a member of the same pharmacological class. By binding to calcium channels in the brain, pregabalin controls the release of neurotransmitters. It is a noteworthy substitute for gabapentin due to its efficacy in treating diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and fibromyalgia. However, individual reactions to these drugs might differ, so it’s important to get personalized counseling from a doctor.
Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
The antidepressant duloxetine, sold under the trade name Cymbalta, has additional benefits, including the reduction of pain. Many medical issues, including fibromyalgia, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and persistent pain in the muscles and joints, respond well to this medication. Duloxetine affects mood and pain perception by elevating brain levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. People looking for relief from neuropathic pain and the emotional problems that come with alcohol withdrawal may find it useful since it acts as both an analgesic and an antidepressant.
Amitriptyline
Amitriptyline moderates pain perception and mood by influencing the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Postherpetic neuralgia and fibromyalgia are among the conditions that may warrant its prescription. Even though amitriptyline is an older-generation medicine, it may be a beneficial alternative to gabapentin in certain circumstances, especially for those who don’t react well to newer options.
Topiramate (Topamax)
Another anticonvulsant medicine with broad uses is topiramate, sold as Topamax. Although topiramate is most often used for the prevention of seizures and the management of migraines, it also shows effectiveness in treating alcoholism and certain mood disorders. As a flexible alternative to gabapentin, it stabilizes brain activity and modulates neurotransmitters.
Tramadol
As an opioid analgesic, tramadol is a viable option for certain pain treatments. While tramadol and gabapentin have distinct mechanisms of action, they both bind to opioid receptors and block serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake. When the analgesic effects of gabapentin are not enough to alleviate pain, tramadol is commonly recommended as an alternative. Nevertheless, it is important to exercise caution when considering the possibility of opioid-related adverse effects and dependency.
How to Treat Gabapentin Addiction
Addiction to gabapentin requires a tailored strategy that takes the whole person into account. To decrease dependency on gabapentin and safely manage withdrawal symptoms, start with a supervised medical detox. Adopt a behavioral approach, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to help you recognize and change the ways of thinking and behaving that fuel your addiction. Join a support group, such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA), to connect with others who understand what you’re going through and get some much-needed peer support. To get to the bottom of things, learn to cope, and build a foundation for long-term rehabilitation, it may be helpful to seek out individual therapy.
How to Treat Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal requires a custom-tailored approach as well. Many of the same treatment services that work well for gabapentin addiction work just as well for alcohol withdrawal. These services include inpatient detox, the use of certain medications like benzodiazepines to alleviate symptoms and prevent complications like seizures, psychosocial support to address the psychological aspects of addiction, and support groups.
How to Treat Alcohol and Gabapentin Addiction at the Same Time
Dual diagnosis services are crucial when an individual struggles with more than one addiction because they address the intricate interplay between substance abuse and mental health. Many individuals with addiction face co-occurring mental health disorders, and treating only one aspect may lead to incomplete recovery. Dual diagnosis services provide a comprehensive approach, simultaneously addressing addiction and mental health challenges.
Your road to recovery starts with finding the best treatment services, and Alcohol Awareness is here to help. We work with treatment providers all across the country, making it easy for you to tap into the treatment regimens that work best for you. Call our free 24/7 alcoholism hotline today to learn more about recovering to enjoy the benefits of sobriety.