Gabapentin

Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic product, also called an anticonvulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. Gabapentin is used in adults to treat nerve pain caused by herpes virus or shingles (a painful rash due to herpes zoster infection). Gabapentin has a compendia name as: 1-(Aminomethyl) cyclohexaneacetic acid and it can be used to treat other nerve pain conditions (such as diabetic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, trigeminal neuralgia) and restless legs syndrome.

Gabapentin is well tolerated in most patients and it passes through the body unmetabolized. Gabapentin is similar in structure to the neurotransmitter GABA but is not believed to act on the same brain receptors. Its exact mechanism of action is unknown, but its therapeutic action on neuropathic pain is thought to involve voltage-gated calcium ion channels.