Gabapentin is a prescription medication used to treat adults with nerve pain caused by shingles. Shingles is a painful rash that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that also causes chickenpox. Gabapentin is also used in combination with other medications to treat partial seizures. Gabapentin belongs to a group of drugs called anticonvulsants, which help treat seizures by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain. It also works by altering the way the body senses pain.
This medication comes in tablet, capsule, and oral (by mouth) solution forms and is taken up to 3 times a day, with or without food. The capsules are taken with a full glass of water.
Common side effects of gabapentin include lack of coordination, dizziness, and drowsiness. Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
Gralise is a prescription medicine used in adults, 18 years and older, to treat pain from damaged nerves (neuropathic pain) that follows healing of shingles (a painful rash that comes after a herpes zoster infection).
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
The most common side effect of Gralise is dizziness.
Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of Gralise. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:
- other medicines containing gabapentin (the active ingredient in Gralise)
- medicines containing hydrocodone (Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)
- morphine
- antacids containing aluminum or magnesium
- naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn)
- medicines that make you drowsy such as antihistamines, narcotic pain relievers, medicines for sleep or anxiety, and muscle relaxants
- alcohol
This is not a complete list of Gralise drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Do not stop taking Gralise without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stopping Gralise suddenly can cause serious problems.
Like other antiepileptic drugs, gabapentin, the active ingredient in Gralise, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. However, it is not known if Gralise is safe and effective in people with seizure problems (epilepsy). Therefore, Gralise should not be used in place of other gabapentin products.
Call a healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:
- thoughts about suicide or dying
- attempts to commit suicide
- new or worse depression
- new or worse anxiety
- feeling agitated or restless
- panic attacks
- trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- new or worse irritability
- acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
- acting on dangerous impulses
- an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
- other unusual changes in behavior or mood
Watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions:
- Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.
- Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled.
- Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms.
Do not stop taking Gralise without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stopping Gralise suddenly can cause serious problems.
Do not take Gralise if you are allergic to gabapentin or any of the ingredients in Gralise.
Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy while taking Gralise without first talking to your healthcare provider. Taking Gralise with alcohol or medicines that cause sleepiness or dizziness may make your sleepiness or dizziness worse.
Do not operate heavy machines or do other dangerous activities until you know how Gralise affects you. Gralise can slow your thinking and motor skills.
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Gralise there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Gralise.
Before taking Gralise, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- have or have had depression, mood problems or suicidal thoughts or behavior
- have seizures
- have kidney problems or get kidney dialysis
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements.
Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Gralise can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking Gralise. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take Gralise while you are pregnant.
- If you become pregnant while taking Gralise, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs, including gabapentin, the active ingredient in Gralise, during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334.
Tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Gralise can pass into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide how you will feed your baby while you take Gralise.
- Take Gralise exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much Gralise to take and when to take it. Take Gralise at the same time each day.
- Do not change your dose or stop taking Gralise without talking with your healthcare provider. If you stop taking Gralise suddenly, you may experience side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider about how to stop Gralise slowly.
- Take Gralise with food one time each day with your evening meal.
- Take Gralise tablets whole. Do not split, crush, or chew Gralise tablets before swallowing.
- Your healthcare provider may change your dose of Gralise. Do not change your dose of Gralise without talking to your healthcare provider.
- If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember with food. If it is almost time for your next dose, just skip the missed dose. Take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take two doses at the same time.
- If you take too much Gralise, call your healthcare provider or poison control center, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
- If you are taking an antacid containing aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, it is recommended that Gralise be taken at least 2 hours following administration of the antacid.
Take Gralise exactly as prescribed. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.
Recommended dose:
Gradually increase (titrate) Gralise to an 1800 mg dose taken orally once daily with the evening meal.
If Gralise dose is reduced, discontinued, or substituted with an alternative medication, this should be done gradually over a minimum of one week or longer (at the discretion of the prescriber).
If you take too much Gralise, call your healthcare provider or poison control center, or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
Gralise is available as 300 mg and 600 mg tablets.
Active ingredient: gabapentin
Inactive ingredients:
- 300 mg tablet: copovidone, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene oxide, and Opadry® II white. Opadry® II white contains polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide, talc, polyethylene glycol 3350, and lecithin (soya)
- 600 mg tablet: copovidone, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, polyethylene oxide, and Opadry® II beige. Opadry® II beige contains polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide, talc, polyethylene glycol 3350, iron oxide yellow, and iron oxide red
Store Gralise at 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C)
Keep Gralise and all medicines out of the reach of children.