Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
In this article
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant. Common brand names for this drug include Gralise®, Horizant®, and Neurontin®.
This drug helps treat various medical conditions. It can help treat certain seizures in individuals who have epilepsy.
Doctors may also prescribe this drug for:
Over 3 million people use BetterHelp. Their services are:
Answer a few questions to get started
Using gabapentin can cause different side effects, including:
Rarer but more serious side effects of the drug include:
Mixing gabapentin with central nervous system (CNS) depressants can create stronger side effects. These include alcohol, antihistamines, and muscle relaxants, among others
Yes, gabapentin can be addictive.
It is less addictive than opioids, but physical dependence and tolerance can still develop.
Withdrawal symptoms may occur when you stop taking the medication suddenly.
Quitting gabapentin all at once can result in more frequent seizures. Doctors may taper your dose over a week or more to minimize the risk of such symptoms.
They’ll connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
There is not enough evidence to answer this question conclusively.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that gabapentin may help treat alcohol withdrawal and promote alcohol abstinence.
In the randomized clinical trial, 1% of the placebo participants reported total alcohol abstinence. 41% of the gabapentin participants reached total abstinence.
However, more studies are needed. Especially in people who have Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), liver disease, and psychiatric and health conditions.
Also, the study authors report supportive counseling or Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) attendance may have contributed to treatment success.
BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat.
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
No, you should not drink alcohol when taking gabapentin.
You should not take any medication that can cause drowsiness or dizziness.
Drinking alcohol can increase the severity of side effects and the risk of overdose or death.
Gabapentin alone can cause:
Alcohol is a CNS depressant, so it has similar side effects to gabapentin. Mixing gabapentin and alcohol increases the risk of these effects. It can also make them worse.
In more severe cases, alcohol and gabapentin can cause respiratory depression. Difficulty breathing or swallowing can result in death.
Also, the risk of death by overdose is possible. Alcohol can worsen the symptoms of gabapentin overdose.
Symptoms of gabapentin overdose include:
The risk of gabapentin-alcohol interactions is higher in women and the elderly. Both women and the elderly cannot metabolize alcohol efficiently.
This means that alcohol stays in the body longer and can interact with gabapentin.
In this article
