Headaches can be a side effect with gabapentin either when first starting the medication or sometimes after a dosage increase especially if the dosage increase is significant. They usually resolve within a few days to several weeks but everybody's response to the medication is different. Gabapentin is a gamma-aminobutyric acid derivative, and was approved for the treatment of neuropathic pain by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002. The drug is also used as an analgesic agent. Since 1996, gabapentin has attracted increasing attention in migraine treatment[1,2,3,4,5,6] as it has shown efficacy as a preventive drug My seizures have decreased, but I do still have migraines and tension headaches, but not nearly as often. I was also told headaches were a side effect until the right dose is found. My headaches are getting better since my Gabapentin dosage was increased about 12 weeks ago. Not a Direct Cause: Gabapentin is not typically linked to migraines. Anecdotal Evidence Exists: User experiences with gabapentin vary widely. Monitor Interactions: Other medications can impact headache frequency. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant used off-label to help prevent migraine attacks. Learn about why it’s used and how it works. I had to stop this medication because of the migraines and bad side effects it's causing. I am prone to migraines but I can tell these migraines are medicine induced. I'm 36 hours into stopping this medication and I still feel lousy. More rarely, gabapentin can cause fluid buildup (edema), weight gain, and vision problems. It can also cause diarrhea. More serious (but rare) side effects include suicidal thoughts or behavior, and mood changes in children. Stress at work or home can cause migraines. Sensory stimuli. Bright or flashing lights can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — such as perfume, paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others — trigger migraines in some people. Sleep changes. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep can trigger migraines in some people. Physical If your care provider agrees, choose aerobic activity you enjoy, such as walking, swimming and cycling. Warm up slowly, however, because sudden, intense exercise can cause headaches. Regular exercise can also help you lose weight or maintain a healthy body weight, and obesity is thought to be a factor in migraines. Medication overuse headaches are the result of the long-term use of medicines needed to treat headaches such as migraines. It's OK to take pain relievers for headaches sometimes. But people who take them more than a couple of days a week may get medication overuse headaches, also called rebound headaches. Common side effects of gabapentin include: flulike symptoms such as fever or body aches. Rare but serious side effects of gabapentin include: changes in memory, ability to concentrate, or personality. Gabapentin may cause breathing problems in people who use opioid pain medicines and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). You could feel less pain and have fewer migraine headaches. When you do get an attack, it may not be as intense or last as long. But like all drugs, it can cause some unwanted symptoms. Your Gabapentin is not typically associated with causing migraines, but individual reactions can vary. Gabapentin, a medication commonly used to treat nerve pain and seizures, has sparked conversations about its potential side effects. Gabapentin (GBP), originally an antiepileptic drug, is more commonly used in the treatment of pain, including headache disorders. Off-label GBP is used in headache disorders with some success, some failure, and much debate. Some side effects of gabapentin may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Headaches should usually go away after the first week of taking gabapentin. Talk to your doctor if they last longer than a week or are severe. However, gabapentin is not helpful for migraine aura, vertigo, or other accompaing symptoms. Gabapentin is a good preventive therapy for migraines refractory to standard medications 3. Current Canadian Headache Society guideline for migraine prophylaxis 9 rate gabapentin as strongly recommended prophylactic treatment with moderate quality evidence. The migraines continued until I was over 40 years of age. I would have to go to the ER for shots to help with the pain and the nausea. My life was literally miserable because I would only be pain-free a few days a month. Then, when in my 40s, after having migraines for over 25 years, I was put on Neurontin, not for migraines, but as a mood If you have chronic kidney disease, check with your healthcare provider before using gabapentin. Since the medication is solely metabolized in the kidneys, it can lead to serious adverse effects, such as delirium and respiratory depression. Lower doses of gabapentin may be less likely to cause adverse effects than higher doses. There is some research to suggest that gabapentin can be helpful for migraine and headaches, though. One study from 2004 compared gabapentin with placebo as a preventive treatment option for people with migraine and found it to be an effective preventive agent.
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