Anyone experience strange reactions to Gabapentin???

[Renzo Red]

Renzo got neutered and it has been horrible. I can’t keep him calm without his exercise! I do training, puzzles, kongs, scent work and he is climbing the walls! I noticed it’s way worse after I give him Gabapentin! Also noticed his head tremors.. vet gave him a dose of 200 mg of trazodone and 600mg of Gabba every 12 hours. The first dose I got so scared he couldn’t walk he was petrified in the corner of his crate trembling… I am only giving him 100 mg of the Gabba and he still acts super crazy for about 2 hours then he settles down and sleeps. I’ve called the vet for two days after speaking with the tech and he never got back to me. I want to stop altogether but I was told I can’t stop cold turkey and he has to need on something to calm him… any opinions? Or suggestions I’m on day 8 and I think the incision should look more healed too what do you all think?

 

[JanS]

Well that's too bad that the vet put him on that since it really isn't needed after a simple neuter. I would get a second opinion from another vet so you can stop giving him all of those meds.

 

[Sunje]

Sorry, but that's asinine. 600 of gaba?! And that's a lot of trazodone too. I don't know what it is w/ the medical community seeming to rely on gabapentin now instead of actual pain medication. There is tramadol, and morphine if needed. Read up on gaba dependency--I think you need to be on it for a while at a high dose to actually become dependent on it. You can at least cut back to 100 mg/day until you can safely take him off of it altogether. Maybe ask the vet for tramadol instead, although at day 8 he really shouldn't be needing pain meds. I'd cut the trazodone back to 1 50 mg tab at a time. I have an old bottle of trazodone for my last male, who had some anxiety issues w/ thunderstorms (Thundershirts didn't work). The instructions from my vet were 2 (50 mg) tabs every 8 hours as needed for anxiety. So you can certainly play w/ the dose and timing, and see how he does. And don't throw those old medications away. Except for antibiotics and epinephrine, the majority of drugs do not lose much potency over time.

The incision looks fine. I imagine he'll have the stitches out within a couple days? Or are those absorbable sutures?

My first doberman girl was positive for von Willebrand's, so the vet didn't want to give her rimadyl at her spay. The vet told me, "If she is in pain, I can prescribe morphine". Well the vet closed by the time my girl was in pain, and back then they didn't have vets on-call at that office. She was trembling and crying in pain; I gave her Rescue Remedy b/c that was all I had, and it worked! Within 15 min she stopped shaking and crying, curled up and slept for about 2-3 hours. Woke up, showed more mild pain symptoms, so I gave her more of the RR. She slept all night and was pretty much back to normal the next day. So that is another option to try for pain control.

 

[MichiH]

A friend recently told me gabapentin can cause head tremors. Maybe some pet CBD to calm him. I haven’t used it, but after you get him off his current meds maybe check it out.

His incision looks like it’s doing well. You’re almost there.

 

[Renzo Red]

Sorry, but that's asinine. 600 of gaba?! And that's a lot of trazodone too. I don't know what it is w/ the medical community seeming to rely on gabapentin now instead of actual pain medication. There is tramadol, and morphine if needed. Read up on gaba dependency--I think you need to be on it for a while at a high dose to actually become dependent on it. You can at least cut back to 100 mg/day until you can safely take him off of it altogether. Maybe ask the vet for tramadol instead, although at day 8 he really shouldn't be needing pain meds. I'd cut the trazodone back to 1 50 mg tab at a time. I have an old bottle of trazodone for my last male, who had some anxiety issues w/ thunderstorms (Thundershirts didn't work). The instructions from my vet were 2 (50 mg) tabs every 8 hours as needed for anxiety. So you can certainly play w/ the dose and timing, and see how he does. And don't throw those old medications away. Except for antibiotics and epinephrine, the majority of drugs do not lose much potency over time.

The incision looks fine. I imagine he'll have the stitches out within a couple days? Or are those absorbable sutures?

My first doberman girl was positive for von Willebrand's, so the vet didn't want to give her rimadyl at her spay. The vet told me, "If she is in pain, I can prescribe morphine". Well the vet closed by the time my girl was in pain, and back then they didn't have vets on-call at that office. She was trembling and crying in pain; I gave her Rescue Remedy b/c that was all I had, and it worked! Within 15 min she stopped shaking and crying, curled up and slept for about 2-3 hours. Woke up, showed more mild pain symptoms, so I gave her more of the RR. She slept all night and was pretty much back to normal the next day. So that is another option to try for pain control.

I asked if they could give him tramadol instead the first day and they told me

Sorry, but that's asinine. 600 of gaba?! And that's a lot of trazodone too. I don't know what it is w/ the medical community seeming to rely on gabapentin now instead of actual pain medication. There is tramadol, and morphine if needed. Read up on gaba dependency--I think you need to be on it for a while at a high dose to actually become dependent on it. You can at least cut back to 100 mg/day until you can safely take him off of it altogether. Maybe ask the vet for tramadol instead, although at day 8 he really shouldn't be needing pain meds. I'd cut the trazodone back to 1 50 mg tab at a time. I have an old bottle of trazodone for my last male, who had some anxiety issues w/ thunderstorms (Thundershirts didn't work). The instructions from my vet were 2 (50 mg) tabs every 8 hours as needed for anxiety. So you can certainly play w/ the dose and timing, and see how he does. And don't throw those old medications away. Except for antibiotics and epinephrine, the majority of drugs do not lose much potency over time.

The incision looks fine. I imagine he'll have the stitches out within a couple days? Or are those absorbable sutures?

My first doberman girl was positive for von Willebrand's, so the vet didn't want to give her rimadyl at her spay. The vet told me, "If she is in pain, I can prescribe morphine". Well the vet closed by the time my girl was in pain, and back then they didn't have vets on-call at that office. She was trembling and crying in pain; I gave her Rescue Remedy b/c that was all I had, and it worked! Within 15 min she stopped shaking and crying, curled up and slept for about 2-3 hours. Woke up, showed more mild pain symptoms, so I gave her more of the RR. She slept all night and was pretty much back to normal the next day. So that is another option to try for pain control.

I asked the vet for tramadol cause I’ve used that in the past for my other dogs and they said they don’t do that anymore. They use gabapentin. I’m so glad I did not continue to give him the dose he prescribed! When he prescribed the dose, he was giving it to me in 300 mg pills and I said please give me 100 mg so that I can lower the dose if need be and for some reason I can’t get a hold of you and that is exactly what happened. I’m taking him off the gabapentin today completely he is not in any pain. I can tell he’s fine. He just needs to relax because of the exercise restriction. I’ve never heard of the R&R. I will look into that. Thank you so much.

I can’t wait to get him off all these drugs on a good probiotic and back to normal routine. I literally have stayed home from work to allow him to not have to wear that cone so much so I can watch him. Life has been very strange around here. We are all out of sorts. I tried donuts etc but he is limber!

I will cut back the Traz as well he has been acting so crazy I believe he is very toxic right now… I’m giving him lots of watermelon.

They told me I don’t need to come back that the sutures would dissolve, but I had to keep the cone on for 14 days and do the meds for 14 days. Which has been insane to imagine. Do you think once the scab is healed I can take the cone off or will that be at the 14th day?

I’m also going to walk him this morning a couple blocks not our 2 mile but he really needs it.

Thank you all so much for your support it really helps.

 

[Renzo Red]

A friend recently told me gabapentin can cause head tremors. Maybe some pet CBD to calm him. I haven’t used it, but after you get him off his current meds maybe check it out.

His incision looks like it’s doing well. You’re almost there.

Ugh thank you I was worried cause it has the scab still

 

[Renzo Red]

A friend recently told me gabapentin can cause head tremors. Maybe some pet CBD to calm him. I haven’t used it, but after you get him off his current meds maybe check it out.

His incision looks like it’s doing well. You’re almost there.

Have you ever heard of kingkanine.com I was referred to them to order the CBD oil. I just don’t know what dose or which one. What do you use?

 

[Renzo Red]

I asked if they could give him tramadol instead the first day and they told me


I asked the vet for tramadol cause I’ve used that in the past for my other dogs and they said they don’t do that anymore. They use gabapentin. I’m so glad I did not continue to give him the dose he prescribed! When he prescribed the dose, he was giving it to me in 300 mg pills and I said please give me 100 mg so that I can lower the dose if need be and for some reason I can’t get a hold of you and that is exactly what happened. I’m taking him off the gabapentin today completely he is not in any pain. I can tell he’s fine. He just needs to relax because of the exercise restriction. I’ve never heard of the R&R. I will look into that. Thank you so much.

I can’t wait to get him off all these drugs on a good probiotic and back to normal routine. I literally have stayed home from work to allow him to not have to wear that cone so much so I can watch him. Life has been very strange around here. We are all out of sorts. I tried donuts etc but he is limber!

I will cut back the Traz as well he has been acting so crazy I believe he is very toxic right now… I’m giving him lots of watermelon.

They told me I don’t need to come back that the sutures would dissolve, but I had to keep the cone on for 14 days and do the meds for 14 days. Which has been insane to imagine. Do you think once the scab is healed I can take the cone off or will that be at the 14th day?

I’m also going to walk him this morning a couple blocks not our 2 mile but he really needs it.

Thank you all so much for your support it really helps.

Also did you use 10 ml RR or 20?

 

[Sunje]

Also did you use 10 ml RR or 20?

I had to check--didn't know there was a difference. It is the 20 ml.

You can also get a Suitical or Surgi-snuggly body suit to protect the area so you can get rid of the cone. I've used the Surgi-snuggly but from what I've read and heard I'd get the Suitical for the next time. And it may be that at this point he will leave the incision alone. From the looks of it (and my background is OR nursing, so I do know what a healthy healing incision looks like), it is completely closed w/ no evidence of infection. Even if he were to lick at it or pull at the stitches (which are itchy) a tiny bit, he's not likely to open anything up again. Usually non-absorbable stitches are removed after 7-10 days, so you could potentially use a sharp pair of small scissors if you feel comfortable enough and remove some of the stitches and knots so it doesn't bother him as much.

The trazodone at the lower dose should keep him calm. Just titrate it as you need it. You should be able to find other dosing schedules on vet sites online.

You should be able to get the Rescue Remedy at a natural food store, or a quality pet food store, if you have something like that near you. Always good to keep it on hand anyway.

And unless you really like this vet, or they're the only one around, you might consider switching.

 

[Nordika]

I'll never give that crap to another dog as long as I live. Newfoundland had very bad reaction to it, and honestly, I don't care what any vet says, if your dog reacts poorly to something, just stop, your dog is more important than your veterinarians opinions. Call someone else.

 

[Renzo Red]

I'll never give that crap to another dog as long as I live. Newfoundland had very bad reaction to it, and honestly, I don't care what any vet says, if your dog reacts poorly to something, just stop, your dog is more important than your veterinarians opinions. Call someone else.

Yeah, now I’ve done some research on this gabapentin and I won’t be giving it to him ever again.

 

[Ravenbird]

I cannot understand the vet world these days! I know I'm old and that means old-fashioned, but working as a vet tech in the 1980's we never gave pain meds at all for spay or neuters. I did a quick search and found you are not alone! I know that doesn't help the problem but just a quick read through this one reddit question, looks like enough dogs have reactions like yours that it would be questionable to give it at all.
My observation of my own dog with meds in almost 7 years now, is that if there is a side affect listed, she tends to be affected. Dobermans just seem to be super sensitive, I guess. With your report and reading just these two bits I found in a search, I will be reluctant to accept these drugs as well.

vet gave him a dose of 200 mg of trazodone

What are the common side effects of trazodone in dogs?​

If trazodone is doing its job, then your dog will be relaxed. This is technically a side effect, but it’s what you want. Trazodone can cause other side effects in dogs, including:

• Sleepiness
• Sedation
• Squinty, slightly watery eyes
• Nausea
• Hyperactivity instead of sleepiness

Veterinarians may prescribe a lower dosage of trazodone to start to see how your dog does on the medication before increasing the dosage.

https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/comments/1c1tsk3/im_losing_itmy_dog_was_neutered_last_wednesday

From National Library of Medication:

3.4. Side Effects​

Thirty percent of owners reported that their dog showed no side effects as a result of gabapentin administration at any dose. Most owners did report at least one side effect at either or both of their dog’s “lowest” or “highest” doses, with sedation being the most commonly reported (n = 23, 46.0%), followed by agitation (n = 12, 24%) (Table 1). Age (categorized) and body weight (categorized) were not associated with a greater likelihood of side effects (all p > 0.2). All owners who reported increased activity as a side effect (n = 7) also reported agitation as a side effect, but not all owners who reported agitation (n = 12) reported increased activity.


Looks like you've got your answers now, but I'm going to leave this info here for future readers.
It's interesting that both these have side affects of agitation, the opposite of the intended purpose.

I remember years ago taking night-time allergy meds so I could sleep through my sneezing/stuffy nose problems and I'd wake up about and hour or two later feeling like I'd drank a pot of coffee. Had the jitters and was wide awake! I read on the box about causing drowsiness and don't operate machines etc. then after that the mention that in children and some adults it could cause hyperactivity. I tried it a few other times just to see if it was a fluke but nope. Every time, very unpleasant jitters all night long.

 

[Two Dobes]

Remember - they heal from the inside out....the incision looks great. I am sorry you have gone through this with the meds.....sounds as though he had a reaction to them....and to still be on them seems crazy to me. My vet that spayed Glory did not even give her pain meds; because he said they tend to bounce around when they don't feel anything....she slept alot on her own probably because of the pain...but was fine after 2 days. My males (different vets) were always given rimidyl...which I would only give for a few days. These dobes seem to recover pretty quickly.
There is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[JanS]

Have you ever heard of kingkanine.com I was referred to them to order the CBD oil.

A member here recommends Charlotte's Web for CBD products since they are very reputable.

CBD for Dogs - Charlotte's Web™ CBD & Botanicals

Full-spectrum wellness for four legs. Our pet formulas support calm, mobility, and skin health—helping your pup feel their best, every day.

www.charlottesweb.com

 

[Renzo Red]

A member here recommends Charlotte's Web for CBD products since they are very reputable.

CBD for Dogs - Charlotte's Web™ CBD & Botanicals

Full-spectrum wellness for four legs. Our pet formulas support calm, mobility, and skin health—helping your pup feel their best, every day.

www.charlottesweb.com

Thank you

 

[Renzo Red]

I cannot understand the vet world these days! I know I'm old and that means old-fashioned, but working as a vet tech in the 1980's we never gave pain meds at all for spay or neuters. I did a quick search and found you are not alone! I know that doesn't help the problem but just a quick read through this one reddit question, looks like enough dogs have reactions like yours that it would be questionable to give it at all.
My observation of my own dog with meds in almost 7 years now, is that if there is a side affect listed, she tends to be affected. Dobermans just seem to be super sensitive, I guess. With your report and reading just these two bits I found in a search, I will be reluctant to accept these drugs as well.

What are the common side effects of trazodone in dogs?​

If trazodone is doing its job, then your dog will be relaxed. This is technically a side effect, but it’s what you want. Trazodone can cause other side effects in dogs, including:

• Sleepiness
• Sedation
• Squinty, slightly watery eyes
• Nausea
• Hyperactivity instead of sleepiness

Veterinarians may prescribe a lower dosage of trazodone to start to see how your dog does on the medication before increasing the dosage.

https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/comments/1c1tsk3/im_losing_itmy_dog_was_neutered_last_wednesday

From National Library of Medication:

3.4. Side Effects​

Thirty percent of owners reported that their dog showed no side effects as a result of gabapentin administration at any dose. Most owners did report at least one side effect at either or both of their dog’s “lowest” or “highest” doses, with sedation being the most commonly reported (n = 23, 46.0%), followed by agitation (n = 12, 24%) (Table 1). Age (categorized) and body weight (categorized) were not associated with a greater likelihood of side effects (all p > 0.2). All owners who reported increased activity as a side effect (n = 7) also reported agitation as a side effect, but not all owners who reported agitation (n = 12) reported increased activity.


Looks like you've got your answers now, but I'm going to leave this info here for future readers.
It's interesting that both these have side affects of agitation, the opposite of the intended purpose.

I remember years ago taking night-time allergy meds so I could sleep through my sneezing/stuffy nose problems and I'd wake up about and hour or two later feeling like I'd drank a pot of coffee. Had the jitters and was wide awake! I read on the box about causing drowsiness and don't operate machines etc. then after that the mention that in children and some adults it could cause hyperactivity. I tried it a few other times just to see if it was a fluke but nope. Every time, very unpleasant jitters all night long.

Interesting thank you .. vet finally called and said stop all meds! So I don’t know how I will get him to settle

 

[Renzo Red]

I had to check--didn't know there was a difference. It is the 20 ml.

You can also get a Suitical or Surgi-snuggly body suit to protect the area so you can get rid of the cone. I've used the Surgi-snuggly but from what I've read and heard I'd get the Suitical for the next time. And it may be that at this point he will leave the incision alone. From the looks of it (and my background is OR nursing, so I do know what a healthy healing incision looks like), it is completely closed w/ no evidence of infection. Even if he were to lick at it or pull at the stitches (which are itchy) a tiny bit, he's not likely to open anything up again. Usually non-absorbable stitches are removed after 7-10 days, so you could potentially use a sharp pair of small scissors if you feel comfortable enough and remove some of the stitches and knots so it doesn't bother him as much.

The trazodone at the lower dose should keep him calm. Just titrate it as you need it. You should be able to find other dosing schedules on vet sites online.

You should be able to get the Rescue Remedy at a natural food store, or a quality pet food store, if you have something like that near you. Always good to keep it on hand anyway.

And unless you really like this vet, or they're the only one around, you might consider switching.

I had a surgical suit he tried to rip it off so that went back. I found the RR 20 mil thank you.

This is not my regular bed. This was just a place I went for the surgery. I will not be going back there and the stitches are dissolvable. I sent them a picture of his incision and they said it looks great and he still needs to be restrained from exercise, jumping or anything until the 14 days are up. He can have a short walk for 10 minutes on a short leash. I’m stopping all medication at this point vet agreed.

 

[JanS]

How many days since he was neutered? If your going on over a week, you might not have to keep him as restricted. I know many vets say 10 - 14 days but I think that's just to be on the safe side.

 

[Sunje]

I cannot understand the vet world these days! I know I'm old and that means old-fashioned, but working as a vet tech in the 1980's we never gave pain meds at all for spay or neuters.

I'm pretty sure it was Colo State University vet hospital that did a study some time ago about pain needs in animals, as that was the current thinking, that animals don't feel pain the way humans do. The study proved that to be complete BS. They put post-surgical animals in rooms w/ a camera on them and observed their behavior. The animals would react positively when a person was in the room with them, esp. the owner. The animals would act as if they had no pain at all. But when the humans left the room and the animal was by itself, it would show very obvious signs of stress and pain. The theory was that around people/other animals, these post-op pets instinctively would not show pain or distress b/c that is inherently dangerous to show weakness. Weak animals in the wild are cast out or preyed upon. But by themselves, the pets would show their distress for the cameras. It was a real game-changing study.