My dog is lethargic from Gabapentin. Can I safely reduce the dosage?

Both of hear medications are within the published dose ranges for a dog Kimber’s size, but gabapentin can sometimes cause sedation and this could be the culprit. You may want to give your vet a call and see if they might recommend reducing the dose or even skipping a dose.

Gabapentin carries a recommendation to slowly wean off the medication because seizures have been associated with humans stopping the medication suddenly. I have attached a handout on Gabapentin below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2764 Part of the decision to suddenly stop the Gabapentin or wean if down slowly depends on the dose and how long a dog as been on the medication. It looks like Angus is on a low dose and has only been on it for a short period of time, so you certainly can discuss stopping it with your veterinarian. However, what you are describing may be a sign of pain not a side effect of the Gabapentin, so you may need to actually increase his dose of Gabapentin or change to another pain medication if Angus is still painful. So, I would discuss it with your veterinarian and see what they recommend. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Yes this can be a side effect of the gabapentin, or tramadol if your dog is on that for pain. I would lower the dose by half and speak with your veterinarian about it to see if they want you to stay on the lower dose, stop the medication, or switch to another pain medication. As the healing progresses you shouldn’t need as much medication and hopefully you can discontinue it soon as these are unwanted side effects. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bode.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hoss. Gabapentin can cause sedation and ataxia (wobbly gait). He may have been so nervous earlier that you are just seeing the full effects of the medication now. Each dose typically lasts 8 hours. I would not give him any other medications u less his veterinarian has directed you to do so. If you are concerned though, he should see an emergency veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

If this was prescribed by your vet , then this is the amount of medicine he needs. Gabapentin may make him a bit drowsy in the beginning, but that should subside after about two weeks. Gabapentin is against nerve pain. Tramadol is an opioid which takes some pain as well and Metacam is a non-steroidal antiinflammatory which takes away inflammation and therefore also pain. These medicines are safe, however watch your dog's poo in the first two weeks. If it is black or tarry then stop the Metacam and inform your vet.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mia. Gabapentin has a very wide dosing range. The amount given will likely make her sedate, but should not cause her any long lasting harm. Give her next dose back on schedule if she is not too groggy. If so, you can wait an extra hour or two to give it more time to wear off. I hope this information helps!

The main side effect of this medication is sedation. This is typically dose related so the higher the dose the more likely sedation will be seen. It was a good idea to wait on the am dose if he was super sleepy. You may want to call your vet to ask about the dose and let them know how he is doing. It has a few uses but we do sometimes use it as an adjunct medication for pain control, although more often for chronic pain/nerve pain. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!