Neurontin Medicine

A prescription medicine, Neurontin^® (gabapentin) is approved for treatment of epilepsy and postherpetic neuralgia. It comes in both capsule and tablet form and is typically taken one to three times a day.

 

Neurontin is specifically used for treating partial seizures. This type of seizure occurs in just one part of the brain (as opposed to generalized seizures, which affect both sides of the brain). In one study, up to 23 percent of people who added Neurontin to their seizure medications experienced seizures half as frequently as before, compared to just 9 percent of a similar group of people who did not take the drug.

 

Neurontin is one of the drugs approved to treat the pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia. About one million people develop shingles each year, and a number of them experience a complication called postherpetic neuralgia. This is pain that is present in the affected area for months, or even years, after the shingles rash has healed. In one study, as many as 34 percent of people taking postherpetic neuralgia reported having half as much pain (or less), compared to just 14 percent of a similar group of people not taking it.