Gabapentin and Alcohol as a combination has not been shown to have serious drug interactions or adverse effects. The biggest issue with the combination of gabapentin and alcohol is the additive effect of their side effects. Dizziness, gait instability, drowsiness and a general feeling of drunkenness re typical side effects of gabapentin, and these are also the typical effects of drinking alcohol, so it is not uncommon for these effects to be worse when gabapentin and alcohol are used in combination.

Gabapentin is anti-epileptic medicine that is more commonly used in recent years as a treatment for neuropathic pain than as an anticonvulsant. It is particularly helpful in the management of pain from post herpetic herpes zoster (shingles) pain and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The biggest drawback in the use of gabapentin for treatment of the various neuropathic pain syndromes is the high incidence of gabapentin side effects, especially if gabapentin is not started in very low gabapentin dosage and slowly increased. The typical lowest effective gabapentin dosage used to treat neuropathic pain is 1800 mg daily, usually administered as 600 mg three times daily.

In addition if there is any concern about a seizure disorder, people taking gabapentin need to slowly taper off the medication to minimize the chances of having seizures. Moreover, this drug generally has a lot of side effect and so should be taken according to doctor’s advice. Some of the side effects seen in patient using this drug are anxiety, behavioral changes, depression, mood swings, swollen glands and swellings of different parts of the body.

As the gabapentin is prone to causing mood and behavioral changes it is advisable not to drink alcohol as this can worsen the situation.

Overall if you are going to be on gabapentin and alcohol intake is something you do routinely you should be aware of the additive effects of gabapentin and alcohol and minimize the amount of alcohol you ingest.

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