side effects
Commonly, dizziness, lightheadedness, N&er:V, and sedation; these effects are more common in ambulatory clients than in nonambulatory clients. Other side effects include euphoria, dysphoria, constipation, skin rash, and pruritus.
Incidence more frequent:
Clumsiness or unsteadiness; continuous, uncontrolled, back-and-forth and/or rolling eye movements
Incidence less frequent:
Depression, irritability, or other mood or mental changes; loss of memory Rare:
Cough or hoarseness; fever or chills; lower back or side pain; painful or difficult urination Symptoms of overdose:
Diarrhea; double vision; drowsiness; sluggishness; slurred speech
Dosage is usually not more than 3600 mg a day.
Comes in 100mg, 300mg, 600mg
Capsules, Tablets, Oral Solution
Gabapentin is used in combination with other anticonvulsant agents in the management of partial seizures with or without secondary generalization. When taking gabapentin 3 times a day, do not allow more than 12 hours to pass between any 2 doses.
OxyContin, a powerful painkiller introduced on the market seven years ago, has proven a wonder drug for many sufferers of persistent pain.
But now, in the wake of conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh’s announcement that he’s “addicted” to prescription pain medications – among them, OxyContin, according to law enforcement officials – much of the nation is aware that the drug can take powerful hold of people who misuse it.
The front-page coverage of Limbaugh’s addiction comes as questions are already being raised in Congress about the company that makes OxyContin, Purdue Pharma Co. of Stamford, Conn.
“My concerns,” said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., “are they have pushed the envelope to the point that a lot of innocent people have just been devastated by this drug.”
New York Times reporter Barry Meier says in his upcoming book Pain Killer that Purdue Pharma failed early on to fully heed warnings its pain killer was becoming widely abused.
…
But when Congress began investigating, executives of Purdue Pharma testified under oath before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary that they did not learn that OxyContin was being widely abused until four years after it was introduced.
A company official said, “In February 2000 was the first time we became aware that something different was going on.”
Now that testimony is being called into questions by committee Chairman Wolf. “The company must have known,” Wolf says, “I mean they know how powerful a drug this can be, both for good and for evil. And so clearly the company had to know.”
A Northern California biotechnology company said Wednesday it was developing an abuse-resistant version of the pain killer OxyContin, sometimes called “hillbilly heroin” because of its popularity as an illicit drug.
South San Francisco-based Pain Therapeutics said its experimental gel capsule resists the easy tampering that turns the approved pill from a legally prescribed pain killer for long-suffering patients into a potent and sometimes fatal high for drug abusers.
OxyContin was hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of severe chronic pain when it was introduced in 1996. But the drug has become a problem in recent years after users discovered that crushing the time-release tablets and snorting or injecting the powder yields an immediate, heroin-like high.
“If you can crush Alka Seltzer with your hand you can crush OxyContin,” Pain Therapeutics chief executive Remi Barbier said.
Hundreds of overdose deaths have been attributed to OxyContin abuse and have overshadowed the drug’s legitimate use by cancer patients and others who suffer from chronic pain.
A person with medication induced dystonia.Every now and then folks ask me to list the list of meds that can and do cause drug-induced movement disorders. This is to educate you, if you are concerned about the side effects of a drug you are currently taking, speak up, talk with your doctor. If you are starting a new one, you will be the only one to investigate it. Arm yourself with knowledge. Be an informed consumer. Listen to that little voice in your head, and be in tune with your body.
Remember, this is YOUR body. You have the right to ask questions and ultimately decide if a med is right for you. Please know that this list is limited and does NOT include all of them…for eg. Risperdal is not on it, but it does cause it. If I can help in any way with questions about this list or my other post, ask away.
*By the way, it does not take extended lengths of time taking these medications in order to experience acute dystonic reactions…for lots of folks, ONE pill is all it takes!
This drug list page is intended to provide information only! We do not advocate any particular treatment option. Therefore, it is strongly urged that patients do not change their method of treatment without first consulting with their physician.
INFORMATION ON DRUGS THAT CAN AND DO CAUSE DYSTONIA
“Some drugs in the neuroleptic category (psychiatric drugs) may cause acute dystonic reactions: thorazine, Haldol, etc. Ten to twenty percent of patients experience acute dystonic symptoms at the initiation on treatment. Some drugs that are used for nausea and gastrointestinal problems are also neuroleptic so they can cause the same problems – drugs like Reglan and Stematil. These can induce acute dystonia. All of these drugs, when they’re used over long term, carry a 20 to 30 % risk of long-term abnormal movements called tardive dyskinesia, and some people with tardive dyskinesia get a form of dystonia, called tardive dystonia. It’s an extremely difficult problem to treat.”
“Alcohol is a recognized precipitant of paroxysmal dystonia, which is a very uncommon form. On the whole, alcohol in moderation does not have an adverse effect. There is an alcohol-responsive myoclonic dystonia, which responds very well to alcohol. People who chronically abuse alcohol can get a series of involuntary movements-tremors, Parkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia. So chronic heavy alcohol intake is still not being recommended.”
Drug Induced Dystonic Reactions:
Certain drugs have been implicated as causing dystonic reactions or dystonia. These agents are not routinely the cause of SD, but can potentiate or aggravate the preexisting disorder. The following is a listing of the drugs which have been reported OR have the potential to cause dystonic reactions. Whenever possible, dystonia patients should avoid the following agents, except at the recommendation of a physician knowledgeable in the treatment of dystonia.
GENERIC NAME
TRADE NAME
CLASSIFICATION
alprazolam
Xanax
Antianxiety agent
amitriptyline
Elavil, Endep
antidepressant
amoxapine
Asendin
antidepressant
benzquinamide
Emete-Con
anti-nausea/vomiting agent
bupropion
Wellbutrin
antidepressant
buspirone
Buspar
antianxiety
carbamazepine
Tegretol
anticonvulsant
chlorprothizene
Taractan
neuroleptic
chlorpromazine
Thorazine
neuroleptic
clomipramine
Anafranil
antidepressant
clozapine
Clozaril
neuroleptic
desipramine
Norpramin
antidepressant
diphenhydramine
Benadryl
antihistamine (Increases the
effect of other pain medications)
Dopamine antagonists which are generally used to treat psychotic disorders and have been reported to make dystonia worse, should be used with caution. They include phenothiazine, haloperidol, tetrabenazine and pimozide. These drugs are usually avoided in the treatment of one with dystonia due to the potential to worsen dystonia. But in some cases they may be useful. It is important that the doctor prescribing these types of drugs be familiar with dystonia.
More information on drugs that can and do cause dystonia: www.wemove.org
This message was posted on MGH Message Board by hilltopok
If you would like more information about tardive syndromes and the drugs that cause them, contact her at [email protected] or visit her website at tardivedystonia.org Remember, you could be the one to save another from a life-long painful disorder. Please educate, then pass it along. Thanks so much!
A California court ruling could spur physicians to become more knowledgeable about the best way to treat their patients’ pain.
Physicians might want to get up to speed on the latest pain management techniques available now that a California jury has held a doctor liable for undertreating pain. The jurors in June found the internist guilty of elder abuse and recklessness and awarded the now-deceased man’s family $1.5 million.
The guilty verdict came even though Wing Chin, MD, prescribed Demerol (meperidine hydrochloride) to 85-year-old William Bergman to ease the back pain he complained of when he arrived at the Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Calif., in 1998. He sent Bergman home with Vicodin (hydrocodone bitartrate, acetaminophen) and a skin patch containing another drug. Dr. Chin used those pain killers after a dose of morphine temporarily stopped Bergman’s breathing.
But Bergman’s children said the pain killers their father received weren’t strong enough because he was given a fraction of the normal dosage. On a one to 10 scale with 10 being the worst, he ranked his pain between 7 and 10 during his six-day hospital stay. Consequently, they said, he suffered unnecessarily during his final days battling cancer.