Gabapentin: What is it & How does it work?

Great big disclaimer here: I did take a psychopharmacology course in graduate school and I do try to stay up to date on trends for commonly prescribed medications that may affect mood/anxiety. Always ask your doctor and/or pharmacist about your medications. They’re the real authorities on this stuff. If you really want to nerd out, you can also purchase a copy of The Physician’s Desk Reference.

Speaking of the Physician’s Desk Reference, you can also visit them online and get a whole bunch of information about Gabapentin. As you will see, if you visit the link, Gabapentin is used to treat a variety of health problems from restless leg syndrome, hot flashes, pain, alcoholism, and pain disorders. Fun fact: it looks like it also can be used to treat hiccups.

Gabapentin is often prescribed to patients who may have a compromised or overworked liver due to a history of substance abuse or just taking a lot of other medications. Unlike most medications, Gabapentin in metabolized in the kidneys rather than the liver.

Gabapentin is described by the PDR as “an oral analog of GABA.” The less user-friendly name for this amino acid is gamma aminobutyric acid. It occurs naturally in your body and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain which means that like our familiar friend, serotonin, it helps your neurons communicate with each other.

GABA tends to have a calming effect on mammalian brains (including humans—but it has been studied in lots of other mammals as well.)