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Old January 20th, 2010, 10:53 AM
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Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RUSTYcat View Post
I guess I'm wondering whether the use of Gabapentin by itself at this point (11 months after surgery?) will be effective. [?]
Phantom nerve disease is one that we really wish those pets could TALK to us! That would be helpful.

Good idea Rustycat on the gabapentin. I like this drug and have used in in various pets. Unfortunately there is not enough literature on it with the use in dogs and cats. The one concern that I have with this medication is that in humans, the effects only last about 4 hours. Many of the medical drug sources for pets have bid (twice daily) dosing. Both Plumb's Veterinary Handbook and the North American Companion Animal Formulary have once daily and three times daily dosing. If used, I would typically recommend the three times daily dosing in people.

Gabapentin affects the neurotransmitter GABA. It is excreted in the urine so should be used with caution with pets in renal failure. Overall it has low side effects with the most common being sedation. In humans, it can be given at very high doses safely.

One drawback is that it comes in dosing for humans and in capsule form. There is a liquid form that some pharmacies carry. I have had to have this compounded for cats before. Luckily the cost of gabapentin has greatly reduced over the last few years.

For phantom pain, along with other types of neuropathic pain, gabapentin is a great choice. Not only does it help pain, but by help reducing the nerves continuing to signal the brain about pain. Thus longer courses of gabapentin may, in some cases, help the pet overcome the phantom pain for good. With that said, I have also had a few people say that it did not work for their pet. So far, I have not had any pets with adverse side effects ()

I hope that helps.
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Christopher A. Lee, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
Preventive Medicine Specialist With a Focus on Immunology and Infectious Disease
myvetzone.com
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