Any Experience with Gabapentin for Pain?

Tobermory

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Mocha is having issues with her mouth. She has retained enough of her feral ways that I can’t examine her mouth, but I can tell that something is amiss and that she’s uncomfortable. I can’t get an appointment until Tuesday so I asked the vet for something to take the edge off of Mocha’s discomfort until then. He gave me gabapentin and said to mix one 100 mg. capsule into her food once a day. (She weighs about 9 1/2 lbs.)

I did that last night at 5:30 and by 9:30 I had a completely limp purring rag doll. She LET ME PICK HER UP!!! And PURRED non stop when I did! She’s five and I’ve had her two years and although she’s a sweet lap cat, she has always drawn the line at being picked up. But that’s beside the point.

My goal was to reduce her discomfort, not turn her into a cooked noodle—although she was a totally adorable purring cooked noodle. If you have experience using gabapentin for pain management, do you think it might be enough to help reduce pain to give half the capsule with her morning meal and the other half with her evening meal? I’ve read comments here in other threads and I’ve also searched online at vet sites, and it seems this might be a better strategy than giving her a whole capsule. Just asking your opinion based on your experience and observations! My vet won’t be open until Monday.

I’ll have a challenge getting her into a carrier on Tuesday and they’ll have to anesthetize her to examine her. A full capsule might be a good idea on Tuesday morning, but I’ll check in with the vet’s office on Monday to run that by them.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi! Until others come along with first-hand specifics, I did find this document about its use in cats (see link below). It states: For pain control in cats, doses range from 1.5 to 5 mg per pound (1.25 to 2.5 mg/kg) every 12 hours. Higher doses (up to 50 mg per cat 1 to 3 times daily) are recommended by some vets.

So, if my math hasn't failed me completely, it would seem testing 1/2 capsule would make total sense to me, and might still be above what Mocha may need. But, I don't know if you have the capability of doing less than half.

Gabapentin (Neurontin) for Dogs and Cats
 

Jem

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While I don't have personal experience either. From what I've read, the dosage would start at 3 mg per kg once a day but can be increased to 5-10 mg per kg twice daily. Another source said 5-10 mg per kg every 8-12 hours. So somewhere in between the low and high doses that FeebysOwner FeebysOwner mentioned.
So I would agree that you could probably divide the dosage so poor kitty isn't a cooked noodle. :lol: Cutest analogy ever btw!
 
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Tobermory

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Hi! Until others come along with first-hand specifics, I did find this document about its use in cats (see link below). It states: For pain control in cats, doses range from 1.5 to 5 mg per pound (1.25 to 2.5 mg/kg) every 12 hours. Higher doses (up to 50 mg per cat 1 to 3 times daily) are recommended by some vets.

So, if my math hasn't failed me completely, it would seem testing 1/2 capsule would make total sense to me, and might still be above what Mocha may need. But, I don't know if you have the capability of doing less than half.

Gabapentin (Neurontin) for Dogs and Cats
Thank you for this link! I searched but didn’t come across this one, and it’s so much clearer than the others I found. I actually asked the vet when I picked up the med about splitting it, but he said to give the whole 100 mg. at one go. But by midday, I could tell Mocha was uncomfortable again, and based on the article you found and my own reading, it makes more sense to spread it out since I’m not trying to sedate her. Not saying that I know more than the vet, but then again, I haven’t always agreed with him about other stuff. I wish I could find someone else; I long for the fabulous vet I had Colorado. :sigh:
 
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Tobermory

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While I don't have personal experience either. From what I've read, the dosage would start at 3 mg per kg once a day but can be increased to 5-10 mg per kg twice daily. Another source said 5-10 mg per kg every 8-12 hours. So somewhere in between the low and high doses that FeebysOwner FeebysOwner mentioned.
So I would agree that you could probably divide the dosage so poor kitty isn't a cooked noodle. :lol: Cutest analogy ever btw!
Yeah, a number of sites talked about every 8-12 hours for pain which makes more sense since I’m not trying to transport her...yet.

You should have seen her! She was stretched out on my lap, and I wanted to turn out the light and go to sleep. Usually, she gets up and stretches out next to me when I tell her it’s time to move. This time, she didn’t budge. She just purred. I slid my hands under her expecting her to object and get up, but she was just sacked out. I finally lifted her with both hands flat and she dangled...and purred. I set her next to me and she purred for a long time after I turned out the light. It was cute but not what I was going for! She didn’t move all night. Cooked noodle. :)
 
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