Is gabapentin constipating?

Elvisrocks

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Hi,
Does anyone have their cats on gabapentin. Do you know if it causes constipation? I've been given gabapentin for anxiety for my cat but I'm worried about constipation since she had a bout in the past with buprinorphone and had to get an enema. Just scared about it happening again. She currently has a uti probably stress induced and don't need any other issues! Thanks
 

sivyaleah

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I use it periodically to calm my girl down if she has to have invasive vet procedures or if I'm grooming her at home. I've never noticed that to be a side effect. Might be different if you're giving it every day?
 
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Elvisrocks

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I use it periodically to calm my girl down if she has to have invasive vet procedures or if I'm grooming her at home. I've never noticed that to be a side effect. Might be different if you're giving it every day?
I will be giving it every day but at a lower dose than what they give for pre med for vet. Starting at 12.5 to 25mg to start. Just want to take the edge off her anxiety without knocking her out and making her too sleepy. She also has nerve pain so we are trying to kill two birds with one stone. I just don't want to worry about constipating her. That was a nightmare with the buprinorphone. She had to get an enema and multiple laxatives to get her going and it was terrible!!
 

sivyaleah

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Elvisrocks Elvisrocks Quite a small dose they have prescribed. I hope it works for her.

I would certainly ask your vet about this as they'd be best to answer. Not all cats respond the same so it's hard to say if she will or won't become constipated.

I know opioid medications can cause it, but Gabapentin isn't an opioid since it is not a "painkiller". it's an anti-seizure drug which has been proven very effective for off-label use in calming animals.
 

kittenmittens84

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Buprenorphine is an opioid and they’re notoriously constipating, luckily gabapentin is in a different drug class and shouldn’t cause constipation.
My cat has taken 100 mg before traveling in the past and the only side effects were drowsiness/sleepiness aka the intended effect haha
 
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Elvisrocks

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Buprenorphine is an opioid and they’re notoriously constipating, luckily gabapentin is in a different drug class and shouldn’t cause constipation.
My cat has taken 100 mg before traveling in the past and the only side effects were drowsiness/sleepiness aka the intended effect haha
Right! The vet told me to play with the dosage so that she isn't too sleepy but that hopefully it will help everyday stress and anxiety since I will be giving it daily.
 

Smokey&Charlie

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Elvisrocks Elvisrocks Quite a small dose they have prescribed. I hope it works for her.

I would certainly ask your vet about this as they'd be best to answer. Not all cats respond the same so it's hard to say if she will or won't become constipated.

I know opioid medications can cause it, but Gabapentin isn't an opioid since it is not a "painkiller". it's an anti-seizure drug which has been proven very effective for off-label use in calming animals.
Hey...
So your telling me that the gabapentin that my cats been taking post amputation isn’t even a pain killer ?? It’s just calming him down?
 

Smokey&Charlie

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My cat was prescribed buephonorpjine post arm amputation. And he didn’t poop for 3 days so they took him off of it. And they also originally prescribed gabapentin. 2 every 8 hours or 3 every 12. After I took him to the vet for not pooping for 3 days he pooped while he was there. Then sent home off the beup and now on prazosin for bladder spasm bc he also hasn’t been peeing and now hasn’t pooped for five days. Why do I feel angry at the vet... I thought the gabapentin was a pain killer. Can anyone clear this up???
 

kittenmittens84

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Hey...
So your telling me that the gabapentin that my cats been taking post amputation isn’t even a pain killer ?? It’s just calming him down?
Gabapentin is also used to treat nerve pain, which would make sense for an amputation :)

In humans it’s used to treat pain from things like diabetic nerve damage, and I’ve also heard of it being used to try to prevent phantom limb pain after amputation.
 

Smokey&Charlie

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Thankyou for responding. I’m just incredibly anxious. And he really isn’t pooped and the vet is so busy that I’m not really a priority of theirs. Thanks for clearing up the Gabo thing
Gabapentin is also used to treat nerve pain, which would make sense for an amputation :)

In humans it’s used to treat pain from things like diabetic nerve damage, and I’ve also heard of it being used to try to prevent phantom limb pain after amputation.
 

Babypaws

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Question for those using or have used gabapentin liquid, does it need to be refrigerated? Vet told me no but like a lot of cat moms I wanted to find out more about it so I looked it up. It said for the liquid form it should be refrigerate...
 

Babypaws

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Hey...
So your telling me that the gabapentin that my cats been taking post amputation isn’t even a pain killer ?? It’s just calming him down?
my cat has been prescribed it for a pain killer (liquid form) From what I found on the Internet it can be used to calm cats and also for pain.
 

sivyaleah

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Question for those using or have used gabapentin liquid, does it need to be refrigerated? Vet told me no but like a lot of cat moms I wanted to find out more about it so I looked it up. It said for the liquid form it should be refrigerate...
We don't refrigerate it.
It's quite thick, I can't even imagine how hard it would be to get it into the syringe if it were cold.
 

FeebysOwner

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My cat was prescribed buephonorpjine post arm amputation. And he didn’t poop for 3 days so they took him off of it. And they also originally prescribed gabapentin. 2 every 8 hours or 3 every 12. After I took him to the vet for not pooping for 3 days he pooped while he was there. Then sent home off the beup and now on prazosin for bladder spasm bc he also hasn’t been peeing and now hasn’t pooped for five days. Why do I feel angry at the vet... I thought the gabapentin was a pain killer. Can anyone clear this up???
Check with your vet, but for acute constipation, you can actually give your cat some Miralax. I think to start with use about 1/8 tsp with his food; if that doesn't help increase it to 1/4 tsp. However, if he is still not peeing, you are probably going to have to take him back to the vet for another check up.
 
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