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Gabapentin has been shown to be well tolerated and effective in the
management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain. This study looked at
whether the occurrence and frequency of adverse events with gabapentin
correlates with increasing doses of the drug. Gabapentin was begun at
300 mg/d and increased to maintenance doses of 1800 to 3600 mg/d by day
12 to 24. The study included data from 603 patients with PHN: 358 patients
received gabapentin and 245 received placebo. The 3 most common adverse
events were dizziness, drowsiness, and peripheral edema. In this analysis,
the incidence of peripheral edema was increased when gabapentin was given at
1800 mg/d or more. Dizziness and drowsiness, the other most commonly occurring
adverse events, were transient and did not occur more frequently or worsen
with dosages of 1800 mg/d or greater. Based on these findings, it does not
appear that safety concerns should limit the dosage of gabapentin to achieve
optimal efficacy. Parsons B. Tive L. Huang S. "Gabapentin: a pooled analysis
of adverse events from three clinical trials in patients with postherpetic neuralgia."
American Journal Geriatric Pharmacotherapy. 2(3):157-62, 2004 Sep.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15561647
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