Course Summary

Gabapentin is a multipurpose medication that enhances GABAergic effects, inhibits excitatory neuronal signaling, and effectively prevents seizures. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved gabapentin as an anticonvulsant, and it is now widely used to manage neuropathic pain, partial-onset seizures, restless legs syndrome, and select psychiatric disorders. Safe use requires assessing renal function, substance misuse history, and potential drug interactions. Personalized dosing and collaboration among primary care, neurology, and psychiatry are vital for optimizing therapy and improving patient outcomes.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• Introduction
• Pharmacological Profile
  • Mechanism of Action: Calcium Channels and Neurotransmitters
  • Indications, Dosing, Administration
  • Hepatic and Renal Impairment: Dosing Adjustments
  • Geriatric Patients: Dosing Adjustments
• Clinical Applications: Primary Indications
  • Off-Label Gabapentin: An Expanding Therapeutic Potential
• Warnings and Precautions
  • Sedation and Dizziness
  • Respiratory Depression
  • Misuse Potential
  • Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
• Adverse Effects by Body System and Management
  • Respiratory
  • Neurological
  • Gastrointestinal
  • Dermatological
  • Psychological
• Drug Interactions and Safety Monitoring for Gabapentin
• Toxicity: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Prognosis and Disposition
• Role of the Interprofessional Healthcare Team
• Clinical Pearls
• Case Study: Gabapentin in a Male with Opioid Use Disorder
• Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Harpreet Ghai, MS (Pharm), BPharm, Rph

Harpreet Ghai has been a practicing Pharmacist for 12 years in Comox, British Columbia. He has also completed his Master’s in Science, specializing in Medicinal Chemistry from NIPER (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research), in India. He has spent 3 years in Pharmaceutical Research at Ranbaxy in Gurugram (India), where he was engaged in Structure-based drug designing and was a part of a premier research-intensive group responsible for discovering novel drugs. Harpreet enjoys the day-to-day challenges at the retail pharmacy. Interactions with customers, listening to their drug-related issues, and providing solutions are profoundly rewarding.