Gabapentine for chronic pancreatitis pain mgmt?

Saw a new vet who didn't like the idea of long term Buprenorphine use for managing pancreatitis pain. They prescribed Gabapentin instead. I looked it up and I see that it's used for seizure treatment. They also said it might cause sedation, and low energy is one of the things I'm trying to reduce with pain management. So I'm bit skeptical about this. Anyone have any experience and can corroborate this?

 

I've used Gabapentin quite a bit for my cat to reduce stress during vet visits, and my dog at one point for pain management.

It'll depend on the dose, but I certainly do see low energy and mild sedation from it. Before when my cat was a 5kg, the side effects were not terribly noticeable, it just took the edge off her stress. After she lost a lot of weight, the effects were much greater. The last vet visits she was very sedated and wobbly on her feet. I assume your vet will prescribe a suitable dose for your cause and if you see any wobbliness on feet, best to contact your vet about it. From my understanding it is otherwise a very safe and effective drug for pain management and stress.

 

I use it sometimes for my cats arthritis pain. It does make her sleepy, so I only give it if she’s limping.

 

I have been giving my civi Moxie gabapentin (50mg BID) for joint problems (also cosequin and Adequan too) for a couple of years.

 

Hi Justin, I’m not sure why a Vet wouldn’t like the use of Buprenorphine for long-term pain management, esp. since it’s the gold standard for treating pancreatitis pain in cats. Perhaps because it is an opioid? Having Buprenorphine on board in addition to anti-emetic and anti-nausea drugs and appetite stimulants (if necessary) makes all the difference in the world for a kittie having a pancreatitis flare. Check this out:
https://www.idexx.com/files/spec-fpl-treatment-for-feline-pancreatitis.pdf
Pancreatitis is just so incredibly painful, and that pain is often not relieved by pain relievers that are effective for arthritis and other joint conditions.
How is Sebastian doing?

 

Bella had a prescription of gabepentin early on in her medical crisis days. She would be so sedate that she would just sit around with her eyes half open and drool. The vet said she was particularly sensitive to it though, so who knows.

 

I used gabapentin for pancreatic pain control , and it worked pretty well. You might need to get it in a form that you can easily adjust though, because vets tend to over prescribe the amount. I was giving 20 - 25mg 3 times/day for pancreatic pain. It helped his pain and also seemed to boost his appetite, although that might have been because it helped with his pain It did not slow my boy down at all at those levels, but he was a very active boy to begin with. It will depend on the cat as to how it affects them, though, so if you try it, try a fairly low dose, like 20mg at a time when you can watch your baby to see how he reacts and you can adjust up or down if needed. The full effects seemed to last about 8 hours for my boy. I would definitely use it again for my cats if they need it for pain control or stressful vet visits.