Trileptal vs. Neurontin

• Are Neurontin and Trileptal the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Trileptal?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Neurontin?
• What is Trileptal?
• What is Neurontin?
• What Drugs Interact with Trileptal?
• What Drugs Interact with Neurontin?
• How Should Trileptal Be Taken?
• How Should Neurontin Be Taken?

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) and Neurontin (gabapentin) are anticonvulsants, or antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), used to treat seizures.

Neurontin is also used to treat nerve pain caused by shingles (herpes zoster).

Common side effects of Trileptal include:

• dizziness,
• drowsiness,
• tired feeling,
• fatigue,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• upset stomach,
• diarrhea,
• headache,
• mental slowness,
• trouble concentrating,
• trouble sleeping,
• shaking,
• acne,
• skin rash,
• blurred or double vision,
• dry mouth,
• constipation, and
• problems with speech, balance, or walking.

• changes in vision,
• involuntary eye movements,
• difficulty speaking,
• difficulty concentrating,
• loss of coordination,
• trouble walking (abnormal gait),
• uncontrolled muscle movements (tremor),
• dulled sense of touch,
• easy bleeding or bruising,
• chest pain,
• persistent sore throat,
• stomach or abdominal pain,
• bloody stool,
• dark urine,
• change in amount of urine, or
• yellowing of eyes or skin.

Side effects of Neurontin include<:/p>

• dizziness,
• drowsiness,
• unsteadiness,
• memory loss,
• lack of coordination,
• difficulty speaking,
• viral infections,
• tremors,
• double vision,
• fever,
• unusual eye movements, and
• jerky movements.

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) is an anticonvulsant, or antiepileptic drug, used to treat partial seizures in adults and children who are at least 2 years old. Trileptal is available in generic form.

Neurontin is a prescription medicine used to treat:

• Pain from damaged nerves (postherpetic pain) that follows healing of shingles (a painful rash that comes after a herpes zoster infection) in adults.
• Partial seizures when taken together with other medicines in adults and children 3 years of age and older with seizures.

Trileptal may interact with other seizure medications, medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection, and heart or blood pressure medications.

Do Not take Neurontin if you are allergic to gabapentin or any of the other ingredients in Neurontin. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in Neurontin.

Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy while taking Neurontin without first talking with your healthcare provider. Taking Neurontin with alcohol or drugs that cause sleepiness or dizziness may make your sleepiness or dizziness worse. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how Neurontin affects you. Neurontin can slow your thinking and motor skills.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Taking Neurontin with certain other medicines can cause side effects or affect how well they work. Do not start or stop other medicines without talking to your healthcare provider.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

Treatment with Trileptal starts at a dose of 600 mg/day, twice daily. If needed, the dose may be increased by a maximum of 600 mg/day at approximately weekly intervals; the recommended daily dose is 1200 mg/day.

Take Neurontin exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much Neurontin to take.

Do not change your dose of Neurontin without talking to your healthcare provider.

If you take Neurontin tablets and break a tablet in half, the unused half of the tablet should be taken at your next scheduled dose. Half tablets not used within 28 days of breaking should be thrown away. Take Neurontin capsules with water.

Neurontin tablets can be taken with or without food. If you take an antacid containing aluminum and magnesium, such as Maalox®, Mylanta®, Gelusil®, Gaviscon®, or Di-Gel®, you should wait at least 2 hours before taking your next dose of Neurontin.

If you take too much Neurontin, call your healthcare provider or your local Poison Control Center right away at 1-800-222-1222.