Gabapentin vs Amitriptyline: Which Nerve Pain Medicine is the Best?
Neuropathy is becoming a major issue around the world. Patients are reporting having nerve pain, and they want to have the best medication for it. Doctors can go with two medications that can certainly help your nerve pain. Gabapentin is one of the best drugs for this problem, which makes it the first-line medication. Another drug that doctors can prescribe to you is Amitriptyline. Both drugs work well in this situation, and that is what makes the patient think which drug is better for them between Gabapentin and Amitriptyline. This blog will shed light on the ‘Gabapentin vs Amitriptyline’ differences, benefits, and risks of both drugs in treating nerve pain.
Detailed Overview of Gabapentin And Amitriptyline
What is Gabapentin?
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant that is best known for its treatment of nerve pain. It is also prescribed off-label for other kinds of pain, anxiety, and sleeping disorders. Even if it is not a controlled drug, one has to be careful when using it. It is only bought when you have your doctor’s prescription because misusing it has a good amount of risks. One can find Gabapentin with other brand names such as Neurontin, Horizant, and Gralise. This drug relieves pain by stopping our overreactive nerves. This happens when Gabapentin binds with the alpha units present in the calcium channels. Entering this channel in our nerves slows down the pain-causing neurotransmitters.
What is Amitriptyline?
Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that helps cure multiple issues like anxiety, depression, and chronic pain problems like nerve pain. This is also a prescription-only drug without being a controlled substance. This is because one of its dangerous side effects is suicidal thoughts. There are numerous brand names of Amitriptyline like Amitid, Amitril, and Vanatri,p and it works by stopping the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin by the neurons in the brain. This helps maintain high levels of these two chemicals that keep our mood regulated when in depression. It also gives pain relief by influencing histamine and adrenergic receptors.
Can You Take Gabapentin And Amitriptyline Together?
Doctors back the use of Gabapentin and Amitriptyline for neuropathy as both have the best mechanism to ensure complete pain relief. Gabapentin calms down the nerves that overreact and increase the pain sensation, and Amitriptyline makes sure the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine remain high for mood regulation. But together, both drugs provide even better pain relief. Many doctors say that giving both drugs together allows the combination to target multiple pathways that cause pain. It is better than individual use because doctors can administer lower doses of both drugs. This helps in reducing the strength of the side effects.
Similarities Between Gabapentin And Amitriptyline
Those who have used both pain medications have noticed some similarities. Amitriptyline and Gabapentin can share some common traits, which explains why they work effectively for nerve pain. If we see through a broader lens, then we can say that both drugs aim at calming down channels and pathways in the brain and nervous system that cause pain. Combining them makes Gabapentin and Amitriptyline even more effective for neuropathy. Individually using them gives us the same sensation of calmness and stability after an excruciating experience with the pain in the nerve. But their differences weigh more than the similarities, which we must know.
Differences Between Gabapentin And Amitriptyline
There are a lot of differences between Gabapentin and Amitriptyline. As one is an anticonvulsant and the other is an antidepressant, the differences are eminent. From drug class to mechanism, we will now take a look at these differences.
| Categories | Gabapentin | Amitriptyline |
| Drug Class | Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant. | Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant. |
| Mechanism | It works by binding with alpha units of calcium channels in our nervous system. | It works by stopping the reabsorption of serotonin and norepinephrine in our brain. |
| Duration of Effect | Gabapentin takes a week or two to show its effect. | Amitriptyline takes almost 4-5 weeks to show its effect. |
| Efficacy | It is more effective in the cases of diabetic neuropathy. | It can help more efficiently for injuries in spinal cord. |
| Tolerance | Gabapentin has better tolerance with fewer side effects. | Amitriptyline can be less tolerated with a dangerous risk of high serotonin levels in the brain. |
Side Effects Of Gabapentin vs Amitriptyline
The Gabapentin vs Amitriptyline side effects are distinct and also shared at the same time. Both medications share the side effects because they affect the nervous system and the brain in their mechanism. The difference occurs because of their properties and nature.
Side Effects of Gabapentin
Common Side Effects:-
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Blurred Vision
Serious Risks:-
- Slowed or Shallow breathing
- Depression
- Agitation
- Swelling of tongues and lips
- Itching
- Rashes
- Seizures
- Confusion
Side Effects of Amitriptyline
Common Side Effects:-
- Dry mouth
- Blurred Vision
- Constipation
- Difficulty in urination
- Weight gain
- Tiredness
Serious Risks:-
- Chest pain
- Irregular Heartbeat
- Depression
- Yellow skin
- Swollen face
- Seizures
- Suicidal thoughts
Drug Interactions of Gabapentin And Amitriptyline
We know by now that Gabapentin and Amitriptyline together work very effectively and have no interactions. But there are Gabapentin and Amitriptyline interaction. It can be major or mild, but interactions exist.
Gabapentin Interactions
Amitriptyline Interactions
- Cymbalta
- Flexeril
- Adderall
- Lexapro
- Ambien
- Pregabalin
- Xanax
- Topamax
- Prozac
- Norco
- Zoloft
- Zofran
- Seroquel
Which is Better Between Gabapentin vs Amitriptyline?
The parameters on which drug is better than the other, between Gabapentin or Amitriptyline, are many. Gabapentin has been preferred by many patients for its safety and lower affinity to its side effects. Amitriptyline has been chosen by patients when they look for its convenient dosing schedule (mostly once a day). If a patient is going through heart or kidney issues, doctors will mostly choose Gabapentin. At the same time, doctors will prefer Amitriptyline when they have to deal with a patient of spinal cord injury. This is why it becomes very difficult to decide which drug is better than the other.
Conclusion
Amitriptyline and Gabapentin have lived up to being the best drugs to take care of nerve pain. You can surely believe in these two medications if you are fed up with your neuropathy. It is a painful disorder and has to be treated effectively and responsibly. Misusing both drugs can worsen their common side effects and ruin your health.