[Agirlandhertort1]

I was wondering if anyone took herbal teas while taking gabapentin? I have been having trouble falling asleep lately, and I wanted to take some sleep tea (mostly passionflower, chamomile, and linden flower) at bedtime. I'm also on a baby aspirin and 400 mg of plaquenil (along with 600 mg of neurontin).

The neurontin doesn't really make me sleepy so I doubt it would totally knock me out, but I don't want any interactions either.

Does anyone take sleepy teas at night with this medicine?

[mrsD]

This is the drugchecker at drugs.com

http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/gabapentin.html

There is no complete database on all potential interactions of
herbs with drugs. Just a few have been studied so far.

You should ask at your pharmacy also, because some chains
have nice databases, that may have more information (or not).

Gabapentin does complex magnesium and calcium in food and OTC laxatives, antacids. That should be detailed on your hand out sheet from your pharmacy. There may be magnesium in herbs since those are plant derived. So you might space your dose away from the tea to avoid that conflict.

[nilram]

I haven't had an issue taking chamomile tea at night, around the same time as my 1200 mg bedtime Neurontin. It would be interesting, though, to find out if there's any significant amount of magnesium in those plants.

[mrsD]

Magnesium is in the chlorophyll of most plants. How much chlorophyll is in the teas would vary. Some herbs are derived from the roots, for example.

But because magnesium is involved in so many biological functions, some would be present I would think. Chemically it is the ++ cation of minerals that complexes the gabapentin.
Calcium and magnesium (and sometimes Iron which may be ++ or +++ depending on its oxidative state) are both ++ in ionic form.

Have you tried Melatonin? Sometimes that works well.