Can I try and make my own Gabapentin cream?
 

Hi all,


I read a study on Gabapentin cream (well, for my condition at least)


"The clinical efficacy and tolerability of topical gabapentin 6% cream was evaluated. Patients were instructed to apply a small amount of cream (approximately 0.5 mL, equivalent to the size of a pea) three times daily. The researchers found that after a minimum of 8 weeks of therapy, pain was significantly reduced and sexual function improved. Common adverse effects of oral gabapentin - including dizziness, somnolence, and peripheral edema - were not reported with topical therapy because the amount of active drug in topical preparations is significantly less than that administered orally, and the topical route of delivery reduces systemic absorption of the medication. The conclusion: “Topical gabapentin seems to be well-tolerated and associated with significant pain relief in women with vulvodynia.”


I asked in UK, it doesn't effin exist here, asked in DE which I sometimes visit and the pharmacy lady got all bosy and superior with me, the dumb b ** and she kept saying it would never work in cream form, bla bla.. (**** off lady, I graduated with a double major)

Can I try and make my own ? is it safe? How many pills would I crush in a cream base for this ?
anyone ever tried?? ideas?

thank you

Gabapentin is used in pain mixtures topically in the US.

However not all creams are equal to using drugs for topical application.

Here in the US special transdermal formulas are made and used for topical drug application. These transdermal gels have a special ability to carry drugs thru the skin barrier to get into the blood stream.

1) you have to know how much to mix into the special carrier.
Oral doses do not correspond to topical ones.

2) you have to be able to figure out the percentage to use, and how to measure it out. How to figure % is what pharmacies know.

3) you need to know its shelf life after being made and whether it needs to be in the refrigerator. Liquid gabapentin has to be refrigerated before and after dispensing to the patient for example.

4) understand how gabapentin works. Current understanding says gabapentin works at the spinal cord level,not at the site of the perceived pain.

5) one doesn't just grind up pills to put in a topical. Gabapentin is used as a pure stand alone powder by compounding pharmacies. Tablets and capsules of oral medications, contain inert ingredients which are not soluble in water, but would be absorbed into the blood stream. are not designed to get into the blood stream.
Gabapentin for oral use however, may be ground up from oral tablets and capsules and used orally in suspensions.

So there are many considerations to understand and that do not lend to having lay people make their own topical from drugs.

I have both the know-how and access to the proper equipment (former chemist) to do something like this.....and I probably would not attempt it.

If you don't have access to the tools, access to the specific recipe in the study, or the ability to test the potency or stability, it's not worth it.

thank you for the reply, I will copy-paste this study I found, I would love to hear your opinion:

Topical gabapentin in the treatment of localized and generalized vulvodynia.

Boardman LA1, Cooper AS, Blais LR, Raker CA.
Author information
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of topical gabapentin in the treatment of women with vulvodynia.
METHODS:
A retrospective study was designed to ascertain clinical responses to topical gabapentin. Patient demographic and medical characteristics, including present and prior treatment for vulvodynia, were routinely collected. The final outcome was defined by a comparison between pretreatment and posttreatment mean pain scores based on a discrete visual analog scale of 0 to 10. Categorical data were compared by Fisher exact test, continuous variables between groups by the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and mean change in pain score between pretreatment and posttreatment by paired Student t test.
RESULTS:
Between January 2001 and December 2006, 51 women with vulvodynia (19 or 37% with generalized vulvodynia, 32 or 63% with localized) were treated with 2% to 6% gabapentin. After a minimum of 8 weeks of therapy, the mean pain score among the 35 evaluable women was significantly reduced from 7.26 to 2.49 (mean change -4.77, 95% confidence interval -5.47 to -4.07). Overall, 28 of 35 (80%) demonstrated at least a 50% improvement in pain scores. Among patients with localized vulvodynia, sexual function improved in 17 of 20 with evaluable results (6 of 9 reinstituted vaginal intercourse, whereas all 11 patients experiencing decreased frequency of intercourse reported increased frequency after treatment). Discontinuations occurred in 7 of 50 (14%) treated.
CONCLUSION:
Topical gabapentin seems to be well-tolerated and associated with significant pain relief in women with vulvodynia.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
III.

Source: Topical gabapentin in the treatment of localized and generalized vulvodynia. - PubMed - NCBI

My problem is actually that my amitriptyline isn't working fast enough, it takes months to achieve full remission of symptoms and my GP which I hate keeps postponing giving me the Lyrica which works very fast and very well for me. I kept trying to talk to her and she says she wants to wait bla bla

Hello, thanks for the reply. I do understand how Gabapentin and pregabalin and so on work, the pharmacist lady told me the same thing albeit in a more bossy tone, as if I didn't know all treatments and drug names by heart by now. Yes, I know they work in the brain because pain occurs in the brain. It's just that I read some studies who show some promising results, even though the sample size is small to begin with.

anyway, I think I will try purchasing a 10% xylocaine spray and use it from time to time in the meantime. I just want to interrupt the pain signals.

I use a cream for nerve pain on the side of my face. In it is Gabapentin, Lidocaine and Capsaicin. It is extraordinarily effective. I do not have side effects. The only little thing is when I first started using it, I felt a little nauseous the first few days and it didn't seem to work perhaps the first week (don't fully recall). However, once it started to work, it worked very well with no side effects. I did have breakthrough pain, but that has lessened in recent times. It is amazing. I have it made at a compounding pharmacy. A carrier cream of some kind needs to be used.