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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of repeat dosing of ga...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2022; 36(2); 792-797; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16386

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of repeat dosing of gabapentin in adult horses.

Abstract: The repeated administration of high doses of gabapentin may provide better analgesia in horses than current clinical protocols. Objective: Administration of gabapentin at 40 and 120 mg/kg PO q 12 h for 14 days will not alter serum biochemistry findings or cause adverse effects. Our objectives were to evaluate the effect of gabapentin on serum biochemistry, physical examination, and plasma pharmacokinetics of gabapentin. Methods: Six healthy adult mares. Methods: Horses received 40 and 120 mg/kg of gabapentin orally q 12 h for 14 days. Horses were examined and scored for ataxia and sedation daily. Serum biochemistry variables were analyzed before treatment and days 7 and 14 after gabapentin administration. Plasma disposition of gabapentin was evaluated after the first and last drug administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using noncompartmental analysis. Results: No changes occurred in physiologic or biochemical variables. Median (range) maximal plasma gabapentin concentrations (μg/mL) after the last dose (day 15) were 7.6 (6.2-11) and 22 (14-33) for 40 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg doses respectively. Maximal concentration of gabapentin was reached within 1 hour after drug administration. Repeated administration of gabapentin resulted in a median (range) area under the curve (AUC ) last/first dose ratio of 1.5 (1.00-2.63) and 2.92 (1.4-3.8) for the 40 and 120 mg/kg regimens, respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that horses tolerate gabapentin up to 120 mg/kg PO q 12 h for 14 days. The analgesic effect of the dosage regimens evaluated in our study warrants further research.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2022-02-12 PubMed ID: 35150014PubMed Central: PMC8965223DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16386Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research examines the effects of high doses of gabapentin in adult horses and suggests that such treatment may provide better pain relief than existing methods. It found that horses well tolerated repeated gabapentin administration and detected no alterations in their serum biochemistry or physical examination.

Objective and Methodology

  • The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of administering gabapentin at dosages of 40 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg every 12 hours for 14 days on serum biochemistry and physical examination of horses. The study also aimed to understand the plasma pharmacokinetics of gabapentin.
  • The study involved six healthy adult mares which were given the referred doses of gabapentin orally every 12 hours for a period of 14 days.
  • Concurrent with treatment, horses underwent daily evaluations for ataxia and sedation while their serum biochemistry variables were analyzed before treatment and then subsequently on day 7 and day 14 after gabapentin administration.
  • The plasma disposition of gabapentin was studied after the first and the last drug administration.
  • Noncompartmental analysis was utilised to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters.

Results

  • The findings showed no changes in physiological or biochemical variables following treatment. This indicated a good tolerance of Gabapentin in horses.
  • The maximal plasma gabapentin concentrations after the last dose were found to be 7.6 (range 6.2-11) and 22 (range14-33) for the 40 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg doses, respectively.
  • The researchers observed that the maximal concentration of gabapentin was reached within 1 hour after drug administration.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that horses seemed to tolerate gabapentin administration up to a maximum of 120 mg/kg every 12 hours for 14 days without any adverse effects or significant changes to serum biochemistry or physical examination results.
  • The analgesic effect of the dosage regimens studied warrants further research to determine the effectiveness of these treatment plans in managing pain in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Gold JR, Grubb TL, Cox S, Malavasi L, Villarino NL. (2022). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of repeat dosing of gabapentin in adult horses. J Vet Intern Med, 36(2), 792-797. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16386

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 36
Issue: 2
Pages: 792-797

Researcher Affiliations

Gold, Jenifer R
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Grubb, Tamara L
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Cox, Sherry
  • Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
Malavasi, Lais
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Villarino, Nicholas L
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Area Under Curve
  • Female
  • Gabapentin
  • Horses
  • Pain / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Sander J, Terhardt M, Janzen N, Renaud B, Kruse CJ, François AC, Wouters CP, Boemer F, Votion DM. Tissue Specific Distribution and Activation of Sapindaceae Toxins in Horses Suffering from Atypical Myopathy.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jul 26;13(15).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13152410pubmed: 37570219google scholar: lookup
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