how does neurontin and gabatril work different from benzos?

[paranoia_]

see topic

 

[Ham-milton]

you're going to have to put more effort than that into a post if you want a real answer.

completely different.

 

[center]

I'm not quite sure on chemistry. I feel subjectively different effects from benzos. Seems like gabapentin changes a certain essence of the person, it's rather strange.

 

[paranoia_]

no, how does it affect neurotransmitters?

 

[mad_scientist]

Tiagabine (gabatril) is a GABA reuptake inhibitor, so it makes released GABA stay active for longer.

Gabapentin (neurontin) binds to alpha2delta calcium channels which are expressed on GABAergic neurons and causes them to become more sensitive to GABA, so a larger response is produced by normal levels of GABA.

Benzos are subtype-selective GABA agonists so they bind to some of the same targets as GABA and produce similar effects, but they don't bind to all the targets that GABA binds to.

So all three drugs increase GABA-type activity in the CNS hence why they feel kind of similar, but the mechanism by which this happens is quite different for each of them.

(p.s. don't be so shitty Hammilton! People ask questions because they want to learn, not because they're trying to piss you off personally)

 

[Jabberwocky]

^ lol why can't it be both?

 

[Ham-milton]

^ lol why can't it be both?

yeah really!