What Is Horizant?
Horizant is an anti-seizure and anticonvulsant medication prescribed to patients who are experiencing severe restless leg syndrome or nerve pain caused by the shingles infection.
Just like taking any medication, using Horizant comes with certain side effects. Common side effects of Horizant use are drowsiness, dizziness, loss of coordination and blurred vision. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you experience serious Horizant side effects such as slow or shallow breathing and thoughts of suicide.
How Is Horizant Used?
The way Horizant is used differs from patient to patient based on what condition they are suffering from and the severity of the condition. Typically, Horizant is taken by mouth once a day with a meal. For patients suffering from nerve pain, your dosage may be increased to twice per day after several days of undergoing Horizant treatment.
Horizant should always be swallowed whole and should never be crushed or chewed, as this can increase your risk of Horizant side effects. Do not adjust your Horizant treatment or dosage levels without being told to do so by your doctor. More importantly, do not stop taking Horizant cold turkey as this will increase your risk of enhanced withdrawal symptoms.
Make sure you keep an updated list of all your current medications, including over the counter drugs and herbal products, as these may interact with your Horizant treatment. Examples of medications that may interact with Horizant are orlistat or other products that cause drowsiness like alcohol, cannabis, antihistamines, sleep drugs, alprazolam, diazepam, zolpidem, muscle relaxants and narcotic pain relievers.
Horizant Addiction
Even if you take Horizant exactly as your doctor asks you to, you may develop a dependence on or addiction to Horizant. It is important to seek help as soon as possible if you notice any of these Horizant addiction signs such as becoming obsessed with finding and taking Horizant and losing interest in daily life or activities you once enjoyed. Spotting Horizant addiction early can help you get a head start on living a happier, healthier, Horizant-free life.
The Importance Of Aftercare
Often the risk of recurrence of use remains for patients recovering from Horizant addiction or another substance use disorder. To minimize this risk, it is important to find an aftercare program that can help support you with ongoing therapy options. Sometimes a recurrence of use can be a sign that your treatment plan needs to be adjusted to better fit your needs, which is why it is important to make an informed decision in choosing a treatment program and center that will suit your specific needs.
Potential patients or those looking for resources on treatment programs can access a variety of information through The Recovery Village. You can go line to www.TheRecoveryVillage.com or call 24-hour to our toll-free hotline at 855-548-9825 to learn more about all the life-saving programs and resources The Recovery Village has to offer.
The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.