Brand Reference: Neurontin, Gralise
| Metric | Verified Benchmark | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gabapentin RxNorm Concept ID | 25480 | U.S. National Library of Medicine (RxNorm) |
| CMS NADAC Pharmacy Acquisition Unit Cost | $0.0350 / unit | CMS Medicaid NADAC Weekly Feed |
| Walk-In Chain Pharmacy Cash Average | $28.00 / mo | CMS NADAC + U.S. Retail Markup Index |
| Mark Cuban Cost Plus Wholesale Price | $5.40 / mo | Cost Plus Drugs Wholesale Feed |
| Community Mean Out-of-Pocket Paid | $6.80 / mo | 39 Zero-PHI Verified Patient Logs |
Despite structural GABA resemblance, has zero GABA-A/B receptor binding; instead binds auxiliary alpha-2-delta-1 subunits on presynaptic N- and P/Q-type calcium channels, reducing substance P/glutamate hyper-excitability in neuropathic pain, restless legs, and nocturnal hot flashes while boosting N3 slow-wave sleep.
Classified under Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Alpha-2-Delta-1 Subunit Ligand (Rx), Gabapentin exhibits a $22.60/month gap between standard U.S. retail cash counters ($28.00) and verified direct-to-patient routing ($5.40) anchored to $0.0350 CMS unit cost.
Pharmacokinetic profiling of Gabapentin demonstrates an elimination half-life of 5–7 hours with Saturable L-amino-acid transporter: 60% at 300 mg -> drops to 33% at 1200 mg systemic bioavailability; clearance proceeds via zero hepatic metabolism; 100% excreted unchanged renally, reaching clinical onset within 1–3 hours neuropathic/nocturnal relief.
Titration schedules for Gabapentin (100–300 mg PO QHS (sleep/hot-flash/RLS) → 300 mg PO TID → 600 mg PO TID) require excluding uncorrected renal failure without crcl dose reduction; concurrent high-dose cns opioid depression; real-world patient logs highlight ataxia / brain fog at >=900 mg (24% of reports), somnolence (22% of reports), peripheral ankle swelling (11% of reports) alongside a 82.40% Worth-It consensus.
Across 39 verified cash-pay logs, Gabapentin achieves a 82.40% Worth-It rating with out-of-pocket spend averaging $6.80/mo versus $28.00/mo walk-in retail.
Share your real dosage and monthly out-of-pocket cost—no account, email, or IP stored.
Switched to Cost Plus Drugs at 100–300 mg PO QHS (sleep/hot-flash/RLS) for Gabapentin; monthly out-of-pocket dropped to $4.75 compared with $28.00 retail.
Completed 10 weeks on Gabapentin (300 mg PO TID). Zero notable side effects on steady dosing.
Consistent biomarker response on 600 mg PO TID Gabapentin sourced via Cost Plus Drugs ($6.26/mo cash pay without insurance prior authorization).