Gabapentin is the generic name for a drug used to help control epileptic seizures, MayoClinic.com reports. The medication also may help people suffering from other ailments, such as postherpetic neuralgia associated with shingles and peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes. The anticonvulsant medicine helps the brain produce higher levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which, according to MayoClinic.com, helps to reduce the potential of seizures occurring. The medication may produce behavioral side effects, primarily in children.
Distrust
Taking gabapentin for seizure control may cause the patient to experience a growing distrust. This may occur in children and be aimed at parents, teachers or other authority figures. The child also may come to distrust his peers, the other children he plays with or his school classmates. MayoClinic.com indicates he may become suspicious of other people's motives. The child may have paranoid feelings, as though people around him--teachers or parents of other children, for example--are plotting against him. Because this distrust classifies as a serious side effect of gabapentin, MayoClinic.com recommends parents contact the physician immediately if such side effects are seen in their child.
School Performance
The use of gabapentin also may cause problems for a child who is trying to study or participate in other activities that require focus and concentration, according to Drugs.com. Even if the child had few problems in the past with schoolwork, the introduction of this drug into the child's system may change her performance. She may act out, causing disruptions in classes at school or at home. Any change in the child's school performance that is thought to be related to the use of gabapentin should be reported to the doctor immediately, MayoClinic.com recommends.
Rapid Mood Shifts
A child taking gabapentin may experience quick shifts in mood. The child may feel happy one moment, cry the next and then become angry. MayoClinic.com states that gabapentin works directly in the person's brain to create changes. These effects can overlap other areas of the brain, including the emotional component. Rapid mood shifts also require immediate intervention from a doctor.
Anxiety
MedlinePlus reports that the person taking gabapentin may act anxious. He may feel overly nervous without provocation. He may act out because of his anxious feelings. Normal calming efforts of parents may not help him. If anxiety becomes severe, MedlinePlus recommends talking with the doctor about it.
