Posted on 07/24/2025 8:41:38 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Receiving six or more prescriptions of the drug gabapentin for low back pain is associated with significantly increased risks of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—29% and 85%, respectively—finds a large medical records study.
These risks were more than twice as high in those normally considered too young to develop either condition—18–64-year-olds—the findings indicate.
Gabapentin has become increasingly popular for the treatment of chronic pain, especially neuropathic pain, as it offers potentially neuroprotective benefits.
The researchers drew on real-time data from TriNetX, which contains electronic health records from 68 health care organizations across the U.S.
They scrutinized the anonymized records of adult patients who had and hadn't been prescribed gabapentin (26,414 in each group) for chronic low pain between 2004 and 2024, taking account of demographics, co-existing conditions, and the use of other analgesic drugs.
Those who had received six or more gabapentin prescriptions were 29% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and 85% more likely to be diagnosed with MCI within 10 years of their initial pain diagnosis.
When the records were stratified by age, 18–64-year-olds prescribed the drug were more than twice as likely to develop either condition than those who hadn't been prescribed gabapentin.
While there was no heightened risk among 18–34-year-olds prescribed the drug, the risks of dementia more than doubled and those of MCI more than tripled among 35–49-year-olds prescribed it. A similar pattern was observed among 50–64-year-olds.
Risks also rose in tandem with prescription frequency: patients with 12 or more prescriptions were 40% more likely to develop dementia and 65% more likely to develop MCI than those prescribed gabapentin between three and 11 times.
Nevertheless, they conclude, "Our findings indicate an association between gabapentin prescription and dementia or cognitive impairment within 10 years. Moreover, increased gabapentin prescription frequency correlated with dementia incidence."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
What I take. I guess it helps. Stretching exercise for sciatica helps too.
Pills to reduce nerve back pain and leg numbness. No pharma drugs. My uncle was taking pills for his heart bypass and when he fell 3 times i a few months 10+ years later he was given other pills for wrenched shoulder then broken ribs and according to his caregiver that is when he started getting dementia. Watch out for combo drug interactions.
Take per day:
Ibuprofen - 2 pills total 400mg
Turmeric Curcumin - 3 capsules total 1500mg. Reduces Inflammation.
Vitamin D3 - 20,000 to 30,000 IU
Magnesium glycinate - 800mg
Vitamin B12 - 5,000mcg for low back pain
Vitamin K2 - 32mcg to 180mcg
plays a role in overall bone and nerve health, which can indirectly impact sciatica
Vitamin C - 600 to 800 IU
is an antioxidant, can help combat oxidative stress and reduce inflammation, potentially easing pain.
Vitamin E: 200 to 400 IU per day
Research suggests vitamin E can play a role in nerve regeneration after injury, potentially aiding in the recovery process for those with sciatica.
Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, vitamin E, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial for sciatica and nerve health.
Magnesium glycinate - Dosage: 200–400 mg per day
Magnesium glycinate may help with sciatica pain by reducing inflammation and promoting nerve health.
** If you’re looking to improve sleep, reduce anxiety, or address a magnesium deficiency, magnesium glycinate may be the better choice.
@CC-cb7bg
5 months ago
My Brother is a DC. I was his ‘dummy’ when he was practicing his adjustments decades ago. When I have lower back pain, I stand straight up, and I stand on my toes. Once I have the strength to do that, I stand on the toes of each foot and repeat several times for each foot. A day later, no more pain. We think the benefit is to stretch out the nerves in the lower back and hip.
I take it at 100 mg when pain gets bad.
When a doctor was prescribing it I said I only take 100. He said too low. I thought too bad .I am not taking 600 mg. I had done so after a hysterectomy and it messed with my eyes and i stopped
I am a special case because I have genetic problems with drugs so I don’t like to take anything
I took it for several years, came to the conclusion that it wasn’t doing me any good, and quit. FreeRepublic is what I take to keep my mind sharp. It has worked so far. Gabapentin never did anything for pain, as far as I could tell.
If taken as prescribed, this drug makes you stupid and forgetful. I took it for a week for severe sciatic nerve pain in my right leg. Advil 600 mg worked better. I still have a big bottle of gabapentin that needs thrown out.
Some comments on gabapentin. In my fifties it had zero effect on my pain or my ability to function. In my seventies I had every side effect, acting stupider than usual and it still had no effect on my pain. However, mixing it with OTC arthritis ointment diclofenac and DMSO (horse liniment) and putting it on a particular spot does work. (Not medical advice. Consult your shaman.)
I’ve been taking gabapentin for 10 years now for low back pain and I’m pleased with the results.
I have peripheral neuropathy and cannot do without it.
They give it for neuropathy- it never helped me, atheist not enough to justify the cost. Was,on it a long time too. There are 2 others in the same line, pregabalin and Lyrica, wo Der if they are involved too?
Doh, not atheist- dunno how spellchecker came up with that lol. Supposed to read “it wasn’t enough to justify cost”
Before military doctors finally realized I was right about my hip being trashed they thought the pain was from sciatica), they tried to put me on gabapentin - the first dose messed me up so bad I couldn’t function so I didn’t take any more - they finally got it right and I had the hip replaced.
I know folks who got hooked on the crap and it does bad things to the mind.
Liking the things you post. Please add me. Thanks!
hugs
Seems every drug eventually turns out to be bad.
Look for PEMF treatments in your area...probably a chiropracter...and not the portable stuff...I bet it would help you greatly. Just a suggestion.
But, as Dr Sowell famously said, there are no solutions only tradeoffs.
And the tradeoff for getting rid of nerve pain is that it, over time, damages the other job that the nerve system is suppose to be doing.
She started becoming quite aggressive, to the point of biting my husband if he came near me. She started having accidents all over the house. She seemed lost at times, staring at the wall or stuck behind the barbecue on the porch without being able to find the door. She slept most of the day but would wake up in the middle of the night and start pacing around the house. When this would happen, I would take her outside because I thought she needed to use the restroom. But I would sit outside with her at 2,3,4 am for 15-20 minutes at a time and she would just lie down—on wet pavement if it was raining. Then when I decided to come back inside, she would have another accident.
I eventually found a worksheet online to measure a dog’s cognitive decline and printed out a copy for each person in the household. We each filled out the worksheet and independently found moderate to severe cognitive decline.
Writing this is making me so sad. The dog we had put down last week was so different from the dog we rescued four years ago.
My dog was not quite 12 years old, but the dementia was becoming quite severe. She was not obeying any commands at the time we had to have her put down.
There is a worksheet for assessing dementia in dogs, called DISHAA (Disorientation; Social Interactions; Sleep/Wake Cycles; House soiling, Learning and Memory; Activity; and Anxiety).
According to what I have read on the internet, one of the first symptoms that dog owners notice is pacing during the night. That is definitely what we observed—sleeping almost all day, then pacing around for most of the night.
The dog we had put down was completely different than the dog we rescued four years ago.
Thank you.
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