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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 ...
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It doesn’t help his pain, he says.
I had a ruptured disc L4/L5, and the pain was unbearable as I waited for surgery. For about 40 days immediately prior to surgery, I took 300mg/3x daily, and it eliminated about 95% of the pain. Very helpful in that limited period.
Ugh, I just got off of Gabapentin. I was on it for about a year and a half for nerve pain caused by a wound. I was tired most of the time and did nothing but sleep. I hate pills and couldn’t wait to get off it.
And it does weird things to Your Eyes!
.
Bad JuJu
Not scientific, but my dog was on gabapentin for over a year for pain. We just had her put down for severe dementia. Maybe it was related, I don’t know. But when I first saw that article in a medical newsletter a couple of weeks ago, I became suspicious. Her behavior started seriously changing about 4 or 5 months ago. And now she’s gone. :(
What exactly does it do to your eyes?
Who counts the number of prescriptions they have tallied for a specific medication? I sure don’t . Maybe another doctor will issue this same kind of report about gabapentin, but measure it in the LENGTH OF TIME one has been taking it.
That, I would easily be able to recall, should I ever have to.
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I know several people who take it for neuropathy and it seems to help them.
Perhaps the lower back pain was muscular skeletal in nature rather then nerve pain.
Which would explain why it would have side effects.
My dog is on the Gabapentin now. I think it has been a month. We, the dog and I, cut down on doses accidentally, so he is only getting it with Previcox before bedtime. He acted very oddly a few days ago which involved sleeping half the day away.
What did your dog do?
Caused problems in my mom, IIRC.
It was like looking thru a chain link fence or a prism. Square patterns that seemed to float and really did not help Back pain At All.
Nobody wanted to Prescribe pain killers.
.
Big Back pain for months last year.
But it’s alot better-——overtime.
I was put on gabapentin while I was a teen for migraines, and my memory hasn’t been the same since. Putting someone on it while their brain is still developing ials not the best idea.
The drug slows the firing of synapses to prevent nerve pain. Enough said.
It can also be abused, and we’ve been getting a lot of fake scripts for it during the last year or so.
Doctors are passing out Gabapentin like candy ever since they had to put the brakes on opiates. I took Gabapentin for a few months for back pain. That $hit makes you feel weird!! And constantly sleepy. I had to get off of it. Turned me into a zombie.
Thanks! Glad you’re gradually feeling better. I will pass this on.
I am prescribed it 3 times daily and get it filled but don’t take it as it doesn’t help and I can’t count to 20 when I do take it. It pisses me off I have to hurt because so called conservative politicians have a thing against oppoids as they are the only thing that helps. But I can’t get them, and I was tboned by a semi last November.
“[Gabapentin] I took 300mg/3x daily, and it eliminated about 95% of the pain.”
.
Same here—20 years—but treating the constant tingling in my legs. (Peripheral Neuropathy). Those leg symptoms changed to “Restless Leg Syndrome”, where Gabapentin continued as still effective.
In later years, the tingling has essentially moved (centralized) to my trunk/core which is not relieved by the Gabapentin4th. (So I’ve removed myself off the med).
What was the question again?
I took it after having nerves severed when my left lung was removed for cancer. They did it through my back, between my ribs and it felt like they severed my vagus nerve branch on that side.
Screwed me up a lot.
Stopped taking it after three weeks as it was causing fatigue and I kept feeling worse as time passed rather than better.
That was the same thing I thought of - our dog. He too had been on gabapentin for quite awhile for pain (3 to 4 years??? My wife knows all that stuff!). The last 6 months of his life he would do lots of pacing and walking in circles. The vet wasn’t sure if it was due to pain/discomfort or dementia. I don’t know about dementia, he still obeyed all of his commands, stayed out of rooms he wasn’t allowed in, remembered the various ways we would walk around the neighborhood, etc.
At his peak he was 90lbs (Great Dane/Black Lab). We finally put him to sleep this spring at the age of 15 1/2. It was only about those last 6 months that he acted “old”.
I never understood how folks got so heartbroken when a dog died. After our first dog died years ago - I got it.
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