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3w ago

Frequent Gabapentin Use Linked to Higher Dementia, Cognitive Impairment Risk

Authors recommend enhanced cognitive surveillance after analysis of U.S. health records revealed that patients with six or more gabapentin prescriptions face greater dementia, mild cognitive impairment risk within ten years.

A stock image shows a man standing alone, suffering from low back pain.
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Back pain? You might want to think twice about staying on gabapentin too long to treat it, according to the results of a new study
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Overview

  • Patients with six or more gabapentin prescriptions had a 29% higher risk of dementia and an 85% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment within ten years compared to those with fewer prescriptions.
  • Individuals who filled 12 or more prescriptions showed a 40% increased dementia risk and a 65% increased MCI risk relative to patients with three to eleven prescriptions.
  • Age-stratified analysis found adults aged 35–49 experienced more than double the dementia risk and over triple the MCI risk, while no elevated risk emerged for those aged 18–34.
  • Researchers examined anonymized records of approximately 26,400 gabapentin users and matched controls from the TriNetX network covering 68 U.S. healthcare organizations between 2004 and 2024.
  • Study authors cautioned that the retrospective, observational design precludes causal inference and urged close cognitive monitoring for patients on long-term gabapentin therapy.