It's Quietly Become One of the Most Popular Painkillers

'It's crazy' how many ailments gabapentin is used for, cautions one doctor
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2024 6:00 AM CDT
It's Quietly Become One of the Most Popular Painkillers
Bottles of gabapentin for sale at a pharmacy.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

For the record, the painkiller gabapentin is sanctioned for use in preventing epileptic seizures and treating nerve pain related to shingles. Off-label uses of the prescription drug are a much different story. "It's crazy how many indications it's used for," Dr. Michael Steinman of the University of California, San Francisco, tells the New York Times. "It's become a we-don't-know-what-else-to-do drug." The newspaper ticks off a mind-boggling array of ailments the drug is being used to treat, especially among seniors, including sciatica, neuropathy from diabetes, lower back pain, post-surgery pain, agitation from dementia, insomnia, migraines, itching, bipolar disorder, and alcohol dependence.

In 2022, nearly 6 million older adults were on the drug, making it one of the most widely prescribed medications in the nation. It's sold under the brand name Neurontin, but it's also available generically, per Harvard Health. Still, evidence of its effectiveness is "all over the map" on a range of ailments, according to the Times. For example, "the drug appears to provide relief for some patients with diabetic neuropathy but not with some other kinds of neuropathic pain." It's a non-opioid, however, and it seems to have gotten a boost amid the opioid epidemic as doctors searched for alternatives.

The newspaper also notes that maker Warner-Lambert settled a Justice Department lawsuit in 2004 after being accused of illegally and aggressively pushing off-label uses, which may have contributed to its use tripling between 2002 and 2015. The drug comes with potential side effects that include dizziness, headaches, and back pain, and, more rarely, problems with speaking or swallowing, per Harvard. Those looking to wean themselves off it should do so under a doctor's supervision, the site adds. (More painkillers stories.)

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