Incidentally, the painkiller gabapentin is approved for preventing epileptic seizures and treating the nerve pain that accompanies shingles. Off-label use of prescription drugs is another story. “It’s surprising how many indications gabapentin has,” says Dr. Michael Steinman of the University of California, San Francisco. The New York Times“It became a drug where I didn’t know what else to do.” The paper lists a staggering number of conditions the drug is used to treat, especially among older people, including sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, back pain, post-operative pain, agitation due to dementia, insomnia, migraines, pruritus, bipolar disorder and alcoholism.
As of 2022, nearly 6 million seniors are taking the drug, making it one of the most widely prescribed medications in the U.S. It is sold under the brand name Neurotonin, but generic versions are also available. Harvard HealthStill, the evidence of its effectiveness is “diverse” for a range of illnesses, he said. TimesFor example, “the drug appears to be effective in relieving pain in some patients with diabetic neuropathy but not in other types of neuropathic pain.”But it is a non-opioid and appears to have grown in popularity amid the opioid epidemic as doctors searched for alternatives.
The paper also notes that in 2004, manufacturer Warner-Lambert settled a lawsuit against the Department of Justice for illegally and aggressively promoting off-label use, which may have contributed to the tripling of use of the drug between 2002 and 2015. According to Harvard University, the drug can cause side effects including dizziness, headaches, back pain and, in rare cases, problems with speech and swallowing. The site adds that people who want to stop taking the drug should do so under the supervision of a doctor. (More articles on painkillers)
