Dementia can happen for many reasons. According to Dementia UK, some causes include genetics, getting older, changes in the brain, a person’s lifestyle, and other health problems. Dementia develops when brain cells become damaged and can no longer communicate properly with each other. Because of this damage, some parts of the brain may shrink.
A recent study published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine looked at a possible connection between the drug Gabapentin and the risk of dementia.
Gabapentin is a prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Doctors often use it to treat nerve pain and control seizures. It is also sometimes used for other conditions like fibromyalgia, sciatica, trouble sleeping, anxiety, hot flashes, and lower back pain. Many doctors prefer this drug because it is considered less addictive than some other medicines with similar effects.
However, like all medicines, gabapentin can cause side effects. These may include nausea, dizziness, tiredness, headaches, memory problems, and trouble speaking.
The study also raised concerns about using this medicine for a long time. It found that people who received six or more prescriptions of gabapentin for lower back pain had a higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
The study looked at health data from more than 26,000 adults in the TriNetX health research network. These people had long-term pain problems, such as lower back pain and lumbar radiculopathy. Researchers compared people who were taking Gabapentin with another group of similar size who were not taking the drug. The participants were divided into five different age groups and followed for ten years to see if they later developed mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, or vascular dementia.
Nafis B. Eghrari, the first author of the study and a fourth-year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said there is still disagreement about whether taking gabapentin increases the risk of dementia. In an interview with Medical News Today, he explained that scientists still do not clearly understand how gabapentin affects thinking and brain function, or if it may contribute to brain diseases that develop over time. Earlier studies have shown different results, so the researchers wanted to study this issue more closely.
The study found that people who had six or more prescriptions of gabapentin had a 29% higher chance of developing dementia and an 85% higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Eghrari explained that this result shows a possible connection between gabapentin prescriptions and dementia across the country. However, he also said this does not prove that the drug directly causes dementia, and more research is needed to understand its long-term effects.
The most surprising result was in people aged 35 to 49. In this group, the risk of dementia became twice as high, and the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) became three times higher. Nafis B. Eghrari said this was unexpected because brain diseases that damage memory are usually seen in people over 65 years old.
Study Limitations and Criticisms
However, the study also had some limitations. It did not consider other health problems or medicines that participants might have been taking, even though dementia risk can be affected by many factors.
Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said an important factor was missing from the research—physical activity. In an interview with Medscape, she explained that people with chronic pain who take Gabapentin might move less because of their pain, and low physical activity is already known to increase the risk of dementia.
Ian Maidment, a clinical pharmacy professor at Aston University in Birmingham, England, also said the study did not check how long people took gabapentin or how much they used. He also mentioned that some other studies did not find a connection between gabapentin and dementia. Because of this, he said it is still uncertain whether gabapentin actually causes dementia.
Meanwhile, Neel Anand, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who was not part of the research, explained that proving a direct cause would require a study comparing people who only take gabapentin with those who do not take it, while making sure the medicine is used correctly. Even so, he said it is still important to pay attention to possible effects on thinking and memory when the drug is used for a long time.
Even though the study has some limits, the researchers say doctors should still be careful when prescribing Gabapentin.
Nafis B. Eghrari suggested that doctors who give gabapentin to patients with long-term pain should regularly check their memory and thinking ability during medical visits. He also advised patients to tell their doctors if they notice any mental changes, such as confusion, memory problems, or slower thinking.
Eghrari also said that the researchers plan to continue studying this topic. They want to find out if gabapentin really causes cognitive problems and to understand how the drug might affect the brain.
Disclaimer:
This information is only for general knowledge. It should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a healthcare provider.
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