Antiepileptic drugs, including gabapentin, may increase the risk of suicidal ideation or behavior. Therefore, patients receiving these drugs should be carefully monitored for the occurrence or worsening of depression, the appearance of suicidal thoughts or behavior, and for any changes in behavior. In the event of acute pancreatitis with gabapentin, the possibility of discontinuation should be assessed.
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Gabapentin is licensed in the US for the treatment of focal seizures and post-herpetic neuralgia, and in the UK for the treatment of focal seizures and neuropathic pain.
In a new study published in the journal Brain, scientists at Ohio State University suggest that the drug gabapentin, currently prescribed to control seizures and reduce neuralgia, could speed up movement recovery after stroke, helping neurons on the intact side of the brain take over the signaling work of lost cells. Scientists have previously found that gabapentin blocks the activity of a protein that, with increased levels of expression after brain or spinal cord injury, prevents axons from regrowth.
A clinical trial of adjuvant partial seizure therapy in children aged 3 to 12 years demonstrated quantitative but statistically unreliable differences in the incidence of 50% reduction in the number of seizures in the gabapentin group compared to the placebo group. An additional analysis of response rates by age (when considering age as a continuous variable or when identifying two age subgroups: 3-5 years and 6-12 years) did not reveal a statistically significant effect of age on the effectiveness of therapy.