Common back-pain drug may be linked to higher dementia risk, large study finds

Researchers published their results in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine said: “Our results support the need for close monitoring of adult patients prescribed gabapentin to assess for potential cognitive decline.”
More prescriptions = more risk
Like any medication, gabapentin can lead to side effects. Some of the more common ones include feeling dizzy, unusually tired, experiencing swelling from fluid retention, and having a dry mouth. Earlier research has also linked gabapentin use to potential breathing problems.

Still, the study from Case Western Reserve University found a clear pattern: the more gabapentin someone took, the greater the cognitive risks.

People with 12+ prescriptions were 40% more likely to develop dementia.

They were 65% more likely to develop MCI.

This held true even after accounting for health conditions, demographics, and other medications.

But does gabapentin cause dementia?

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