A drug used to treat seizures, nerve pain and restless leg syndrome might be linked with increased risk of dementia, a new study says.
Regular gabapentin use appeared to increase risk of dementia by 29% and mild cognitive impairment by 85%, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.
What’s more, the risk was more than doubled in people normally considered too young to suffer from brain aging, those 18 to 64, results show.
“The findings of this study support the need for close monitoring in adult patients prescribed gabapentin to assess for potential cognitive decline,” wrote the research team led by Nafis Eghrari, a medical student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
“Moreover, this provides a foundation to further research whether gabapentin plays a causal role in the development of dementia and cognitive decline,” the researchers added.
Gabapentin has become increasingly popular for the treatment of chronic pain because it’s not nearly as addictive as opioids, researchers said in background notes.
But concerns have been growing that gabapentin might contribute to cognitive decline, since it works by suppressing communication between nerve cells, researchers said.
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