Gabapentin for Back Pain Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia, MCI

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For adults with chronic low back pain, gabapentin prescription is associated with an increased risk for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study published online July 10 in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

Nafis B. Eghrari, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether gabapentin prescription is associated with dementia in adults with chronic low back pain. Following propensity score matching, controlling for demographics, comorbidities, and pain medications, 26,416 adults were analyzed.

The researchers found that the incidences of dementia and MCI were increased for patients with six or more gabapentin prescriptions compared with those not prescribed gabapentin (risk ratios [RRs], 1.29 and 1.85, respectively). Nonelderly adults (18 to 64 years) prescribed gabapentin had more than twice the risk for dementia and MCI compared with those not prescribed gabapentin (RRs, 2.10 and 2.50, respectively). A further increase in risk was seen with prescription frequency, with a higher incidence of dementia and MCI for those with 12 or more versus three to 11 prescriptions for gabapentin (RRs, 1.40 and 1.65, respectively).

“We hope the current study promotes further research to delineate whether gabapentin plays a causal role in the development of dementia and the underlying mechanisms of this relationship,” the authors write.

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