The Pill for Everything: Why Off-Label Gabapentin Prescriptions Are Soaring
Gabapentin is now the fifth most prescribed drug in the United States, with 95 percent of prescriptions for off-label uses.

n 2019, the FDA warned patients and doctors that serious breathing problems and even death have been associated with taking gabapentin with certain medications. Barr has seen patients have excessive sedation or compromised breathing after their gabapentin prescription was combined with opioids or benzodiazepines. Some people needed emergency care, he said.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/...th&test_user_group=b

What is the drug used for (off-label) and why is it important for forum members to know that it’s commonly prescribed?

Gabapentin is a great drug. I've been on it for 3+ years after having an suffered from Guillain- Barre syndrome. It left me with severe nerve damage in my legs/feet and mild nerve damage in my hands.

Gabapentin controls the associated pain which at times can be significant.

Properly prescribed Gabapentin can give you a better quality of life.

quote:

Gabapentin

My dad is on it for diabetic neuropathy, of which there is no cure for, you just have to deal with the pain which can be debilitating.

Lyrica aka Pregabalin or Gabapentin are both used for lower extremity pain, Gabapentin is also an epilepsy medication.

I found a description of its intended uses which are as mentioned; what about off-label uses?

Like it has been said it is for nerve pain. I was prescribed it for neuropathy due to my chemo. I never took it but I had a ton of it at one point. Don’t know what the off label use is. As far as I knew it was nerve pain only.

Our cat (Bengal) doesn't like going to the vet, so she gets an appropriate, prescribed gabapentin pill to chill her out several hours before we take her there. It's like making her drunk.

It works pretty good for nerve pain. I have had two surgeries on my back. The surgeries haven’t helped the pain at all. They are still trying to figure out what is the issue. The one thing that helps and lets me get around six hours of sleep at night is gabapentin.

The flip side to this is that it makes me feel foggy. I don’t feel as sharp as I was when I started taking it.

There is also a flip side to this. I absolutely cannot sleep without it. If I don’t take it, I lay in bed awake as there is no longer the sedation side effect. The other part is that my back will start hurting after about two hours of sleep, to the point that even if I do fall asleep it won’t be for long.

I actually have a doctors appointment today and will be having the discussion of getting away from the gabapentin. If anything I would like to see how I feel not taking it for a couple days, provided I can actually sleep.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
I found a description of its intended uses which are as mentioned; what about off-label uses?

Google says....

Off-Label Uses
Doctors may prescribe gabapentin off-label for a variety of conditions where it has shown potential benefit, including:

Diabetic neuropathy (nerve pain from diabetes)
Anxiety
Alcohol withdrawal
Hot flashes
Chronic itch

I have a chronic itch for old S&W revolvers. Will this help?

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Google says....

Thank you, and which could have been mentioned in the original post. The linked article cannot be read without creating an account or some sort of log in. I.e., “This is something you should know, so do your own research to find out what it is.”

It was originally developed as an anti-seizure medication, then moved to nerve pain treatment. I was on it for 3 years and decided the pain was more bearable than the drug.

quote:

Originally posted by sigarms229:

Gabapentin is a great drug. I've been on it for 3+ years after having an suffered from Guillain- Barre syndrome. It left me with severe nerve damage in my legs/feet and mild nerve damage in my hands.

I too, got hit with Guillain-Barré. First prescription, by a neurologist, was for Lyrica. No help, so my Primary Care Doc switched me to Gabapentin. That didn't seem to make any difference, so we decided to discontinue it -- no point using a med that doesn't do anything for me.

Over time, the pain in my hands has all but disappeared, and my feet have improved to the point where the pain is no longer a major factor.

I’ve been on it for about 9 months, for back pain.

I took it when I was having problems with a bulging disk that smooshed my medial nerve causing my left hand to turn into lava.

It really dialed that back. But it makes you stupid at some doses.

You can’t just quit taking it because it could cause seizures.

My neighbor was on it and after he came over for the same thing several times, I spoke to his wife and the doc reduced his dose and he’s GTG.

I’ve been given it for my old dog before the fourth and new years as it chills out animals

I was prescribed Gabapentin for restless leg, tried it for 3 months and could not stand the brain fog, decided that living with the leg issue was better than taking the drug . My aunt takes 900 mg a day and thinks it's a miracle drug.

I was on it for about 6 weeks after Achilles tendon surgery due to post-surgery nerve pain. It wasn't perfect but it made it bearable and allowed me to sleep.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:


I actually have a doctors appointment today and will be having the discussion of getting away from the gabapentin. If anything I would like to see how I feel not taking it for a couple days, provided I can actually sleep.

My doctor warned me to not stop taking it cold turkey, could have bad side effects. Ask your doc. It helps the neuropathy in my feet. I cut down to two pills per day instead of three, next appointment I'll ask about just one per day and see what happens.

Drug manufacturers can only market a medicine for what it's approved for.

But "everyone" knows developed drugs can treat a wider range of maladies. For example, a cartridge can be developed to take down an elk; if it can take down an elk, it can take down similar sized game. But if the cartridge was a medicine and was approved by the FDA for use to take down elks, then the manufacturer can market it only to take down elks and nothing else because that's what the clinical trials for that drug was set out to prove. Any hunter can actually use the cartridge for different but similar sized game.

Doctors, because of their extensive education, qualify as researchers because of their license. They look at the drug's ingredients, see what it's used for, and are allowed to use any drug to treat any medical condition even if it's a treatment the drug doesn't have approval for. That's off-label use and is allowed.

In practice and having worked for several companies in the medical industry, I would hazard the drug companies develop their medicine with the goal of developing a range of diseases. They get it approved for the biggest market in terms of impact and they get a patent for it. As the patent nears expiration, lo and behold, the drug is "found" to treat another condition, gets approved for that, and the patent gets extended for that new treatment, extending the moat of protection around the drug from generic copies and protecting the profits of the drug company.

How is it on stains?