Of course, the study isn’t without its limits. It didn’t look at other health issues or medications participants may have had, and dementia risk depends on many factors. Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, told “One very important factor that was not examined in this study is levels of physical activity. People with chronic pain requiring gabapentin may have been less physically active, which is a known risk factor for developing dementia.”
Ian Maidment, a clinical pharmacy professor at Aston University in Birmingham, England, also pointed out that the analysis didn’t control for treatment duration or dosage. He added that other recent studies have failed to find a link, stating, “The jury is out on whether gabapentin causes dementia.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Neel Anand, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon not involved in the study, stressed that proving a direct cause would require comparing patients who use only gabapentin with those who don’t, while making sure the drug is taken as prescribed. Still, he noted that it’s important to be aware of possible cognitive risks tied to long-term use.
Despite the study’s limitations, the authors recommend caution when prescribing gabapentin.
“In terms of clinical significance, I recommend that physicians prescribing gabapentin for chronic pain perform cognitive exams on a regular basis when seeing patients,” Eghrari advised. He also encouraged patients to report any cognitive changes, such as confusion, memory problems, or slowed thinking, to their doctors.
Eghrari concluded, “We hope to carry this research forward and explore whether there is a true causative relationship between gabapentin and cognitive impairment. We also plan to investigate the underlying mechanisms of how the drug may impact cognition.”
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and is for information only.
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