Gabapentin - New England Journal of Medicine reports on Off-Label Uses

[Guest guest]

See news alert link at the bottom of this page, regarding Gabapentin. I know

that many

of you are taking Gabapentin and if it is working for you then that is

great. And, you can disregard this news alert.

On the other hand, I was also thinking for those of you who are like me, and the

Gabapentin does not work for you, then you now would have something

official to stand behind you when you tell your doctor that you need

something else.

My doctor initially insisted that I could only have

Gabapentin, and I told him over and over that 1) it did nothing to

relieve my pain, and that 2) it was causing me bad reactions. Well, now the

same company he works for is the one sending this notice. Makes me want to send

him a copy in his mail and say, " See, I told you ! "

Notes:

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, and

information which came to light during a recent court trial revealed

that the manufacturer of Neurontin® (the brand name for gabapentin) had

misled physicians about the usefulness of gabapentin for off-label uses.

The manufacturer, Pfizer, promoted gabapentin for off-label uses and provided

incorrect information. The manufacturer knowingly withheld

from publication studies that showed gabapentin did not work better than placebo

(i.e., no treatment) for these off-label uses.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/2bt3gjg

Here is another article, dated November 2009, " Investigators Point to Unethical

Reporting in Gabapentin Studies "

Link to the article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712824

Again, if you are taking Gabapentin and it is working for you, that is

wonderful. But, for those who it does not work for this might be of help. I

know it would have been helpful for me to argue my point with the doctor in

2005, had I had this article back then.

Jade

[Guest guest]

Hi Jade

Thanks for the very interesting link. I tryed gabapentin (in increasingly higher

doses) for my neuropathic pain and it did zero, zip, zilch for me Except make

me sleepy.

As I already take about a million arthritis drugs plus antidepressants,

painkillers etc, we (Dr and me) have jettisoned the gabapentin: Yay - one less

pill to take each day (and it was 3 times a day).

Like you said though, it's good to try all possible medications but speak up if

it doesn't help

in New Zealand

>

> See news alert link at the bottom of this page, regarding Gabapentin. I know

that many of you are taking Gabapentin and if it is working for you then that is

great. On the other hand, I was also thinking for those of you who are like me,

and the Gabapentin does not work for you, then you now would have something

official to stand behind you when you tell your doctor that you need something

else.