Gabapentinoids include gabapentin and pregabalin. They are FDA-approved to treat a variety of conditions including partial seizures; pain from damaged nerves that follows spinal cord injury, healing of shingles, or diabetes; fibromyalgia; and moderate to severe primary restless legs syndrome.
Gabapentin is approved to prevent and control partial seizures, relieve postherpetic neuralgia after shingles and moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome. Learn what side effects to watch for, drugs to avoid while taking gabapentin, how to take gabapentin and other important questions and answers. Gabapentin is available in both branded and generic forms.
What is gabapentin approved for?
Here are some common off-label uses for gabapentin:
1. Chronic Pain Conditions
- Neuropathic Pain: Gabapentin is often used for types of nerve pain not specifically approved by the FDA, such as diabetic neuropathy and sciatica.
- Fibromyalgia: While not officially approved, gabapentin may help reduce pain and improve sleep in fibromyalgia patients.
2. Psychiatric Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders: Gabapentin can help manage generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety in some cases.
- Bipolar Disorder: Occasionally used as an adjunct therapy for mood stabilization, though evidence is mixed.
3. Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia: Gabapentin can improve sleep quality, particularly in individuals with pain or other co-occurring conditions.
4. Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
- Alcohol Withdrawal: Gabapentin may help reduce symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, including anxiety, tremors, and cravings.
- Cocaine and Cannabis Use Disorders: It has been investigated for reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms in these contexts.
5. Migraine Prophylaxis
- Though not officially approved, gabapentin is sometimes used to prevent migraines due to its effects on the nervous system.
6. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
- Gabapentin can alleviate the discomfort and improve sleep in individuals with RLS.
7. Menopausal Symptoms
- Used to reduce hot flashes and night sweats in menopausal women.
8. Pruritus (Itching)
- Effective in treating chronic itching, particularly in conditions like kidney failure or liver disease.
9. Post-Surgical Pain
- Sometimes prescribed to manage acute pain after surgery, especially in procedures with a high risk of neuropathic pain.
10. Gabapentin is used to
- Prevent and control partial seizures. Gabapentin can be used in adults and children age 3 and older who have partial seizures.
- Relieve nerve pain following shingles in adults. Shingles is a painful rash that develops many years after you’ve had chickenpox. The virus that causes chickenpox stays dormant in a portion of your spinal nerve root called the dorsal root ganglion. For whatever reason, this otherwise dormant virus gets reactivated — usually by stress — causing a shingles rash. Nerve pain following a case of shingles is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).
- Treat moderate-too-severe primary restless legs syndrome.
The branded gabapentin products Neurontin and Gralise are approved for partial seizures and PHN. The branded gabapentin enacarbil product Horizant is approved for restless legs syndrome and PHN.