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Alarming New Research Links Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Pregabalin (Lyrica) to Early Dementia

Gabapentin (brand name Neurontin) is being very commonly prescribed for pain. But it has never been approved for chronic pain.  Worse, new research is connecting gabapentin with developing early dementia

Side-effects of gabapentin have been widely known for decades. It was developed and approved as an anti-seizure drug. However, it has been promoted and heavily used off-label for a wide range of symptoms, especially chronic pain.

Gabapentin is becoming more frequently prescribed for patients for lower back pain. It has also been prescribed off-label for bipolar disorder, diabetic neuropathy, complex regional pain syndrome, attention deficit disorder, restless legs syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, premenstrual syndrome, migraine headache, and more.

A similar anti-seizure drug, pregabalin (Lyrica) has also been widely prescribed off-label for a wide range of conditions, including back pain.

How have these two similar drugs, both made by Pfizer, become so frequently used off-label for conditions for which they have not been approved?

Doctors have come under great pressure in recent years to reduce prescriptions for narcotic pain drugs due to growing addiction problems. To reduce the use of narcotics, doctors looked for alternative drugs for patients suffering with chronic pain. The manufacturer of gabapentin told doctors their drug was a great option to narcotics for painful conditions.

Across the country, doctors embraced this recommendation and prescribing gabapentin (Neurontin) for all kinds of chronic pain became routine practice.

The use of gabapentin exploded. It was not approved for treating pain such as chronic back and neck pain, arthritis, joint pain, or surgical pain. However, the manufacturer illegally marketed it for these kinds of conditions.

Doctors may choose to prescribe drugs off-label, but manufacturers are prohibited from marketing them for conditions other than their FDA-approved use. 

 Because marketing drugs for off-label use is illegal, in 2004 Pfizer was fined a record $430 MILLION for illegal promotion of gabapentin (Neurontin).

But since sales of the drug are in the $BILLIONS annually, Pfizer didn't appear set back by the $430 million penalty.  Perhaps paying such a huge fine was just factored into the cost of doing business.

In 2009, Pfizer was again fined a record amount of $2.3 BILLION for illegal marketing of four drugs, including pregabalin (Lyrica).

As a result of the illegal off-label marketing, prescriptions for Gabapentin multiplied extraordinarily.  By 2016, gabapentin was the 10th most frequently prescribed drug in the U.S.  By some estimates, gabapentin has now become the 5th most frequently prescribed drug in 2025.

But research indicates gabapentin and pregabalin are not good drugs for pain. Recent studies have found that gabapentin and pregabalin are not effective for chronic pain such as back pain or sciatica.

Gabapentin side-effects can be serious.  Dizziness, confusion, poor memory, and sleep disorders are widely reported. Hallucinations have been reported.

Recent research has also linked Gabapentin to dangerous balance problems that have led to serious injuries from falls.

Worse, patients often require steadily increasing dosage of Gabapentin, making side-effects more likely and more serious.

The newest alarming research links gabapentin and pregabalin with early onset dementia. The early onset dementia associated with gabapentin is not just affecting elderly patients.  The research linked gabapentin to early onset dementia in young patients, in their 30's.

Dementia is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders worldwide. Patients encounter impairments in memory, decision making, learning, and ability to perform daily activities.  

Medical News Today reports that gabapentin users have an 85% greater chance of developing dementia.  The new study found that this risk was more than doubled for patients in their 30’s and 40’s.

Since providers are now limited in how they can prescribe narcotics, and the replacement drugs gabapentin and pregabalin are now recognized as having serious problems with side-effects and limited effectiveness, what options are left for people facing chronic back pain and other painful conditions? 

Fortunately, there are new, very safe, very effective drug-free treatments available for most patients with moderate to severe chronic neck, back and joint pain.

New technology has been developed that can often provide very effective, lasting relief for chronic pain.  Patients with neck and back pain, knee, shoulder, hip, and other joint pain, as well as sciatica are being successfully treated with new technology using electronic signals to relieve the pain.

Major medical groups are now looking seriously at drug-free technologies to address chronic pain.  The new Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians has endorsed the use of non-invasive treatments including laser therapy for the treatment of acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain.

In our office, we have been using these types of successful pain-relieving technology for more than a decade.  Patients love that they begin to feel results immediately after their first treatment.

Our exclusive LaserPlex and NeuroMed Matrix technologies treat pain very effectively using a process called neuromodulation.  This treatment has brought wonderful relief to many people who have suffered for months to years.

We have seen patients that have had pain for more than a decade improve dramatically. In many cases it may be possible to reduce pain 80-90% or even virtually eliminate the pain.

If you know someone taking gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica) please let them know about the new research linking that drug to dementia as well as other serious side effects.  Also let them know very effective, safe alternative treatment is available.

Dr Mark Kestner