Medication overuse headaches result from frequent use of acute headache medications. Medication overuse headaches often have a frequency between seven and 14 days per month and usually start after Gabapentin is used to control seizures, to treat nerve pain that can happen after having had shingles, and to treat a condition called restless legs syndrome. In addition to these FDA-approved uses, doctors sometimes prescribe gabapentin off-label. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant used off-label to help prevent migraine attacks. Learn about why it’s used and how it works. Gabapentin is used "off-label" for migraine prevention and treatment, including migraines with or without aura, vestibular migraines. It reduces the frequency of headaches, pain intensity, and the use of symptomatic medications 1 , 2 . Off-label, gabapentin has been used in the treatment of migraine and other types of headache, including cluster and tension headaches. It shows potential as an option for those living with migraine and other headache disorders. I normally had headaches about 5-6 days a week. I've used Neurontin on and off for neuropathy, but I never paid any attention to the effects on my headaches. One day, I was on the phone with my 30-yr-old son who has the same headaches, and he said: 'Dad, my Neuro put me on Gabapentin for my headaches, and it works really well.' Hmm, I said. Migraines impose significant health and financial burdens. Approximately 38% of patients with episodic migraines would benefit from preventive therapy, but less than 13% take prophylactic medications. Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) is a medicine used to treat partial seizures, nerve pain from shingles and restless leg syndrome. It works on the chemical messengers in your brain and nerves. Gabapentin is from a group of medicines called anticonvulsants. We also debate the role of a new antiepileptic drug, gabapentin, in the management of headache and neck pain. It is now considered to be an emergent treatment for pain syndrome. We delineate its pharmacological, laboratory and clinical profiles, with a review of the world literature. Objective: To compare efficacy and safety of gabapentin (GPT) versus placebo for prophylaxis of chronic daily headache (CDH) (headache at least 15 days/month of greater than 4 hours duration over preceding 6 months). Methods: This is a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled crossover study. Gabapentin (GBP), originally an antiepileptic drug, is more commonly used in the treatment of pain, including headache disorders. Off-label GBP is used in headache disorders with some success, some failure, and much debate. Gabapentin does not decrease the frequency of migraine headaches and is not recommended for prophylactic therapy. (Strength of Recommendation: B, based on inconsistent or limited-quality patient An initial trial of discontinuing acute medications used for headaches may be warranted to help determine whether medication overuse Beran RG Australian Gabapentin Chronic Daily Headache Group By contrast, a strong recommendation for the use of gabapentin for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine was recently given by the Canadian Headache Society Prophylactic Guidelines Development Group (Pringsheim 2012). The above‐mentioned guidelines do not comment specifically on gabapentin enacarbil or pregabalin. Gabapentin is an effective prophylactic agent for patients with migraine. In addition, gabapentin appears generally well tolerated with mild to moderate somnolence and dizziness. A 2016 study found that gabapentin showed some benefits for migraine headaches. However, it concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to recommend it as a primary therapy. Another study review in 2023 found that gabapentin was no more effective than a placebo in reducing monthly migraine days. Generic Name Gabapentin DrugBank Accession Number DB00996 Background. Gabapentin is a structural analogue of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid that was first approved for use in the United States in 1993. 16 It was originally developed as a novel anti-epileptic for the treatment of certain types of seizures 14,5 - today it is also widely used to treat neuropathic pain. 8 Objective: Gabapentin (GBP), originally an antiepileptic drug, is more commonly used in the treatment of pain, including headache disorders. Off-label GBP is used in headache disorders with some success, some failure, and much debate. Find patient medical information for Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin) on WebMD including its uses, side effects and safety, interactions, pictures, warnings, and user ratings 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.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |