If your back pain is nerve-related, then the anticonvulsant drug gabapentin may be a good choice for you. This article will explain how gabapentin works, detail its uses, and go over potential side effects, so that you can assess with your doctor whether this drug may be right for you. Gabapentin is commonly prescribed for sciatica. But the evidence supporting its use for sciatic nerve pain is weak. Sciatica is a very common condition that’s also known as lumbosacral radiculopathy. Up to 40% of people will have sciatica within their lifetime. Gabapentinoids are not a good substitute for opioids in the management of chronic low back pain that does not include neuropathic pain, study finds. Gabapentin is also used as an adjunct to more potent anticonvulsants and for the management of certain types of neural pain. Definition and uses of gabapentin. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication primarily used to treat seizures and nerve pain. Gabapentin changes the way the brain and body exchange messages. It calms the nerves by blocking pain-causing neurotransmitters, making gabapentin an effective treatment for sciatica and Gabapentin is prescribed for long-term pain control. It isn't used to treat short-term pain. Researchers aren't sure exactly how it works, but it may change how your body feels and reacts to pain. Graded treatment recommendations can be found in treatment topics for specific chronic pain conditions (eg, chronic back pain, postherpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia). The general approach to the management of chronic non-cancer pain and nonpharmacologic therapies for chronic pain are discussed separately. Chronic pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as ongoing or recurrent pain that lasts beyond the usual course of acute illness or injury or more than three to six But the process is complex and personal. What works for one person's chronic low back pain may not bring relief for another person's osteoarthritis. There are a number of reasons for this. The cause of the chronic pain, a person's biology and history all play a role in pain management. And finding pain therapies that bring you relief can take time. Nerve pain medication: Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) may help reduce neck and back nerve pain, especially sciatica. Begin with low doses to avoid daytime drowsiness and fall risk. Muscle relaxants. Tizanidine (Zanaflex) and baclofen (Lioresal) may reduce pain from muscle spasms. Gabapentin is prescribed for analgesia in chronic low back pain, yet there are no controlled trials supporting this practice. This randomized, two-arm, 12-week, parallel group study compared gabapentin (forced titration up to 3600 mg daily) to inert placebo. These medications are sometimes prescribed for muscle spasms related to back pain, but they aren’t first-choice options. They are only FDA-approved to treat spasticity. And they’re more likely than the other categories to cause side effects when prescribed for acute back pain. 6. Oxazepam and diazepam Although providers often prescribe gabapentin, high-quality studies show that gabapentin does not work well to treat all types of back pain. Evidence suggests that gabapentin works best for nerve pain caused by diabetes and shingles. Back pain can have a huge effect on your day-to-day life. If your back pain is nerve-related, exploring gabapentin with your healthcare provider may pave the way to a more comfortable and active life. How Does Gabapentin Help? The role of gabapentin for back pain works in the following way: Reduces the release of several neurotransmitters, decreasing the transmission of pain signals in the nervous system While healthcare providers frequently suggest gabapentin for nerve pain, its role in managing back pain requires a closer look. Recent years have seen an increase in prescriptions for back pain, with studies highlighting its efficacy in nerve pain associated with conditions like shingles or diabetes. Anxiety: In a small clinical trial, gabapentin was shown to be more effective for anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue symptoms in adults with low-back pain. However, the trial found that pregabalin was more effective for pain reduction. Lyrica may also be used to treat neuropathic (nerve) pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia, spinal cord injury, and fibromyalgia Gabapentin may also be used to treat nerve pain caused by shingles (herpes zoster) and gabapentin enacarbil, brand name Horizant, is also approved for restless legs syndrome (RLS). Chronic pain is pain that lasts and lingers — sometimes defined as pain that persists for more than six months. This is in contrast to acute pain — such as pain from a broken bone, a kidney stone or surgery — which is circumstantial and resolves over time. Background Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a global health problem, and gabapentin and pregabalin are often used in the treatment of patients without associated radiculopathy or neuropathy. Therefore, determining their efficacy and safety is of enormous value. A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of eight RCTs (N = 874) examined the effectiveness of gabapentin or pregabalin (Lyrica) vs. placebo for the treatment of chronic low back pain. 1 This
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