The FDA issued a warning in December 2019 that serious breathing difficulties may occur in patients using gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) or pregabalin (Lyrica, Lyrica CR) who have respiratory risk factors.¹ The risk factors include the use of opioid analgesics and other drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS) and ISSUE: FDA is warning that serious breathing difficulties may occur in patients using gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) or pregabalin (Lyrica, Lyrica CR) who have respiratory risk Understanding Gabapentin-Induced Respiratory Depression How Gabapentin Affects Breathing. Gabapentin and its close relative, pregabalin, are known as gabapentinoids. While not opioids, these drugs can depress the central nervous system, which includes the area of the brain that controls breathing. The review linked gabapentin or pregabalin to 49 cases of respiratory depression from 2012 to 2017. In 92% of those cases, the person had a respiratory risk factor, and 12 of the 49 people died. FDA is warning that serious, life-threatening, and fatal respiratory depression has been reported with the gabapentinoids, gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) and pregabalin (Lyrica, Gabapentin has been associated with a rare risk of severe respiratory depression even without concomitant opioid medicines. In a recent Drug Safety Update, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned about a rare risk of severe respiratory depression with gabapentin, with or without concomitant use of opioids. 1 In England, 6.5 million prescriptions for gabapentin were dispensed in 2016. 2 In 2019 the FDA issued a warning about the potential risks of respiratory depression in patients taking gabapentin or pregabalin in combination with central nervous system (CNS) depressants such as opioids, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines. Although these drugs, which include gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica), are still believed to be far safer than opioids for long-term use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now warning that they may cause “respiratory depression.” That means your breathing could become so slow and shallow that you end up with too much The changes made in the revised version highlights two additional high risk population category for developing gabapentinoids induced respiratory depression such as patients with concurrent opioid use and patients administered with gabapentinoids on the day of surgery. The potential for respiratory depression is highest when gabapentin or pregabalin is used in patients with risk factors such as increasing age (≥ 65 years of age), underlying lung dysfunction, and concomitant use of central nervous system (CNS) depressants. The US FDA is warning of a risk of serious, life-threatening or fatal respiratory depression during treatment with gabapentinoids including gabapentin (Gralise, Horizant, Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica, Lyrica CR 1) for seizures or nerve pain in patients with respiratory risk factors. The agency is warning that serious breathing difficulties may occur in patients using gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant) or pregabalin (Lyrica, Lyrica CR) who have respiratory risk factors. Among those factors are use of opioid pain medicines and other drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS), as well as conditions such as The FDA has issued a drug safety warning for gabapentin and pregabalin, including Gralise and Lyrica, after a review of data suggested that use of the drugs may result in serious breathing difficulties in patients who have respiratory risk factors. “Reports of gabapentinoid abuse alone, and with opioids, have emerged and there are serious consequences of this co-use, including respiratory depression and increased risk of opioid overdose death. “Reports of gabapentinoid abuse alone, and with opioids, have emerged and there are serious consequences of this co-use, including respiratory depression and increased risk of opioid overdose death,” Douglas Throckmorton, MD, deputy director for Regulatory Programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. Gabapentinoids are often being combined with CNS depressants, which increases the risk of respiratory depression. There is less evidence supporting the risk of serious breathing difficulties in Currently, gabapentin and pregabalin are US Food and Drug Administration-approved for postherpetic neuralgia in adults as well as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures. 6, 7 Gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) are prescribed frequently in the hospital as well as in the outpatient setting for off-label indications Starting gabapentinoids at a low dose and titrating carefully is recommended to reduce the risk of respiratory depression in patients with respiratory risk factors and in the elderly. Reductions in the dosage of gabapentin and pregabalin are necessary in patients with renal impairment. Gabapentin and pregabalin are FDA-approved for a variety of conditions, including of respiratory depression. CNS depressants include opioids, anti-anxiety medicines,
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |