Gabapentin: History, Approvals, and Pharmacology

Welcome back! Today, we will be talking about Gabapentin, brand-name Neurontin, one of the most commonly-prescribed medications in the United States, and we will specifically be focusing on its use in psychiatry. It is commonly prescribed for anxiety disorders, alcohol use disorder, and sometimes even bipolar disorder! But what does the evidence say?

Sources:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3619699/#:~:text=The%20FDA%20approved%20gabapentin%20enacarbil,legs%20syndrome%20(RLS)%20symptoms.

• https://journals.lww.com/intclinpsychopharm/Abstract/2017/01000/Pregabalin_for_generalized_anxiety_disorder__an.8.aspx

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9507147/

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4732322/

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9263379/

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28988943/

• https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7119a3.htm